Despite a harsh winter, a large amount of work was accomplished restoring wildlife habitat in the Union Bay Natural Area this Winter Quarter 2019!

1)   Camellia japonica  ‘Willmeta’

This light pink Camellia is reminiscent of an apple blossom.
Will and Meta Jensen brought this cultivar with them as a seedling from Holland and the specific epithet is a combination of their first names.

2)   Camellia japonica  ‘Amabilis’

This white Camellia has impressively large single blossoms.
‘Amabilis’ is a French cultivar originating in Nantes in the 1820s. 

If you’ve been dreaming of escaping our cold, snowy Pacific Northwest, to a sunny and warm Mediterranean climate, dream no more! The ‘Frantoio’ is one of the most successful olive trees for the Pacific Northwest. Touted as the hardiest olive for our climate, 10° F or below and apparently gains cold hardiness the older it gets. Beautiful silvery foliage is attractive year-round. 

Here’s a sampling of some of the Arboretum trees that sustained some damage from the recent snow. Luckily most of the cuttings were taking from plants that will survive!

The record cold temperatures and snow that fell in Washington Park Arboretum between Feb 3 and Feb 11 will be one for the record books when it comes to accounting for all the plant collections damage and total losses.

UW Botanic Gardens facilities will be closed beginning at 12:30pm on Friday, February 8, and continuing through Sunday, February 10. Our facilities and programs are being impacted by anticipated inclement weather. Please check back on our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates going into next week.
Washington Park Arboretum impacts:
The Graham Visitors Center will be closed starting at 12:30pm Fri., Feb. 

Eucalyptus gunnii is the tallest eucalyptus in the Arboretum and is now one of the taller broadleaf trees—being nearly 80’ tall at present—and enjoys a prominent position in the future footprint of the Australian Forest.
Part of its longevity and good performance is also likely due to its provenance.  Eucalyptus are generally grown from seed, and seed from higher elevation trees have proven to be much hardier.  

1)  Rhododendron arboretum hybrid

This Rhododendron, located in the Joseph A. Witt Winter Garden, dutifully produces its blooms of bright rose in the dark of winter.
The UW Botanic Gardens’ database has records of it blooming in December, January, and February.

2)  Rhododendron floribundum

Native to the southern central area of China, and was first described by Adrien René Franchet.
Franchet was a French botanist who was noted for his extensive work describing the flora of China and Japan, based on the collections made by French Catholic missionaries in China – Armand David, Pierre Jean Marie Delavay, Paul Guillaume Farges, Jean-André Soulié, and others. 

“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
While championing civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr. was also a strong advocate for environmental justice. In honor of MLK Day of Service 2019, over 30 dedicated volunteers came ready to work to help restore valuable habitat for wildlife in the Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA) at the Center for Urban Horticulture. 

Brian Thompson’s interest in gardening started at an early age when his parents gave him a dozen gladiolus corms for his seventh birthday.  As they grew and bloomed, he began to record the varying plant heights, size and number of florets, and the impact of the environmental factors, such as his brother’s lawnmower, on their success.  As other plants, bulbs, and seeds were added to that early garden, an almost equal fascination took hold with the accompanying data logs, site maps, and charts one could prepare.