One of the Pacific crabapples growing at the Arboretum was recently declared a national champion for its impressive size. This native tree tolerates wet soil and has fragrant flowers in the spring. In late autumn the small crabapples add interest to the bare branches.

1)  Castanea crenata                     Japanese Chestnut

Though it is one of the smaller species of chestnut, C. crenata is still a valued food tree in its native Japan. Ordinarily the nuts are also smaller than those of the European varieties.
This specimen is located on the east side of our field nursery along the gravel path.

2)  Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. ‘Nana’           Dwarf Plum Yew

Native to the forest understories of eastern Asia, this small, evergreen shrub is known to thrive in semi-shaded places rather than in full sunshine. 

By September most shrubs are done blooming for the year, but not so with hardy fuchsias! Not only are they decked out with cheery blooms through the fall, they are also a magnet for native hummingbirds.
 Fuchsia magellanica ‘Alba’ (sometimes listed as F. magellanica var. molinae ‘Alba’) is my personal favorite with pendent pink flowers dangling against a background of dark green foliage. 

Panayoti Kelaidis presents From Denver to Seattle: a Shared Gardening Tradition, the 24th annual Miller Lecture at UW’s Meany Hall on September 13, 2018.

Ilea Howard is completing an internship with UW Botanic Gardens this summer. She is a student at Oregon State University where she’s majoring in sustainability and horticulture. The internship, which runs June through August, will provide her with credit hours and experience trying new things, such as driving a tractor!
Before starting work each day, Ilea puts on her work pants and sturdy hiking boots. 

The UW Botanic Gardens is a member of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC), a network of botanic institutions whose mission is to prevent the extinction of U.S. native plants. The CPC was founded in 1984 and operates the only national program of ex situ conservation of rare plant material in coordination with 40 leading botanic institutions. They maintain the National Collection of Endangered Plants with over 1,400 species represented and also conduct research, restoration, education, and advocacy programs. 

My name is Rebecca Janssen and I am an AmeriCorps member serving with UW Botanic Gardens as the Adult Environmental Education Coordinator. The day that this is posted, August 15th, is the final day of my service. I was looking recently at a little half-sheet flyer promoting summer and some fall adult education programs. As I was reading through the list, it was really exciting to realize how many of those I had been involved with – 15 of the 22 classes listed! 

This unusual Hydrangea is native to Japan and Taiwan with delightfully big, round buds.

1)  Corylus colurna                     Turkish Hazelnut or Filbert

The Turkish Hazelnut is native to southeastern Europe into western Asia.
In summer, edible nuts are produced inside dramatically styled husks.
The Turkish Filbert can be found along Foster Island Road, opposite the Broadmoor gatehouse.

2)  Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Sumida-no-hanabi’                     Bigleaf Hydrangea

‘Sumida-no-hanabi’ translates to “fireworks over the Hanabi River”.
This wonderful hydrangea can be found in the Centennial Garden along Azalea Way. 

We are delighted to announce several new courses offered through our restoration professional education series. These programs are developed with support from the Northwest Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, under the guidance of a committed network of professional restoration practitioners actively engaged in restoring habitats in the Pacific Northwest. We hope you can join us for these exciting new learning opportunities!