Stroll through 330 years of fascinating history and rich culture, while getting an exclusive peek behind Savannah & Charleston’s garden gates

Behind The Garden Gate—Savannah & Charleston tour
March 19–26, 2017
3 nights in Savannah, 4 nights in Charleston
Experience southern charm and hospitality while exploring secret gardens, elegant homes, magnificent plantations, hidden alleys, and quaint, picturesque cobblestone streets with Eve Rickenbaker of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and Susan McLeod Epstein of the Preservation Society of Charleston. 

The Udall Foundation offers a prestigious scholarship for undergraduate sophomores and juniors in any major seeking careers in environmental fields, and  American Indian and Alaska Native students seeking careers in Tribal Public Policy or Native Health Care.
The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship is a $7,000 scholarship awarded to 60 undergraduate sophomores and juniors pursuing careers related to the environment, or pursuing careers related to Tribal Public Policy or Native Health Care. 

Betula Nigra, known as the river birch, has beautiful shaggy bark and is resistant to the bronze birch borer

1)   Araucaria araucana                Monkey Puzzle

Native to Chile and Argentina in the south central Andes mountains.
This long-lived tree is frequently described as a living fossil.
Large cones yield many edible nuts, similar to a pine nut.

2)   Berberis gagnepainii                                 Gagnepain’s Barberry

This evergreen shrub is native to China in the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces.
Shrub is protected by many slender three-spined thorns. 

SpringRain Farm & Orchard is a certified organic family farm located in Chimacum in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula.  Our mission is to use the best available knowledge to sustainably and organically produce food for our local community.  At SpringRain Farm, we are committed to conservation and caring for the land we live and grow on.  The land is protected by an agricultural easement, ensuring that it will remain farm land forever. 

Brian Thompson was recently appointed to the American Horticultural Society’s Book Award committee for a three-year term.  He will join six other horticultural professionals across the county, including UW Botanic Gardens alum Jenks Farmer, in reviewing and presenting awards to the authors and publishers of the best North American books on gardening from the last year.
Brian is the Manager and Curator of the Miller Library.  

1)  Sorbus alnifolia                                               (Korean Mountain Ash)

Native to central China, Korea and Japan this medium-sized tree boasts showy 2-3 inch umbrella-shaped clusters of 5-petal white flowers in late spring.
As summer yields to autumn, clusters of purple-red to orange-red ½ inch showy fruits appear and persist into winter.

2)  Gaultheria mucronata                                      (Prickly Heath)

Formerly known as Pernettya, this southern Chilean native spends the fall awash with showy globose berries in shades from deep plum to pink to white. 

Few small ornamental trees offer so many attractive qualities in the landscape as the paperbark maple (Acer griseum). With its bright green leaves, coppery peeling bark, and vibrant fall color, this tree is highlighted in gardens across the country, and is specifically recognized as a Great Plant Pick for our region. At the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, we have six individual trees in our collections – one at the Center for Urban Horticulture and five at the Washington Park Arboretum. 

The UW Farm attracts pollinators and builds soil with charming purple tansy.