Sleeping Beauties
1)  Oemleria cerasiformis                Indian Plum

The Indian Plum adheres to Benjamin Franklin’s advice in Poor Richards Almanac: “Early to bed, early to rise. . . .”  This shrub goes to sleep early, beginning to slowly defoliate in late summer.  However, it is one of the first to leaf out, and flowers early in the spring.  It can be found throughout the Arboretum, and is just beginning to awaken. 

One of the best conifers and most unusual for foliar effects in February is Taiwania cryptomerioides, the Coffin tree.

Since the initial planting of Centennial woods in Union Bay Natural Area in 2007, in celebration of the first 100 years of the College of Forest Resource (now known as the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences), Jon Diemer and his wife Martha have become the weekend warriors. They devote every free Saturday to restoration work at the site. As the current UBNA Ranger, I was able to lend a hand and plant a few hemlocks and shore pines this past Saturday, January 16th, 2016. 

Witt Winter Garden
1)  Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’
Midwinter Fire Dogwood

Though the species normally has red twigs and purple fall color, this outstanding cultivar has golden-yellow fall color followed by red-blushed, yellow twigs.
This dogwood is native to northern Europe into northwestern Asia.
Full sun is required to obtain the best winter stem color and this dogwood will slowly colonize an area via suckers from its shallow roots unless controlled. 

 
Mother Earth Farm is an 8 acre food bank farm run by the Emergency Food Network. Located in the Puyallup River valley, the farm uses organic practices to grow about 100,000 pounds of fresh produce a year for Pierce County food banks and hot meal sites. Mostly focused on vegetables, Mother Earth also has an orchard, beehives, and a small herb and flower garden. 

Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project
Job Title: Farm Manager
Program: Food Production and Farming Education – American River Ranch
Reports To: Co-Director
Farm & Organization Background
Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture & Education Project is a non-profit educational farm in Sacramento, California. Our programs focus on promoting health and providing experiential learning opportunities for youth and adults, producing healthy food, improving access to healthy food for all and modeling land and environmental stewardship. 

When the Olmsted Brothers first came to the Seattle area in the early 1900s, they were impressed by the size, abundance and beauty of our native conifers. Thirty years later when they designed the collection placement for the Washington Park Arboretum, they made a point of not removing our native trees, but placing the arboretum collection within a matrix of these native conifers. 

Finding your way in the Arboretum just got a little easier!

Get thee to the Arboretum’s Witt Winter Garden and glory in the bare naked plants!

Beautiful photographs on exhibit and on sale in the Miller Library Jan. 2 through Feb. 12th.