Crape Myrtles are tolerant of hot and dry summers and offer appeal throughout the seasons

How does a teenager experience a tour of the Washington Park Arboretum? Read about it first-hand from our summer communications volunteer.

Here at the UW Farm, we make our own compost, combining different types of dead plant material and animal manure to create just the right ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen needed for effective composting. Temperature is used to monitor the composting process, and the compost pile gets turned every so often to add oxygen and keep things running. The finished product is the fully decomposed, nutrient-rich compost that both plants and farmers love. 

Featuring a Selection of Trees at the Center for Urban Horticulture

1)  Acer japonicum  ‘Aconitifolium’                         Fern Leaf Maple

Grove of six located in McVay Courtyard
Planted in 1986, original design element for McVay Courtyard
Beautiful leaf texture with extraordinary fall color
The most iconic tree at the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)

2)  Cedrus deodara             Deodar Cedar

Two mature specimens located at northeastern entrance to Event Lawn (x from Greenhouse)
The only conifers remaining from pre-CUH development
Probably planted post-war years (1950s) for UW married student housing

3)  x Chitalpa tashkentensis  ‘Morning Cloud’                                                                           Morning Cloud Chitalpa

An inter-generic cross between Catalpa bignonioides and Chilopsis linearis
A hardy drought tolerant tree currently in flower, hence its cultivar namesake
Several specimens located in bed along NE 41st Street, west entrance to CUH. 

Thinking about visiting Cuba? Why not go on a guided tour with a bird-loving plant expert and UW Botanic Garden Director, Sarah Reichard?

We may focus on spring blooms and fall color in the garden but don’t neglect your summer features! There is a hidden trove of summer colors, textures, and blooms to be found.

The Magnolia grandifloras in our collection are blooming now!  Who doesn’t love a 12-inch wide flower that smells great?   The commonly named Southern Magnolia or Bull-Bay is native to the SE United States from Eastern Texas, along the lower Gulf Coast to the Atlantic where it grows in loamy soils near water.  It has proven to be very adaptable to different soils and this has allowed for its ability to be cultivated in many different climates.  

Read the story behind the development of a University of Washington arboretum in Washington Park.

Running out of ideas for using up all of those extra leafy greens and herbs from your garden or CSA? There are many options for utilizing a bumper crop of greens, and we’ll be covering many of them on the UW Farm blog this summer. For part one of Making the Most of Greens we’re going to focus on pounded and pureed sauces; which are simple, freeze easily, don’t require any cooking to make (if we have another heat wave you are going to want to stay away from that stove!), and can help to use up all sorts of ends and bits that you may have previously thrown in the compost bin. 

Greetings UW farm fans! The big heatwave has broken (for now at least) and we’re settling into July under a comfortingly familiar partially cloudy sky. That burst of heat might have made us uncomfortable but it was great for our crops and all of the plots on the farm are exploding with life! Here’s a glimpse of what is growing and what is being harvested on the farm in July:
Growing at Mercer: Asparagus, Turnips, Carrots, Rhubarb, Horseradish, lettuce, Parsnips, Basil, Cilantro, Potatoes, Tomatillos, Mushrooms, radishes, Broccoli, Onions, Beans, Leeks, Chinese Cabbage, Bog Choi, Beets, Mixed Cutting Greens (mizuna, mustard greens, arugula, etc), Cauliflower, and Perennial Herbs.