1)  Itea ilicifolia                Holly-leaved Sweet Spire

Native to western China
Evergreen shrub growing up to 16 feet tall and 10 feet wide
Bears fragrant racemes of greenish-white flowers in late summer and fall
Located west of the Magnolia Collection near the south end of the Asiatic Maples

2)  Lomatia myricoides                Long-leaf Lomatia

Native to New South Wales in southeastern Australia
One of the hardier members of the Proteaceae
Honey-scented white flowers are much visited by bees in summer
Located across Arboretum Drive from the New Zealand Focal Forest

3)  Pterocarya stenoptera                Chinese Wingnut

Native to China
Deciduous tree to 70 feet or greater, with a trunk diameter as large as 8 feet
Located west of Azalea Way, north of Loderi Valley

4)  Quercus vacciniifolia                Huckleberry Oak

Native to western North America, mountains of the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range
Leaves and acorns are an important food source for birds and mammals within its native range. 

If you are a member of our fabulous farm CSA then you have been receiving the freshest produce that the season offers plus recipe ideas for the past five weeks, but for those of you that shop at Seattle area farmers markets or buy seasonal produce at the grocery store, here are some links to recipes from the web that will help you make the most of your July fruits and veggies! 

1)  Quercus gilva                    Evergreen Oak

Native to China and Japan
Reaches heights of 90-100 feet in its native range
Located in the Oak Collection along the South Oaks Extension Trail

2)  Rhododendron calophytum           Beautiful-face Rhododendron

Native to China
Large species rhododendron capable of becoming a tree
Located along trail between Loderi Valley and the Woodland Garden

3)  Sequoia sempervirons  ‘Cantab’                     Coast Redwood

A cultivar of the coast redwood with unique needles
Specimens vary in form from shrubby to tree-like
Located in the north end of the Pinetum, along the Pinetum Trail

4)  Thujopsis dolobrata                    Hiba Arborvitae

A Japanese native
Capable of reaching 100 feet or more in Japan, yet large specimens are rare in the Seattle area
Located along the south slope of the Woodland Garden

5)  Viburnum rhytidophyllum                    Leatherleaf Viburnum

Native to China
Large evergreen shrub recorded to heights of 30 feet
Located along the trail through the Viburnum Collection 

The University of Washington Botanic Garden was ranked as one of the top University gardens, tied with three other gardens by Best Colleges Online. Gardens were scored on a number of criteria, including number of plant species, and presence of a horticultural library, education and conservation programs. With the Washington Park Arboretum enormous woody plant collection and the Center for Urban Horticulture’s numerous opportunities for formal and informal education it is no surprise that we ranked in the top of the list of 50 reviewed gardens. 

The US Forest Service recognized Rare Care – including hundreds of trained volunteers from all parts of the state – with its Regional Volunteer Award for Citizen Stewardship and Partnerships.

You can always find something wonderful and delicious on the UW Farm! This time of year marks the tomato growing season. At an earlier May work party a great mix of tomato varieties were planted at the Center for Urban Horticulture location. Come see what is growing!
What Varieties Did We Plant?

Cherokee Purple
Indigo Rose

A very beautifully purple tomato

Striped German

A lovely heirloom tomato with ribbed shoulders

Jaune Flamee
Kellogg’s Breakfast

Named one of the best heirlooms by Sunset Magazine

Japanese Trifele

Small, pear-shaped tomato

Black Prince
Green Zebra
Black Krim
Hungarian Heart
Ananas Noire

Green, purple, yellow, orange colors all in one tomato! 

1)  Cornus controversa           Giant Dogwood

A rounded deciduous tree bearing spreading, tiered branches and alternate, elliptic leaves, C. controversa can potentially reach 40 feet in height.  White flowers are borne in large, flattened cymes in early summer.  Following the flowers, masses of deep red fruit develop, changing to blue-black.
Native to China, the Himalayas and Japan, C. controversa is less cold tolerant than our native dogwoods.  

Jennie Li, a graduate student in Landscape Architecture and Urban Design and Planning, wrote a synopsis of the UW Farm Charrette. Learn about what a charrette is all about and how we came together to generate ideas for the future of the farm!
On the morning of Friday, June 5, fourteen people consisting of members of the Farm Operations Committee, UW Botanical Gardens, and UW Farm staff and volunteers came together to envision what the future might hold for the UW Farm’s Center for Urban Horticulture site. 

This past year (2014) we are started the process of making some of our very own varieties of tomatoes and winter squash!
The process begins with crossing two different varieties of a vegetable. Most vegetables have been bred to be homozygous (like AA or  aa instead of Aa… remember Mendel’s Punnett squares from Bio?) so that when you save seed from the plant after self pollination, all the seeds make the same kind of plant with same kind of fruit (same shape, size, color, and taste). 

Hoping to lure opreys from nesting on the ball field lights, new platforms were installed.