In Japan, the seeds of the nutmeg yew are desirable to be roasted and eaten or used to produce a cooking oil with a subtle nutty flavor highly prized in some circles for tempura. The ‘nuts’ are rich in vitamin E as well as sciadonic acid, known to reduce cholesterol.
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Basalt daisy (Erigeron basalticus) is a cliff dweller, found exclusively along the Yakima River Canyon and Selah Creek. There you will find it tucked into crevices and cracks of the basalt cliffs formed in the late Miocene (5 to 11 million years ago). There are six known populations in Washington State. Over the past few years Rare Care has made a concerted effort to re-monitor all known occurrences, and we only have one left to visit!
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Happy October! As Halloween and spooky season approaches, the best way to celebrate is to visit the Washington Park Arboretum and check out our sassafras. These trees are quite festive as they display leaves shaped like little ghosts (or mittens depending on your viewing angle)! Leaves can have a different number of lobes ranging from 1-3 on the same plant. This deciduous tree displays vivid colors of fall foliage in yellow, orange, red, and pink.
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During these dog days of summer I am especially appreciative of all my conifer friends, providing blessed shade, a sweet smell on the air and a cool background on which my squinting eyes may rest. One conifer in particular is especially welcome to my eye, Thujopsis dolabrata var. dolabrata, with its deep green, glossy scales and wide-sweeping branchlets. This gorgeous conifer is stately, trouble free, and slow growing to the point where it will happily spend 30 to 50 years in a Seattle-sized yard without terrifying your too-common panicky neighbor.
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As we look forward to the warmth of the summer, let’s take a moment to appreciate one of the first berries that ripens in our region – salmonberry. The scientific name is Rubus spectabilis and is appropriately named for its showy flowers and berries. The genus Rubus is derived from ruber, the Latin word for red, while spectabilis is Latin for spectacular, notable, or showy.
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As we anticipate La Niña bringing us a snowy winter, let’s take a moment to appreciate a snowy plant, or rather a plant named for its snowy berries – common snowberry. Botanically known as Symphoricarpos albus, the plant is aptly named for its white clusters of fruit. The genus is a combination of “symphori” referring to the Greek verb “to bear together,” and “carpos” from the Greek word for “fruit.” The specific epithet “albus” is the Latin word for “white.” This species of snowberry boasts ripe, white berries that develop in late summer and persist all winter, through the rain, cold temperatures, and even through, you guessed it, our [occasional] snow.
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Despite not having showy flowers this demure evergreen fern deserves to be grown in more Northwest gardens.
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Magnolias, magnolias, magnolias! Where to begin?! These harbingers of spring have started to bloom! The Washington Park Arboretum has 250 magnolia tree specimens, with some impressively mature trees dating back to 1940. Lucky for us, the breadth and variety of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens’ collection means we should have a steady supply of magnolia blooms through the summer. Of the 250 magnolia specimens, there are 38 species, subspecies and varieties (i.e.
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This hardy, bright pink Rhododendron lights up the garden in late winter.
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Intrepid plant hunters suffered a bit to bring back seeds of this glorious Chinese shrub to grow in the Arboretum.
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