Camellias can provide a colorful alternative to the ubiquitous English laurel hedge. (Photo: Chris Pfeiffer) Despite being old-fashioned, hedges remain popular with home owners because of their ability to provide privacy, block unsightly views, add beauty to the garden, and yield a variety of ecological benefits. In gardening times past, choices for hedging plants were limited to a small selection of plant species, such as English laurel and boxwood. Nowadays, better options abound. In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, plant experts Christina Pfeiffer and Walt Bubelis provide a s ..read more

Harlequin flowers (Sparaxis species) by Arabella Roupell, from “More Cape Flowers by a Lady.” In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, manager and curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Library Brian Thompson continues his series of book reviews focused on women botanical artists and botanists.  In part 6 of the series, he writes about five pioneering British botanical artists of the 20th century: Matilda Smith, Lilian Snelling, Arabella Elizabeth Roupell, Elinor Frances Vallentin, and Harriet Isabel Adams. Learn about their lives and the books they published, and then visit the Mil ..read more

Party guest posing with some fairie folk during the show garden preview.  A total of 325 guests attended our annual Opening Night Party at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival on February 13 and helped us raise more than $425,000 in support of core programs at the Washington Park Arboretum. This year’s party marked the 90th year of the Arboretum (1934–2024), and guests joined with us for a BIRTHDAY BOTANICAL BASH to celebrate the past, present, and future of this beloved green space. The evening began with a champagne reception in the 4th Floor Atrium of the Seattle Convention C ..read more

The mountain hemlock cultivar ‘Bump’s Blue’ growing in the Arboretum. (Photo by Niall Dunne) Mountain hemlock is an incredible species, able to grow in an environment where conditions alternate between deep winter snows and harsh summer dry spells, and where growing seasons can sometimes be measured in mere weeks. In subalpine forests of the Pacific Northwest, the tree provides food and habitat for numerous animal species. Because of its toughness, it also adapts well to the urban landscape, where it is prized for its compact habit and fine-textured foliage. Several cultivars of the tree a ..read more

Rhododendron pubescens in bloom in lower Rhododendron Glen. (Photo by Niall Dunne) In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, UW Botanic Gardens Curator of Living Collections Ray Larson writes his annual, in-depth review of new plantings in the Arboretum. Ray focuses primarily on the many new trees, shrubs, and perennials that were planted along the newly restored streambed in the mid- to lower Rhododendron Glen in early 2023. Exciting additions to the collection include several species of large-leaved magnolia and three specimens of Rhododendron pubescens, a species that’s vulnerable ..read more

Volunteers Lily Takatsuka, Judy Phillips, and Lois Prestrud mounting specimens for the Hyde Herbarium. (Photo by Eve Ricenbaker) The Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium at the Center for Urban Horticulture houses the largest collection of horticulturally significant dried plant specimens in the Pacific Northwest. It is a valuable resource for plant research, supporting studies in taxonomy, paleobotany, insect ecology, climate change, and more. A vibrant community of volunteers support the work of the herbarium and has done so since the early 1970s, when a group of Arboretum Foundation volunteers f ..read more

Fall foliage and flower buds on a Japanese spicebush in the Arboretum’s Woodland Garden. (Photo by Niall Dunne) Native to Japan, Korea, and China, Japanese spicebush (Lindera obtusiloba) is a stellar, all-season showstopper. Around mid-March, its bright-yellow, star-shaped flowers emerge in lavish quantities from the bare stems, providing a welcome contrast to the often-dour weather days. Its large, aromatic, and polymorphic (differently shaped) leaves provide opulent texture and shade—and they turn a rich, buttery yellow in fall. Shiny, black fruits and large, round, yellow-to-red flower ..read more

Jim Olsen receiving his award the greenhouse’s monthly potluck on Halloween. Congratulations to Jim Olsen, winner of our 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award! Our volunteer programs manager, Lily King, presented the award to Jim at the Pat Calvert Greenhouse’s monthly pot luck this Halloween (which explains her costume above). Jim has volunteered at the greenhouse for almost a decade, helping propagate plants from the Arboretum collection that are then sold to the public to raise important funds for our core programs. Jim commutes three hours from and back to Enumclaw multiple times a week to ..read more

The current Crabapple Meadow is usable in summer but waterlogged for much of the year. The Woodland Meadow Project reimagines the current Crabapple Meadow (site of the Arboretum’s original field nursery) as a year-round gathering and celebration space. While the meadow’s large lawn is used in the driest part of the summer months, poor drainage makes it unusable the rest of the year. The new Woodland Meadow will be designed to accommodate more active, year-round uses, with gardens and hardscape that allows for a range of activities, such as educational programming, community events, fundrai ..read more

 Photo of “Union” by David Rosen In late August 2023, renowned Seattle-based environmental sculptor John Grade installed his latest work outdoors at the Washington Park Arboretum. Entitled “Union,” it is comprised of 6300 individual cast-resin parts suspended from two large nets spanning 100 feet between eight trees—mostly western red cedars—at a trail junction southwest of the Magnolia Collection. As Grade explains on his website, “The sculpture was inspired by a fallen western red cedar in Seattle’s Discovery Park. The top of the trunk of the fallen tree was divided into two slender l ..read more