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E-Flora

UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter
August 2008
Volume 3, Issue 7

Having trouble viewing this email? View it on the Web, at http://depts.washington.edu/urbhort/html/education/EFlora_Aug08.html.

In This Issue:

Gardener Ryan Garrison tends plants in the China entry garden.Save the Date: Pacific Connections is Here!

Saturday, September 20, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
South end of the Washington Park Arboretum

FREE

Travel the world in your own backyard!

Come celebrate the opening of the new Pacific Connections Garden, featuring horticultural displays from five Pacific Rim countries. Fun for the whole family, with activities, tours, and more. Watch for transportation and event details at www.uwbotanicgardens.org.

View the full list of classes and events. For more information, call 206-685-8033.


Barred owl in the Arboretum's Sequoia grove.Family Activity: Park in the Dark

Choose one of the following:

Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27, 6:30 – 8 p.m.

Meet at Graham Visitors Center, Arboretum

FREE; pre-registration required
FOR CHILDREN WITH ADULT GUARDIANS; LIMIT 20 PEOPLE

It’s nighttime in the Arboretum, but the forest isn’t sleeping! Learn about the adaptations of nocturnal animals and see the gardens in whole new light during this special family adventure.  Become a bat or a moth, test your sense of smell, and use your “Deer Ears” to hear night sounds. Games and activities are designed for families with children ages 4 – 12. To register, call Jean Robins at 206-685-8033.

Park in the Dark is an official event of international Take a Child Outside Week, which encourages kids to get outside in the natural world. For more information, visit http://takeachildoutside.org/.


Homewaters teaches field trip students to use a funnel net at UBNA.Homewaters Project

by Jennifer Youngman, Homewaters Outreach Coordinator and Rare Care Program Assistant at UW Botanic Gardens

When students discover a community of living things near their school, their connection to nature sinks in. In the Homewaters Project’s "Tiny Neighbors" field investigation, students walk to the Union Bay Natural Area from Laurelhurst and Bryant Elementary to record observations, examine wetland microorganisms through microscopes, and learn what these organisms need to survive in a water environment.

This fall, Bryant students will return to the Union Bay Natural Area with the Homewaters Project. See photos of their last visit at
http://www.homewatersproject.org/pages/Programs/tiny_neighbors.html. A
Seattle nonprofit, Homewaters Project connects people to nature and each other in the context of their home communities.

Photo courtesy of Homewaters Project.


Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy'August Plant Highlight: Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy'

Who knew such a stunning plant, originally from South Africa, could grace our gardens and add such architectural curiosity in the late summer garden? Gardeners marvel at its ease of growth and overall winter hardiness. Eucomis, in general, prefer a warm location in rich, but very well drained soil. Cultivars such as ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ have the deepest purple-colored leaves when grown in full sun.

Family: Hyacinthaceae
Origin: South Africa/Garden Origin
Height: 2.5 ft. 
Spread: 3 ft.
Bloom Time: August-September
Bloom Color: Deep purple/pink
Sun: Full Sun 
Water: Medium moisture, well drained soil.


More >> Soest Gardener Notes


Other UWBG happenings

Classes and Events Calendar
Youth and Family Programs at the Washington Park Arboretum
Miller Library News

For kids this month

Arboretum Summer Programs
Pajama Stories at the Miller Library


E-Flora is a regular on-line newsletter of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens.

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University of Washington Botanic Gardens’ mission:
Sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the human spirit
through plant research, display, and education.

3501 NE 41st St, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195-4115
Phone: 206-543-8616
uwbg@u.washington.edu
http://www.uwbotanicgardens.org