Summer pruning with ProHort

Wednesday, July 22, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
$50; pre-registration required

For some plants, summer pruning can remove water sprouts, prevent heavy sucker growth, and control a plant's size. In this outdoor demonstration class, you'll learn what, why and how to prune in summer.

Instructors: Chris Watson, UW Botanic Gardens Arborist, David Zuckerman, UW Botanic Gardens Horticulture Staff Supervisor, and Bess Bronstein, Certified Arborist and Horticultural Educator. ISA Credit Pending. Class size limited to 25.

Click here for a full list of classes and events at UW Botanic Gardens.

Rare Care volunteer discovers undocumented plant occurence

While monitoring rare plants in April and May, a Rare Care volunteer found a previously undocumented occurrence of Barrett's beardtongue (Penstemon barrettiae). How did he know he had found this threatened Columbia River Gorge endemic? Succulent-looking, grayish blue-green leaves, smooth stems and dense woolly hairs on the anthers combined with this species’ range to provide conclusive identification. Rare Care is sending the volunteer's report to the Washington Natural Heritage Program for inclusion in its statewide database of rare plant occurrences.

SCA's Urban Forestry Corps comes to the Arboretum

Beginning July 1, the Student Conservation Association’s Urban Forestry Corps will spend 6 weeks in the Arboretum working on projects in the Rhododendron Hybrid bed, the Holly Garden and in the Native Plant Propagation nursery. Five 5-member teams led by an SCA crew leader will weed, mulch, water, propagate and plant natives at these sites.

On Wednesdays, UWBG staff will present to the corps a variety of information on ethnobotany, arboriculture, pests and diseases, and plant monitoring. This community-based learning program helps to maintain core collections in the Arboretum and increases the number of native plants available for future projects. In turn, the students will gain basic horticultural and environmental education knowledge and a sense of plant stewardship from their experiences. Students will keep journals throughout the season to share their impressions of the program.

Taking control of garden loosestrife

Thanks to the Washington State Department of Ecology, UW Botanic Gardens plans to begin a major attack on Lysimachia vulgaris (garden loosestrife), a state-listed noxious weed occurring along Union Bay shorelines including the Union Bay Natural Area and the Arboretum's Foster and Marsh Islands. King County requires control of this aggressive and invasive weed, which poses a serious threat to the native character of area wetlands. The DoE provided a 5-year grant for $75,000 to fund loosestrife control.

In July and August, members of King County’s Noxious Weed Control Program and UW Botanic Gardens staff will map areas where the weed has taken hold. Afterwards, the weed will be treated with an aquatically approved herbicide by Northwest Aquatic Eco-Systems using airboats and other specialized equipment. To learn more, visit our Stewardship page.

Shirley Sidell at the Miller Library

August 3 – September 30
FREE public reception September 14th from 5 – 7 p.m.

View enhanced images from local artist Shirley Sidell, including images from the Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden and fern images from her garden. In addition to the prints, many of the images are available on 5x7 note cards, with matching envelopes. Each print is an original and can be used as is or framed.

Park in the Dark all summer long

Fourth Saturdays from July to September, 7 – 9 p.m.

MUST register for July 25 program in advance. $6 per person.

Explore the Arboretum after dark. 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 moth, test your sense of smell, and use your “Deer Ears” to hear night sounds. Games and activities are designed for families with children.

Future dates: August 22, September 26. Preregistration always required. For more information or to register contact Jean Robins at jrobins@u.washington.edu or 206-685-8033.

Dr. Kern Ewing wins award

Dr. Kern Ewing, UW Botanic Gardens’ Head of Restoration, received the UW’s highest award for community involvement, the S. Sterling Munro Public Service Teaching Award. Ewing is one of the leaders and founders of the UW’s Restoration Ecology Network, a three-campus program conducting classes and research on restoration ecology. His colleagues reported “Kern has pioneered a model of hands-on student learning in restoring damaged ecosystems that engages local communities." More.

July Plant Highlight: Datisca cannabina

A stately new plant for collectors in the Pacific Northwest, this very elegant perennial is marginally hardy for some, but it has survived our harsh winter with flying colors -- this plant now towers near 10 feet when it was only a 1-gallon specimen last year. It was probably best planted in the middle of the bed or used behind a border, but it’s quite enchanting to walk through the massive stalks and elegant flowers that sway in the gentle breezes. A plant to certainly look out for (if you’ve got the room for it, of course).

Common Name: False Hemp
Location: Bed 4
Family: Datiscaceae
Origin: S. Europe to Western Asia
Height: Plant can reach about 8-10 ft. tall
Spread: 5-10 ft wide.
Bloom Time: Early Summer
Bloom Type/Color: Insignificant individual white flowers on very long (12 inches) pendulous racemes. Flowers are dioecious
Exposure: Full Sun – Part Shade
Water/Soil: Well drained, moderately moist.

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 self-guided Explorer Packs
Family programs at the Miller Library

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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

E-Flora

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