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UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 13 Issue 8, August 2017
August E-Flora: Celebrating Our Partners
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Upcoming Events
Free Public Tours at the Washington Park Arboretum
Our Free Public Tours include First Thursday Tram Tours and Free Weekend Walks. Weekend walks offer programming for families with children on Saturdays and adult audiences on Sundays.
On Exhibit in the Miller Library
Ongoing through August 31: Susan Lally-Chiu's art work celebrates the diversity of locally grown vegetables and fruits through elegant large scale drawings, colorful watercolor sketches with pen, delicate linocuts and a series of sketchbooks.
New Books in the Miller Library
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Seattle Parks' 360 Virtual Tour of the Washington Park Arboretum
Seattle Parks & Recreation's Virtual Park Tours includes the Washington Park Arboretum. Read about the program on the Parkways blog and explore the Arboretum virtually from wherever you may be. Ready to take an in-person tour? Check out our variety of scheduled and self-guided tour options.
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Sustainable Soil Practices: September 7
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This workshop offers a combination of lecture, hands-on activities, and teamwork, through which attendees will learn about soil texture, chemistry, and biology, and how to interpret soil test results. Speakers will introduce innovative applications to address soil problems, meet stormwater requirements, restore construction-impacted soils, and develop a soil management plan. And the day will end with a discussion of best practices to promote long-term soil health, and the science behind why mulch matters even more than you may know! Learn more
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UW Botanic Gardens Partners with Trees for Seattle
For the fifth year in a row, we are working to support Trees for Seattle’s residential tree planting project—Trees for Neighborhoods. The project helps Seattle residents plant street trees and yard trees and teaches tree recipients how to properly plant and maintain those trees. This year's tree application is now open through August 14. Read more about how we partner to support this program in the current issue of Public Garden.
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| August 2017 Plant Profile: Oxydendrum arboreum |
Sourwood is one of the best late flowering trees for the garden. In late June, the flowers begin to form at the end of upper branches (or those in the most sun). Flowers resemble Pieris, or lily-of-the-valley shrub, and here the sourwood's affinity to other Ericaceous plants is revealed. Flowers are at their best in late July and August and they are followed by dry capsules which contain the seeds. These cream-colored capsules hang in long racemes and give the look of a somewhat skeletal hand in autumn. The capsules hang on over many months. Read more
Common name: Sourwood or sorrel tree
Family: Hamamelidaceae
Location: Center for Urban Horticulture: two young plants from 2005 growing adjacent to the Miller Library’s east wall.
Washington Park Arboretum: Several on the west side of Arboretum Drive between the Graham Visitors Center and the Native Knoll and many at the east end of the Woodland Garden. Five near the west end of Loderi Valley and four on the east side of the Drive at the head of Rhododendron Glen. Four in grid 35-3W on the east side of the Pinetum, above Arboretum Creek.
Origin: Native to the eastern and southeastern United States.
Height and spread: In the wild, sourwood can reach up to 50-70’ though there are a few that have reached over 100’. In cultivation it is slow-growing, and most specimens will reach 25-30’ after many decades. It is generally a slender grower, usually half as wide as tall.
Hardiness: Cold hardy to USDA Zone 5
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| A New Centennial Summer Garden in the Arboretum |
Last month's "Glimpse into the past" reflected on the history of the southernmost pond along Azalea Way at the Washington Park Arboretum. This month, the Arboretum Bulletin offered us some insight into the future of this space. Read the article, "Designing the New Centennial Summer Garden," to learn more about the summer-themed garden being built in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Seattle Garden Club, and the collaborative process between Landscape Architect Jason Morse and all the organizations involved in this project.
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The Pendleton and Elisabeth C. Miller Charitable Foundation presents the 23rd Annual Elisabeth C. Miller Memorial Lecture to be held at the University of Washington, Meany Hall for the Performing Arts on Thursday, September 7th, 2017 at 7:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm). This year's lecture will feature author and gardening correspondent Anna Pavord speaking on ‘Landskipping: A Celebration of our Landscape’. Free tickets required.
Summer is an excellent time to recognize and celebrate the many volunteers who generously contribute their time and talents to help us achieve our mission! We recently joined with our partners at the Arboretum Foundation to host our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event. View pictures from the celebration.
Looking for a beautiful space for an upcoming meeting or event? Learn more about our event spaces.
The programs of UW Botanic Gardens are supported in large part by private donations. Please consider supporting our work with a gift.
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