UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 7 Issue 12, December 2012
What the Cluck?
If you've considered keeping chickens or have questions about raising them in an urban setting, you'll want to sign up for What the Cluck? Making Sense of Keeping Chickens in the Home Garden. Jessica Bloom is an award-winning garden designer who will teach you how to integrate chickens into your life and backyard. Copies of her book Free Range Chicken Gardens will also be available. The lecture happens at NHS Hall at the Center For Urban Horticulture on January 30, 2013, from 7pm to 9pm. Early registration cost is $35, $40 after January 23.
The 2012 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner Was a Blast
(by UWBG Education Volunteer Cassie Benz) On October 18, 2012, UW Botanic Gardens and the Arboretum Foundation celebrated their volunteers with an annual Volunteer Appreciation event. We enjoyed fabulous food, from delectable appetizers to yummy barbecue to delicious desserts. UWBG and Foundation Directors Sarah Reichard and Paige Miller graciously honored our volunteers, speaking of their dedication and importance to UWBG and the Foundation. This past year UWBG volunteers contributed 6,258 hours and Foundation volunteers contributed 13,931 hours.
Sharlene Walsh was the Arboretum Foundation Volunteer-of-the-Year. Molly Cleland received the annual Brian O. Mulligan UWBG Volunteer Award. Many thanks go to Sharlene, Molly and all our volunteers.
Become a volunteer with UWBG or the Arboretum Foundation and join the fun!
Scot Eckley Inc. Fashions Their Own Personal Day of Caring
On November 15th, Scot Eckley crafted a personal "Day of Caring". He sent his maintenance crew, at his expense, to work 4 hours in the Pacific Connections Garden. Spearheaded by crew lead Kathleen DeMaria, the crew included Brandon Neuhaus, Daniel Looman, Sarah Wallace and Joanna Long. Kathleen is a Pacific Connections Garden Steward and has worked in this garden several times. The expertise of her trained staff made the planting of seed grown stock on the Siskiyou Slope efficient. In addition to time spent working in the garden, the crew received an in-depth tour of the Pacific Connections Garden and the construction site for the New Zealand Focal Forest.
Scot Eckley Inc. is a landscape design and construction firm. Scot's personal garden was featured in Marty Wingate’s book Landscaping for Privacy. We wish to express our immense gratitude to his crew for their help on a gorgeous sunny day.
A Glimpse Into the Past
(A monthly column by Dr. John A. Wott, Director Emeritus) This photo from March 11, 1951, is entitled the “New Parking Lot." It shows the newly asphalted parking lot in front of the original Works Progress Administration building which housed the UW Curation and Visitor Offices as well as the Arboretum Foundation Office. The rear of the building contained offices and work areas for the Arboretum Gardeners. This building was demolished when the Graham Visitors Center was built in 1985-86. The current north edge of the parking lot is located in this spot. Note how much the grade has been lowered toward the Broadmoor fence and golf course buildings beyond. The cars in the parking lot must have been on the muddy drives in the Arboretum! (Photo from UWBG Photo Archives.)
Make sure to have a look at the full sized photo.
December 2012 Plant Profile: Abutilon 'Tiger Eye'
This holiday season, we’re taking you indoors to our Douglas Conservatory and showcasing a plant to warm up your botanical curiosity. This unique and elegant flowering maple (though not technically a maple, that’s the genus Acer) is best known as an annual shrub for containers and summer bedding, but I haven’t the heart to just chuck it into the compost. So we brought it in for the winter and, given a little care, it has decided to flower for us.
Flowering maples come in an assortment of colors and have the distinct maple-like foliage that gives them their common name. They benefit from full sun/part shade and regular watering and fertilizing during the growing season. They seem to bloom on and off and gentle pruning keeps plants bushy and loaded with flowers. ‘Tiger Eyes’ isn’t a prolific bloomer and stands taller and lankier than most other flowering maples, but its exquisite flowers make up for it.
Common Name: Flowering Maple
Location: Douglas Conservatory
Origin: Unknown
Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
Height and spread: 6-8ft. tall x 3ft. wide
Bloom Time: Sporadically throughout the year. Heaviest in summer
twigs
Bring the young 'uns out for the Evergreen Story Program at the Miller Library. In the Pacific Northwest, we treasure our evergreen forests, and these stories celebrate them. They include Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, The Tree by Dana Lyons and Douglas Fir by Wendy Davis. After the stories, you'll have time to color a tree picture or use homemade salt dough to sculpt your own evergreen tree. The fun starts at 10:30am on Saturday, December 15.
Looking for a special surprise gift for Christmas? There are still some openings left for two upcoming trips led by UWBG Director Sarah Reichard. The deadline for February's trip to Cuba is December 22. If you want to join in on the Ecuador & Galapagos Island journey in June, you need to register by January 11. Click on the links to find out more information and how to sign up for one or both of these exciting journeys.
Don't forget about the 12 part Master Pruning Series being offered through ProHort Continuing Education. The first two lectures happen on Thursday, December 13, and continue through March of next year. The classes are geared to professionals seeking credits for recertification, but everyone is welcome.
In August 2012, the UWBG was awarded a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create a georeference database of the living collections. The first phase involves surveying in the Washington Park Arboretum. This great piece from the UWBG webpage has more information, as well as a name for the curious contraption pictured on the right.
There is still time to catch the exhibit of Molly Hashimoto's paintings and prints at the Miller Library. Her depictions of wild places in national parks and urban areas is showing though December 28. You can also browse the Holiday Art, Craft and Gift Sale through December 21. There are textiles from Kittywake Designs and Linnea Donnen, handmade tiles from Artisan Tile Northwest, ceramics by Katie Murphy and cards from Roberta McDaris Long.
The next show at the Miller Library is Grafted - Photography Exhibit by Brendan McGarry. Similar to the joining of two plant tissues, Grafted features multiple exposures and digital composites of the botanical world. The exhibit runs from January 2 through January 30.
E-Flora is a regular online newsletter of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens
University of Washington Botanic Gardens' mission:
Sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the human spirit through plant research, display, and education
3501 NE 41st Street, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195-4115
Phone: 206.543.8616
Email: uwbg@u.washington.edu
Web: www.uwbotanicgardens.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UWBotanicGardens
Donate to the UW Botanic Gardens