UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 6 Issue 11, November 2011
Are you out of your gourd?
No need to be! If you pick up a clue sheet at the Graham Visitors Center between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM Nov. 21-27, you can search the Washington Park Arboretum for nine hidden gourds and crack the secret code! This family-friendly Harvest Hunt is free. Click the flyer for an enlargement. (The visitors center is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, but clue sheets will be available.)
Miller Library: Potatoes, dessert & ceramics
Trees in Art, an exhibit by four Northwest artists, continues through Nov. 23. The UW Botanic Gardens Oral History Project will remain on display in the Elisabeth C. Miller Library through Nov. 28.
Nov 19: This program is no small potatoes
Oh wait, yes it is! During this Saturday's Small Potatoes Story Program in the Miller Library, you'll hear three stories about gardeners who like potatoes. Then make a potato print bookmark, and design your own vegetable garden. It's free and starts at 10:30 AM. "Welcoming Wildlife" is the subject of Story Time Dec. 17.
Nov 22: Sidle up to a good book
Meet author and master birder Constance Sidles during a dessert reception and book reading Tuesday, Nov. 22, to launch her newest book, Second Nature: Tales from the Montlake Fill. Hear about the daily dramas and mysteries of the birds of the Union Bay Natural Area. The free public reception starts at 6:30 PM in the Miller Library and is followed by the reading. Books will be available for purchase.
Dec 2: View nature-inspired ceramics & unique jewelry
Artist and graduate student Katie Murphy blends her two passions, plants and soil, in a Botanical Ceramics exhibit at the Miller Library, opening Dec. 1. Her latest collection is inspired by the colors of autumn and the shapes of nature. Joining Katie is Morea Christenson, who works with wood, metal, shell, clay and precious gemstones, as well as vintage trinkets, brooches and jewels, to create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry with a twist. Meet both artists at a free public reception Dec. 2 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.
Washington Park Arboretum: In pursuit of fruit, cool tool & jolly holly
Whooooo wouldn't be wowed by this amazing image of a barred owl by Lee Rentz Photography?
Nov 20: What would you eat if you were a . . .
Visit plants that attract wildlife in "Fruits, Nuts & Wildlife," a free guided tour in Washington Park Arboretum this Sunday, Nov. 20, starting at 11:00 AM. Or enjoy a Tour du Jour at 1:00 PM. Meet at the Graham Visitors Center. Guided walks will resume in January 2012 - come explore the Arboretum on your own in December!
Got Ginkgo?
Ever wonder if there are any examples of Ginkgo or Grevillea in the Washington Park Arboretum? Or maybe how many species in the Ericaceae you'll find there? Wonder no more! You can search for yourself by typing the object of your concern in our new online database, a tool developed to make the Collection more accessible to faculty, staff, students and the public.
Grad student & volunteer skills benefit the Arboretum
Three grad students from the School of Forest Resources - Betsy Vance, Erika Knight and Megan McPhaden - are performing a hydrology study at the north end of the Holly (Ilex) Collection to determine whether the primary source of water is from surface water or groundwater and what the ratio of these inputs may be. We can then develop a drainage management plan for the site to keep the hollies from succumbing to saturated soils. They do not like wet feet.
The Arboretum Foundation's new Garden Stewards program is already making a difference in the upkeep of the Pacific Connections Garden at the south end of the Arboretum. Garden Stewards are volunteers who possess previous horticultural experience and can commit to a minimum of 24 hours of work each year in return for camaraderie and enrichment activities, such as meeting with a Chinese garden expert.
Last month’s E-Flora mentioned the completion of the Washington Chapter of CenturyLink Pioneers’ yearlong Environmental Project in the Holly Collection. We’ve since learned this deserving crew received special recognition for their project by the international Pioneers volunteer network, the largest industry-related volunteer organization in the world. Congratulations, Pioneers!
Dec 9-10: Hot drinks, harp music herald the holidays
Gifts & Greens Galore, the Arboretum Foundation's annual holiday sale and fundraiser, doesn't just help get you ready for the holidays. It's a wonderfully fun holiday event in itself. Enjoy free hot drinks and cookies, and browse a captivating selection of wreaths, swags and fresh-cut greens, gardening and nature books, tools, plant-themed jewelry and other gifts. Come on Friday to enjoy live music by harpist Patricia Jaeger. Come on Saturday for family craft activities hosted by UW Botanic Gardens education staff . . . and a special appearance by a jolly, bearded traveler.
Parking and admission are free. The event is at the Graham Visitors Center Friday, Dec. 9, from 3:00 to 7:00 PM and Saturday, Dec. 10, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Donate fresh clippings of conifers (except hemlock), eucalyptus, redtwig dogwood, curly willow/filbert and other interesting plant material suitable for seasonal decorating at the Graham Visitors Center Monday, Dec. 5, through Thursday, Dec. 8, between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
Center for Urban Horticulture: Containers, conference & classes
One of the containers at the Center for Urban Horticulture featuring hosta and Japanese maple provides as much interest in autumn as in summer.
Jan 1: Submit your work for a botanical art exhibit & contest
Botanical artists and photographers, submit your digital artwork by Jan. 1 for the Botanical Art Exhibit and Contest that will take place during the plant biodiversity conference hosted by UW Botanic Gardens March 13-14, 2012.
A whole lot of learning going on at the Center for Urban Horticulture - join in!
Enrich your new year by taking a class. Or enrich someone else's new year by giving a class as a gift! Register now before you get entirely wrapped up in the holidays, online or by phone at 206-685-8033.
Environmental Horticulturist Nancy Tom will teach you how to design your own landscape in six classes Jan. 21 to Feb. 25. Early bird deadline is Jan. 6.
Photographer Jenn Leach will show you techniques for retouching, resizing, correcting and removing unwanted objects in a 3-hour Digital Photo Editing workshop Feb. 25.
Cornucopia of classes: learn, create, design
In addition to the two classes listed above, the following classes are offered in a variety of locations. Check the early bird deadlines and register online before the prices go up or call 206-685-8033.
Washington Park Arboretum Education Supervisor Patrick Mulligan will teach you all the tricks to identifying landscape trees in a 3-hour workshop Feb. 18 in the Arboretum.
Create an 8" tile mosaic for your garden in a 3-hour workshop, Introduction to Mosaic, Feb. 19 at Bedrock Industries in Seattle.
Plant professionals will receive an overview of pruning techniques of woody plants in urban settings plus information on pruning young trees and a variety of shrubs through indoor lectures and outdoor demonstrataions in Pruning Woody Plants Feb. 21, 2012, at Washington Park Arboretum. ISA credits pending.
Develop your Plant Identification and keying skills while becoming familiar with Washington's 25 most common plant families Mar. 6 to Apr. 10 with Dr. David Giblin, or take a UW Campus Tree Tour with Arthur Lee Jacobson Apr. 8, both on Seattle's Main Campus.
Contact us if you would like to teach a class for the UW Botanic Gardens public education program.
Plant Profile: Acer griseum
[by Soest Gardener Riz Reyes] Fall color this autumn has been exceptional, and the paperbark maple is no exception. Though more well known for its papery bark, you see Acer griseum most frequently as a street tree or a main specimen subject in small urban gardens because of its slow to moderate growth rate.
What makes this maple so distinct and easy identifiable is the bark, of course. The foliage is a compound leaf with several leaflets. Come fall, the foliage takes on a spectacular orange/red color that’s more pronounced when planted in full sun. When grown in part sun, the fall color is more yellow.
Common Name: Paperbark maple
Family: Sapindaceae
Location: North of Merrill and NHS Hall
Origin: Southwest China
Height and Spread: 18-20 ft. high and 15-18 ft. wide. Older specimens may ultimately reach 40-50 ft.
Bloom Time: Early June
Bloom Type/Color/Fruit: Almost inconspicuous flowers appear in spring followed by dull green samaras appear in mid-summer.
View additional photos in the complete plant profile.
twigs . . .
A paper titled Predicting the Timing of Cherry Blossoms in Washington, DC and Mid-Atlantic States in Response to Climate Change, co-authored by postdoctoral scientist Uran Chung, recent graduate Liz Mack and Assistant Professor Soo-Hyung Kim, Ph. D., of the Center for Urban Horticulture, and Jin I. Yun of Kyung Hee University, Korea, explores the impact of future climate change on the bloom dates of flowering cherries (Yoshino and Kwanzan) and the resulting timing of the cherry festival in Washington, DC. These two cultivars also grow on the UW campus, and the paper incorporates some of the campus data as well, plus data collected by Project BudBurst, a citizen science program.
The Arboretum Foundation kicks off the Northwest Flower & Garden Show with its Opening Night preview gala Feb. 7, 2012, at the Washington State Convention Center. Opening Night tickets go on sale Dec. 7.
The Miller Library and Merrill Hall will be closed for Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 27. The Graham Visitors Center will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Friday, Nov. 25.
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
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