UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 7 Issue 10, October 2012

Come to the 7th Annual Handmade Tile Show and Sale

Join Artisan Tile NW for their 7th Annual Handmade Tile Show and Sale at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The festival will feature a juried show with botanical themed tiles. Enjoy greeting the artists, tile making workshops, garden art and, of course, the tile sale. There will also be door prizes and tile pictures from around the world.   

The opening reception is on Friday, November 2 from 7pm to 9pm. The show and sale are on Saturday, November 3 from 10am to 5pm. This event is sponsored by Artisan Tile NW and the UW Botanic Gardens.

See Molly Hashimoto Prints at the Miller Library

From October 11 to December 28, there will be an exhibit of Molly Hashimoto’s paintings and prints at the Miller Library. Molly’s work depicts wild places, both in national parks and in urban areas (such as the Union Bay Natural Area). Watercolors from her 2013 calendar Nature’s Peace will be on display as well as several of the relief prints she’s created over the past year. The library will host an opening night reception on Thursday, October 11 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm where you will be able to meet the artist. If you saw her show Union Bay Wild at the Miller Library in 2011, you know that this show is not to be missed.

A Glimpse into the Past

(A monthly column by Dr. John A. Wott, Director Emeritus) This 1978 photo was taken outside the current WPA Education Office which was originally designed as a caretaker’s apartment. For many
years, Pablo lived there and cleaned the offices, provided security as well as performed other maintenance jobs. He was a champion dahlia grower and the front yard was always a summer delight. (Editor's note: If anyone knows Pablo's surname, it would be nice to put an acknowledgment in our next issue). In the photo are Richard (Dick) Hart, Grounds Lead Gardener, and Joseph A. Witt, Curator, both long-time staff members of the University of Washington.   (Photo from UWBG Archives).

Make sure to check out the full sized photo.

Come Out to a Cemetery to Learn About Lichens

The Cemetery Lichens class is coming on Saturday, October 27. Ghosts and Goblins in a cemetery for Hallowe'en? Why not consider lichens as an alternative? Lichens are friendly and interesting organisms that love to grow on headstones and old trees. Cemeteries can take on new meaning as a fun place to observe a symbiotic organism made up of fungus and algae. You will also learn about common lichens found in urban environments and take home a user-friendly chart that lists lichens found in your neighborhood. Join Dr. Katherine Glew at the Center for Urban Horticulture at 10am to get a head start on learning about lichens from your local cemetery. Early registration is $25, $30 after October 24.

Fly With Us on the Next Family Ecology Tour

The next Family Ecology Tour is called Fall Flight: Migratory Birds and will happen on Saturday, November 3. Where are all the birds going? Birds summer here and fly south for the winter. Others use our urban oasis as a stopping place on their way south. We'll discover which birds are here to stay and which are on their way out or on their way through. Why do birds fly so far every year? What is their journey like? Together we'll explore and discover the wonders of these winged adventurers. Geared for children ages 6 to 12, the tour lasts from 10am to 12 noon. The cost is $8 per person and you can pre-register online.

October 2012 Plant Profile: Rosa 'Sally Holmes'

(by Soest Gardener Riz Reyes) It’s highly unusual that we would highlight a rose as a “stand-out” plant in the month of October, but with the gorgeous Indian summer we’ve been having lately (and the simple fact that this is an exceptional cultivar), I felt it deserved some attention. Planted behind the wooden benches in the Fragrance Garden, ‘Sally Holmes’ is absolutely stunning when in full bloom. It has soft peachy-pink buds that open to soft cantaloupe cream petals which turn to white. It has only a slight scent that doesn't overwhelm visitors when they sit nearby. Only in its second year since it was planted, this large shrub/small climber is near the top of the list of roses recommended for the Pacific Northwest. It is vigorous, flowers prolifically (and repeats!) and doesn’t succumb to the damaging diseases that plague roses in our region. That’s why it’s a Great Plant Pick!

After the first flush of blooms in June, our volunteers were very diligent about deadheading the spent flowers. The result is an even larger flush of blooms in early Autumn and BUDS ARE STILL DEVELOPING. These might succumb to frost and not fully develop, but they demonstrate the vigor and quality of this superb rose.

Common Name: Sally Holmes Rose
Location: Fragrance Garden
Origin: Garden Origin
Exposure: Full Sun/Part Shade
Height and spread: Large shrub/climber 8-10 ft. high and 6-7 ft. wide.
Bloom Time: Early-Mid Summer, Early Autumn. 

twigs

Do your kids love owls? Bring them to the Miller Library at 10:30am on Saturday, October 20 for the Owls Story Program. These silent nighttime hunters are the stars of the featured books, and our art project, a window hanging, features their glowing eyes. This free program is geared for children age 3 to 8, but all are welcome.

The last Arboretum Park in the Dark tour of the season is coming up on October 13 at 8pm. Bring the little ones out for a glimpse at plant and animal life in the Arboretum after the sun goes down.

Also at the Washington Park Arboretum is the next Fiddlehead Thursday on October 18. The theme will be Falling Changing Leaves. This series is for children age 3 to 5 and their caregivers.

In early 2012, UWBG led its first trip to Cuba. Director and expedition leader Sarah Reichard blogged about the fascinating and sometimes perplexing world they encountered. We hope to do a similar trip in 2013, although it depends on the renewal of our license to travel to Cuba. Because the license has expired, we cannot take deposits at this time, but if you are interested in being notified when the license is approved, please contact Sarah at reichard@uw.edu. The itinerary can be found on our website.

We are pleased to announce a UWBG trip to the place where Darwin first developed his ideas about evolution – the Galápagos Islands and Ecuador! Join Director Sarah Reichard for a trip June 5-19, 2013, as we explore the Quito Botanical Garden, hike trails in the Amazon, and explore the Galápagos Islands on our private chartered yacht. We will see the birds and tortoises that inspired Darwin and climb the volcanoes of the Islands. For more information review the itinerary. To sign up for the trip or to receive more information, you can register at Holbrooke Travel.

Kudos to UW doctoral student Abby Aresty for receiving so much notice for her Music of Trees installation at the Arboretum. She made the front page of the Seattle Times. There was also a featured segment on NPR. Of course, the best way to experience her work is to come by the park on Wednesdays from 3 to 6pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30am to 1:30pm when the music is playing. Abby herself will be leading free public tours both October 13 and 14 at 10:30am and 12noon. No registration necessary, just come by the Graham Visitors Center a little before the tours start and prepare to be wowed.

Starting October 8, the Elisabeth C. Miller Library is resuming Monday hours! This means that the Library will be open from 9am to 8pm on Mondays throughout the academic year. Others hours will continue as they have been: Tuesday through Friday, 9am-5pm, and Saturday, 9am-3pm.

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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Phone: 206.543.8616
Email: uwbg@u.washington.edu
Web: www.uwbotanicgardens.org
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