University of Washington Botanic Gardens

A Preview of the Arboretum Foundation Display Garden at the NW Flower and Garden Show (Feb. 8 - 12, 2012)

1) Arbutus menziesii    (Pacific Madrone)

• Found throughout the west coast of North America.
• The bark is a rich orange that peels away on mature wood. Mature trees provide nesting cavities for birds.
• Many birds feed on the berries including American Robins, Cedar Waxwings and Varied Thrush.

2) Corylus maxima   ‘Atropurpurea Superba’

• The purple leaf filbert is known for its beautiful burgundy foliage and festive catkins.
• Related trees include alder, birch and hornbeams.
• The nuts are often referred to as cobnuts, indicating something round and plump.
• Birds and wildlife are very attracted to the nuts and catkins of the hazelnut bush.

3) Berberis aquifolia    (Oregon Grape)

• A beautiful, tall, native evergreen related to barberry, frequently used as an ornamental shrub.
• They have tough evergreen leaves, edible dark blue fruit and attractive yellow flowers.
• Birds are attracted to the food and cover that the Oregon Grape provides.

4) Picea abies    (Norway Spruce)

• The Norway spruce is one of the most widely planted spruces both inside and outside of its native range in Europe.
• The cones of the Norway Spruce are the longest of any spruce.
• Birds love the habitat the dense foliage spruce provides for nesting and cover.

5) Vaccinium ovatum    (Evergreen Huckleberry)

• A remarkable native evergreen shrub that grows in sun or shade.
• It produces beautiful light, pink bell-shaped flowers followed by edible blue berries.
• The berries, produced in late summer, are eaten by a wide variety of birds.

• An upright to spreading shrub or small tree with elliptical, dark green leaves and bearing single cup-shaped flowers, C. sasanqua is one of many camellia species native to Japan.
• Known to flower early in the season when colors are greatly appreciated, it is considered a less spectacular shrub than the spring-flowering C. japonica.
• Located in the Witt Winter Garden.

2)  Daphniphyllum macropodum

• The large evergreen leaves of D. macropodum are similar to those of many rhododendrons throughout our region, but it is the red petioles and the bluish-black fruit which give this plant its distinguishing appearance.
• Native to China, Korea, and Japan.
• Located west of the Upper Trail, just south of the Lookout Gazebo.

3)  Hamamelis x intermedia    ’Winter Beauty’

• The crimped petals or “ribbons” on the bare branches of the Chinese Witch-hazel are always a welcome sight during the winter season.  The orange spider-shaped flowers displayed here are no exception.
• One’s sense of smell is also rewarded by the cold-resistant, fragrant flowers.
• Located in the Witt Winter Garden.

4)  Berberis    ’Arthur Menzies’

• An erect shrub with pinnate leaves and sharply-toothed dark green leaflets.  Yellow flowers occur in 5-to-10 inch long inflorescences in December-January.
• Located near Arboretum Drive in the Rhododendron Glen.

5)  Quercus suber   (Cork oak)

• Native to the western Mediterranean and North Africa, Q. suber is a rounded evergreen tree with thick, corky bark.
• Located along Arboretum Drive near the rock roses.

1)  Hamamalis mollis    (Chinese Witch-hazel)

• Hamamelis mollis is a species of witch-hazel native to central and eastern China.
• It is the most fragrant of all witch-hazels and worth growing for that characteristic alone. It is disease resistant and easy to grow.
• Located in the Witt Winter Garden.

2)  Hamamalis x intermedia ‘Hiltingbury’

• Hamamelis x intermedia hybrids are crosses between Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica) and
  Chinese witch-hazel (H. mollis).
• The brilliant orange, coppery, scarlet and red fall colors of this large spreading shrub are
  striking; its early spring flowers are pale copper, suffused with red.
• Located in the Witt Winter Garden.

3)  Rhododendron bureavii

• R. bureavii occurs in the wild in two fairly limited areas in northern Yunnan,
  China, in open pine forest and rhododendron thickets. Discovered by Père Delavay in
  1896.
• Its handsome glossy dark green leaves are thickly felted with rusty-brown, very noticeable
  on the young growth.
• Located at the top of Rhododendron Glen, near the hydrangeas.

4)  Rhododendron degronianum

• Growth habit is very tight and compact with deep glossy green leaves that are covered on the
  undersides with soft, fawn-colored indumentum.
• Located by the upper pond in the Rhododendron Glen.

5) Rhododendron galactinum

• Native to Sichuan, China; discovered and introduced by E.H. Wilson in 1908.
• Has large leathery leaves, up to 20 cm. long, with a buff-gray or cinnamon-brown indumentum
  underneath.
• Located on the upper trail near the top of Loderi Valley.

Selected cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (December 12 - 26, 2011)

1)  Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’
(Midwinter Fire Dogwood)

• Perhaps the first dogwood to show its bright winter stems, Midwinter Fire will continue to be the show-stopper of the twig bed until dressed in leaves again.
• You will have no trouble finding this shrub in the Witt Winter Garden.

2)  Euonymus myrianthus   (Spindle Tree)

• This bushy, evergreen shrub has bright orange-yellow fruit which split open to reveal the showy red arils of the seeds.
• This spindle tree is native to China and is growing among our Asiatic Maples.

3)  Salix irrorata   (Bluestem, Sandbar Willow)

• This upright shrub from the southwest U.S. has purple to lavender shoots, which have a white bloom in the winter.
• This willow is coppiced each year to maximize its showy shoots.

4)  Thujopsis dolobrata   (Hiba Cedar)

• This beautiful cedar is native to Japan.
• The foliage is similar to our native Thuja, but larger and more lustrous with distinctive white
  markings on the undersides.
• We have a young specimen in the Woodland Garden and a T.d. var. hondai at the very south end of Azalea Way.

5)  Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. occidentale   (Western Bog Blueberry)

• The western bog blueberry grows in wet conditions in alpine or cold weather regions including tundra, where it is a major food source for wildlife such as grouse, caribou and bears.
• The leaves of bog blueberry can accumulate heavy metals without harm to the plant, making it valuable in mine prospecting and reclamation.
• A fine specimen is located at the south end of our Asiatic Maple collection.

Selected Cuttings from the Washington Park Arboretum (November 28 - December 12, 2011)

1) Cedrus libani ssp. atlantica ‘Glauca’ (Blue Atlas Cedar)

• This native of the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco is now placed in the same species as the “Cedar of Lebanon”.
• Two beautiful specimens are located 38 and 39-6W at the Lynn Street entrance to the Arboretum.

2)  Juniperus virginiana  ‘Blue Coast’     (Red Cedar)

• Though the species reaches over 100 feet, ‘Blue Coast’ is a shrubby cultivar.
• Ours are located north of the crab apple trees in 34-6E.
• Red Cedar (or Eastern Red Cedar if you are from the West) lent its name to the Cedar Waxwing and to Baton Rouge according to Arthur Lee Jacobson.

3)  Chamaecyparis thyoides     (Atlantic White Cedar)

• Inhabits swamps on the U.S. East Coast.
• Rarely seen in cultivation.
• Our best specimens are in 28-3W, west of Azalea Way.

4)  Torreya taxifolia     (Stinking Cedar)

• Torreya taxifolia is rare even in its very small natural range in southern Georgia and northern Florida where a fungal blight has nearly driven it to extinction.
• The Arboretum has two specimens:  one at the east end of Loderi Valley (29-3E), the other in the cold frames south of the greenhouse.

5)  ????????????? nootkatensis     (Alaska Yellow Cedar)

• Variously known as Cupressus (1824), Chamaecyparis (1841), Xanthocyparis (2002) and Callitropsis (2004).
• Attaining great size and age, Yellow Cedar was one of the most important plants for the Northwest Coast First Peoples. It is still immensely popular as a landscape plant, especially in its weeping forms.
• Many specimens are located in the Arboretum south of either end of the Wilcox Bridge and in 36-5E, south of the greenhouse.