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Washington
Park Arboretum
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Horticultural Exhibits |
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Synoptic garden I  Since the completion of the
Graham Visitors Center 10 years ago, there has been keen interest in
transforming the spaces around it into an overview, or synoptic garden
of the Arboretum's best. The Arboretum Plan allocates a large area around
the GVC to the full expression of this idea: a year-round display of
the Arboretum's most beautiful and functional flowering trees, shrubs,
vines and groundcovers. Prominent displays could include the Arboretum's
most famous introductions (e.g., Magnolia 'Wada's memory'/Wada's
Memory magnolia; Mahonia 'Arthur Menzies'/Arthur Menzies mahonia;
Garrya x issaquahensis 'Pat Ballard'/Pat Ballard garrya; Acer
macrophyllum 'Seattle Sentinel'/Seattle Sentinel bigleaf Maple),
as well as plants discovered or named by or for past staff (e.g., X
Gaulnettya wisleyensis 'Wisley Pearl'; Rosa mulliganii).
Both this and the next two exhibits describe present donor-naming opportunities.
Synoptic garden II This combination native/ethnobotanical garden will present the stories of the Arboretum's landforms and vegetation within local, regional and global contexts. It will be located northwest of the Graham Visitor Center, surrounding the buidlings and outdoor learning spaces. This exhibit will not be an ecogeographic simulation of Northwest plant communities, but rather several small, designed gardens on ridge, valley and marsh microsites that present natives which also make good garden plants. This garden will introduce basic plant conservation issues to visitors, using examples from the lowland Puget Sound flora. Color garden  This highly structured
display garden, located south of the GVC, will showcase periodically
changing displays of colorful, relatively low-growing plants that give
home gardens a year-round appeal. Spring and autumn bulbs and hardy
ferns are a few groups that might be included in the debut planting,
along with new introductions. The garden could become an expanded Signature
Bed, providing opportunities for Arboretum Foundation members, landscape-industry
professionals and other area horticulturists to express their talents.
Children's arboretum  A
child-oriented arboretum in miniature--incorporating some of the interactive
learning techniques found in children's gardens throughout the country--is
proposed for a portion of the conifer meadow area northeast of the existing
mini-playground at Lynn Street. Shielded from the relocated freeway
ramps by thickly planted berms, programs at this hands-on exhibit can
involve classes for school groups. Arboretum rockery This exhibit will incorporate large rock garden plants and salvageable specimens from the existing dwarf conifer garden to create a rock garden--coarser in scale than the typical assemblage of small plants usually associated with this garden type. It will be located on the north-facing slope below the Overlook. Summer garden This will be a modern garden of summer flowering woody plants that envelops Madronna Terrace complex and segues into the Mediterranean scrub forest representation to the south and west. Plants on the north and east side of the buildings could be summer flowering perennials (e.g., Astilbe/false spiraea) requring more water. Some possible genera, selected for their summer bloom, include Vitex/chaste tree, Eucryphia, Embothrium, Arbutus/strawberry tree, Carpenteria/bush anemone, Zauschneria/flowering maple, Escallonia, Cistus/rockrose, Halimium. Azalea Way  The
border plantings along Azalea Way will be renovated and restored using
vigorous new plants of the best-performing and disease resistant cherries
and azaleas, along with other trees and shrubs that will extend the
blooming season throughout the year. Special attention will be given
to historical design and plants. Specialized gardens are possible along
the edge of Azalea Way, such as the newly renovated Rhododendron Hybridizers
Garden, which offer seasonal color. Boulevard and parkway trees The Arboretum is a place to celebrate new street tree introductions, with allees that are symbolic, long-lived and eye-catching. Three possibilities that might entice visitors include a scarlet-flowered Embothrium allee, an Araucaria araucana/monkey-puzzle allee, and a native chinquapin (Chrysolepis chrysophylla) allee. Boulevard plantings are proposed along Foster Island Drive. Parking lot shrub and groundcover trials Parking lots provide the opportunity to exhibit new introductions for tough urban environments. The Boyer lot, new GVC lot, Madrona Terrace lot, and Japanese Garden lot provide a range of exposures, soils and mesoclimates with which to experiment with this concept. Tall evergreen hedges A range of upright evergreen species that do not require regular trimming will be planted along the fenceline with Broadmoor from the "old nursery area" to the GVC, and in the area north of the Stone Cottage. North American Cupressus/cypress plantings will continue to be appropriate, as will be angiosperms such as Umbellularia/California laurel and Eucryphia |
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