The Washington
Park Arboretum is a spectacular urban green space on the shores
of Lake Washington just east of downtown Seattle and south
of the University of Washington.
Washington's official State Arboretum contains internationally recognized woody plant collections on 230 acres. Noteworthy are North America's largest collection of Sorbus and Maple,
the second largest collection of species Hollies and significant
collections of oaks, conifers and camellias.
Take the UW Botanic 
Gardens audio tours
The UW Botanic Gardens audio tours offer an inside look at two sites: the Pacific Connections Garden at the Arboretum and the demonstration gardens at the Center for Urban Horticulture.
Hear from experts including garden designers, curation staff, and more as they share stories about the significance of each garden to humans and the natural world. Click here to listen online or to learn how to rent audio players at the gardens.
New Youth and Family Programs brochure
Teachers and parents: Want to get your children outside for a day of hands-on learning and fun? Click here to see our brand new youth and family programs brochure!
Pacific Connections Garden opens
On September 20, 2008, the community celebrated the opening of Pacific Connection's first phase. The UW Botanic Gardens is working in partnership with the City of Seattle and Arboretum Foundation on planning the Pacific Connections Garden, which will include plants from Australia, New Zealand, China, Chile, and the Pacific Northwest. Read all about it here.
The University
of Washington Botanic Gardens manages the plant collections
while the City of Seattle holds title to most of the land and
buildings; its Department of Parks and Recreation manages the
park functions of the Arboretum. The Arboretum Foundation is
the support organization for the Arboretum and, besides
providing membership and volunteering opportunities, is raising
money for the implementation of the Masterplan of renovating
the Arboretum over some 20 years
UWBG Fact Sheet (pdf) For
more information please see our Extended
Version .
