I would like to know when most of the beautiful flowering trees will be in bloom on the University of Washington campus this spring? I would like to bring a tour group to see them.
Typical bloom time for the Yoshino cherry trees (Prunus x yedoensis) in the Quad is mid- to late-March, but timing is weather-dependent. You can check the UW Cherry Cam, which they update each spring: https://www.washington.edu/video/campus-webcams/
This article shows the stages of flower development and provides additional detail about the factors affecting bloom time. Here is another article about research into predicting bloom time.
Excerpt:
“The timing for peak bloom — meaning 70% of buds have emerged — varies each year based on weather conditions that the developing buds are exposed to in January, February and March.
“”‘In order to reach peak bloom, buds need to accumulate a certain number of both cold and warm days, known as ‘growing degree days,’ said Marlee Theil, a UW graduate student in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.”
How can I find out about local plant sales and garden tours?
This page on the Miller Library’s website provides information about plant sales and garden tours.
Plan your next garden vacation now. Here are a few resources that will help you plan a vacation devoted to visiting beautiful gardens.
- Gardens of British Columbia by Pat Kramer – Thinking fondly of Canada these days? Go visit British Columbia where they take gardening quite seriously. This book lists details of public gardens with maps and articles on garden history.
- www.ngs.org.uk – The British National Garden Scheme will assist garden tourists find both public gardens and gardens open by appointment only.
- www.gardenvisit.com – Slightly confusing, but this site is full of garden touring links and information for the US, Britain, and many other countries like South Africa and Thailand.
www.ahs.org/events/travel_study.htm – Travel first class with serious plant lovers with the American Horticultural Society’s travel-study program.
- www.pacifichorticulture.org – West coast garden magazine Pacific Horticulture also offers first class tours.
Angie Narus brings a tremendous attention to detail in “Walking Washington’s Gardens”, which is the perfect size for keeping in the car for quick reference. She limits her scope to non-profit or public gardens in Washington, and hopes her book “…encourages more people to not only visit gardens, but also join the effort to preserve them for the enjoyment of future generations.”
Each garden narrative is supplemented with a page-length table of all the important facts, including nearby gardens and other attractions to batch together on your tour. She does the best I’ve seen of any “outsider” in understanding the scope of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and its spread over two sites, the Washington Park Arboretum and the Center for Urban Horticulture.
The activities of each garden, including annual events, plant sales, and education programs, are well documented, encouraging the reader to think of these gardens as year-round resources. For example, did you know that the Meerkerk Gardens on Whidbey Island offer a class on “fairy house-building” or that the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden has an annual Ice Cream Social? More immediate questions like “Can I have a picnic?” or “Do you have restrooms?” are also answered—faster than you could ever find on your smart phone.
Excerpted from the Spring 2015 Arboretum Bulletin.
Become a garden voyeur this season by participating in one of the many organized private garden tours.
The Garden Conservancy is a national organization dedicated to preserving America’s most significant private gardens. Each year hundreds of private gardens hold Open Days to raise money to support Garden Conservancy’s work of preserving private gardens for future generations to enjoy. The current year’s Open Days Directory is for sale in winter and is useful for planning garden touring trips across the country. Available online at www.gardenconservancy.org/ or call (845) 265 2029. Washington had nearly 40 private gardens open in 2004. There is a nominal admission charge to visit each garden.
Local communities also organize charitable garden tours which usually feature 5 to 10 private gardens within driving distance. Some tours also include speakers or music. The Elisabeth C. Miller Library compiles a list of regional tours.