UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 6 Issue 7, July 2011
It's a party-planning party!
Entertainers,
florists, photographers, caterers, transportation providers and many
other talented and creative vendors are looking forward to sparking
ideas for your next meeting or event. Tomorrow’s Vendor Showcase at the Center for Urban Horticulture will help you picture large and intimate gatherings in our gardens, groves, meeting hall, classrooms and patios.
It’s fun. It’s free. We just ask that you RSVP by emailing your name and number of individuals in your party or by calling 206-221-2500. Visit our Facebook event page to meet some of the vendors.
Getting bogged down in Cascadia
When
the Cascadia section of the Pacific Connections Garden was under
construction, a natural depression appeared. Recognizing the potential
for this poorly-draining area, Jason Henry of the Berger Partnership
incorporated a Cascadian bog into the design. Pacific Connections
Gardener Kyle Henegar explains, "Creating the bog is a long-term process
as the soil conditions mature, the plants are phased in, and as Roy
Farrow and I continue to procure and stage snags and rocks to create
a more realistic-looking garden. I suggest visitors come visit the
bog frequently to see how it ages over time and develops the beautiful
patina of a native bog.”
An irrigation system will keep the soil soggy during dry months. Vegetation includes Andromeda polifolia, Ledum glandulosum and Rhododendron occidentale grown from seed collected in the Siskiyou Mountains by Collections Manager Randall Hitchin, and Darlingtonia californica
from the UW Botany Greenhouse. Native plants such as huckleberry and
maidenhair fern serve as placeholders while bog plants are being phased
in. In addition, the Cascadian Focal Forest contains a Siskiyou seep
area along the east side of the first stairway. It too is being phased
in and is currently full of container-grown native plants and plants
grown from wild-collected seed.
Rain garden construction provides hands-on learning
The
Arboretum has its bog garden. The Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH)
has its rain garden. A new rain garden is part of a larger project
designed by Berger Partnership to direct rainwater from the roofs of
Merrill and Isaacson Halls to the existing roof garden, an as-yet
undeveloped hillside garden, and collection bins (rain gardens). When
funding is found to complete the project, the CUH will present a
completely integrated water system which collects rain, delivers it to
the gardens, and drains to Lake Washington.
Lisa Haglund, a Community, Environment, and Planning student in the UW College of Built Environments, created the planting plan for the rain garden with guidance from the UW Botanic Gardens' Dr. Kern Ewing, David Zuckerman and Barbara Selemon. In May, students from Maggie Rose's Ingraham High School science classes prepared the site with Haglund and Patrick Mulligan, after Selemon arranged for Haglund to give a presentation on stormwater at their school. Ingraham currently has no available site for rain garden construction, so the Ingraham students' trip to the CUH was funded through GROW, a program designed to engage high school students with the UW Botanic Gardens.
"Flora and Fauna" showcases Long's prints
"Flora and Fauna," an exhibit of prints by Roberta McDaris Long, opens Aug. 3 in the Elisabeth C. Miller Library. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, where she attended Memphis Academy of Arts, Long moved to Seattle in 1974. A founding member of the Pressworks Printmaking Collective, she participates in the Pressworks Annual Group show each year.
She has exhibited extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and has won awards at regional art festivals. Besides being a printmaker, Long is an art educator, muralist and decorative painter. Her prints will be displayed until Sept. 29.
Thank you, volunteers
Three volunteer groups have labored cheerfully in the Pacific Connections Garden (PCG) during the past month. Fifteen young adults from City Church provided a day of community service in the Siskiyou slope area of Cascadia, and about 30 office staff from the UW Office of External Affairs spent their annual Day Out weeding the Siskiyou slope area.
Approximately 10 experienced gardeners, recruited by PCG task force lead Rhonda Bush, gathered with Walt Bubelis to weed the PCG entry gardens. A new PCG steward program is under development by Arboretum Foundation and UW Botanic Gardens staff, and skilled volunteers such as these are prime candidates for maintaining the new gardens and leading volunteer groups on weekends.
Plant Profile: Triteleia (Brodiaea)
[by
Soest Gardener Riz Reyes] Somewhat of a taxonomic nightmare, but truly a
much overlooked summer flowering bulb! Planted as a group, Brodiaea put
on a colorful show. They emerge in early summer as fleshy, grass-like
plants. Wiry stems soon follow, holding up clusters of blue-violet
blooms (or white) that are eye-catching and truly spectacular. The seed
heads also add interest. The cultivar pictured, called ‘Rudy’, is a cool
blue suffused with white. These are charming and so easy to grow. They
should be used more often.
Common Name: Triplet lily, Brodiaea
Family: Asparagaceae
Location: Soest Garden Bed 6
Origin: Western USA
Height: 10-12″
Spread: Each inflorescence is about 6-8″ wide
Bloom Time: Late June/July
Bloom Type/Color: Terminal umbels on wiry stems with clusters of typically blue/violet flowers
Exposure/Water/Soil: Full sun in well-drained soil
View the complete plant profile.
Prepare to be enchanted
UW Botanic Gardens’ “grounds” include quite a bit of water. What
better way to explore the Arboretum’s freshwater marshes
than by kayak? You’ll board double kayaks (provided by Agua Verde Paddle Club)
in Duck Bay at the north end of Washington Park Arboretum. UW Botanic
Gardens provides your guide and brief training for first-time kayakers.
Are you a birder? Catch a 7:00 AM tour Aug. 19 or 26. Family? Take a
3:00 PM tour Aug. 17, 18, 24 or 25, and be done before dinner. A 6:00 PM
paddle (same four days) is a great way to wind down after work. Last year’s kayakers were enchanted. Email or call 206-543-8801 to reserve your space, $25/person.
What's new for fall in public education?
Learn the elements of Landscape Design in six classes. Environmental Horticulturist Nancy Tom will teach you how to develop a site analysis, measure, site a house on a plan, draw to scale, design workable hardscaping, incorporate color, texture, lighting, drainage, trellises and arbors, and choose plants for your soil, microclimate and home. Be ready for intensive, hands-on practice Tuesdays and Thursdays Sept. 8-27, from 7:00-9:30 PM at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Register by Sept. 1 to secure the Early Bird Price of $175.
Botanical artist and instructor Kathleen McKeehen returns to teach Beginning Botanical Watercolor. In five weekly classes beginning Sept. 28, 7:00-9:30 PM, she’ll
show you how light reveals form and guide you through measuring and
color mixing. The application of controlled washes and dry-brush
technique will produce an image that is three-dimensional and
aesthetically appealing. Students with previous instruction may take on
new subjects under supervision. Class meets at the Center for Urban
Horticulture. Register by Sept. 16 to secure the Early Bird Price of $170.
Cool summer extends planting season
More than 475 plants have been installed throughout the Washington Park Arboretum and Union Bay Gardens during the 2010-2011 planting season. And thanks to a cool summer, we're still planting! Significant installations include the southeast quadrant of the Winter Garden, the Siskiyou slope of the Cascadia Garden. Japanese maples north of the Woodland Garden, conifers in the Pinetum, and vines at the Center for Urban Horticulture.
twigs . . .
Beginning at 11:00 AM on Aug. 7 and 21, free guided tours will
introduce you to the Arboretum’s hydrangeas and Pacific Connections
Garden. Afternoon tours, focused on your guide’s latest discoveries,
begin at 1:00 PM. Meet at the Graham Visitors Center.
Arboretum Education Supervisor Patrick Mulligan sends greetings from Russia, where he’s participating in an environmental education exchange with the Vladivostok Botanic Gardens.
In June, the UW Botanic Gardens and Farm Partnership (Seattle Tilth and UW Farm group) signed a legal agreement in the form of a Farm Partnership Memorandum of Understanding. Plowing and irrigation planning and design are now underway west of the Center for Urban Horticulture, and the farm is beginning to take shape.
Designed for families with children ages 6-12, Park in the Dark will open your eyes to the wonders of nighttime in the Arboretum Aug. 13 at 8:00 PM. Children are free. Adults pay $6. Register in advance by email or call 206-543-8801.
Noted public garden designer Lynden B. Miller will be the featured speaker for the 16th Annual Elisabeth C. Miller Memorial Lecture Sept. 15 at 7:00 PM in UW's Meany Hall.
UW Botanic Gardens and Arboretum Foundation volunteers are invited to the annual volunteer appreciation event Thursday, Oct. 13, from 4:00-8:00 PM, at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Mark your calendars and watch for details about this fun evening of food, awards and games.
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
3501 NE 41st Street, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195-4115
Phone: 206.543.8616
Email: uwbg@u.washington.edu
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