Slender Oak delivering on being tall and slenderOur oak collection at the Washington Park Arboretum is nationally accredited through the Plant Collections Network, administered through the American Public Garden Association in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture. Oaks are one of our four accredited collections at the Arboretum, the others being maples, magnolias, and hollies. Gardens with accredited collections collaborate on research including taxonomic studies, conservation pr...| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Shasta Daisies ‘Banana Cream’ (Leucanthemum superbum) growing in the Soest Garden at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Kristen loves that these flowers bloom with a creamy yellow color before aging to bright white petals. This month we head over to the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) to meet horticulturist Kristen Johnson!| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’ in a pot alongside Triteleia laxa ‘Silver Queen’Scientific Name: Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Ilex vomitoria actively fading into the ‘green wall’Let’s be honest, Ilex vomitoria, AKA yaupon holly isn’t much to look at. Not that it’s a bad looking plant, it’s just kind of nondescript…the sort of thing you’d buy at a big box nursery if you wanted to grow a nice, sturdy hedge. It serves a purpose in an ornamental landscape, but it’s unlikely to be the centerpiece of a garden or anyone’s favorite plant. There are some varieties that may add a little interest to an othe...| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Meet our spring intern, Amanda Fairbanks, as she learns and grows with the horticulture staff at the Arboretum!| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Early magnolia bloom (Magnolia x soulangeana) – many of the magnolias are done blooming for the season, but you can still catch some of the later-blooming species as we get into late spring/early summer!Sit in on one of the horticulture staff’s check-in meetings and you’ll quickly notice Kathleen Glasman because she’s game for everything: another team member needs some help running a volunteer opportunity in the Arboretum? She raises her hand. Someone else needs help clearing brush ou...| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
When you read the word, “strawberry,” do images of a bright red, heart-shaped fruit come to mind? Do you have memories of U-Pick farms, or pints of fresh sweet berries? Well, just like me, you may be in for a surprise. The little “seeds” on the outside are a clue, because botanically speaking a strawberry is not a berry. It’s not even a fruit.| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Cyndy Smith-Kuebel was indoctrinated into the outdoor life from day one. Growing up in Western WA, her father found Cyndy an eager student of scientific plant names and quizzed her up and down trails as they hiked in the Cascade Mountains. This sparked a life-long interest in botany and plant ecology that she pursued at the US Forest Service Cle Elum Ranger District.| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Showy stickseed (Hackelia venusta) is one of Washington’s most imperiled plants. Its only known population occurs in sandy soils on steep, sliding slopes in Tumwater Canyon near Leavenworth, WA. With only a few hundred individuals left, it is at significant risk of extinction without tenacious attention and stewardship. To that end, Rare Care recently completed a recovery project funded by US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to (1) introduce plants at a new site and (2) install permanent mon...| University of Washington Botanic Gardens
Naomi Reibold is Rare Care’s new Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. Hailing from Indiana, she has slowly made her way further west over the past five years following federal public land jobs as a botany technician. She has worked in Missouri, Idaho, Utah and Oregon. For the past two years, Naomi has spent her field seasons in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest learning and falling in love with our native, endemic and rare plants.| University of Washington Botanic Gardens