All non-profit organizations live and breathe with volunteers. The University of Washington Botanic Gardens counts on hundreds of volunteers and has prospered with their help for over 75 years. The major support group for the Washington Park Arboretum is the Arboretum Foundation, and the Northwest Horticultural Society supports many aspects of the Center for Urban Horticulture and the Elisabeth C. Miller Library.
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1) Calocedrus decurrens Incense Cedar This native of Oregon and south to Baja California was first described by Colonel John C. Fremont in 1846. Incense cedar is often confused with Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), but is distinguished by its branchlets being held vertically, its narrow pyramidal habit, and by the lack of white stomata on the leaf undersides. Located north of the Wilcox Bridge (marked by a sign) and east of the Pinetum Loop Trail.
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For 13 years, the Director’s Holiday Open House was a tradition for all University of Washington Botanic Gardens staff (from the Center for Urban Horticulture and Washington Park Arboretum), Arboretum staff from the City of Seattle, all volunteers, Arboretum Foundation board members, and other friends and dignitaries. It began when John A. Wott moved to the Washington Park Arboretum in 1993 to become the first on-site director in many years.
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The winner of the John A. Wott Endowed Student Award for 2016 is Kelsey Taylor, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences M.S. candidate. Kelsey was selected earlier this year through the leadership of the late Dr. Sarah Reichard, Director UW Botanic Gardens. Kelsey is a Washington native who has enjoyed an outdoor education since her formative years. Her interest in research began as an undergraduate, where she worked on stream-side restoration and renewal of salt water marshes in coastal Virginia.
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Except for their bright red fruits and similar common names, the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) and the strawberry (Fragaria spp.) have nothing in common. This tree is valued as an ornamental broadleaf evergreen for gardens and it has a long history of appreciation in Western cultures. The species name ‘unedo’ is attributed to Pliny the Elder who said of the fruit “Unum Tantum Edo” (Latin) meaning “I eat only one”.
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Few small ornamental trees offer so many attractive qualities in the landscape as the paperbark maple (Acer griseum). With its bright green leaves, coppery peeling bark, and vibrant fall color, this tree is highlighted in gardens across the country, and is specifically recognized as a Great Plant Pick for our region. At the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, we have six individual trees in our collections – one at the Center for Urban Horticulture and five at the Washington Park Arboretum.
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