New Plantings in the Collection: 2025 in Review
Stewartia malacodendron blooming in the Arboretum in July. BY RAY LARSON Each year brings change to the gardens at both the Washington Park...
News Articles
Plant Profile: Sweet Sassafras
Native to eastern North America, sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a lovely, small, deciduous tree with three different leaf shapes: unlobed ovals,...
Climbing Hydrangea of the Arboretum
The Arboretum is home to a number of spectacular climbing hydrangea species, including nine specimens of the liana (woody vine) Hydrangea anomala,...
15 Pacific Connections Plants for Your Garden!
Looking to add some pizzazz to your home garden? In the latest issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, landscape designer Janine Anderson profiles 15...
Hidden Treasure of the Arboretum: Sweetbay Magnolia
One of the pleasures of my job as communications manager for the Arboretum Foundation is taking photographs of the plant collection, which we use in...
News Articles
Black Walnut Tree in Arboretum Tests Positive for Thousand Cankers Disease
Cankers and beetle feeding holes on the inner bark of a downed walnut branch. (Photo courtesy: Elizabeth Bush, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, bugwood.org)FIRST DOCUMENTED CASE IN WESTERN WASHINGTON! This summer, Seattle Botanic Gardens...
Hidden Treasure of the Arboretum: Witch-Alder
Fall foliage close-up of a witch-alder in the Arboretum's Woodland Garden. (Photo by Niall Dunne)BY PHIL WOOD As a retired garden designer, I am always on the lookout for plants that offer mul-tiple seasons of interest. Witch-alders (Fothergilla species and hybrids)...
Volunteers Help Host First Seattle Botanic Gardens’ Plant Sale
Volunteers helping shoppers at check-out in the Big Greenhouse. (Photo by Polly Teeter)BY ALICIA HAMILTON Our annual Fall Plant Sale took place at the Graham Visitors Center in the Arboretum last Saturday, September 19. Though it happened on a single day, the sale was...
Bulletin Stories
Hidden Treasure of the Arboretum: Witch-Alder
Fall foliage close-up of a witch-alder in the Arboretum's Woodland Garden. (Photo by Niall Dunne)BY PHIL WOOD As a retired garden designer, I am always on the lookout for plants that offer mul-tiple seasons of interest. Witch-alders (Fothergilla species and hybrids)...
Symbiotic Marvels: Get to Know the Small but Mighty Lichens of the Arboretum
Figure 1: Lichens on the Ceanothus in the Graham Visitors Center parking lot, including Ramalina farinacea, Usnea species (fruticose), Evernia prunastri and Physcia tenella (foliose).TEXT BY KATHERINE GLEW | Photos by Richard Droker Hidden beneath the leaves and...
Conservation Corner: Large-Winged Wingnut
The winged fruits of Pterocarya macroptera maturing in summer. (Photo by Niall Dunne)BY CHRISTINA PFEIFFER Quietly tucked away in the Arboretum’s old field nursery, on the south side of Crabapple Meadow, a stately specimen of Pterocarya macroptera holds court amid a...
Bulletin Archive
Looking for past Bulletins? Check out our Bulletin Archive for past issues.