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All Shades of Green—-A Plant Perspective

Category Archives: Washington Park Arboretum


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Happy Birthday Dove Tree

Walking under the Dove tree in full bloom is my favorite birthday present.  On May 16th a trip to the arboretum was in order and I was not disappointed as in days past.  We hurried down the trail, glancing over the shrubs, admiring magnolias, lingering on the laburnum for moments, but not until we reached Davidia involucrata did we stop and sigh.  It was the middle of May and this incredible tree was in full bloom.  Showing off it’s waving white bracts.  They covered the ground, they danced around our faces and over our heads.  We paused and enjoyed.  It felt good to just stop and look around.  It seems I’m always rushing somewhere, always going.  But this day we stopped.  We looked up.  We smiled and gazed.  Why does staring at trees feel so good?  Just being near it made me happy.  Everyone should have a tree for their birthday, what’s yours?

Blooming in May
Dove Tree Leaf
My Birthday Tree!
Beautiful
The Dove Tree

I love the leaf of Davidia involucrata.  Michael Dirr says it best:  ”alternate, simple, broad-ovate, acuminate, cordate, dentate-serrate with acuminate teeth, strongly veined, glabrous above, densely silky-pubescent beneath, vivid green’!  If you’re not into botanical babble, just believe me….it’s pretty.

Just the Facts
Davidia involucrata The Dove Tree
Size 20-40 ft. (6-12m) High and Wide
Hardy to zone 6
Slow to medium growth Rate
Deciduous, Blooms white bracts in May
Prefers light shade


Dove Tree in June


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A Hobbit’s New Zealand Garden

Celery Pine

Celery Pine

Of all the gardens at the 2013 Northwest Flower and Garden Show, A Hobbit’s New Zealand Garden was my favorite.  No fancy paths, patios, staircases or dining sets, it was all about plants.  Finally, order in the universe!  There was one cute little hobbit house, but even it’s roof was made of plants.  I like how everything was tied together with moss and ferns and diminutive plants.  This garden was created by the Washington Park Arboretum to celebrate the New Zealand forest which will be opening in the fall.  I wasn’t the only one who was wowed by this garden.  It won six top awards, including the People’s Choice, an award voted by the public.  From the garden description:  A spectacular tree fern stands sentry nearby.  Next to the house is a bog exuberant with colorful New Zealand flax (Phormium).  Low-lying fog over the wetland creates drama and mystery.  The foliage of variegated Coprosma, Corokia, and Veronica (Hebe) add color to the display.  Clematis ‘Avalanche’ drapes from the top of the house.  The garden features drought-tolerant plants, most of which are suitable for growing in the Pacific Northwest gardens.  The use of foliage to create a rich color palette is a key design element.  A new plant for me was Coprosma or mirror bush.  The glossy leaves were rich with color and I admired this evergreen shrub, although it appears to more comfortable in zone 9 rather than our zone 8.   Another plant that caught my attention was the celery pine, or Phyllocladus alpinus, such a cute little coniferous shrub.  Alas, not hardy in the PNW, but they suggest use as an indoor plant.  It was fun to see this collection of New Zealand plants and I look forward to the new display at the arboretum!

Mirror Bush
Hobbit House
New Zealand Flax
Golden Tree Fern
Clematis
Mossy Rocks
Hobbit House (Can I move in?)
Stone Pot


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Daphne, the Lilac of Winter

Daphne Blossom

Daphne Blossom

Daphne is the lilac of  winter.  An unassuming shrub in foliage and form, yet unsurpassed in fragrance.  A fragrance in February is not forgotten.  A fragrance of flowers and bees, of sunshine and smiles, a fresh, floral, flowery feast.   With insects in short supply during the cold winter months, Daphne seeks them out with its potent scent.  To ensure pollination, it produces a potion that seems to have magical qualities.  Every time I walk by I lean in.  I turn slightly.  I hesitate.  I slow down.  I change my pace.  I can’t help myself as I bury my nose in those rosy posies!  On a recent walk through the Washington Park Arboretum I was stopped in my tracks by this Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill. I really like the structure of this daphne, almost tree-like.  With its shiny deep green leaves and reddish bark, I think Daphne bholua is a stand-out shrub.

Just the Facts
Daphne Bholua
Evergreen to Semi-Evergreen
Zones 7, 8  Native to Himalaya
February-March Bloom, Fragrance Magnificient!
Upright habit, 6-10 ft. high (2-3m)
Extremely well-drained soil
Lime-based Soil Mix
Resents Moving


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The Redbud Tree

This beautiful tree showed up at the nursery and didn’t stay long.  Forest Pansy Redbud has colorful purple leaves that emerge in spring, fading to green as summer goes on.  The heart-shaped leaves would be enough to sell this plant, but the bright pink flowers that grow directly from the stems and trunk make this plant quite amazing.  Cercis canadensis is the Redbud tree native to the Eastern United States and grows 20-30 feet (6-9 m) high and 25-35 feet (7.5-10.5 m) wide in zones 4-9.  It flowers in spring before leaves occur, as shown in the photos below of the Mediterranean Redbud or Cercis siliquastrum.  The redbud is adaptable to many soil types and grows in full sun to part shade, but can suffer greatly from excess stress.  Reports say that the wood can be brittle and prone to break in wet/windy/snowy weather.  Forest Pansy, quite irresistible!

Curvy Color

Redbud Blossoms in May

Judas Tree at the Washington Park Arboretum

Judas Tree or Mediterranean Redbud


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Everyone Needs a Tree

Everyone needs a tree to call their own.  Trees are all around us, but have you ever picked a favorite?  One special tree to watch through the seasons.  To photograph and spy on?  It’s like posing with a member of the family.  A tall member, with really good hair.  Trees are fun.  We walk among them and find shade under their branches.   We hug them and gaze into their leaves.  We climb into their branches and swing from their limbs.  On our walk around the arboretum my girls and I each picked out our trees.  We decided to take a photo with them each time we visit.  And the winners are…

Tessa likes the Birch Bark Cherry Tree

Paperbark Cherry Tree
Moderate Growth Rate 15-20 feet, 5-6m
Deciduous, Zones 5-8
Full Sun
Blooms white in late spring
Attractive bark year-round

Pacific Madrone
Moderate Growth Rate 20-50 feet, 6-15m
Evergreen, Zones 5-8
Prefers sun, well-drained, not moist, soil
Greenish white flowers in May, red fruit persists in winter

Dove Tree
Moderate Growth Rate 20-60 feet, 6-18m
Deciduous, Zones 6-8
Sun to partial shade, moist, well-drained soil
Two large white bracts surround the flower in May, resembling a dove or handkerchief, amazing!
Slow to begin flowering

Under the Pacific Madrone Tree

Carolina loved the unusual Madrone.

Isn’t it obvious which one I love?    The Dove Tree!


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May Azaleas at the Arboretum

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The Dove Tree

Wandering through the arboretum today on my birthday, May 16th, I finally saw my long-awaited dream. The Dove Tree, The Handkerchief Tree, Davidia involucrata in full bloom! So beautiful! Don’t miss this one! Last year I did miss this one, when I visited the Arboretum. It was early July and I was on a special trip just to see this tree. I went looking for the bloom, and it wasn’t there. This year I just happened to be walking through the arboretum, with no specific purpose in mind, but to enjoy the sights and scents all around me, when, as if out of nowhere, this tree was right in front of me. I had never noticed this specific one before, so I wasn’t expecting it or waiting for it. But there it was and I recognized it immediately. Doesn’t this happen to us all the time? When we want something, when we long for something, when we search for something, it’s just not there. We can’t find it. We try too hard. But when we immerse ourselves in life, not actively seeking, but becoming part of it, suddenly what we wanted is ours for the taking. Completely unexpected, the pieces fall into place. So easy life becomes when we stop trying. This funny life.

Dancing Pure White Bracts

Grows to 20m or 70ft.

Davidia involucrata

I Love This Tree!


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Washington Park Arboretum in April

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One of my favorite places to go on a walk in Seattle.


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Another Winter Bloomer

I’ve never seen a Mahonia this big, only at the Arboretum.  With dark green leaves and yellow flowers that glow like a neon sign, this is a great winter shrub.  It grows best in part shade and can reach 15 feet.  Startling February color!

This Mahonia gets big!

Attracts hummingbirds in the winter


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Frosted Curls Sedge

This grass is clumpy cool.  Cool because this picture was taken on a frosty, frozen morning.  Clumpy because it’s not bumpy, just smooth and clumpy.  Any plant that looks this good in December is on my list.  My good plant list.  The happy list.  (Are you curious about my bad plant list? Here’s a teaser….Photinia…I scowl at you every time we meet!)  Carex comans or Frosted Curls or New Zealand Hair Sedge is another story.  Walking by this small group of Carex I felt like I was at an art exhibit.  Considering light and line.  Pondering form and function.  Wondering how this grass suggests movement even as it’s frozen in place.  It has a rhythm and flow and appears to grow.  How does it do that?  A little bit of pixie dust?  Shimmering, it looks like a refreshing water fountain, tumbling over itself.  This planting is an example of repetition.  Repetition of the same plant creating a pleasing effect.  Repetition showing off the beauty more than a single specimen.  Repetition moving us along a flowing river.  Repetition is good with Carex comans, but it also looks great in a container.   It grows best in moist, well-drained soil, sun to partial shade.  This fine-textured dwarf evergreen sedge grows 12-18 inches high and will reseed, but not profusely.  An exciting addition to your very-pretty-plant gallery.

  

New Zealand Hair Sedge

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