travelerc’s guide to gardens Additional Information Washington Park Arboretum, 2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle, WA 98112. (206) 543-8800. Washington Park Arboretum www.arboretumfoundation.org. by Helen Thompson n Open daily dawn to dusk. n Arboretum admission: Free.

n Seattle Japanese Garden (www. seattlejapanesegarden.org) Admission: Adults $6; Seniors/Students/Youths $4; Children under five free.

Other nearby sites to explore: Pike Place Market, www.pikeplacemarket.org. Woodland Park Zoo, www.zoo.org. Discovery Park, www.seattle.gov/parks/ environment/discovery.htm.

Mahonias and other plants with winter interest grace the Witt Winter Garden, left, while an exotic monkey puzzle tree draws visitors to the new Pacific Connections collection, right. Victorian Alps, and Cascadia in the Pacif- ic Northwest all grow side by side on the man. These include hellebores, Chinese visitors in awe. “When people come to the southern end of the Arboretum. Why bring witch hazels, and dogwoods. northwest, the thing that wows them the these four disparate geographic areas togeth- most is the size of our conifers,” he says. er? They all have similar climates, and each Pacific Connections But, the WPA’s latest display is a shift region is also known for its plant diversity, One of the WPA’s claims to fame is its vast from more traditional fare. Pacific Con- explains Zuckerman. The sight of a Chil- collections of oaks, maples, hollies, mag- nections aims to transport visitors across ean monkey puzzle tree growing yards away nolias, and camellias. According to Zuck- continents. Plants from the Otago region from New Zealand flax creates an exotic erman, its conifers, including a grove of of New Zealand, the Sichuan province of vibe in the space. 60-year-old sequoias, often leave East Coast China, the peatlands of Chile, Australia’s Future Plans Ultimately these “ecogeographic” gardens will lead to more extensive forests beyond, he Washington Park Ar- neighborhoods and Lake Washington. One of Zuckerman’s favorite autumn demonstrating how these plants grow in boretum (WPA) is something It contains more than 10,000 individual features is the Woodland Garden, which the wild. “The goal is basically for people T of an urban oasis. Co-managed plants belonging to 4,400 taxa. showcases many of the Arboretum’s Jap- to feel like they’re there,” says Zuckerman, by the Seattle Parks Department and the anese maples. “Every year when the col- “without having to hop on a jet and burn University of Washington, this sprawling An Olmsted Legacy ors change, it always seems to give you all this jet fuel to get to New Zealand. But, city park in the middle of Seattle actually The crowning feature of the Olmsted plan a beautiful view,” says Zuckerman. The there’s also a core conservation value.” used to be home to a lumber mill in the for Washington Park turned a dirt “speed- Woodland Garden’s lagoon also serves as Currently, the beginnings of the Cascadia, 1880s. The space comes with a unique his- way” into a meandering meadow path one of the Arboretum’s two watersheds. New Zealand, and Chilean forests have tory and a modern twist. lined with flowering azaleas, dogwoods, Another great place to see stunning been planted, with more to come in 2014. By 1900, it was a modest city park— and cherry trees, many of which were fall color is the Seattle Japanese Gar- The grounds of the WPA have the at- one of Seattle’s first. The Olmsted planted by Seattle Garden Club members den, a three-and-a-half-acre facility mosphere of a traditional botanical site, Brothers landscape architecture firm, led in the 1930s. One of the more striking rem- located at the southern end of the Arbo- with an impressive array of woody plant by Frederick Law Olmsted’s two sons, nants of the Olmsted design, Azalea Way retum. This garden, which is maintained collections and an Olmsted legacy. But, started designing the arboretum around is absolutely beautiful in spring. “People by the Seattle Parks Department, has an with its free-flowing layout and unusual the turn of the 20th century, but the come from all over to walk the length and entrance fee. exhibits, the park maintains ties to both its park was not established as an arbore- see the flowering cherries and azaleas,” says During cooler seasons, the Witt Win- urban environment and sister gardens along tum until 1934. Today,WPA comprises David Zuckerman, the WPA’s manager of ter Garden features “plants that ‘wow’ the Pacific Rim. m 230 acres, nestled amid two north Seattle horticulture and plant records. in the winter time,” explains Zucker- Helen Thompson is a freelance writer living top leftandcourtesytop bottom: washington of parkarboretum. right:top helen thompson In spring, visitors can enjoy the meandering paths of Azalea Way, which still hews close to the original design by the Olmsted Brothers firm. courtesywashingtonof parkarboretum Plants from disparate regions with similar climates can be seen in the Pacific Connections area. in Great Falls, Virginia.

52 the American Gardener January / February 2014 53