E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens View this message in your browser. Botanic Gardens Home | Calendar | Classes | Rentals UW Botanic Gardens Newsletter, Vol 10 Issue 12, December 2015 December E-Flora: The Gifts of the Season Upcoming Events First Thursday Tram Tours Start Today 12/3- Family Nature Class - 12/5 Mammals and Me 12/3 First Thursday Tram Tour SER-UW Native Plant 12/4 Nursery- Weekly Work Party Holiday Art, Craft & Gift 12/4 Sale - opening reception 12/5- Holiday Art, Craft & Gift 12/23 Sale (ongoing) 12/5 Plant Pressing Workshop Arboretum Foundation - 12/5 Gifts & Greens Galore Growing Cacti and 12/7 Succulents Indoors 12/10- Family Nature Class - What 12/12 Makes a Bird A Bird? SER-UW Native Plant 12/11 Nursery- Weekly Work Party We are excited to announce the arrival of a new 13-passenger tram at the Nighttime-themed Story 12/12 Washington Park Arboretum. This tram will allow visitors with limited Program mobility to explore more of the Arboretum, and will offer all riders the Family Nature Class - 12/17 chance to travel from the Graham Visitors Center to the Pacific Animals in Winter Connections Garden (and other south-end collections) in less time and 1/3 Free Weekend Walks with more comfort! With the arrival of the tram, we are piloting free tours Bonsai 101: It's Easier on the first Thursday of each month, starting in December 2015 and 1/4 Than You Think! running through March 2016. Private group tours may also be scheduled. file:////main.sefs.uw.edu/main/Groups/UWBG/UWBG%20Website/about/eflora/EFlora_Dec15.html[4/27/2017 3:05:09 PM] E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens 1/7 First Thursday Tram Tour Read more. See all events » Free Weekend Walks Holiday Art, Craft & Gift Sale Opens Friday Weekend Walks are on hiatus for the month of December but will be back starting January 3. Happy holidays! On Exhibit in the Miller Library Get your shopping done early and support local artists at the Holiday Art, Craft & Gift Sale. Join us in the Elisabeth C. Miller Library for a reception on Friday, December 4th, 5 to 7pm, to ring in the holiday shopping season with handcrafted items available from nine local artists. The exhibit and sale runs through December 23rd. Learn more about participating artists. More Extraordinary Holiday Gifts New Books in the Miller Library file:////main.sefs.uw.edu/main/Groups/UWBG/UWBG%20Website/about/eflora/EFlora_Dec15.html[4/27/2017 3:05:09 PM] E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens Looking for an unusual or extraordinary gift for someone special? Consider a trip to South Africa in 2016! Join Director Sarah Reichard on the trip of a lifetime, experiencing a wonderland of biodiversity in South Africa. We also offer gift certificates for classes and programs for adults, youth, and family, such as plant ID, botanical sketching, and family nature classes. Gift certificates are offered in $25, $50 and $100 values and may be purchased by telephone at 206-685-8033. Other gift ideas for garden or nature lovers include support for Rare Plant Care and Conservation summer fieldwork in 2016, or the purchase of a Framed Plant Specimen from The Hyde Herbarium. Master Pruner Series Returns in 2016 2016 Northwest Flower & Garden Show This winter, we are happy to continue our partnership with local nonprofit Mark your calendars for the PlantAmnesty to bring you the Master Pruner Series. Learn how to prune Northwest Flower & Garden Show, a variety of plants both large and small, and how to apply a range of February 17-21, 2016. pruning practices properly, from the science and importance of structural pruning for young trees to the art of espalier. View the classes. Tickets to the Opening Night Party & Auction go on sale December 5. Family Nature Classes Offer Outdoor Fun All Year Long Don't get stuck inside all winter! Get outside with a Family Nature Class: file:////main.sefs.uw.edu/main/Groups/UWBG/UWBG%20Website/about/eflora/EFlora_Dec15.html[4/27/2017 3:05:09 PM] E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens explore your senses as you learn a little bit about winter, trees, and even decomposers. Through science-based exploration and outdoor play, preschoolers and their caregivers will explore sight, hearing, touch and smell, as well as delve into mud, trees, and what exactly happens in winter! Learn more. December Plant Profile: Euonymus europaeus 'atrorubens' Photo by Joy Spurr Found in its native Europe, Euonymus europaeus ‘atrorubens’, or spindle tree, is commonly seen as an understory shrub or small tree growing along deciduous woodland edges. Traditionally, this plant’s stems were used to make spindles to twine wool and flax into yarn. It contains many medicinal properties in its roots and bark which were used by both Europeans and the Iroquois in Northeast America and Canada, where it spread widely after introduction to the new continent. The spindle tree is currently used as an ornamental garden feature, and the cultivar ‘Red Cascade’ has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Learn more about this month's featured plant. Family: Celastraceae / Bittersweet Family Genus: Euonymus Species: europaeus Cultivar: 'atrorubens' Common Name: Spindle Tree Location: Washington Park Arboretum: Pinetum (555-42*B & D in 38-5W) & Pacific Connections Garden (555- file:////main.sefs.uw.edu/main/Groups/UWBG/UWBG%20Website/about/eflora/EFlora_Dec15.html[4/27/2017 3:05:09 PM] E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens 42*A in 6-1E) Glimpse into the Past - A Surplus of Cedar One of the four primary forest trees of the Pacific Northwest is Thuja plicata, or the Western red cedar. The red cedar produces many seeds and thus seedlings, and is an early invader of forest lands. In the early part of the last century, Western red cedar seedlings flourished and produced many young trees in the fledgling Washington Park Arboretum. Read about how workers from the Works Progress Administration used the cedar on-site in 1937 to construct a fence bordering the eastern edge of the Arboretum. Twigs Winter Adult Classes are now available for registration. The new year brings some new exciting offerings alongside some old favorites. Read about the native plants of Cape Cod in this Thanksgiving-themed post from our horticulture staff. file:////main.sefs.uw.edu/main/Groups/UWBG/UWBG%20Website/about/eflora/EFlora_Dec15.html[4/27/2017 3:05:09 PM] E-flora ~ University of Washington Botanic Gardens We are so grateful for the support of our many volunteers. Are you looking for a new way to get involved? Explore available volunteer opportunities and apply online. The programs of UW Botanic Gardens are supported in large part by private donations. Please consider a gift this holiday season. E-Flora is a regular online newsletter of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens 206.543.8616 | [email protected] | www.uwbotanicgardens.org KEEP IN TOUCH: Donate to the UW Botanic Gardens Forward this message. 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