UW News

April 2, 2009

Plantsman Hinkley’s slide show April 7 launches arboretum’s 75th celebration

The Washington Park Arboretum is turning 75 and a year of activities is being planned starting Tuesday, April 7, with a lecture and slide show by Dan Hinkley about his trip to China and Vietnam to collect plants for the arboretum’s newest garden, the Pacific Connections Garden.

Hinkley, a UW College of Forest Resources alum, horticulturalist and founder of Heronswood in Kingston, Wash., will talk from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UW Tower auditorium. For ticket price and other information go to https://go.washington.edu/uwaa/events/2009arboretum_hinkley/details.tcl or call 206-543-0540. His talk is sponsored by the UW Botanic Gardens, a part of the UW College of Forest Resources, and the UW Alumni Association.

The arboretum, founded in 1934, is a Seattle park jointly managed by the UW Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation, with major support from the Arboretum Foundation.

“The 75th anniversary year gives us a chance to look back and appreciate the foresight of the board of regents and city of Seattle in cooperating to form the Washington Park Arboretum — an enticing, glorious plant collection in the middle of Seattle,” says Sandra Lier, executive director of the UW Botanic Gardens. “We also appreciate the arboretum’s support organization, the Arboretum Foundation, created almost as long ago to provide volunteers and funds to this most entrancing garden.”

The next planned event in the celebration will be an Azalea Way history walking tour, Saturday, May 16, 1 to 2:30. John Wott, UW professor emeritus of forest resources and former director of the arboretum, will discuss the history of the popular Azalea Way, the arboretum’s overall design and how it has evolved since 1934. The tour will be $15 per person. Interested persons are asked to register in advance by contacting Jean Robins at 206-685-8033 or jrobins@u.washington.edu.

For more anniversary events, visit online at http://depts.washington.edu/wpa/75years.html.