Head to Washington Park Arboretum or another public garden for winter inspiration
Typically, this time of year the garden will begin to wake up, with signs of bulbs sprouting and buds swelling. Continue your garden dreaming and designing with the ultimate inspiration: creating a winter-theme garden.
Designing your landscape with an eye toward winter color is an easy way to learn to love your outdoor space in all four seasons. Even if you can only garden in containers, there are perennials (hellebores!), bulbs (snowdrops!), and evergreens (sarcococca and heather!) that will inspire you once you crack the code of natural winter beauty.
Visit the Joseph H. Witt Winter Garden
The best place for winter garden inspiration is near the University of Washington campus in Seattle. Just off the busy lanes of bridge traffic lies a gem of an arboretum that sparkles with winter inspiration.
Get outdoors and get moving around the whole Washington Park Arboretum, then make note of all the lovely growing treasures in its Witt winter-theme garden. From the bark of maples to the berries of hollies and lots of early blooming witch hazel (so fragrant you’ll swoon), you will meet plenty of plants that you will want to include in your own winter-theme garden.
For all the details on visiting this free arboretum, go to its website. The gardens are open every day, but the visitors center is open limited hours. The arboretum is at 2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle; the center is at 3501 NE 41st St.
Looking for more?
January is a good month to join the arboretum as a volunteer and pick up the passion of plants from like-minded folks. An easy way to dip your toe into the pond at the arboretum is to visit the Northwest Flower & Garden show and the Washington Park Arboretum booth or act as a volunteer at the opening night gala on Feb. 13. The gala is held in the midst of the NWFG show gardens. For more about volunteering, contact volunteer@arboretumfoundation.org or phone the general arboretum office at 206-325-4510.
More growth opportunities
No matter where you live, getting involved as a garden volunteer is as easy as contacting a public garden near you. In Lakewood, there is Lakewold Gardens (lakewoldgardens.org); in Federal Way, Powellswood Garden offers membership to special events and admission (powellswood.org) and the gardens don’t stop there.
From Bellevue Botanical garden (bellevuebotanical.org) to Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden (highlinegarden.org) and Soos Creek Botanical Garden & Heritage Center in Auburn (sooscreekbotanicalgarden.org), there are plenty of gardens to visit and gardening people to meet. Even my home town of Enumclaw has the new Laughing Goat Botanical Gardens with a January class on growing orchids and tropical plants (info@laughinggoatfarm.com).
