A day that could not be more beautiful enticed us to visit my spouse’s alma mater – the University of Washington. The UW Seattle campus is filled with history, beauty, and long distances offering good walking, unique sights, and intriguing gardens. The campus is home to historic trees, including its famed cherry trees which bring thousands of visitors to the campus each spring for cherry blossom viewing, a large rose garden surrounding Drumheller Fountain, some heirloom rhododendrons, and a most remarkable Medicinal Herb Garden. We have visited the Herb garden a few times over the past decades, and we have always been the only people visiting. It is not well-known, nor is it easily found if you are not familiar with the campus (it is just off Stevens Way). But visiting it is a treat for any horticulturist, gardener, botanist, or anyone interested in the history of plants. Its two and one-half acres contain over 1,000 plants from around the world. Plants are well-labeled with both botanical and common names, gravel pathways offer easy viewing of each plant, and a few benches are available. The garden contains both Old World and New World plants – some that neither my spouse nor I had heard of or read about before. It is a remarkable garden filled with many beautiful, unique, and beneficial gifts of nature.
To learn about the garden before visiting, visit UW Medicinal Herb Garden Home Page (use the link below). This site offers a link to a map of the garden as well as plant lists by botanical and common names.
https://staff.washington.edu/boerm/uwmhg//
The Medicinal Herb Garden is a magical place to spend a day, any time of year. And if weather cooperates, you may get a glimpse of our beautiful Mt. Tahoma (aka Mt. Rainier).
While I Was Gardening 