December Newsletter - We're All Lit Up

And the Lights Are On!

Wintertide Lights 2023 starts December 1st when the lights turn on at 4:00 p.m. Chief Elf Renee Greenleaf and a troop of volunteers--including the girls on the right--have been working like crazy since the end of October to make sure the Arboretum lights are even better than last year. Thanks to High Strung Christmas Lights, some of our tallest conifers have also been covered in lights this year.

Figuring out how to deal with the Backyard Garden, still in the middle of a renovation that removed many shrubs that used to help light the pathways has been a challenge--even for Renee. But we think when you see the gardens, you'll agree, they all did a terrific job.

We'll be staffing the kiosk again this year on Friday and Saturday nights to welcome visitors. Maybe a few Sundays if we get enough volunteers. The gnomes are back and Imagine Children's Museum is holding luminaria making workshops on December 9th and 16th at 4 p.m. in the Classroom Building. What to do with those luminarias? See the next article...

This trio of young people came to the Arboretum with their grandparents to help light up the gardens. We estimate it takes about 500 volunteer hours to get ready for Wintertide Lights.

Two of the High Strung Christmas Lights crew at work on Thanksgiving weekend. They not only lit up some of our tallest trees using a lift and 12 foot arborist ladders but also added more lights to the Conifer Garden, the first garden visitors see upon entering the Arboretum. They have been with us since we began Wintertide Lights in 2020, lighting up more trees every year.

Illuminated Sculpture in the Gazebo

A new feature for this year's Wintertide Lights is an as yet untitled sculpture by artist Cindy Morris. It took Cindy, two Arboretum volunteers, and about six hours to hang and light the piece.

Cindy said she was inspired by the idea of flower and seed forms--and the opportunity to use up some of the raw materials that were taking up space at her home. They also look a little bit aquatic. But we do live by the Salish Sea.

Solstice Luminaria Parade on December 21

If you made a luminaria at one of the Imagine Children's Museum Wintertide workshops, at the Schack Art Center, or a YMCA, or just happen to have one in a closet, we hope you'll join us on December 21 at beginning at 6 p.m. for a luminaria-lighted walk through the gardens, culminating in a story time in the gazebo.

No luminaria handy? Don't let that stop you from joining the fun. We've got some to pass out free of charge. The walk is rain or shine, so please dress for the weather.

New Board Member Lee Borgatta

Lee Borgatta, in the gray jacket on the right, helping Debbie McCoy light up a maple, joined the Arboretum board for our October meeting.

Lee became a Master Gardener in 2020 and is now part of the leadership team for their Demonstration Garden in the Arboretum. We're so pleased to have Lee as a liaison between the two organizations and have already begun talking about how we can work together more effectively.

Lee says her personal interest in the Arboretum comes from having lived at 521 Colby for about 20 years when she regularly took her children to Legion Park and the Arboretum. She's also a tree lover, and the twigs of oak, mountain ash, and cedars that she planted at the Colby house are now mature trees. She has completed the WSU Urban and Community Tree Steward certificate program and serves as a Tree Steward--a program that involves weekly pruning of trees in various parks and public areas. 

Before retirement in 2019, Lee was a local lawyer, mediator, and Snohomish County Superior Court Commissioner and served on several local non-profit boards. Please say hello if you see Lee working in the Arboretum.

Bird House Event Cancelled

Our bird house challenge just did not inspire enough crafters to justify holding the December 2 auction. But we did get a few--and we are planning on auctioning them off at the March Annual Meeting. So that's something to look forward to--and a good reason to renew your membership so you can attend the meeting! We'll post some photos closer to the meeting.

Knitting or Crocheting up a Storm to Celebrate 60 Years

It's time to get out your knitting needles or crochet hooks and get to work on colorful yarn covers for the Arboretum's trees. You can be as creative as you like (for inspiration just look online for amazing examples of yarn bombing) or keep it simple and knit a striped rectangle for us to sew around a trunk.

Color Storm is an opportunity for knitters of all skill levels to help cover the Arboretum with color in March, and it's the last special event planned in our year-long anniversary celebration. We're partnering with Everett's own Great Yarns, thanks to the generous support of owner Fontelle Jones.

Give Any Time:

Please Support the Arboretum

Thanks to all our Giving Tuesday donors. Your donation supports projects such as the Backyard Garden renovation, Family Fun Days, and Wintertide Lights. It also helps us add plants to the gardens. But you can give anytime--it doesn't have to be the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Your donations are always welcome.

Nature outside and inside the Arboretum

Our roving photographer and board member, Jeanne Crisp, spotted this license plate on a recent trip and snapped a photo to compliment the APHID plate she photographed for our last newsletter.

It's been a beautiful fall, with bright autumn colors everywhere--including our own Maple Grove where sunny blue skies lit up this tree.

A little topiary in someone's garden in Everett. All the shrubs in this yard are very carefully clipped, but I was particularly amused by the little topknot very neatly left in place.

This is from my own backyard. A hellebore planted next to a Japanese maple (Twombley's Red Sentinel). It makes for a very seasonally appropriate display.

"Thank You, Trees"

One of our board members posted the above heart-felt thank you to the beauty of our trees and all that they give us. Green, cool shade in the summer and beautiful colors in the fall. Then, as the leaves fall, a good place for insects and the birds that like to eat them. Also, for gardeners, leaving the leaves helps nourish the soil.

The link below to a random Youtube video about a dog who also loves the leaves. Check out Stella the Leaf Creeper . I don't think you'll regret watching it.