January 2023
Another Year and Lots of Accomplishments to Celebrate
While you'll be able to read a full list of Arboretum activities in our annual report, due out at the end of February, it's always gratifying to look back and see just how much was accomplished thanks to a dedicated board and hardworking volunteers.
Wintertide Lights 2022 brought Mike and Marcie Kallgren to exchange wedding vows and enjoy the lights
Two Family Fun Events
Repainting the columns
Revitalizing the Small Tree Walk
2nd Sculpture Walk plus Members and Artists Reception
So many volunteers getting so much accomplished
Wintertide 3.0: windstorms, snowstorms, clear skies, & viruses
Thanks to Sylvia Blaauw, Photographer & Graphic Designer for letting us use her beautiful image of the snowy steps up to the Viewing Mound.
This year we thought we would get a head start on lighting up the trees in the Arboretum. A Friday November storm undid our best-laid plans--blowing down several trees--including 3 that already had lights installed. The next morning our volunteers showed up--ready the remove the strings of lights and begin hauling off the debris. By noon it almost looked as if nothing had happened.

An early December snowstorm meant opening to the public with icy and snowy paths. Below freezing temperatures chilled the board members who showed up to staff our new kiosk and hand out gnome scavenger hunts and candy canes. Then came a resurgence of viruses--flu, RSV, and COVID--and the cancellation of our two scheduled crafting programs for children to ensure that nobody caught any of these diseases while making a pinecone ornament.

Despite all of this, visitors of all ages, including dogs sporting lighted collars, enjoyed a stroll through the gardens, children searched for gnomes, and families took photos with colorful trees in the background.
Volunteer Maryanne Gauthier hard at work removing yards of lights from a downed cornus kousa
This is a great picture--although we would definitely prefer not to see children climbing trees, especially those with lights on them. It makes for a good photo but is not safe.
The Annual Meeting--Is the Third Time the Charm?
Mark Your Calendars for March 21

All our fingers are crossed in hopes that all the circulating viruses will have stopped circulating, and that we will be able to kick off our 60th anniversary year with our annual meeting in Forest Park's Floral Hall on March 21, 2023.

To highlight the celebratory nature of the meeting we have booked Lorene Edwards Forkner as our keynote speaker. Edwards Forkner is a Seattle-based author and gardener. You'll find her columns in the Seattle Times and her books in your local library. Her topic will be "A Handmade Garden," and she'll talk about how to create a personality-infused landscape that satisfies your aesthetics and fits within your resources.

Look for more details in the February newsletter. And don't forget to renew your membership before March 1st, 2023.
Classes Return in 2023 with Saxon Holt on a Timely Topic
Wednesday, January 11 at 6 p.m. on Zoom

Saxon Holt is a photojournalist and sole photographer of more than 30 garden books, most recently Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates. He is a member of the American Society of Media Photographers, a Fellow of GardenComm (Garden Communicators International), and owner of the PhotoBotanic Garden Library.  His work focuses on the relationship between gardens and the land, seeking a sustainable aesthetic that can enhance both gardener and the earth.

According to Saxon, this presentation encourages gardeners to understand and work in harmony with their region. By choosing naturally occurring, climate-appropriate plants, gardeners can promote healthier ecosystems and make a difference from their own backyards. Working with rather than against the summer-dry climate means reducing impact on water supplies and creating spaces that attract and sustain wildlife. It means taking a step back, letting nature assert itself in the garden, and welcoming in the unique wildness of these special regions.
There's More in Store in 2023 as We Celebrate 60 Years:
Here are a few projects we're planning this year
Poetry is coming to the Arboretum throughout the month of April
April is National Poetry Month. More that 60 people submitted poems for consideration by our judges. Now we wait to find our whose poems make the cut.
Sculpture Walk is back for the third year in August
Renovation of the Backyard Garden

Design work of this project began in 2022. This is one of the older gardens in the Arboretum, and a major renovation is long overdue.
Support Your Arboretum by Joining Today. We Need You More Than Ever.
Take a moment to join or renew at www.evergreenarboretum.com and become part of the Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens family. Annual memberships come due in March of each year, but we can accept memberships at any time.

Your support is the key to our success. Your membership shows that you support our mission and the volunteers who dedicate themselves to the gardens. It is more important than ever to insure we remain strong and able to undertake significant projects once the pandemic is behind us. A robust membership base also shows the City that the Evergreen Arboretum is valued. You can join or renew online.
To contact Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens
email: contactus@evergreenarboretum.com
phone: 425-257-8597
mail: PO Box 13014, Everett, WA 98206-13014
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