A Living Museum

By Robin Beckett

Photos by Patty DiRienzo

It’s not exactly hidden.

Anybody driving on I-82 – and that’s most of us — has passed Exit 34 and the stands of trees and the Jewett Interpretive Center at the Yakima Area Arboretum.  There might be some irony in its location.  We buzz about on the freeway, too busy with our day to pay attention, yet an oasis of calm is right there outside our car windows.

If you haven’t been there, go.  The arboretum is one of Yakima’s gems.

“We actually have one of the nicest arboretums in the Northwest,” said co-executive director Colleen Adams-Schuppe, who shares her position at the helm of the organization with Jheri Ketcham.

Though one might call Adams-Schuppe biased, one trip to what can best be described as the textbook definition of “tranquility” would likely convince anybody of the same.

The Arboretum, established in 1967 by the Central Washington Federation of Garden Clubs, comprises 46 acres between the freeway and the Yakima Greenway. Just like a museum, it is made up of “collections.” Only these collections don’t include paintings or sculptures, but trees, grasses and flowers. The arboretum features more than 1,000 trees, as well as other plant species — and, according to Adams-Schuppe, it also contains what is probably the largest collection of crabapple trees in the U.S.

Visitors to this living museum can view, touch and smell a variety of trees, flowers and grasses at any time of year.  This makes the arboretum not just a pretty place – but a real resource for landscapers.  Adams-Schuppe said that as people become more interested in four-season gardens, there is an increased need to know more about how various flora changes throughout the year.

For instance, say you’re a homeowner who’s landscaping and you don’t know what trees and plants to pick for your yard.  You think you want a dogwood for its spring color, but don’t know what it will look like in fall.  Take a trip to the arboretum to check one out in October.  While you’re there, perhaps you’ll find you like the flowering Viburnum, which attracts migrating birds.  Or maybe the Osage Orange tree, with its fun, green, grapefuit-sized fruits that drop to the ground in fall.

“Kids love it,” said Adams-Schuppe.

Visitors will be able to find something that suits their backyard fancy during any season.  Almost every tree has an identification tag on its south side.

“Plants come in and out of style,” said Adams-Schuppe. “…Just like clothes.” One year it’s the blue spruce, she said, which tends to do really well in the Yakima area.  Though one doesn’t see a lot of those anymore, “They’ll come back in.”

The arboretum’s also a handy place to simply take 30 minutes, pick a bench and let your troubles go.  The expanse of grass and knots of dogwoods, Douglas firs, pear trees, maples and crabapples create a fantasy landscape that seems to go on forever.  Forty-six acres is, after all, a lot of ground to cover.

[slideshow id=22]If you go, check out the “Joyful Garden” first. This Japanese garden packs a lot of features into a relatively small space.  It features a quaint pagoda, pond, waterfall, and wooden bridges that children can run on without a care in the world, and adults can wander over, losing their cares as they go.

Special interest gardens dot the area as well, including the Kara Kondo Dryland Garden, made up of plants that are “water-wise,” the Iris Garden, and the Rose Garden, which has a Gazebo, pathways, fountain and small, quiet benches.  Each garden is managed by its own group of volunteers.  With 300 rose bushes in the rose garden alone, that’s a lot of work.

Also not to be missed is the Edward M. Schroeder Wetland Trail, which winds for a third of a mile along the adjacent Greenway, over bridges and among native grasses and wildlife.

One thing the public might not expect at the arboretum is the number of classes they host on topics from backyard composting and raising irises to turfgrass and the basics of bonsai.  Most are available at a low cost. For members, some are free.  The arboretum also has classes specifically designed for children.

So whether you’re seeking retreat from the hectic world around us, resources on how to make an own yard your oasis or simply education to make your own thumb greener, the arboretum is a terrific destination…just a off the freeway.

Ahtrees.org

The Yakima Arboretum’s annual plant sale runs 3-7 p.m. Friday, May 7, and continues 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 8. This is a great way to find a new-to-the-market selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses and vines for your yard.