SEATTLE -- The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden achieved Level II Accreditation from The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum.
The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program established a widely recognized set of industry standards for the arboretum community. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta.
Located on the grounds of Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the seven-acre garden contains more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world, including fan palms, oaks, Mexican pines, rhododendrons, roses and the once thought extinct Dawn Redwood.
After the Army Corps built the Locks in 1911, they hired then landscape architect English in 1931, and he began the transformation from a construction site to an English landscape-styled garden. Spanning a 43-year career, English planted and tended the garden, with prominent botanists and ship captains supporting him with seeds and plants. Since 1974, the botanical garden officially bears his name, in recognition of his transformation efforts and standing as a renowned horticulturalist in the Pacific Northwest.
“Receiving this accreditation is an honor and testament to many individuals’ efforts, including English,” said Natural Resource Manager Shay Perryman. “They include then Seattle District Engineer Lt. Col. James Cavanaugh and Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation commissioners, who supported the leading engineers at that time and even supplied some of the first rose and shrub plants that were installed. Our gardeners and natural resource specialists appreciate the continued support from several dedicated partners, in caring for one of the only two USACE botanical gardens,” Perryman said.
The botanical garden also earned recognition as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta, a database of the world’s arboreta and gardens dedicated to woody plants.
Sponsored and coordinated by The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, in cooperation with American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is the only global initiative to officially recognize arboreta at various levels of development, capacity, and professionalism, according to a set of professional standards. Those standards include planning, governance, public access, programming and tree science, planting and conservation.
The program facilitates sharing knowledge, experience, and other resources to help arboreta meet their institutional goals and works to raise professional standards. More information is available at www.arbnet.org.
With an overarching mission to provide water resource and engineering solutions to the Pacific Northwest and the nation, Seattle District delivers military and civil public works services as well as support for other agencies. The district also plays a key role in environmental protection and improvement, from protecting wetlands to ecological restoration and cleaning up hazardous and toxic waste pollution. To request a Locks tour including the botanical gardens and fish ladder, click here.
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