USACE Botanical Garden earns ArbNet Level II accreditation

USACE/Seattle District
Published April 5, 2024
Coral fuchsia flowers bloom in the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Coral fuchsia flowers bloom in the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The species is one of the more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world installed in the botanical garden. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

A bed of flowers around a metal fabricated castle frame.

Flowers surround the metal fabricated castle, the official U.S. Army Corps of Engineers logo, in front of the Visitor Center, at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Dam, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens. No other international program of accreditation exists that is specific to arboreta.

Enklanthus Campanulatus Redvein Enklanthu plant in the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Photo of the Enklanthus Campanulatus Redvein Enklanthu plant, originally from Japan, one of the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Photo of signage at the entrance of Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Photo of signage at the entrance of Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded Level II accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within USACE, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Pieris japonica, an ornamental garden plant in Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Pieris japonica, an ornamental garden plant in Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington. The species is one of the more than 500 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded this accreditation to the botanical garden, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Edgeworthia Chrysantha Paper Bush at Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington.

Photo of the Edgeworthia Chrysantha Paper Bush plant, native to China, one of the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Black on Black and Raspberry Summer plants at Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Photo of Black on Black and Raspberry Summer plants, two among the several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Pandora's Box at Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, Seattle, Washington.

Photo of a Pandoras Box plant, one of several rare or botanically interesting plant species at the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden, located at Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum awarded the accreditation to the botanical garden, one of the only two within the U.S. Corps of Engineers, for achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

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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Contact
Nicole L. Celestine
206-554-1894
nicole.l.celestine@usace.army.mil

Release no. 24-009