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UW Botanic Gardens

The University of Washington Botanic Gardens, part of the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences, consists of two sites: the Washington Park Arboretum and the Center for Urban Horticulture. With a diverse collection of over 20,000 plants and various amenities, these sites provide opportunities for education, research, and recreational activities.

About UW Botanic Gardens

The University of Washington Botanic Gardens is a unit within the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences and encompasses two sites: the Washington Park Arboretum on the south side of Union Bay and the Center for Urban Horticulture on the north side. The 230-acre Arboretum includes a vibrant collection of more than 20,000 living plants from around the world and also offers opportunities to explore woods, wetlands, and take in exceptional views. The Center for Urban Horticulture includes demonstration gardens and natural areas, and also houses the Elisabeth C. Miller Horticultural Library, Otis Douglas Hyde Herbarium, and the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation Program. Both sites offer excellent opportunities for exercise, exploration, and wildlife viewing.

Our mission is sustaining managed to natural ecosystems and the human spirit through plant research, display, and education.

School location

Map showing 3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98195

UW Botanic Gardens

University District
3501 NE 41st St
Seattle, Washington 98195

Reviews of UW Botanic Gardens

(4.5-star rating across 17 reviews)
  • Kokedama: Moss Ball Workshop

    Martha D. • March 12, 2025
    A lot of fun and taught well
  • Playful Winter Collage - Botanical Art Workshop

    Mary K. • March 12, 2025
    I loved the class and it met my expectations. I do collage at home on my own but it was nice to get new ideas and to servers others were doing.
  • Creating Closed Terrariums

    Jan S. • February 12, 2025
  • Shrub Pruning I: The Friendly, Fearless, and Forgiving

    Gary R. • July 12, 2024
  • Botanical Sketching in Ink and Watercolor

    Harleen K. • January 19, 2024
  • Native Plants 101: Gardening with Native Ephemerals and Understory Plants

    Anonymous • January 12, 2024
  • Botanical Print-Making Workshop

    Anonymous • May 11, 2023
    Perfect class. Offered just the right amount of instruction and information in order to play around with the concepts and walk away with the ability to do more on your own. The space was airy and spacious. Also appreciated that materials were included. Thank you!
  • Japanese Garden Pruning

    Carole M. • August 19, 2021
    Good information, great presentation. Thanks, Bess.
  • Rose Pruning

    Anonymous • February 13, 2021
    Lots of practical information for the beginning gardener, or anyone who has grown roses but never was sure about what to prune and when. All of my questions were answered during the class. The instructor was highly qualified and had a good sense of humor.
  • Japanese Garden Pruning

    Anonymous • February 21, 2020
    The one issue was that the organization did not have me on the list when I checked. The registration was done on CourseHorse 2 weeks in advance.
  • Rose Pruning

    Anonymous • February 7, 2020
  • Gardening with the Seasons: Fall

    Mark v. • September 27, 2019
  • Gardening with the Seasons: Fall

    Alison W. • September 26, 2019
  • Gardening with the Seasons: Winter

    Anonymous • January 24, 2019
    concise and clear explanation of winter tasks such as pruning (and which pruning for summer) including how to reduce waterspouts, common weeds that are best tackled in winter, kinds of mulches and useage, etc.
  • Botanical Sketching in Ink and Watercolor

    Anca I. • October 10, 2018
    Superb easy to go along teaching! Never did that before & she’s a great teacher. Location is not so easy to go to due to crazy traffic, but it was worth it
  • Botanical Sketching in Ink and Watercolor

    Stefan I. • October 10, 2018
  • Native Plants 101: Edible Native Plants

    Anonymous • August 9, 2018
    The handouts were tough to read and while the two teachers did a good job and knew the material, it would’ve been better to not look at the Yesler Swamp for IDing. I thought I was going to get a better idea of what plants should go in a yard/garden.
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