SSC Arboretum

Seattle, Washington, United States

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The SSC Arboretum at South Seattle College in Seattle, Washington, was established in 1978 after Landscape Horticulture students petitioned for an outdoor living laboratory on the college campus.

Covering about 5.5 acres on a bluff with views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, and the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the arboretum serves as a vital part of the college’s horticulture program, providing hands-on learning in plant identification, arboriculture, irrigation, and landscape maintenance and construction. Its collections include a notable Acer Garden with around 40 maple varieties, especially Asiatic species, and the Coenosium Rock Garden featuring one of the largest dwarf conifer collections on the West Coast.

The arboretum is used as an outdoor classroom by students, professional horticulturists, and hobby gardeners, and has been pesticide-free since 2008. It has been recognized as an American Conifer Society Reference Garden and a National Wildlife Federation Urban Wildlife Sanctuary, combining scientific education, conservation, and community enjoyment in a peaceful garden setting.