Collections & Gardens
Most of the trees and shrubs in the Arboretum are located according to the geographical origin of the plants. The arboretum is divided into four geographical areas: Asia, Europe, Eastern North America, and Western North America. The locations of any tree and shrub can be found from the Total Living Plant Inventory link on the right.
The south end of the arboretum is designated as display gardens for displaying plants by type or by their use in the landscape. Currently the display gardens consist of a xeriscape garden demonstrating low water-use landscaping, a collection of ornamental Willows, a Daylily garden, (a national display garden with the American Hemerocallis Society), an Iris garden, a Heather garden and a Butterfly Garden. A Hosta Display garden, recognized as a national display garden by the American Hosta Society is incorporated in the north west corner of the Arboretum’s Asian section. Spring flowering trees and shrubs make up the showiest groves, including European and Asian Lilacs, Asian Tree Peonies, Japanese Flowering Cherries, Crabapples, Flowering Pears, and Mock Oranges.
Fall color can be spectacular as well, from the Red and Sugar Maples, Oaks, and Ashes in Eastern North America to the golden yellow Larches in Western North America and the Flowering Pears and Cherries in Asia.
There are some rare and unusual trees in groves including, Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), Ginkgo or Maidenhair Trees (Ginkgo biloba), ‘Camperdownii’ Weeping Elms (Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’), Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and cultivars of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica).
From August through winter there is a showy season of colorful fruits on the crab apples, hawthorns, roses, pears, Asian vines, and many other specimens.
There are 165 memorial trees and groves throughout the Arboretum. Their locations can be found from the links on the right.
Our Trees, Groves and Benches
The lists below detail locations of special trees, groves, plants and benches on the tour map grid (PDF).
