London Plane Tree at the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford, Connecticut, contains 93 acres of parkland, gardens, landscapes, and hiking trails that focus on the regional plants, ecology and character of Southwestern New England. The Arboretum is open and accessible to the public every day of the year and is located at 151 Brookdale Road.
The herbarium of the Bartlett Arboretum is a collection of over 3500 specimens. While most specimens are from the Northeastern United States, the collection also houses material from the Southeastern United States and Adjacent Mexico (200), the Caribbean (100), Amazonian Peru (150), the former Soviet Union (200),and Africa (100). This collection includes approximately 2,500 species of vascular plants, and 1,000 species of bryophyte. The collection currently houses one type specimen.
History
The Arboretum started in 1913, when Dr. Francis A. Bartlett, an eminent dendrologist and founder of the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, acquired "30 acres [12 hectares] more or less" of North Stamford woodland to use as his residence, training school and research laboratory for his company. Over the years, he assembled a large number of plant specimens on the property from all over the world. In 1965, when the research laboratory moved to North Carolina, the Stamford site, then covering more than 60 acres (24 hectares), was purchased by the State of Connecticut and designated the Connecticut State Arboretum. In 1993, the land and overall operation of the Arboretum were transferred to the University of Connecticut at Stamford. In 2001, the land was transferred to the City of Stamford and operations were transferred to the Bartlett Arboretum Association, an independent non-profit organization. The Bartlett Arboretum Association continues to operate the grounds today.
In 2006, the Arboretum began numerous research programs, continuing the tradition of research begun by Bartlett nearly a century earlier. Current research focuses on local plant ecology such as floristics and herbivory responses of Connecticut Forests, and the ecology and evolution of tropical plants, particularly the Araceae. This work has led to several published research papers by staff in the past few years.
The Mehlquist Garden is a unique collection of Rhododendrons and Azaleas of native, Japanese, Korean and European origins: established by Dr. Gustav A.L. Mehlquist, Professor Emeritus of Plant Science at the University of Connecticut.
The Nut Tree Collection is a grove planted by Francis Bartlett which includes Carya illinoinensis (pecans), Juglans sp. (walnuts), heartnuts, filberts, hicans, and a hardy Chestnut hybrid.
The Pollarded Tree Display features deciduous trees kept compact by means of a special pruning technique called pollarding.
The newly added Magnolia Collection is an area planted along the entrance roadway which contains numerous species including, but not limited to Magnolia tripetala, M. acuminata, M. sieboldii and M. virginiana
The Theaceae collection, added in 2007, contains numerous species of the Tea family including Camellias, Gordonias, Franklinias, and Stewartias.
The Arboretum’s meadow is a managed habitat. During the early twentieth century, abandoned farm fields became wildflower meadows rich in birds, bees, and butterflies. When tree seedlings in these meadows grew into forests, the wildflower meadows and wildlife that depended on them became scarce. The Arboretum established this meadow in 2000 as an example of a sustainable landscape that provides needed habitat and esthetic beauty. Depending on the time of year, wildflowers such as Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Beard-tongue (Penstemon digitalis), Goblet Aster (Aster lateriflorus), Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Lupine (Lupinus) and Spiderwort (Tradescantia) may be seen. It is mowed annually in early April to prevent it from returning to forest.
The Woodland Pond was created by a dam where the water pauses before spilling over to Poorhouse Brook and running south to Long Island Sound. A pond is a water body small enough that its waves do not erode the soil on its banks and shallow enough for aquatic plants to root in the bottom and still reach the surface. In the summer the pond will have the round leaves and pale pink flowers of Pond Lilies (Nuphar advena) in the middle and the arrow-shaped leaves of Arrow Arum (Peltandra virginica) around the edges. When the Arrow Arum flower has gone to seed the weight of the seeds bends the stalk over and it sinks into the muddy bottom; in this way the seeds plant themselves.
The Red Maple Wetland is a favorite spot for area naturalists and ecologists because it is one of the only accessible Red Maple swamps in the area not significantly affected by either development or non-native invasive plants.
An arboretum is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arboreta are in botanical gardens as living collections of woody plants and are intended at least in part for scientific study.
The Connecticut College Arboretum is a 300 ha arboretum and botanical gardens, founded in 1931, and located on the campus of Connecticut College and in the towns of New London and Waterford, Connecticut, United States.
Mountain Top Arboretum, located in Tannersville, New York, United States is located in New York's Catskill Mountains.
The University of California, Davis Arboretum is an approximately 100-acre (0.40 km2) arboretum along the banks of the old north channel of Putah Creek on the south side of the University of California, Davis campus in unincorporated Yolo County, California, in the United States.
Hidden Lake Gardens colloquially known as Hidden Lake 755 acres (3.06 km2), is a botanical garden and an arboretum operated by Michigan State University situated in the Irish Hills of southeast Michigan. The Gardens are known for their large collection of native and nonnative trees, shrubs and flowers. HLG was given to Michigan State University by Harry Fee in 1945. Today it is visited by nearly 45,000 people annually. One facet of the Hidden Lake Gardens mission is "To preserve an undeveloped area of the scenic Irish Hills, providing a place of beauty and inspiration for public enjoyment."
The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, is one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, with more than 3,600 acres (1,500 ha), including 600 acres (240 ha) devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make up the rest of the holdings. Holden's collections includes 9,400 different kinds of woody plants, representing 79 plant families.
Bickelhaupt Arboretum is a non-profit arboretum located in Clinton, Iowa. It is open dawn to dusk daily without charge.
The New Canaan Nature Center is a botanical garden, arboretum and nature preserve located at 144 Oenoke Ridge, Route 124, about .25 miles (0.40 km) north of the center of New Canaan, Connecticut.
Willowwood Arboretum, 131 acres (53 ha), is an arboretum and public park located at 300 Longview Road, Chester Township, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey. It is part of the Morris County Park System and is open to the public daily.
Lasdon Park and Arboretum is a public park containing gardens and an arboretum. It is located on New York State Route 35, Somers, New York, and open to the public daily without charge.
Hoyt Arboretum is a public park in Portland, Oregon, which is part of the complex of parks collectively known as Washington Park. The 189-acre (76 ha) arboretum is located atop a ridge in the Tualatin Mountains two miles (3.2 km) west of downtown Portland. Hoyt has 12 miles of hiking trails, two miles of accessible paved trails, and is open free to the public all year. About 350,000 visitors per year visit the arboretum.
The University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens includes botanical gardens, natural areas with trails, and several research-quality habitats and is part of the organization Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. It was established in 1907.
Nichols Arboretum, locally known as the Arb, is an arboretum on the campus of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Arb is located adjacent to the Huron River, and features over 400 species, including 110 species of trees, in a varied, hilly landscape. A signature feature of Nichols Arboretum is the W. E. Upjohn Peony Garden, which features the largest collection of heirloom peonies in North America.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum is a teaching and research facility of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the site of historic research in ecological restoration. In addition to its 1,260 acres (5 km2) in Madison, Wisconsin, the Arboretum also manages 520 acres (210 ha) of remnant forests and prairies throughout Wisconsin. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021, in recognition for its role as a pioneer in the field of ecological restoration.
The Cornell Botanic Gardens is a botanical garden located adjacent to the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York. The Botanic Gardens proper consist of 25 acres (10 ha) of botanical gardens and 150 acres (61 ha) of the F. R. Newman Arboretum. The greater Botanic Gardens includes 40 different nature areas around Cornell and Ithaca, covering 4,300 acres (1,700 ha).
Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum located at 515 Painter Road, Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is open daily except for major holidays; an admission fee is charged to non-members.
Mt. Airy Arboretum, 120 acres (0.49 km2), is an arboretum set within Mt. Airy Forest, a public park located at 5083 Colerain Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is open daily without charge.
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum comprising 72 hectares accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs in about 12,000 taxa, notably a collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron.
The Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Arboretum is open daily except for major holidays. It is located at 100 East Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sidney Waxman (1923–2005) was an American botanist and horticulturist who served as Professor of Ornamental Horticulture at the University of Connecticut's main campus in Storrs for more than thirty years (1957-1991), continuing to work on his ornamentals long after retirement. His research interests included plant photoperiodism, tissue culture, and witches’ brooms. He founded UConn's experimental plant nursery and built a national reputation for cultivation of dwarf conifers from witch's brooms, developing and naming thirty-four distinct cultivars. He also cultivated Japanese umbrella pines, larches, cinnamon bark maple, hemlocks, and azaleas. Waxman raised more than 200,000 seedlings to create a total of forty cultivars. Many of his varieties were sold in plant nurseries and garden centers.
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