Out and About in the Arboretum

How do trees survive the winter? Winter brings cold winds, icy precipitation, and periods of below freezing temperatures. A walk in the Arboretum in January clearly indicates that most plants become dormant and nearly inconspicuous during this time.

The Greenhouse is located on the Ground Floor of the Haddon Building on the Medford Campus. It is open from mid-October through mid-May. When you walk in the area, you will be surrounded by bright colors of spring and summer.

Yes, it is winter time, but the ground was warm from the fall season, and the timing was right to refresh Court 66 on the Medford Campus in December. The specimen trees are now highlighted, and additional shrubs and perennials were added to the design.

As you are out and about Campus over the holiday season, you are sure to enjoy the variety of wreaths on the front doors of our resident’s homes. Christmas wreaths have been used as a decorative sign of Christmas for hundreds of years. They are used to adorn any part of one’s home, inside or out. In many homes the wreath is also considered a symbol of growth and everlasting life.

Typical examples of conifers include cedars, firs, cypresses, junipers, and pines. Conifers are characterized by seed-bearing cones. Did you know that most conifers bear both male and female cones on the same tree? All are wind-pollinated, so that when pollinated cones ripen, the seeds are then dispersed either by being dropped, eaten or carried away by wildlife.

Our residents on the Medford Campus like to have some holiday fun! Check out the knobs on the Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum, located right by the Nature Center on the Medford Campus. The red elf hats add some holiday fun to this beautiful setting!