Out and About in the Arboretum

The Mediterranean Pink Winter Heath, Erica x darleyensis ‘Mediterranean Pink’, is now in bloom. This wonderful evergreen shrub has a great mounding habit and will show the lavender-pink flowers through early spring.

This tiny white flower is almost always the first to bloom in the New Year. The delicate white color symbolizes innocence and purity. Because this is the first flower to bloom at the end of winter it also symbolizes hope, always a wonderful feeling for all of us to embrace.

The winter snow gives us a beautiful landscape to enjoy as we are out and about in the Arboretum, but did you know the snow actually benefits the plants and trees? Without snow, milder temperatures and the sun could warm the soil surface, leading to damage from soil heaving, which can break roots and dry out plant parts.

Save the date – Saturday, April 30, 2022. We will again celebrate Evening in the Arboretum on Saturday, April 30 with outside gatherings across the two campuses.

Another wonderful native tree, the Hawthorn, is a small tree that breaks into white flowers in spring, followed by vivid fall color, and long-lasting red winter fruits.

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.