Out and About in the Arboretum

This week, the gardens were refreshed in Courtyards 18 and 23, and they are looking great! Several of the larger specimens and plants were maintained while some new plantings were added.

The Paw Paw tree is currently bearing fruit, which is similar in taste to a banana or pear with a custard consistency. The tree is also a wonderful host for the zebra swallowtail butterfly .

A fan favorite at the time of year is Callicarpa dichotoma, commonly known as beautyberry. This small, rounded, shrub, and is now offering its showy fall display of lilac-violet berries.

Along the side of the Medford Campus Community Parking lot there is a row of Flowering Crabapples. During the spring they grace us with beautiful rose colored blooms, and now as we enter the fall season we can enjoy the red and yellow fruit. A lovely sight to see. The birds will be attracted to the apples over the next couple of months.

check out Courtyard Garden 7 on the Medford Campus. Improvements and new plantings have been completed,
including some up-lighting to highlight specimens in the evening.

As you have been out and about recently, you may have noticed that the Ash Trees at our Medford Campus Route 70 entrance have been felled. They had fallen victim to the Emerald Ash Borer.