Out and About in the Arboretum

With the change of the weather, and as we turn the page on our calendars, our thoughts go to the tradition of hanging a holiday wreath to enjoy.

Just over the past week, a wonderful combination of trees and shrubs have been planted to the rear of Rushmore Building 64 on the Medford Campus. This will provide a delightful view of color, especially in the springtime as the forsythia takes hold, followed by the dogwoods and magnolias. Spaced in between are evergreens and native viburnum to fill in the mix. Take a look now as you are out and about in the Arboretum, but hold on until spring to really see the impact.

Throughout the year, residents, staff and members of the local community are thankful for the beauty of the Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve of Medford Leas. Spanning over 250 acres on our two campuses, the Arboretum gives us all much to be thankful for. Here are just some visual reminders of the beauty of this past year.

Each year at this time, we all enjoy the Dawn Redwood trees, Metasequoia glyptostroboides. There is a group of these magnificent trees that greet you as you enter the Lumberton Campus, and on the Medford Campus, you will find them along Medford Leas Way in the Bridlington neighborhood. This tree is one of just a few deciduous conifers, meaning they will lose all of their needles each fall. This tree is known for its rapid growth in a pyramidal shape, growing to 75-100′ tall. At this time of the season, the orange and golden colors of the needles are a special treat.

Taxodium distichum, commonly called bald cypress, is a long-lived, pyramidal conifer, which grows 50-70′ tall. Although it looks like a needled evergreen, it is deciduous, hence the common name “bald”.

Often found in native to southern swamps in the deep South, a number of these grow in the Arboretum. At the entrance to the Lois Forrest Nature center, a group greets you at the entrance. They are especially beautiful right now as they come into the fall season.

As you are out and about in the Arboretum on the Medford Campus, traversing between Courts Six and Ten, you will see the Persian parrotia or Persian ironwood, Parrotia persica. This beauty of this upright tree is its multi-stemmed presentation, with green leaves that are currently turning various shades of red, orange and yellow. The mature bark exfoliates to patches of green, tan, and white as we get into the winter season.