Out and About in the Arboretum

This past month has brought improvements to the gardens in Courts 22, 29, 40 and 41 on the Medford Campus. The design goals included keeping trees and shrubs that have been doing well, eliminating some that had aged out, and adding in new plantings to supplement seasonal interest and color. Stay tuned to better enjoy these plantings as we head towards spring.

Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy and appreciate color in the garden. Check out the orange twig dogwood in the Memory Garden, located off of the Rogers Neighborhood. The brightly colored stems of this shrub offer a dramatic color, especially as the sun hits at the end of the day.

Poinsettia plants are native to Mexico, where they flower during the winter. They are named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the first US Ambassador to Mexico in 1825. While visiting Mexico, he was intrigued by the poinsettia plants growing locally, and began growing them in his greenhouses in South Carolina. The Ambassador enjoyed sharing them with friends and family. The holiday tradition of sharing these plants continues today.

Easily found at the intersection of Estaugh and Medford Leas Way on the Medford Campus, you will enjoy the vibrant show of berries on the Linden viburnum. This multi-stemmed shrub reaches 8 to 10 feet high and at this time of the year offers profuse clusters of showy red fruits, that often persist into winter for the birds to enjoy. Take a look as you are out and about – it really is quite a sight to enjoy.

Heavenly bamboo, Nandina domestica, is a wonderful broadleaf evergreen shrub that is grown for its interesting foliage and its bright red berries. Native to Japan, China and India, this shrub is also at home here in the Barton Arboretum in a number of Courts, but this year the display in Court 11 on the Medford Campus seems to be at its best. Surely it is worth it to take a minute to enjoy the brilliant red.

As the leaves fall throughout the Arboretum, it is a great time to take advantage of the view of the bark on a number of our specimen trees. In particular, it is a great time to view the Paperbark maple, Acer griseum. With the leaves down, it is easy to see and focus on the bark, as it peels into large curls which remain on the tree, rather than falling to the ground. When the sun hits the tree at just the right angle, there is a wonderful copper glow to enjoy.