A Blooming Good Time at the Linwood Arboretum
By Tammy Thornton
Happy New Jersey Public Gardens and Arboretum Day! You may have missed this “holiday”, but the Linwood Arboretum celebrated with an open house, held on Sunday, June 9th. Attendees could sample refreshments, chat with fellow gardeners, or take a chance to win a large pot of beautiful plants and flowers sure to attract pollinators. If you missed the open house, you can visit the ever-changing arboretum 365 days a year between dawn and dusk.
Take a leisurely stroll through the winding paths to learn more about native trees and shrubs as well as numerous uncommon and rare plants. The arboretum is enjoyable and interesting year-round. One of its newest collections is a raised stonework bed that simulates a peat bog, similar to those found in the Pinelands and is home North American pitcher plants. These intriguing plants are carnivorous digesting flies, beetles, mosquitoes, and wasps for nutrition.
This small but beautiful arboretum was created to preserve open space that had formerly been an electrical substation. The building was retained and now serves as a work space and has also been visited by Santa during the holiday season.
Some of the trees are really out of this world. Especially the Eastern White Pine, which as a seed, went to outer space with the United States Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997. Later, it was planted as a sapling at the Linwood Arboretum. Curator George Butrus affectionately refers to it as the “Space Station Tree”.
The arboretum has plans to expand to the adjacent area currently referred to as the “Annex”. Fenwick Architects, who designed the arboretum, have also drawn up plans for the annex. According to Butrus, “the annex will be an example of low maintenance, drought tolerant landscaping. It will also be an example of passive open space we are promoting city wide.”
Friends of the Linwood Arboretum’s mission is to: “provide the community with educational and social events in an effort to give an awareness of the importance of trees, shrubs and plant life in our environment.” Along with other activities, they provide a place for speakers, workshops, and local garden clubs to visit. They also give opportunities for curriculum advancement for area schools. And, of course, they provide a natural habitat for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.
Volunteers meet every Thursday, as the weather allows, to weed and maintain the arboretum. They are always eager for more “Friends” to join. If you would like to contribute your time or resources, please contact linwoodarboretum.org.
