June 30 to July 6 - 'Little Volunteer' Tulip Tree

This week, check out the Liriodendron tulipifera --'Little Volunteer'
Tulip Tree, planted opposite Rushmore Building 61, along Medford Leas Way
on the Medford Campus.

This native tree is in the magnolia family, but the spring blooms resemble
a colorful tulip.  This tree was a gift from a member of the local
community who wanted to honor their sister with the planting of a tree in
the Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve.

June 23 to 29 - Japanese Garden, Court 7

The basic elements of a Japanese garden combine plants, rocks and water with simple, clean lines to create a tranquil retreat. This week, you may want to visit the garden in Court 7 to enjoy the renewed waterfall and pond. This garden provides a peaceful oasis, in particular for the residents who reside in this Court. As you enter the garden, the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, greets you with its stately presence. It is pruned to resemble an umbrella, and allows you to view into the tree itself.

click to view larger image - 3K

June 16 to 22 - The Meadow

Simply defined, a meadow is a large field of grasses with non-woodsy plants and flowers.  This week on the Medford Campus, you can enjoy the coreopsis in full bloom in the Meadow.  This lovely yellow flower can be viewed on both sides of the Meadow as you enter the Campus from the Wilkins Station Road entrance.  The coreopsis is a perfect cheerful flower for all to enjoy.

Thanks to our resident, Ralph Berglund, for sharing two of his images of the Meadow!  The one with the silo was taken in 2013 by Maggie Heineman.

June 9 to 15 - Peonies

At the corner of Medford Leas Way and Estaugh Way, in the Bridlington neighborhood, you will find our wonderful collection of 18 different heirloom peonies in bloom.  These plants were a donation made in 2006 from Dean Kinsey, MD, of Moorestown.  Peonies are hardy flowering herbaceous perennials that need little care and can survive severe winters.  They provide a wonderful fragrance and range in color from deep burgundy, to pink and white.  You will also enjoy these blooms in many resident gardens.

June 2 to 8 - Kousa Dogwood

Over the next several weeks is a wonderful time to enjoy the 'Cornus kousa', commonly known as Kousa dogwood.  This is a small flowering tree that typically grows 15-30' tall.  Late May into early June brings a very showy "flower", 3-5" across, which covers the tree. The flowers are followed by berry-like fruit which mature to a pinkish red in summer, and last into the fall.  These berries make a great feast for the birds that live in our Arboretum.  There are a number of these specimen trees on both Campuses and you can easily identify them by their graceful blooms. Court Five is home to a lovely specimen for you to check out!

May 25 to June 1 - Fringe Tree

At this time of year, you have just a very brief time to enjoy the fragrance of the White fringetree-Chionanthus virginicus.  You will find a number of these specimen trees on the Medford Campus, including those in Courts 23 and 20.  A native tree to this area, it grows to just 12-20' tall, with a spread as wide as its height.  It is typically somewhat slow growing, but what is consistent is the fragrant fringe-like flowers that are in bloom for just a short time.  Make sure to get out to enjoy the fragrance and the graceful clusters of flowers.

May 18 to 24 - Flowering Dogwood

Sometimes considered the most spectacular of native, flowering trees, the Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is in full bloom at this time.  Growing to a height of 20-40 feet it shares a long lasting showy white bloom that brightens up the Arboretum.  The blooms are followed later in the fall season with scarlet-red foliage. This tree does best in moist soil, with some afternoon shade.  You often see it as the understory of larger evergreen trees to provide the shade it needs from the full sun.  There is a wonderful demonstration of this planting concept on Medford Campus Community Building Parking Lot.

May 11 to 17 - Dwarf Fothergilla

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The Dwarf Fothergilla in Court 22 on the Medford Campus is in full bloom this week.  It is a native shrub, originally found in the Carolinas. Theblooms are white and resemble bottle brushes. The fall foliage is a spectacular combination of reds, oranges and yellows. Fothergilla fits into the landscape as a foundation planting or in a mixed border.  This shrub was named in honor of John Fothergill, a Quaker physician born in 1712 who lived in England. You will also find this shrub on the Lumberton Campus in full bloom as well.

May 4 to May 10 - Redbud

As you read this message,  Cercis canadensis, commonly called Forest Pansy Redbud, is in bloom.  This native tree is particularly noted for its stunning pea-like rose colored flowers which are currently in bloom on the bare branches of this tree. While you will find these trees located on both campuses, of particular note is a group of three Redbud trees that were planted last fall, along Medford Leas Way, in the Bridlington neighborhood.  Marcia Shearer donated these trees in memory of her husband, our resident Charles Shearer, who passed in 2012.  Thank you Marcia for choosing to honor your husband with this gift to our Arboretum. 

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April 27-May3 Serviceberry

You may enjoy visiting Court 26 on the Medford Campus this week, as the Amelanchier в grandiflora 'Autumn brilliance', also known as Serviceberry, comes into bloom.   This beautiful alee of native trees was planted just last year, and they have settled in quite beautifully.

The white flowers of spring are in  full bloom right now, and will be followed by edible, juicy blue-black fruit.  The bird population enjoys the berries as the season progresses. In the autumn, the leaves turn to a wonderful combination of orange and red.  Truly a tree for all seasons!

April 20--26 Magnolias

This week it may be a good time to traverse the Medford Campus and enjoy in particular our Magnolia trees.  From the Star Magnolia in Court 66 to the Kobus Magnolias in Court 2, you will enjoy not only a visual array of interesting blooms, buds and leaves coming alive, but you will also be engulfed by the fragrance eminating from these trees.  As well,  outside of the Lounge, and covering a portion of the Terrace is a Saucer Magnolia in full bloom.  Better get out there soon, as the recent increase in temperatures is causing these blooms to peak very quickly!

April 13 - 19 Japanese Cornell Dogwood

This week, you will note incredible changes in our specimen trees across the Arboretum as buds begin to swell and leaves begin to take form.

In particular, you may want to take a look at the Japanese Cornel Dogwoodtrees, Cornus officinalis, located in the Main Parking Lot on the Medford Campus.

Native to China, Japan and Korea, this tree usually grows as a large, spreading, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub to 15-25' tall, but it also may be grown as a small tree.  Yellow flowers are in bloom now to be followedby leaves in 3/4" wide clusters.  The fall brings oblong red fruits (drupes) that are very colorful.  The exfoliating bark with tones of tones of gray and brown make this a specimen to enjoy through all the seasons.

Spring Finally - Wildflowers April 19

It's been a long hard winter and spring is arriving late this year.   Migratory birds are about three weeks behind schedule, I've been told. 

On Saturday, April 19 it was about 50 degrees at 9:30.   Len and Dorothy Cebula, Bill Brown, Nancy Steelman, and Maggie Heineman walked along the Red Trail from the back parking lot, past the dock, to Meditation Garden and back through the courts to the Atrium.    There was lots of Skunk Cabbage, Spring Beautyy and Lesser Celandine, of course.  May Apples had buds- probably in bloom next week.   Blood Root, was not yet in bloom, but theres were quite a few plants along the Red Trail east of the road that goes down to the dock from Parking Lot A.   There were two colors of violets.   Volunteer Leatherleaf Mahonia is doing well along side Pebble Run -- and can be seen in several of the courts.

Bill Brown is going to be mapping where the plants were for future reference.

Looking back
 -- March 17, 2012 has photos of  Blood Root among other things.
http://medfordleasarboretum.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-17-wildflower-walk.html

-- April 6,  2013  we were complaining that spring was late -- but .the record shows that we saw Trout Lily on April 6 last year,  so spring was even later this year, 2014.
http://medfordleasarboretum.blogspot.com/2013/04/finally-spring.html

April 6-12 - Forsythia

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Over the next few weeks, sunny splashes of bright yellow flowers will brighten the Arboretum as the Forsythia comes into bloom.  The blooms on this member of the olive family are slightly bell shaped, and range in color from buttery yellow to deep gold.  Watch and enjoy these various shades of yellow to appear over the next weeks.

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March 30-April 5 Crocus

​Prior to most trees leafing out in the Arboretum, a sure sign of spring is the blooming of the crocus.  You will see a number of these on both Campuses--some tucked in resident gardens, others in more prominent places in Courtyard Gardens, and this year in the Meditation Garden..

Just when it seems like winter will never lose its icy grip, the goblet-shaped crocus pushes through the snow to put on a show of color.  These blooms offer a variety of colors that stand out against the bleak late-winter landscape.  Not only do crocus provide late winter/early spring garden color, but they naturalize, meaning that they spread and come back year after year for an ever-larger display. As a bonus, deer, squirrels, and rabbits rarely bother these early little bulbs.

March 24-30 Coral Bark Japanese Cut Leaf Maple

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Near the intersection of Estaugh and Medford Leas Way, you will find the specimen tree:   Japanese Cutleaf Maple--Acer palmatum 'Coral Bark".

This beautiful small tree has brilliant coral bark on the young branches, and over the past weeks, the color has greatly intensified.  The color provides a wonderful focal point in the Arboretum to cheer us, even on a gloomy day.

Watch the pale green leaves emerge as spring arrives, and see them deepen
in color over the summer months.

March 17-23 Signs of Spring

Even though the first day of Spring is not until Thursday, March 20, if you look closely you will see signs of spring all around the Arboretum.

Keep an eye out for:

• Daffodil bulbs as they push up out of the ground.
• Look up at the tops of trees and shrubs to see buds forming with the promise of blooms and leaves.
• Watch out and listen for birds as they gather nesting materials.

March 9 - March 16 Witch Hazel

Hamamelis x intermedia Diane—Witch Hazel-- is an extremely rare specimen tree in the Barton Arboretum and is known for its wonderful fragrance, hardiness, and uniquely colored winter-blooming flowers.

This hybrid is a jewel in the landscape with its coppery-red flowers, which appear in late winter and early spring, before the leaves, and are produced so abundantly that you will want to cut some of the flowering branches for gorgeous indoor arrangements.

Check out this tree in the area between Court 7 and Court 2 on the Medford Campus. In addition, there are Witch Hazels on the Lumberton Campus to enjoy.

March 2 - March 8 Paperbark Maple

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Another wonderful specimen tree in the Barton Arboretum is one that features interesting reddish brown bark --Paperbark Maple -- Acer griseum. This tree is easily found on the Terrace outside of the Lounge on the Medford Campus. As we look ahead to spring, you can still enjoy this specimen and appreciate the unusual exfoliating bark before the leaves come out.  A slow grower, the tree is drought tolerant, and a mature treeranges from 15-30' in height.

February 23-March 1 Ever Abundant Snow

​The ever abundant snow this season has brought both beauty and challenges, but did you know there are some actual benefits to a snow filled season?

While we may be tired of shoveling snow, driving on slippery roads and getting wet feet, the abundant snowfall is a blessing in disguise for lawns and gardens.   
There are several key ways that snow actually helps:   

·       Snow acts as an insulator. An adequate layer of snow actually protects less-than-hardy plants from extreme cold. Roots even continue to grow under the snow when temperatures are not too cold and earthworms and soil microbes keep at work as long as the soil doesn't freeze.

·       Snow helps water the landscape during the winter. Evergreen trees require moisture during the winter, and can suffer desiccation during dry periods. Once dormant and nestled beneath a few inches or more of snow, these plants are kept safe and moist.

·       Snow delivers nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil. Nitrogen is an important plant nutrient that is found abundantly in the atmosphere and is essential to plant growth.

·       And last, but not least, white snow provides a great visual contrast to things like seed heads on ornamental grasses, bright berries on holly and early blooming garden plants like witch hazel stand out.