Dedicated in 2010 and donated by the Colibraro family, the exquisite conifer cultivars in the Colibraro Conifer Garden create a unique teaching garden.

The garden, located in the Greenhouse Education and Research Complex, includes exquisite dwarf conifer cultivars. Adding to the special nature of this collection, the garden is surrounded by full-sized examples of some of the dwarf conifers found within,giving a unique opportunity for visitors and students alike to compare options for uses in various landscape situations.

For over 50 years, Colibraro Landscaping & Nursery, Inc., a family-owned and operated design/build firm located in Horsham,has served Bucks County and Montgomery County.The Colibraro family have been dedicated supporters of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University for decades.

Update, October 2021, from Kathy Salisbury, Director, Ambler Arboretum of Temple University:

Originally, this report was supposed to be one updating the American Conifer Society on the progress and activities of the Arboretum as it relates to our recently awarded reference garden status.

Quickly, overnight, this changed. On Sept 1, 2021 a confirmed EF2 tornado, spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, tore through the Temple University Ambler Campus, Ambler Field Station and the Ambler Arboretum.

First – the Colibraro Conifer Garden looks nearly untouched. We have the most perfect Eastern Red cedar which was tipped up in the storm and we lost our limber pine (Pinus flexilis) but other than that our reference garden still looks great!

We cannot say the same for other conifers around the campus and the canopy and collection in general. This storm was a devastating loss to the Arboretum. Hundreds of trees are lots. In some places we lost the entire canopy. Our old growth forest, consisting of trees hundreds of years old were reduced to pick up sticks littering the floor. A shadow of their former selves, those trees standing are not only leafless but branchless.

Our conifers suffered. The Arboretum featured dozens of very mature white pines dotted all over the campus, now just a few remain. Towering Norway Spruces and Oriental Spruces shaded walkways and screened views of our high traffic work yards.

Our only two Himalayan Pines, giants in the landscape were snapped in half. Our Pinetum lost some of the Japanese Black Pines as well as White Pines. The Scots Pine still stands tall.

The smaller conifers around the Arboretum fared better, though we did lose a number of various Chamaecyparis specimens.

Our immense Blue Atlas Cedar and graceful weeping Norway Spruce still greet visitors and are there to teach students when the time is right.

Tis was a sad blow to the Arboretum. Each tree is connected in ways we may never know to the humans that use this campus. The Arboretum is changed forever and though we grieve what was, and the long lives those old trees still had ahead of them, we are optimistic and excited about what can become of these new spaces so full of opportunity.

We are currently still working on clean up and recovery. There was a lot of damage in addition to the plants we lost. But we are seeing the nearing of the end of the response and looking at the beginning of planning what’s next. We certainly know landscaping about climate change and resilience will be at the top of the list.

The University of Tennessee West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson was established in 1907, primarily for agronomic crops. However, in recent years, the Center has tackled research in the areas of ornamentals, turf grasses, and horticultural crops. It is also the home of the UT Gardens, Jackson, begun in 1989, and has grown by leaps and bounds, especially since the addition of an enthusiastic research horticulturist in 2002. The gardens today include a kitchen garden, a low-maintenance fruit demonstration orchard, annual and perennial displays, an All-American Selection display garden, heat tolerant conifer collection, a witch-hazel (Hamamelis) and redbud (Cercis) collection. Visitors can also enjoy a no-spray rose research garden, acidic-peat bog garden, daylily collection, ornamental grass collection, courtyard garden, turf wheel, turf variety trials, compost display, plant screen demonstration, hardy and non hardy succulent collection that include many colorful sedums, succulents, yuccas and hardy agaves. In addition, the arboretum has long been an attraction to local children who collect leaves for school projects.

The conifer collection begin in 2006 to fulfill the need to demonstrate which conifers can successfully be grown in West Tennessee's hot humid climate. The majority of the collection is growing along the north side of the parking lot in an area exposed to full sun, and subjected to wind and heat radiated off the parking lot. Our collection demonstrates that there are many species of Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cryptomeria, and Juniperus that thrive in the South's challenging climate. There are also several outstanding cultivars of Cupressus, Taxodium, and Metasequoia (among other genera) that flourish. The collection currently holds close to one hundred cultivars with more added each year. Visitors are fascinated by the colors and striking forms of the many cultivars, and inevitably ask where they might purchase them. The designs of the conifer plantings inspire gardeners to use conifers in exciting ways, such as features in shrub borders, perennial beds and containers.

Each year between 80 to 90 cultivars of pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash are evaluated for characteristics such pest resistance, size, yield, and storage longevity. The end product of these trials is used to create an original and magnificent display containing over 5,000 pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash. This remarkable display has made national headlines and attracts hundreds of visitors.

Such information is important not only to the commercial sponsors of the research, but essential to the success of commercial growers, landscapers, retailers and to gardeners. This research aids the economic growth of the green industry and helps gardening to remain a healthy, satisfying, and popular pastime.

Each year since 1988, on the second Thursday in July, the Summer Celebration Lawn and Garden show attracts over 3000 visitors from Tennessee and surrounding states. Gardening enthusiasts have the opportunity to hear over twenty indoor and outdoor presentations on an amazing variety of horticultural subjects including annuals, perennials, floral arrangements, trees, shrubs, vegetable production, turfgrass, and backyard wildlife. The large exhibitor's tent showcases vendors selling merchandise and services from local green-industry merchants and crafters. The UT Gardens help round out the showcase, containing enough beauty to stun even the most jaded of gardeners. There is definitely something for everyone at Summer Celebration and at the UT Gardens Jackson.

The gardens are located around the office building area. Visitors are welcome to stop by and stroll throughout the year. Their website will keep you updated and provide directions.

Washington Park Arboretum, designated in September, 2016, is Washington's second reference garden and the 8th in the Western Region. Given its close proximity to the Arboretum at South Seattle College, Seattle is now even more of a destination for conifer enthusiasts to learn more about these wonderful trees.

To learn more about the arboretum, its history and ongoing programs please visit their website.The park is always open and charges no admission to visit.

The Plateau Discovery Gardens began in 2004 when Walt Hitch, the director of the Plateau Research and Education Center in Crossville Tennessee had a discussion with Gregg Upchurch, Agricultural Extension agent for the county. He remarked that there were several choice acres of land right at the entrance to the Center that weren’t currently in use and that if the Cumberland County Master Gardeners would like to develop it into something horticulturally attractive and useful, he’d help us get started. Because the land is practically in his own backyard, he asked that we pledge to keep it looking nice. And with that, some eager beaver volunteers began mapping out a plan and a series of plots.

It was decided that as each new Master Gardener class graduated from their classroom requirements, they should enjoy the practical aspect of what they’d learned by planting some type of garden on one of these plots. The first garden went in as simply an example of what shrubs and trees grow well on the Cumberland Mountain Plateau. That was in 2005. The next year’s class voted to show what perennial plants grow well here. And we were off and running with a bulb garden, a home landscape demonstration plot, lawn seed plot, etc.

Because the Research Center is a part of the University of Tennessee, a request came along for us to add several trial gardens to the area. We were quite happy to comply with the request as it helped to fill in open space and also, we’d get to keep the trees and shrubs as the trials were completed. Since then, the gardens have been home to an annual horticultural festival, kindergarten field trips, many informational classes, and spring plant sales.

Conifers have long been recognized as a perfect structure and garden staple, satisfying a permanent “bones” need in any landscape. And indeed, that’s how we’ve used their great versatility and permanence in our many themed gardens. They bring different thoughts and possibilities together in a relaxing and cohesive tableau. Therefore, you’ll find our friends, the Evergreens, gracing many of the different gardens within our overall acreage.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Gardens have been established to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through horticultural gardens, displays, collections, educational programs and research.

The UT Gardens are a "living laboratory," a vital resource for the teaching, research and public service missions of the University of Tennessee. The Gardens are an educational facility that supports and integrates teaching, research and service relative to the needs of the Department of Plant Sciences, the University, green industry professionals and the general public.

The UT Gardens joined the American Conifer Society in the fall of 2005 due to the inspiration of regional ACS members. The Gardens helped host the 2006 ACS Annual Conference in Tennessee and received grant money from the ACS to support their conifer collection. Since joining the ACS, the UT Gardens have invested several thousand dollars in developing their conifer collection and adding permanent interpretive botanical labels. Since 2005, the conifer collection has grown from 70 specimens to over 365 specimens, representing 19 genera. The conifer collection has become a significant addition to the Garden and helps to fulfill the Garden's mission.

The Gardens support evaluation studies which provide information on the best plant materials for the mid-south and USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6 and 7. They do this by evaluating performance and demonstrating the landscape use of every type of plant, from trees and shrubs to annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses and aquatic plants. The test gardens are important proving grounds for leading commercial seed and plant companies located around the world, who ultimately determine what plants reach the commercial market. Established in 1983 by the Department of Plant Sciences, the UT Gardens are recognized as one of 38 official All-America Selections test sites in the United States. The perennial collection contains more than 500 varieties while the herb garden features more than 350 varieties.