The Ward-Meade Botanical Garden, along with the adjacent "Old Prairie Town" encompasses 7.5 acres. The focus of the garden is to display many varieties of horticultural genera for garden visitors to view for potential use at their own homes. Conifers are placed throughout the garden with the main Conifer Garden area located at the main entrance. The garden contains a wide variety of specimen collections: Conifers, Daylilies (including National Display Garden status with the American Daylily Society), Hostas (including National Display Garden status with the American Hosta Society), Ferns, Myron Bigger Peonies, Succulents, Butterfly Way Station, Culinary Herbs, 30,000 Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, 20,000 cool and warm season Annuals, and hundreds of hardwood tree and shrub varieties. The garden also includes an Asian Garden, four streams, three Koi ponds, three dry stream beds, and many stone paths.
The University of Wisconsin Longenecker Horticultural Gardens is located in Madison, Wisconsin. The garden’s conifer collection had its beginning in 1939 with the planting of a large grove of white pine. Additional taxa were added in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Starting in the bicentennial year of 1976 and continuing through today, additional conifers have been added yearly. Currently the collection holds over 560 taxa. Specimens are grouped according to genus with collections of pine, fir, juniper, spruce, yew, hemlock, larch, Douglas fir, and ginkgo. The plantings are laid individually to allow them to attain ultimate form and size. From 1966 through 2015, Professor Ed Hasselkus, ACS member, served as garden curator and was responsible for the dynamic expansion of the gardens. In 2015, the garden was designated as an ACS Reference Garden. For more information see the arboretum website.
Seen in an overhead view, visitors walk among a hillside stand of conifer trees at Longnecker Gardens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum during an autumn sunset on Oct. 5, 2011. The aerial photograph was made from a helicopter. (Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison)
The University of Iowa has two gardens on its grounds that were accepted into the ACS Conifer Reference Garden Program in 2014, the year that the University made its first foray into dwarf conifers. Inspired by Dennis Hermsen, Ed Rinderspacher, and Pam Maurer among others, the University installed a garden at the Hancher Performing Arts Center. What began as a clandestine project was met with accolades, and the University decided to incorporate more of these gardens into the campus landscape. Currently, there are five installed, although only the two largest, the Dancer's Garden and the Eckstein Medical Research Building Garden, have become part of the Reference Garden Program.
The first Reference Garden, the Dancer's Garden, is the crown jewel of the University’s conifer collections. The garden’s location had long been the only green space between two buildings on the main campus. One, Halsey Hall, was for years an athletic center for female students. (It later achieved a small amount of fame for being shown on the sitcom Coach as the building that housed his office.) Today, it is used by the Dance department and as a gymnasium. The other building, Calvin Hall, houses Financial Aid and Admissions offices among others, so almost every student enters this building at some time. In addition, many new student orientations and campus tours visit these two buildings. For years the green space between these two buildings was known as PI Hill (poison ivy) and was viewed as an embarrassment by the University. Starting in the fall of 2011, the landscape services team received permission to install a conifer garden in this area. They began by removing all the groundcover and seven trees. They graded the slope slightly and then four semi-loads of limestone were installed by the in-house installation crew. This stone accentuates the topography of the site and gives the illusion that these “bluffs” have always been here. Tucked in amongst the plantings is a waterfall, which, during the summer, draws both avian and human visitors!
The tiered installations make every view of the garden a feast for the eyes. The garden includes 16 genera (four of which are deciduous), comprising 31 species, and 46 cultivars. Notable specimens include a Picea mariana ‘Wellspire’ that was salvaged from the original conifer garden that was flooded in 2008 and a Pinus strobus witch’s broom found on campus. All plants are labeled, to educate those wondering “What kind of plant is that?” This is a hidden gem that people enjoy because of its private nature.
The Eckstein Garden
The second Reference Garden is the Eckstein Medical Research Building (EMRB) garden. The first phase was installed in the fall of 2010 and the second phase completed in 2013. This garden is another pocket of green space in a sea of concrete. This area surrounds a popular patio outside a café. People enjoy sitting outdoors eating lunch or chatting; however, the surrounding area was very unattractive and overgrown. The landscape services team removed the overgrown plantings, built raised beds and installed a variety of conifers to make a secret garden “room” which now draws people in to explore. This garden features 17 genera (four of which are deciduous), 36 species and 40 cultivars. Notable plants include a large Ginkgo ‘Spring Grove’ and a Picea polita originally planted at another site in 2002. All plants are labeled for the benefit of the viewer.
Both of these gardens generate many positive comments as well as photo opportunities. These two projects have had a very positive impact on the campus landscape and always seem to be included on campus tours. The University of Iowa has hosted the Iowa Garden Rendezvous as well as the Big Ten Grounds Managers tour at these gardens, and the University is now starting to incorporate more and more species of conifers throughout the campus landscape, now approaching 80 different species planted throughout.
The Dawes Arboretum was established in 1929 by Beman Dawes and his wife, Bertie. The idea for an arboretum came to Beman during his youth in Marietta, Ohio, where his father’s lumber business supported the family.
About 1917, Beman Dawes purchased 140 acres of the old Brumback farm in Licking Township. The farm, known as “Woodland,” had gently rolling hills and several acres of mature trees native to central Ohio. Beman felt that the farm was well situated; it was located practically in the center of the state with diversified soils and good climate for hardy trees.
The family renamed the farm “Daweswood” and the brick, half-century-old farmhouse became their country home. By this time, Beman and Bertie Dawes had passed their love of nature on to their four sons and their daughter. Daweswood served as both a retreat from the family’s East Broad Street residence in Columbus, as well as a place to pursue their horticultural interests.
It was Beman Dawes’ aim to inspire people to plant trees. He planted trees at Daweswood, striving to obtain specimens from all over the world that would survive in central Ohio. The first planned tree planting began in 1917 with 50 sugar maples. By the time The Dawes Arboretum was founded, over 50,000 trees had been planted and the grounds had almost doubled in size to 293 acres. Beman and Bertie Dawes created The Arboretum as a private foundation: “To encourage the planting of forest and ornamental trees … to give pleasure to the public and education to the youth.”
Today, The Dawes Arboretum displays nearly 5,000 different types of woody plants. Active records are kept on more than 30,000 individual plants. To ensure the continuation of The Arboretum, Beman and Bertie Dawes established an endowment fund. Today, the endowment continues to be the major source of funds for The Dawes Arboretum that has now grown to over 1,800 acres.
The Conifer Glen
The Conifer Glen is an eight acre tract located in the south end of the Arboretum, east of Dawes Lake. The entire tract was developed to display large, compact, dwarf, and miniature conifers. Planting of dwarf conifers began in early 1990’s.
Inspiration for the conifer garden was from a photograph of a conifer planting in Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest in Kent, England. An important element was leaving the center view open, making use of existing larger conifers as a framework, placing dwarf conifers on either side, emphasizing this view. The result is a panoramic view both to the north and south, occurring at various elevations. At the lowest elevation an intermittent stream meanders from east to west emptying into Dawes Lake.
Large sandstone boulders have been strategically placed to simulate geologic outcroppings. The rocks provide backdrops and microclimates for plants. The sloping terrain, remaining large deciduous trees, and various soil conditions and exposures create planting sites for a diversified and comprehensive collection that not only provides a palette of beautiful specimens but is a garden both unique and inspiringt.
Old, weathered logs are used to add an element of 'aging'. Some are used as vertical snags; others cross the stream area here and there or simply lie on the ground to rot, eventually adding to the enrichment of surrounding soil.
A bridge and bridge/boardwalk combination have been constructed for easy access. The stream will have additional granite boulders installed and more sandstone ledges will be added in higher elevations.
Plants are mapped using Global Positioning Satellites and labeled with UTM coordinates. All pertinent records data are stored in Iris BG Plant Collections Management System
The Iowa Arboretum began in 1968 as a centennial project of the Iowa Horticultural Society with the purchase of 40 acres of farmland in a rural area with close proximity to the Des Moines River. A roughly circular roadway was laid out adjacent to which various woody plant collections were established so that each could be accessed from the paths. The large conifers, mostly species, were placed south of the perennial gardens, fairly close to the first building, now the Cafferty Building. These early plantings, now around 50 years old, are quite mature. The dwarf conifers, many of which are truly intermediate in size, were planted west of that area on the highest point of the 40 acres. Currently, the dwarf conifer collection includes approximately 300 plants. A gazebo now anchors that space and provides a great destination for the "conifer explorer". The Dwarf Conifer Collection was renamed the Jacobsen Conifer Collection in memory of ACS member and Arboretum board member Craig Jacobsen. An alpine garden of bermed beds has recently been established as the entry point to this collection and has enabled the addition of miniature conifers. In keeping with the mission of the Iowa Arboretum, there has been an attempt to grow specimens of all the conifer genera able to thrive in Iowa rather than to specialize in a particular genus.
Hidden Lake Gardens was donated to Michigan State University in 1945 by Harry A. Fee, an Adrian businessman with a penchant for landscape design. Upon his retirement in 1926, he purchased Hidden Lake along with 200 acres of land surrounding it and proceeded to repair the old farmhouse, build a greenhouse, and construct a road from the highway that would unfold as a series of pictures for the visitor. Much later, small parking areas were added at these vistas to allow the public to pause and enjoy the views.
With his bequest Fee wished that the Gardens be for the benefit and education of the public - a mandate that has continued through the years under the direction of MSU s Horticulture Department, the Division of Campus Parks and Planning and presently Land Management. Hidden Lake Gardens has continued to develop with land acquisitions, construction of buildings, and the establishment of educational programs. The original 200 acres have grown to 755 acres which includes a 120 acre arboretum that consists of plant groups such as crabapples, lilacs, maples, evergreens, and shrubs. The Visitor Center building was built in 1965 and the conservatory was added in 1968.
The Visitor Center which also houses a library, exhibits, auditorium, meeting rooms and a gift shop. The Conservatory includes tropical plants, arid plants, and a variety of flowering houseplants. A picnic area with shelter is available without reservations.
In 1981, Justin C. Harper gave the Gardens a major gift of over 350 dwarf and rare conifers which, 31 years later, became the main attraction during the American Conifer Society's annual National Meeting. In 2010 an ACS Reference Garden Grant was used to purchase plants for The Harper Collection of Dwarf and Rare Conifers, provide funding to move plants within the Collection and to support regular maintenance of this outstanding collection.
Plants added to the Collection included Thuja koraiensis Glauca Prostrata', Cupressus nootkatensis 'Glauca Pendula', and Pinus densiflora 'Jane Kluis'.
Plants from the Collection were also propagated by the staff of the Gardens. These include Picea abies 'Merrell Broom', Cupressus nootkatensis 'Green Arrow' and many others which were grafted or rooted in our propagation facility. In turn, many of these plants have been sold to individuals in order to support the Collection and to insure that there are examples of these plants in other collections for the security of the plants for future generations.
Green Bay Botanical Garden is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The garden’s Arendt Conifer Garden features more than 325 dwarf conifers representing 275 taxa. Over 3,250 complementary colored foliage and flowering perennials and shrubs accent the conifers. Limestone boulders were brought in from local quarries to develop the terraced garden. The garden highlights the use of unique forms of conifers and how they can be incorporated into the visitors’ home gardens. The Conifer garden was designed in 2012 by ACS member Greg Meissner, and most of the initial conifer collection was supplied by ACS member Gene Arendt. The entire grounds include 925 conifers of 430 taxa. Green Bay Botanic Garden was designated as an ACS Reference Garden in 2015. For more information, visit www.gbbg.org.
Welcome to the latest addition to the Reference Gardens of the Central Region and the second Reference Garden in Michigan: Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Frederik Meijer Gardens is one of the world's most significant botanic and sculpture experiences. The Gardens are committed to presenting fun, interactive and informative programs about plants, sculpture, the environment, and the arts. The 158 acre main campus features Michigan's largest tropical conservatory, one of the country's largest interactive children's gardens, and Victorian gardens with bronze sculptures by Edgar Degas and August Rodin, a carnivorous plant house, outdoor gardens, which include an 8 acre Japanese Garden, a conservatory and a Michigan Farm Garden. The gardens also features a 1,900 seat outdoor amphitheater, which showcases an eclectic mix of touring musicians each summer. The grounds are home to a gift shop, and cafe, as well as a tram used for group tours. Add our newest reference garden to your vacation plans in the near future!
The Bickelhaupt Arboretum is a 14-acre outdoor museum of select, labeled trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials and annual flowers. The Arboretum was developed by Robert and Frances Bickelhaupt in 1970 in response to Dutch elm disease, which destroyed the majority of large street trees in Clinton, Iowa. The Heartland Collection of Garden Conifers is the largest and most well known collection at the Bickelhaupt. The idea for this collection came from the late Justin 'Chub' Harper of Moline, IL. The initial planning, bed layout, and plant selection was done during the summer and fall of 1990. The first plants were planted in the spring of 1991. There is a nice selection of older time-tested cultivars as well as some exciting newer ones. In addition to these cultivars, the collection has many one-of-a-kind plants that originate from witch's brooms. A new era began in January 2015 when the Bickelhaupt Arboretum was signed over to Clinton Community College to ensure and continue the legacy of Robert and Frances Bickelhaupt.
(Note: this entry is adapted from a Winter 2013 ConiferQuarterly article by Alan Branhagen)
Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s Botanical Garden is a young garden (it celebrated 25 years in 2013) that was well-planned from inception. Nationally renowned landscape architects from Environmental Planning and Design and its spinoffs planned the 970 acre garden. Major gardens include Perennial, Rock & Waterfall, Meadow, Island, Fountain and Heartland Harvest Garden (America’s largest edible landscape). Powell Gardens’ architecture is classic prairie style by E. Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings Architects – in fact, Powell Gardens contains the largest collection of their works at a public facility, and Mr. Jones was voted the 4th most influential architect of the 20th Century bythe American Institute of Architects. However that may be, sometimes the seedof a garden is not sown by a master plan or designer. A garden’s staff, board or major donor can influence plans, but Powell Gardens has been careful not to letthis create a hodge-podge collection out of touch with the mission: quality design and premier horticulture standards.
The Conifer Garden at Powell Gardens was never on a master plan, but a garden whose creation was beautifully inspired by the involvement and generosity of a master in his avocation, past president of the American Conifer Society, Marvin Snyder. It’s hard to describe the evolution of the Powell Conifer Garden. It oddly began with a seasonal display in the conservatory which included a garden railroad, which in turn required plantings in scale with the trains. What is better than dwarf conifers? Through acquisitions for that display and donations from Marvin, Powell all of a sudden had quite a collection of conifers with no home once the railroad display’s time was up. The theme of the landscape around the new E. Fay Jones-designed Visitor Center was “evergreen” as a place to see beauty in the winter landscape without having to venture out too far into that season’s inclement weather. Many of the first conifers were thus planted on the east side of the Visitor Center, including a trial, the magnificent 'Hazel Smith' giant sequoia.
In 2006, a major fountain garden was constructed to the north side of the Visitor Center and it unearthed the site’s sandstone subsoil, beautifully drained with a slightly acidic pH -- so different from the wet, poorly drained clays of the gardens' topsoil. The new Fountain Garden required an extensive change of grade with new walks from the north end of the building. An existing bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) at the northwest corner of the building’s terrace walls and a trio of wonderful lacebark pines (Pinus bungeana) at the northeast corner of the building’s terraces were retained and these plants anchored the new garden’s plantings. The landscape fill required for the new beds would be from the fountain construction sandstone rubble subsoil which would allow the perfect soil for most conifers and plants requiring well-drained soil. So, the new north end bed of the visitor center, raised and constructed with well-drained soil was planted to a beautiful border of conifers with emphasis on varieties which would take the site’s windswept location (there was at that time an open field to the north). Initial plantings were Juniperus formosana, Juniperus rigida ‘Temple’, Juniperus communis 'Oblonga Pendula', Pinus strobus 'Pendula, Taxodium disticum 'Peve Minaret' and Peve Yellow, and a beautiful blue-needled Abies concolor 'Candicans'.
The north border of the Visitor Center became the Powell Gardens’ Conifer Garden when Marvin made another contribution: a collection of conifers from a garden that he had designed that had to be moved. Horticulturist Richard Heter, in charge of this area of the Gardens, handdug the specimen conifers and delivered and planted them in their new home. These beautiful specimens provided instant impact: Picea abies ‘Acrocona’, ‘Elegans’ and ‘Mucronata’; Picea omorika ‘Elizabeth’; a pair of Pseudotsuga menziesii ‘Fletcheri’
Picea orientalis ‘Shadow’s Broom’ and ‘Connecticut Turnpike’; and Pinus sylvestris ‘Nana’. The new conifer borderattracted so many positive comments from visitors that it became its own garden, separate from the Visitor Center’s beds and soon needed more space. Of course, the Conifer Garden displays more than just conifers and has a beautiful tapestry of several groundcover-type sedums, some smaller perennials which require well-drained soil conditions, and other dwarf companion shrubs from boxwood to Weigela. The garden was mulched with pea gravel for a finished look and to hold in moisture. The garden was again increased in size in 2008, to include Thuja occidentalis ‘Rosenkranz’ Pinus densiflora ‘Umbraculifera’, Thuja plicata ‘Virescens’, Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’ and even a trial Cunninghamia konishii ‘Samurai’ China-fir.
2012 brought another extension of the Conifer Garden by creating a bed alongside the east side of the garden. Paths which lead north from the Visitor Center to the Fountain Garden and the new Heartland Harvest Garden pass along this east side of the Conifer Garden. A new bed, constructed with remaining sandstone rubble besidethe path, provided the last “east wall” of the outdoor room which is the ConiferGarden. This (final?) conifer bed includedmany specimens donated by Marvin and Iseli Nursery including Pinus bungeana ‘Rowe Arboretum’ Cupressus nootkatensis‘Sparkling Arrow’, Juniperus virginiana ‘Pendula’, Picea omorika ‘DeRuyter’, Taxus baccata ‘SilverSpire’, and others.
The Powell Gardens’ Conifer Garden is maintained by horticulturist Richard Heter and gardener Peggy Batman. Its 110 cultivars of conifers and gymnosperms are curated by Marie Fry, who manages the plant records. It was designed by Alan Branhagan. It wouldn’t be what it is without the inspiration and generosity of Marvin Snyder, and plant donations from Rich Eyre and Iseli Nursery. The garden survived the 2012 season which was the driest growing season ever recorded for the Kansas City region and as well as being the hottest year (as of the end of September).
The Conifer Garden did lose a very few choice plants and have some needle burn on a few others, but the garden is overall a resounding success with many positive comments by visitors. Gardens are never static, but constantly evolve as plants grow larger and extremes of our heartland climate test the adaptability of all the unique conifers we grow. As some specimens become too large for their space, they may be transplanted to other locations at Powell Gardens. New conifers will continue to be added to fill spaces and create new color, texture and shape compositions. The hope is that visitors to Powell Gardens are inspired by the garden, and will think differently about conifers beyond standard foundation plantings to the incredible wealth and beauty of unique cultivars available at nurseries.
Powell Gardens was designated an ACS Reference Garden in 2012. There are approximately 800 conifers to be found throughout the extensive gardens. Nut pines can be found in the Heartland Harvest Garden including the rare Pinus gerardiana. The Mediterranean inspired vineyard landscape in that garden utilizes ‘Taylor’ junipers (Juniperus virginiana) in place of columnar Italian cypress, which are not hardy here. Bald cypress, dawn redwoods, pines and spruces are widely planted as part of a total of 22 genera and 81 species of conifers found at Powell Gardens. More obscure species include Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia), Floridayew (Taxus floridana), northern hiba arborvitae (Thujopsis doltsopa var. hondai) and Cathay pine (Cathaya argyrophylla). All conifers are clearly identified by plant labels.
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