Henry and Pauline Durant, the founders of Wellesley College in 1875, were committed to the liberal arts education of women and by the 1890's the school's curriculum was revised to include study of all the major sciences and the development of state-of-the-art laboratory experiences for its students. In 1920, Dr. Margaret Ferguson, Chair of the Department of Botany, initiated the construction of the greenhouses (now the Margaret Ferguson Greenhouses) and requested that over 20 acres of campus (that had formerly been a golf course for students) be set aside for exclusive use of the Botany Department.

In collaboration with Dr. Helen Davis, also in the Botany Department, they eschewed the beaux-arts design that landscape architect Arthur Shurtleff had deployed elsewhere on campus and laid out a more naturalistic design that included an artificial waterfall, a stream with intermittent small pools and a terminal pool, along with open fields, bog, bird habitat, wildflower garden, rock garden, scree, azalea hill and woodland garden. Plantings contained a representation of as many of the plant families as possible to allow students to compare similarities and differences among genera and species.

The Conifer Reference Garden

With the arrival of a new Director of the Botanic Gardens and Greenhouse in 2005, Dr. Kristina Jones, there has been a revision of the plantings. The Educational Garden, which contains the Conifer Reference Garden, was one of the first major changes. A perennial and weed infested embankment along the drive approaching the Greenhouses (Fig. 1) was designated the site of the Creighton Educational Garden in memory of Harriet Creighton, Professor of Botany from 1940 to 1974. Dr. Creighton's focus had always been botanical education so this was an appropriate memorial. Dr. Mary Coyne, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences, who also has a Certificate in Landscape Design drew up the original design (Fig. 2). The gardens were set off by a fieldstone wall and steps leading to the Botanic Gardens proper and included a conifer garden, butterfly garden, rock garden and scree, replacing garden areas that had been lost from the original Botanic Garden design (Fig. 3).

Because of the defined space, the conifer garden was limited to dwarf and miniature specimens as well as some prostrate forms of standard species. Dr. Coyne, who knew nothing about conifers, spent the winter after construction pouring through books and websites to pick representative conifers that would display differences in leaf structure, shape, and color including changes in color and leaf retention over the winter. Two knowledgeable and long-standing members of the American Conifer Society, Gerald Kral and Elmer Dustman, vetted the final choices.

The wall was built in August 2006 of field stones and capped with a bluestone. The stairs were designed to provide seating along the wall and a space for people to aggregate at the beginning of tours (Fig 4). It has also become a popular luncheon spot. The planting area was layered with large sitting rocks that were located near the butterfly garden and the remaining stones were carefully placed throughout the conifer area with a larger accumulation in the alpine scree. Rock garden plants would be placed around the stones to complement the conifers.

The conifers were planted in the spring of 2007 and were distributed throughout the entire garden area to maintain winter interest. Most of the plantings have survived well except for Picea planted in the scree. The Harriet Creighton Botanic Garden Fund and the Friends of Horticulture paid for the wall; initial conifer specimens were supported by the plant budget for the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, but there were still items that were needed.

In winter of 2008, the American Conifer Society recognized the area as a Conifer Reference Garden and we requested and received funds for a drip irrigation system, commercial labels, additional and replacement plants, student help in maintenance, and publicity materials. Each section of the garden contains a sign with information and a QR code which directs the visitor to more information on the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens website. We are also beginning to experiment with the use of conifers in troughs and our initial trough is displayed in the Cameron Garden across the way next to the Greenhouses.

Draves Arboretum is located in rural Western New York. The 20 acre property consists of several themed areas including ‘The Pinetum,’ four acres dedicated to the collection and study of conifers. Additionally, groups of conifers are intermingled with other woody specimens throughout the facility. An additional area has been chosen for a distinct miniature and dwarf conifer section to be developed in 2021.

Curator and President, Thomas Draves and his family began the diverse collection 25 years ago. Through subsequent years, the collection has grown to include over 800 species of woody plants, and currently includes almost 100 conifer species consisting of 274 plants. Species can be observed at all stages of maturity, with detailed attention given to accessible labelling for identification and educational purposes.

Draves Arboretum acquired its Level II accreditation from ArbNet in 2018, and in 2019 received advanced accreditation as a Level III Arboretum, becoming one of only twenty-eight with this distinction worldwide.

As the collection gained regional notoriety, the arboretum became Provisionally Chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York, evolving into a center for public education. Draves Arboretum offers courses for professionals within the green industry, programs for local colleges, private tours, and classes for garden clubs and other organized groups.

Visitors and groups are welcome daily by appointment: 585-547-3341

Find online at www.DravesArboretum.org as well as on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch a presentation by Thomas Draves, president and curator of Draves Arboretum.

Bayard Cutting Arboretum

Bayard Cutting Arboretum Facebook page

Bayard Cutting Arboretum (BCA) is a 691-acre tract in Great River, NY, along the Connetquot River on the south shore of Long Island. The property, constructed in 1886, was originally owned by Mr. William Bayard Cutting and his family. Mr. Cutting saw potential in the natural beauty of the surrounding landscape, and, utilizing plans developed by the noted landscape architecture firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, began the arboretum in 1887.

BCA is home to many unique specimens, extensive collections of oaks, hollies and rhododendrons, and expansive native woodlands. However, the most notable collections are those including conifers. Mr. Cutting began to plant his conifer collection in the late 1800s, with the support of Dr. Charles Sprague Sargent, then Director of Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum in Massachusetts. Mr. Cutting had an affinity for firs and spruces because of their kempt and conical habits, in contrast to what he saw as the unruly appearance of pines. He appreciated rare specimens that could grow both in his backyard and across the world. Some of his original plantings can be seen today in the heart of the Bayard Cutting Arboretum, the Old Pinetum...See full article.