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The Morris will be closing at 3 pm on Friday, June 5 as we prepare for Moonlight & Roses. Last entrance into the gardens will be 2 pm.

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Two Longtime Morris Staff Members Retire www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/two-longtime-morris-staff-members-retire

Two Longtime Morris Staff Members Retire The John J. Willaman Director of Plant Science Dr. Timothy A. Block and Jason Lubar, associate director of Urban Forestry, have retired after serving for decades at Morris Arboretum & Gardens.   The John J. Willaman Director of Plant Science Dr. Timothy A. Block and Jason Lubar, associate director of Urban Forestry, have retired after serving for decades at Morris Arboretum & Gardens.  Dr. Block was hired at the Morris as a post-doctoral candidate to help write the first edition of The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual, along with botanist Dr. Ann Fowler Rhoads. He is a co-founder with Rhoads of the Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum. He became director of botany in 2002.  Block’s interest in plants was cultivated as a child growing up in Ohio.  Image Dr. Timothy Block “I didn’t know what everything was that I was looking at, but there was sort of a magic to being out in the woods and communing with nature,” he said.  At the Morris, Block focused on floristic botany, the study and the science of how vegetation and species are distributed across landscapes and through time. He also taught field botany and other classes at the University of Pennsylvania.  “I love teaching,” he said. “I always have. It’s the most rewarding piece of my career. I think I’ve touched a lot of people’s lives in a positive way.”  Block said there are botanical projects he will continue to work on because he likes to do them. He’s learning more about the slender rock-brake ( Crytogramma stelleri ) and he’ll continue the vegetation inventory and plant community mapping of Nescopeck State Park in Luzerne County, PA.  “I’ve been really fortunate to be able to get paid to do something that I would have happily done for free,” he said. “I'm not retiring so that I don't have to be a botanist anymore. It’s not a job. It’s what my life has become. And I wouldn't have it any other way.”                                                    …

Events

Metal sheep sculpture on a green lawn surrounded by magnolia trees in bloom with pink flowers.

Walking with the Seasons

Monday, February 3 – Monday, April 14 •
11 am
Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Registration is required.
Register Today
March 31; April 14  • 11 am – 12:30 pm  
with Margaret Kinnevy, Naturalist, Community Nurse Educator, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Members: $25 • Non-members: $30

This curated set of walks begins as winter recedes and signs of spring begin to emerge all around (the first class will take place on the date of the Spring Festival celebration on the lunisolar Chinese calendar). Our experience on each walk will look and feel different as the seasons change.

We will meet at the Welcome Center, and together we will venture a few steps off the paved pathways, to the hidden-in-plain-sight areas where you will wish to return for quiet contemplation or to delight in spring’s crescendo of blooms and scents. Throughout this spring season two new areas of development will rise before our eyes: the new pollinator garden installation and the expansion of the witchhazel area.  

You will learn easy ways to stay warm outdoors in the cooler seasons and find a sense of peace and well-being as the spring emerges both in the natural world and within yourself. The class is all outdoors and will be held rain or shine. Dress for the weather! 

Note: These Monday sessions are not consecutive, but every other Monday as the winter turns to spring. Sign up for the full series at a discount!

Check out the Spring 2025 Course Catalog for more courses →

NEW! Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/new-morris-arboretum-gardens-certificate-ecological-horticulture

NEW! Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture The program is geared toward avid home gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop a deep understanding of sustainable landscape design and management. We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new learning opportunity here at the Morris: The Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture will offer the opportunity to gain proficiency in creating and maintaining landscapes that are grounded in ecological principles and practice. Geared toward avid home gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop a deep understanding of sustainable landscape design and management, this classroom and field-based program is a series of 12 courses that are open to the public. The program is self-paced and can be completed in one year of intensive learning or up to several years at a slower pace. The first four courses in the series will be offered in fall 2025.       Image The Plants of Pennsylvania by Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy Block. What makes this certificate program unique?    The Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture is unique in our ecological systems-based approach to landscape design and maintenance. Our program approaches each garden as a complex living system, where plants, soil, water, animals, climate, human activity, and other elements interact with and influence each other. In hands-on and classroom instruction, our program teaches design and stewardship strategies that address these relationships holistically rather than focusing on individual components in isolation.   The program will focus on our region here in Southeast Pennsylvania. Drawing from our deep expertise in this region’s ecology, all instruction will speak to our local ecosystems. Here at the Morris we have a long history in the native plants of Pennsylvania—we have literally written THE book on this topic! Instructors in the certificate program will …

Travel Abroad www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/travel-abroad

Travel Abroad Travel Abroad Image Upcoming Trips Travel abroad with the Morris Arboretum & Gardens! Image Gardens, Wine, & Wilderness: A Tour of New Zealand January 10 – 28, 2026 Take the trip of a lifetime by traveling to New Zealand with friends from the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Leave winter behind and head to the Southern Hemisphere for long summer days to experience stunning gardens and some of nature’s most spectacular scenery. For 30 years, local landscape architect Richard Lyon of Garden Adventures, LLC has been leading groups to experience his native New Zealand. Highlights of the trip include more than ten private garden visits, Auckland Botanical Gardens, Mount Cook, Doubtful Sound, and Mount Aspiring National Park, as well as opportunities to enjoy locally produced world-famous sauvignon blanc and pinot noir. Due to its popularity and reputation as an exceptional experience, this is the tenth time Morris is partnering with Garden Adventures. See Brochure Past Trips Image Lake Takepo, New Zealand, 2024. Image Dart River Tour, Queenstown, New Zealand, 2024. Image Government House, Wellington, New Zealand, 2024. Image Hooker Valley Track with Mt. Cook in the distance, New Zealand, 2024. Image Fisherman’s Bay, Long Bay, New Zealand, 2024. Image Fisherman’s Bay, Long Bay, New Zealand, 2024. Image Mt. Cook, New Zealand, 2024.  Image Travelers dining at Mincher, Auckland, New Zealand, 2024. Image Cook Strait, New Zealand, 2024.  Image Giant’s House, Akaroa, New Zealand, 2024.  Image Welton House, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2024.  1 / PREV …

For Professionals www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/professionals

For Professionals For Professionals Image Image Certificate in Ecological Horticulture  The Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ Certificate in Ecological Horticulture will offer the opportunity to gain proficiency in creating and maintaining landscapes that are grounded in ecological principles and practice. Geared towards avid home gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop a deep understanding of sustainable landscape design and management, this classroom and field-based program is a series of 12 courses that are open to the public. The program is self-paced and can be completed in one year of intensive learning or up to several years at a slower pace. The first four courses in the series will be offered in the fall of 2025.   LEARN MORE Image School of Arboriculture Increase your tree and landscape knowledge! The Morris Arboretum & Garden's Professional Courses offer CEUs for arborists and landscape architects, and keep you at the forefront of your profession. These courses are open to professionals and novices, and are all taught by national leaders in their field of expertise. LEARN MORE Conferences Earn CEUs and hear from professionals Each year the Morris Arboretum & Gardens partners with a variety of organizations to convene conferences for professionals in plant related fields. Our conferences are of interest to professional arborists, landscape architects, professional horticulturists, and avid home gardeners.  Learn …

Events

A young girl running through a public garden.

Firefly Night! (All Ages)

Tuesday, June 24 •
7:30 pm
Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Registration is required. 
Register Today
Tuesday, June 24 • 7:30 – 8:45 pm  
with Stephanie Bruneau, Assistant Director of Adult Education, Morris Arboretum & Gardens and Brooke Ezzo, Penn Vet, Wildlife Futures Program
Members: $25 • Non-members: $30 

Come join us for an all-ages program all about fireflies and other creatures of the night!

Did you know that fireflies are not flies, but are actually beetles? Or that our planet is home to over 2,200 firefly species, and that over 30 species can be found in PA? Or that “glow worms” are actually firefly larvae, and can be found lighting up the soil all around us at night if we only know where and how to look?  In this program we will explore the natural history of fireflies, ways of observing and telling them apart, and what we can do to make our gardens more “glowing.”  Then, representatives from the Penn Vet Wildlife Futures Program will tell us about the work that they do to help our state’s wild species thrive, and about some of our nighttime neighbors that come out when the sun goes down!

The program will conclude with a short night walk in the garden where we will look for these nocturnal neighbors, and see some light-flash conversations in person. 

One registration covers one adult and one child. Children must be accompanied by an adult.  Additional adults will require additional registration. 

Check out the Spring 2025 Course Catalog for more courses →

Events

A small waterfall in a creek surrounded by rocks and green foliage.

Virtual Open House: Certificate in Ecological Horticulture

Thursday, May 8 •
7 pm
Virtual
Registration is free and required. 
Register Today
Thursday, May 8  • 7 pm – 8 pm
Open to the public 

Would you like to learn how to create and maintain landscapes that are grounded in ecological principles and practice? Taught by regional horticultural experts, this classroom and field-based program is a series of 12 courses geared toward avid home gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop a deeper understanding of sustainable landscape design and management. The program is self-paced and can be completed in one year of intensive learning or up to several years at a slower pace. The first four courses in the series will be offered in fall 2025,

Join us at our free Virtual Open House on May 8 at 7:00 pm, where you’ll be able to meet some of our certificate program staff and instructors, ask questions, and get answers! A Zoom link will be emailed to all registrants.

Exuberant Tulips: Designing Beds in Shapes of Ferns and Mosses www.morrisarboretum.org/blog/exuberant-tulips-shapes

Exuberant Tulips: Designing Beds in Shapes of Ferns and Mosses Exuberant Blooms , the Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ annual display featuring eight paisley-shaped beds inspired by Victorian flower bedding, is currently in bloom with tulips that sprawl across the landscape in loops and curls. But there’s more than meets the eye. Exuberant Blooms , the Morris Arboretum & Gardens’ annual display featuring eight paisley-shaped beds inspired by Victorian flower bedding, is currently in bloom with tulips that sprawl across the landscape in loops and curls. But there’s more than meets the eye: When viewed from above, these plantings depict the shapes of ferns, liverworts, and other plants. The European aristocracy of the Victorian era was enamored with unique plants including ferns, which were often the object of collectors’ desire. Now, I could tell you more about how the Victorians inspired me to plant the tulips in these shapes that they would’ve found fashionable in 2025, but really, I just wanted an excuse to show off some underappreciated and often unnoticed Image Exuberant Blooms tulips planted in shapes of other plants: 1 silver moss ( Bryum argenteum ), 2 bug-on-a-stick moss ( Buxbaumia viridis ), 3 resurrection plant ( Selaginella lepidophylla ), 4 umbrella liverwort ( Marchantia polymorpha ), 5 curly grass fern ( Schizaea pusilla ), 6 general fern fronds, 7 handbell moss ( Gemmabryum caespiticium ), 8 stairstep moss ( Hylocomium splendens ). Image Tulipa ‘Lalibela’ in bed 6. Image Tulipa ‘Big Apricot’ in bed 3   In bed 3 (see photo above) you can find a trio of curls representing the unfurling stems of the resurrection plant ( Selaginella lepidophylla ). These fascinating plants can survive near-complete desiccation, going months or even years without any water, only to uncurl after just a few hours of rehydrating. In bed 5, tulips fashion possibly the largest-ever artistic rendering of a curly grass fern ( Schizaea pusilla ). You can search for this rare little …