Growing a Career Through the Urban Forestry Apprenticeship From learning to identify and care for trees to attending national conferences, Matt Walker shares how the Urban Forestry Apprenticeship helped him grow as an arborist, a student, and a steward of the environment. Image Matt Walker working at the base of a young tree. The Urban Forestry Apprenticeship was supposed to last just one year, but two years and a few months later it’s time to reflect on my experience here at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens. I’m in awe of the vast wealth of knowledge that was shared with me. Not only am I able to identify trees around me, but I also know how to plant them, how to care for them, and how to manage them in landscapes. I learned how to use mapping and design software, how to use arboricultural equipment like resistance drills, and how to write reports for clients. I attended many educational tree-related conferences and was able to take master-level courses at the University of Pennsylvania in soil science and environmental planning. The encouragement I received from those around me nurtured my passion for trees and the environment. That support came to life through my achievement of becoming an ISA Certified Arborist—an accomplishment made possible by this apprenticeship. With the expertise I gained at Morris, I created the foundational skill set for the rest of my career caring for trees. Image Matt Walker, former Martha S. Miller & Rusty Miller Urban Forestry Apprentice. UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES One of the unique things about this apprenticeship is that it took me to amazing places outside the Morris gates. As a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area, I had the opportunity to see parts of my region I had never seen before from a perspective that not many people get to experience. Some highlights include finding the state champion southern red oak in a city park, teaching students about trees at W.B Saul High School, and peering down George Washington’s outhouse while …

Winter Blooms at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens Vince Marrocco, the Gayle E. Maloney Director of Horticulture at the Morris Arboretum & Garden, spoke with Penn Today about vibrant early blooms that defy the cold. Image Winter at Morris Arboretum & Gardens is a unique experience of vibrant early blooms that defy the cold. Despite the chilly weather, plants like wintersweet, witchhazel, and snowdrops bring a splash of color to the landscape. These plants have unique adaptations that allow them to thrive in winter, such as waxy petals that prevent freezing and colors that attract early pollinators. Learn more about these vibrant plants and their fascinating adaptations in the full article on Penn Today  in which Vince Marrocco, the Gayle E. Maloney Director of Horticulture at the Morris Arboretum & Garden, goes into detail about these early blooms. Experience Early Blooms at the Morris Image Witchhazel Tour Saturday, February 8 • 11 am Saturday, February 22 • 11 am Free with general admission Take a tour of one of the largest collections of witchhazels in the country, where an experienced guide will show you the many varieties of these delightful winter beauties that add surprising bursts of color and fragrance to the winter landscape.  Learn More Image Garden Highlights January – March Weekends: 1:00 pm March – December Weekdays: 10:30 am • Weekends: 1:00 pm Free with general admission Our knowledgeable guides will design a tour around the interests of the attendees. Every tour is different so come back as many times as you’d like. Learn More Image Signs of Spring Saturday, March 22 • 10 am Free with general admission Ready to explore the arrival of spring’s beauty? Signs of spring pop up with tree buds, spring ephemerals, early cherries, and dogwoods. This tour uncovers the delight of a new season. Learn More Image Walking with the Seasons Five Mondays, February 3, 17; March 3, 17, 31  • 11 am – 12:30 pm   Members: $25 • Non-members: $30 Join us for a curated set of …

Legacy Weeping Hemlock Taken Out by Snowstorm The tree will get a second life on the woodland trail to the Wetland. Image The weeping hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis f. pendula ​​​​​​) that was brought down by the February 13, 2024 snow storm. Photo by Vince Marrocco. This past winter at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens was not very “wintery” by most accounts. Yes, there was some cold and a few snowstorms, but it was  relatively  un-winterlike. However, this was a winter of some discontent. In particular, the biggest discontent was the snowstorm of February 13. This quick-moving storm brought with it about 5 inches of wet snow, but it also brought down the venerable old weeping hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis f. pendula ) near the Morris Pond. This was a legacy tree from the Morris era, most likely purchased by John from Parson & Sons Co. nursery in Flushing, New York. It grew at the Morris Pond almost since the Arboretum’s inception, until that fateful day in February. This tree was remarkable not only for its size and prominence but also because of the unique history it represented. ONCE ABUNDANT Eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis ) was once a mainstay of the woodland flora throughout Pennsylvania. These long-lived, majestic conifers thrived across the state and were a significant component of William Penn’s wooded domain. In fact, hemlock trees were such an integral part of the flora throughout Pennsylvania that it was named the official state tree in 1931. Eastern hemlocks thrive in cool moist environments and often grow in dense shade on north facing slopes. They can grow slowly in adverse conditions, or rapidly in the right environment. Historically, this species was abundant in the Wissahickon gorge in cool ravines. The story of our weeping hemlock does not start in Pennsylvania, but along the Lower Hudson River Valley in New York. It was here near the estate of General Joseph Howland that our story begins. Joseph Howland was a well-heeled member of society. His …

90 Years of Morris: John & Lydia Morris Arboretum & Gardens began as Compton, the private estate of the siblings who purchased farmland in 1887 and began planning a garden where art and science would thrive together, and where stewardship would extend to caring for both plants and people. Image John and Lydia Morris on the Love Temple steps in the Morris Pond, originally called the Swan Pond, circa 1910. The Morris Pond was constructed circa 1904, while the Love Temple was designed by Ernesto Ermete Gazzeri of Rome, Italy, and installed in 1906. We're kicking off #90YearsofMorris with the siblings that started it all: John Thompson Morris (1847-1915) and Lydia Thompson Morris (1849-1932). Morris Arboretum & Gardens began as Compton, the private estate of the siblings who purchased farmland in 1887 and began planning a garden where art and science would thrive together, and where stewardship would extend to caring for both plants and people. From the beginning, John and Lydia shared a vision and actively planned for their estate to become a public garden and educational institution. In 1933, after both siblings had passed, the Morris opened to the public for the first time and their vision came to life. In this series we'll be focusing on what followed the 1933 public opening. You can learn more about the Morrises and the Private Estate Era in our online archives , and in Joyce Munro's article, "The Origins of Morris Arboretum & The Mansion From Which It Bloomed." As part of our 90th anniversary celebration, we’ll be sharing bits of our history every week on social media—follow #90yearsofMorris to get a glimpse into our past with historic photos, documents, blog posts, and more! Courtesy of the Morris Arboretum & Gardens Archives Blog Image April 6, …

High-Res Photo Gallery High-Res Photo Gallery Image Click on an image to download a high-res version.  Image Rose Garden  (Credit: Rob Cardillo)   Image Step Fountain (Credit: Rob Cardillo)   Image Pennock Flower Walk (Credit: Julia Lehman)   Image Out on a Limb (Credit: Mark Stehl)   Image Morris Pond (Credit: K. Teller) Image Garden Railway (Credit: Rob Cardillo)   Image Springfield Mills (Credit: Courtesy of the Morris Arboretum)   Image Log Cabin (Credit: Ashley Angel)   Image The Fernery (Credit: Paul W. Meyer)     Image Seven Arches in English Park (Credit: Rob Cardillo)     …

What's in Bloom: November As we all prepare for colder months, many of our plants are doing the same: dropping their leaves, slowing glucose production, and storing excess food in their root systems. Some plants in our gardens are still displaying vibrant fall color, and others have even begun to bloom. I hope you enjoy stumbling upon these plants at the Arboretum and discovering new ones along the way. As we all prepare for colder months, many of our plants are doing the same: dropping their leaves, slowing glucose production, and storing excess food in their root systems. Some plants in our gardens are still displaying vibrant fall color, and others have even begun to bloom. I hope you enjoy stumbling upon these plants at the Arboretum and discovering new ones along the way. Image False holly Osmanthus heterophyllus Native to Japan and Taiwan, this large evergreen shrub has now opened its tiny white flowers that emit an inviting fragrance right outside the Widener Visitor Center and in other areas of the Arboretum.  Osmanthus  can be distinguished from true hollies by their opposite leaf arrangement, while true holly,  Ilex , have leaves that are alternately arranged. Clusters of these small, tubular flowers form in leaf axes, where the leaf meets the twig. Take note of the different leaf shapes that occur on the same shrub. Younger leaves have sharp spines along the leaf margin, but as the leaves mature they become spineless and smooth. Image Stiff dogwood Cornus foemina Near the bridge by the Morris Pond are several of these dogwoods that are now bearing their distinctive, showy blue fruit. Ranging from a light to dark blue, the fruit grow in clusters on bright red stems that really stand out against the foliage. Although these fruits look like berries, they are in fact drupes, with one hard seed rather than many seeds within a fleshy fruit—think of this dogwood’s fruit as more akin to a cherry or an apricot rather than a blueberry. Image American witchhazel …

What's in Bloom: August Welcome to the Morris Arboretum’s first  What’s in Bloom  blog! As this year’s John J. Willaman & Martha Haas Valentine Curatorial Intern, I spend a lot of time in the gardens checking on and appreciating the many plants in our living collection throughout the seasons. Welcome to the Morris Arboretum’s first  What’s in Bloom  blog! As this year’s John J. Willaman & Martha Haas Valentine Curatorial Intern, I spend a lot of time in the gardens checking on and appreciating the many plants in our living collection throughout the seasons. We want to share some of these with all of you, so we’ve curated a monthly blog that highlights current flowering plants and seasonal interest so you can know what to expect and what to look for during your next visit to the Arboretum. We hope this series complements the stunning, expansive views of the Arboretum and encourages you to find the beauty that comes from taking a closer look. Image Surprise lily ( Lycoris squamigera ) You’ll find this lovely late summer bloom dotted throughout the Arboretum, providing some welcome color in the gardens. Native to southern Japan, surprise lilies produce foliage in late spring that dies back in early summer before suddenly sending out a single flowering stalk in August—hence the surprise! You will see lots of these lilies along the paved path towards  Out on a Limb , where clusters of pink under the shade of great trees lead you into the beauty of the Arboretum in late summer.  Image Hollow Joe-Pye weed ( Eutrochium fistulosum ) It’s pollinator season here at the Arboretum, and our butterflies, moths, and bees are swarming around these tall, colorful native plants throughout our gardens. There’s an established cluster of Joe-Pye weed at the Morris Pond, whose seven-foot-tall stalks are topped with clouds of pink flowers. I’d recommend taking a moment to observe all of the beautiful pollinators that flock to these flowers, such as monarch and eastern tiger swallowtail …

Snowflakes vs. Snowdrops: Pendulous Beauties of Early Spring Two similar plant species caught my attention at the Morris this week because of their attractive and early season blooms: Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) and Leucojum vernum (spring snowflake). ). Often called “harbingers of spring,” both are bulb plants and have nodding flowers, sometimes spotted peeking through snow (hence the common names). Dr. Cynthia Skema is a Botanical Scientist at the Morris Arboretum.  Two similar plant species caught my attention at the Morris this week because of their attractive and early season blooms: Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) and Leucojum vernum (spring snowflake). Often called “harbingers of spring,” both are bulb plants and have nodding flowers, sometimes spotted peeking through snow (hence the common names). Their mostly white flowers explain their generic names: Galanthus means “milk flower” and Leucojum “white violet,” both from (ancient) Greek. Their physical similarities are no mere coincidence, but instead the products of evolution as the two are related. Leucojum and Galanthus are sister genera in the tribe Galantheae, along with a third genus Acis (Larsen et al., 2010) and they all belong in the plant family Amaryllidaceae, also home to commonly cultivated amaryllis and daffodils. Image Galanthus nivalis flowering at the Morris Arboretum. Image Leucojum vernum flowering at the Morris Arboretum.                           Let’s consider the form of the three genera in tribe Galantheae. The easiest way to tell Galanthus apart from the other two genera is by the three large outer and three small inner tepals (petal-like structures) seen in its flowers, while Leucojum and Acis both have six equal-sized tepals (also three outer and three inner by position). Both Leucojum and Galanthus have markings on their six tepals, while Acis has none. One last characteristic is that Leucojum typically has a hollow scape, while the scape is solid in Galanthus and Acis . If you’re a …