What's in Bloom: February What's in Bloom: February Image February at the Morris Image wintersweet Chimonanthus praecox Oak Allée Delicate yellow flowers hang from the leafless branches of these shrubs. Wintersweet is a member of the calycanthus family, Calycanthaceae, and its flowers add a pleasant fragrance to the winter garden. Image snow drops Galanthus sp. Members of the onion family, Amaryllidaceae, these small perennials can be found blooming throughout the garden this time of year. There are several species of snow drops growing in the garden, each with distinct flower characteristics. Image Chinese witchhazel Hamamelis mollis Witchhazel Collection Native to China, these winter-blooming witchhazel shrubs display clusters of fragrant, bright yellow flowers. Each flower has four ribbon-like petals that emerge from red calyxes. Image Rubin witchhazel Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Rubin’ Between Rose Garden and Pennock Garden This shrub is a hybrid between Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witchhazel) and Hamamelis japonica (Japanese witchhazel), and the Rubin cultivar is bred for its showy orange/red flowers. Image hardy cedar-of-Lebanon Cedrus libani ssp. stenocoma Azalea Meadow This subspecies of Cedrus libani is native to the mountainous regions of southwest Turkey. As its common name suggests, this tree has better winter-hardiness than the straight species. It is also more upright and columnar in form, while Cedrus libani branches have a more horizontal growth habit. Image cornel dogwood Cornus officinalis Dogwood Collection Clusters of small yellow flowers adorn this late-winter-blooming tree. Cornus mas (cornellian-cherry dogwood), planted nearby, has similar flowers and form, but Cornus officinalis blooms one week earlier and has more textured, exfoliating bark. Witchhazel Map Explore our witchhazel collection this winter! The Morris Arboretum & Gardens' witchhazel collection is one of the largest in the country. Discover the many varieties of these delightful winter …

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

Saving the American Chestnut The Morris is on the list to receive some of the first Darling 58 offspring when they become available. The Chestnut Hill neighborhood in which Morris Arboretum & Gardens resides is named after the magnificent American chestnut ( Castanea dentata ) that once forested its knolls and slopes. We have photographs of several wizened old trees that graced our grounds prior to 1915, the year the last of our local trees succumbed to chestnut blight. Image View of American chestnut tree in English Park, spring 1911. In fact, tradition has it that Lydia Morris located our Step Fountain near a huge old chestnut as a memorial to her brother John because it was his favorite tree. Sadly, it died a year later. This virulent parasitic fungus ( Cryphonectria parasitica) was accidentally imported on Asian chestnuts brought into New York City in 1904 and began to spread like wildfire through native stands. The trees had virtually no immunity to the disease, and by 1940, there were practically no trees left through its native range from Maine to Mississippi. American chestnut was a remarkable tree, and the introduction of this disease was, in my opinion, the worst ecological disaster that has befallen our eastern forests since the arrival of European colonists. IMPORTANT STAPLE Chestnut is unusual for several reasons. It is both shade-tolerant and fast-growing, so it could become the dominant tree in both regenerating and old-growth forests. Early summer flowers produce copious quantities of pollen favored by bees and beetles. It produces large crops of highly nutritious nuts every year, unlike oaks, beeches, hickories and pines that might have a large crop only every third or four season. For this reason, it was an important staple for Indigenous peoples as well as myriad mammals and birds. Chestnut wood is very strong and highly decay-resistant, so it was a preferred species for timber framing, siding and fence posts. I worked for a time at the …

Volunteer Spotlight: A Miller's Tale Springfield Mills volunteer tells of lessons learned as the grandson and son of millers. Gino Caporizzo’s large, tanned hand pats a wood beam inside the historic Springfield Mills at Bloomfield Farm. The tour group he’s leading learns very quickly why he touches it so lovingly. “My father and grandfather were millers,” he says proudly, his accent hinting at his heritage in southern Italy. Caporizzo has been a volunteer guide and maintenance worker at Springfield Mills at Morris Arboretum & Gardens for about five years. But his kinship with mills goes back to before World War I with his grandfather, Luigi Caporizzo, who in his mid-20s became an apprentice at one of two grist mills in his hometown of Paternopoli in the province of Avellino, Campania. Image Gino Caporizzo leads a tour inside Springfield Mills. “When the war broke out, he went into the service, and when he came back he became a partner in the grist mill,” said Caporizzo. Powered by water from the nearby river, the mill ground wheat and corn for local residents. Once electricity became available, the mill was moved close to the center of town, but the millstone technology was still used to grind grains and corn as well as acorns for animal feed. Luigi Caporizzo’s typical workday started early in the morning. He labored at the mill until midday, then worked alongside his family on one of two farms they owned. As Gino Caporizzo takes visitors through the 1761 mill situated along the Wissahickon Creek, his thoughts aren’t far from his father and grandfather and their vocation that taught him so much. NEXT GENERATION “My dad, Mario, became an apprentice and a helper for his dad,” said Gino. “As a teenager, he would help his dad at the mill after school.” Caporizzo remembers both men as being close to 6 feet tall and able to lift burlap sacks of grains weighing more than 100 pounds with ease. During World War II, Mario Caporizzo fulfilled his military duties by working as …

Earth Month at the Morris Earth Month at the Morris Image Morris Arboretum & Gardens has nature-focused tours, talks, and events all April long! Family Activities Image Solar Eclipse Watch Party  Monday, April 8 • 2 pm Enjoy the gardens while experiencing the 2024 Solar Eclipse! We’ll make cereal box viewer for the kids, and other visitors will receive solar eclipse glasses.  Free with general admission .  Learn More Image Raptor Jawns: A Birds of Prey Close Encounter Wednesday, April 10 • 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Join us for this rich educational experience—an incredible encounter with live birds of prey! Members: $35 • Non-members: $40 Learn More Image Storytime Wednesday, April 17 • 10:30 am This month we’re reading  Oddbird  by Derk Desierto, a story about a bird who learns to celebrate themselves.  Free with general admission .  Learn More Image People, Plants & Penn Discussion Series Fostering Resiliency: Helping our Forests and Wildlife Respond to a Rapidly Changing Climate Thursday, April 18 • 12 – 1:30 PM Virtual. Advance registration required. Join Penn Alumni and the Morris Arboretum & Gardens for a free moderated panel about how a warming climate could determine the fate of our ecosystem and its millions of interconnected species. Moderated by Executive Director Bill Cullina, this panel discussion brings together forward-thinking experts from the University of Pennsylvania and beyond to shed light on strategies to foster resiliency among our native trees, birds, and mammals. Learn More & Register Image Private Gardens of Philadelphia Virtual Book Talk Thursday, April 25 • 7 pm Members: $30 • Non-members: $35 Author Nicole Juday will give us a look inside her gorgeous new book, Private Gardens of Philadelphia , highlighting 21 of our area’s rarely seen private gardens. In-Person Book Purchase & Signing Saturday, April 27 • 10 am Fee: $60 (includes a signed copy of the publication and Morris admission) Join us in person for a celebratory launch of the …

Rose Garden Rose Garden Image Rose Garden Image Photo: Rob Cardillo The Rose Garden was created in 1888 and is one of the oldest features of the Morris estate. Originally comprised of fruits, vegetables, flowers, a few roses, and a specimen chestnut tree, Lydia Morris transformed this mixed garden into a Rose Garden in 1924. Once a monoculture of roses, today the Rose Garden contains a mix of roses, perennials, annuals and woody plants with height elements and garden ornaments added to create a look reminiscent of the Victorian era.   … Rose Garden …