ARBORETUM PICTURE OF THE WEEK Do you know what this is? Click here to find out. DIRECT ARBORETUM SUPPORT Donations Volunteering PRIVATE SUPPORT GROUPS Friends of the National Arboretum Herb Society of America NCA Federation of Garden Clubs National Bonsai Foundation

Further Improvements on the Way! Major improvements are underway in the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum to provide an improved and more accessible setting for visitors and for the well-being of the trees in this valuable collection. The current uneven gravel surface in the lower courtyard will be replaced with bluestone paving blocks, and new benches and an area framed by an arbor will be added for seasonal demonstrations. The Chinese Pavilion will be closed for the winter while repairs are made to improve air circulation for the plants, install new lighting, and paint the interior walls. This work has begun and will continue through the winter months. Throughout this period, a changing selection of trees will be on display in the Tropical Conservatory accessed through the North American Pavilion. The cost of these improvements is being unwritten, in part, by the National Bonsai Foundation as a continuing effort to further enhance the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum. This is the oldest and most comprehensive museum of its kind in the world. The lower courtyard and Chinese Pavilion will re-open to the public in late spring prior to the 5th World Bonsai Convention that will be held in Washington, D.C., in late May.

EDUCATION

Mumtober! A Chrysanthemum Celebration

Chrysanthemums mingle with pumpkins and scarecrows to announce the arrival of autumn, but have you ever seen them as bonsai? Or marveled at the flower’s shape left by mineral deposits in stones? Enjoyed them arranged in sogetsu? This month-long celebration is not to be missed and should be visited often as we showcase the popular chrysanthemum in unique exhibits featuring viewing stones, floral arrangements, and bonsai. Click on the links below for further information.
    Chrysanthemum Viewing Stones, October 1 – 31
    Autumn Splendor, October 15 – 17
    Sogetsu with Chrysanthemums, October 15 – 21
    Chrysanthemum Bonsai, October 22 – 31

Calendar of Events

  HORTICULTURE
 

The Morrison Garden turns 50!

The Morrison Garden at the National Arboretum is fifty years old this year. Dedicated May 3, 1954, the Morrison Garden is an important monument to the Arboretum's first director and internationally-recognized azalea breeder, Benjamin Y. Morrison (1891-1966). The large brick-walled terrace is home to about 200 of the Glenn Dale hybrid azaleas that Morrison developed at the USDA research facility in Glenn Dale, Maryland. The Morrison Garden serves as the apex of the extensive Azalea Collections which draws thousands of visitors annually to experience the glorious spring display.

Hort Hot Spots

  RESEARCH

New "Virtual" US National Arboretum Herbarium Web Pages

The US National Arboretum Herbarium is one of a few in the world with a primary mission of supporting taxonomic research and identification of cultivated plants, including cultivars, hybrids, and other elite plant materials of use to man. To facilitate this research, the herbarium includes specimens not only of cultivated plants but also of their wild progenitors and is the official depository for documented specimens of USDA plant introductions, including food, drug, forage, industrial, and forest plants.

The herbarium is a permanent reference collection of dried plant specimens necessary to taxonomic studies relating to agriculture, medicine, science, and education -- fields where documentation and correct identification of germplasm materials are essential. We have begun to electronically capture all of the data associated with each Type Specimen, Horticultural Cultivated Standard, as well as Specimens of Special Interest, to image these specimens, and to put all of this information on the internet. Although we have not finished the project we have posted what we have accomplished.

Begin your "virtual" tour of the US National Arboretum Herbarium here.

  Plant Introductions and Award Winners