I refuse to let this cold and snowy winter get the best of me. I will not let it keep me cooped up indoors for the next six months. Granted, this may be a bit of a stretch, but I think there is fun – and science – to be had outside, even in the currently inhospitable Boston climate. For the carefully-dressed and adventurous explorers, the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain becomes a perfect mid-city oasis in which to combine science, mild exercise, and the outdoors.
An arboretum is nothing but a huge, well-tended garden, stocked full of obscure, rare, unfamiliar and beautiful trees, bushes, flowers, and vines. Each plant resident of the Arnold Arboretum (owned and run by Harvard University) is carefully labeled and lovingly tended, with even non-native species thriving in the relatively harsh Boston climate.
On trees, the plaques are attached with funny little springs, which I suppose do as little damage as possible to the tree bark while remaining firmly attached through the wind and snow (and more wind and more snow. Is it spring yet?). With smaller plants and flowers, the plaques can be found on the ground.
Each plaque is marked with the plant’s family name, its scientific and common names, source and original expedition data, and basic propagation information.
Some sample Arboretum residents:
A furry plant – Japanese Clematis from the Ranunculaceae family, originally harvested in Saitana, Japan, in 1979
A pine tree that looks like each needle has been turned inside out. I neglected to write down the tree’s origins. Any ideas?
Wandering the Arboretum’s many quiet winding paths and mildly challenging hills induces a meditation-like state, if you can tear yourself away from reading and decoding every plaque. Should your horticultural leanings prove too strong to ignore, the Arboretum is happy to help. The Arboretum offers adult education classes (for a fee) for gardening enthusiasts, as well as certificate courses for professionals in subjects ranging from garden design to soils and ecology.
Even if the weather is somewhat less than obliging in the winter months, a walk through a silent snowy landscape can soothe the jaded winter city dweller, and perhaps teach him/her something about the huge diversity of plant life on our planet.