Recently I found myself whisked away over 3,000 miles from my home in the North State. I landed in unknown territory named Boston, Massachusetts. The skies were a bit overcast with lazy clouds and people busily crossed streets and avoided speeding taxis. The buildings were large and old, colored in brown or red brick and took up half a city block. Looking up, I could see the tips of small trees adorning rooftop gardens. Many buildings had ivy covering half one side and potted and hanging plants invited passers-by to step through deep-set doorways.
The weather was a bit humid but there was a cool breeze. I was told to dress in light clothing because it tended to “warm up” (at the time it was 9 a.m.). Warm up it did! By 11 a.m. I had a strong craving for iced tea and air conditioning (I soon learned air conditioning didn’t exist in most parts of the East Coast; how do these people survive?!). But, when in Rome …
To my delight I found sanctuary in a beautiful piece of property right in the middle of the city. Covering 265 acres, The Arnold Arboretum is the oldest in the nation. Frederick Law Olmsted, deemed America’s first landscape architect, planned and designed this lush arboretum in 1872. Today it is managed by Harvard University and provides a place for world class research and education.
Among the more than 15,000 trees, shrubs and vines planted throughout the arboretum, one can find towering Elms, stately Oaks, golden Gingkos and aged Horsechestnuts.
I befriended trees I’ve never known before, like the Phellodendron piriforne (Pearfruit Cork Tree) with its ghostly white bark.
I became familiar with many maple varieties I had only seen in pictures and was up close and personal with some amazing Cedar of Lebanon trees. To this day I still find myself fascinated by how a 100-foot-tree can come from such a tiny seed.
Some of my favorites were the Dawn Redwoods. Creating a shaded corridor and looking as though they have been there forever, these beauties stood tall and proud at about 60 feet. They weren’t shy, either, about showing off their lovely red trunk flares, firmly planted in the ground.
Nature is an amazing artist. Many specimens I came across had some of the most interesting colors and textures. This Acer davidii (Pere David’s Maple) is native to China and sports a green bark with white and brown lines streaking its trunk. Another maple, the ‘Faassen’s Black’ Norway Maple, has green and black leaves that glisten in the morning sun. Then there are trees such as the Japanese Dogwood (Cornus officinalis). This small sized tree has both color and intriguing texture with its salmon bark covered in grey flakes. Of the most interesting textures I found was on this Beech tree. Its smooth grey bark resembles an elephant’s skin and is pleasant to the touch.
Almost two hours of meandering didn’t even get me a third of the way through the arboretum. I was saddened to find I had missed the Giant Sequoias, Hickories, Laurels, Tulip Trees, Spruces, Yews and a grove of Sassafras (to name a few). My company knew we would end up finding the nearest hotel and forgetting our agenda if I wasn’t peeled away soon. So, with a smile on my face and information sheets in my hand, I walked out the wrought iron Arborway Gate, already making plans for my next trip to visit a new acquaintance that already feels like an old friend.
Marie Stadther’s life in Coachella Valley was void of trees. In 2001, she packed up and headed north. After a drive through the majestic redwoods, she arrived in Redding, where she immersed herself in horticulture as owner of her own landscaping company and as assistant to an arborist. She is now the lead gardener for Turtle Bay’s McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. Her love of trees is a way of life, and she shares that passion with the community. Send the Tree Goddess your questions at mstadther@turtlebay.org.
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