A holiday mood was created in the Arboretum by replacing the
water in the fountain with lighted evergreens, and decking the
birches near the Overlook Pavilion with white lights.
Welcome
The long-awaited construction of the
first phase of the H. O. Smith Botanic Gardens in The Arboretum
at Penn State has been completed and the project site, a tract
of approximately 35 acres fronting on Park Avenue, has become
a new attraction at the University Park campus. I invite you
to read about the
major elements in Phase I and all
of the elements in the master plan that will eventually
fill the landscape.
As you may know, over 17,000 individual
plants representing over 7,000 species were planted in the gardens
in 2009. Planting will continue in the spring as we replace
any plants that have not survived central Pennsylvania's harsh
winter, and integrate annuals with the perennials in the beds
flanking the Joan Milius Smith Esplanade in the Demonstration
Gardens.
To view the winterscape and enjoy seeing
the first signs of spring in the months ahead, please visit
our Webcam page.
A grand opening for Phase I of the H. O. Smith Botanic Gardens
will occur in April 2010, and we plan to begin fund-raising
for the Children's
Garden as soon as the schematic design is completed later
this year.
Looking
at the Ridge and Valley sculpture (also called the "water
map") next to the Overlook Pavilion in the H.O. Smith Botanic
Gardens - The map depicts the sections of the Spring Creek watershed
that encompass Nittany Valley.
Please also visit our planning
pages to learn more about projects or endeavors elsewhere
in the Arboretum:
- Air
Quality Learning and Demonstration Center - Outdoor teaching
facility about monitoring air pollution in "Happy Valley"
- Arboretum
Woodland Restoration Corps - Volunteers who are trained
to recognize and remove invasive, nonnative plants to restore
natural areas in the Arboretum
- Bellefonte
Central Rail Trail - Crushed limestone trail (approximately
one mile) that officially opened in 2006 and is currently
being extended another 3/10 of a mile
- Hosler
Oak - First official tree planted in the Arboretum to
honor meteorologist Charles L. Hosler
- Hybrid
Chestnut Seed Orchard - A cooperative initiative between
Penn State and The American Chestnut Foundation dedicated
to developing a blight-resistant chestnut to re-introduce
this species to American forests
I hope that you return regularly to
find out the latest news, and encourage others to visit us,
as well! You may share suggestions or comments about the site
by e-mailing me or Kate
Reeder.
Kim C. Steiner, Director
The Arboretum at Penn State
A view of the Overlook Pavilion
from high above the Event Lawn - summer 2009. Click
here
to see a full-page plan of the H. O. Smith Botanic Gardens.
Frequently
asked Questions
The plant illustrated in the banner at the top of this
Web site's pages, Panex quiquefolius L. (ginseng) is
an herb that bears greenish flowers in May and red fruit from
September to October. Although it was once encountered frequently
in Pennsylvania's woodlands, its abundance has declined greatly
due to excessive collecting. Illustration: Rae Dickson Chambers.
