Satellite Technology Will Make Identifying Plants Easier A Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna geolocates all of the Morris's woody plants. One day, in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be able to use your cell phone to get information about each woody plant at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens.   We are using GPS technology to map each of the more than 11,000 accessioned plants of the living collection within the Morris’s 166 acres. The project is a bit laborious, as staff members use a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver/antenna and UHF radio-assisted corrections to do the mapping. The range pole is placed next to the base of a tree, and satellite technology pinpoints the location to within a centimeter. So far, staff have geolocated more than 5,450 plants. The project, known as the Morris Arboretum Plant Collection and Management Project, is funded by a three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). An outcome of this project will be an application that visitors can use to identify the plants in the collection and learn more about them. Image The Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna. Image Morris staff members use the Global Navigation Satellite System receiver/antenna to map a tree.                               “This new application will be very user-friendly,” said Plant Collections Manager Pam Morris Olshefski, who is leading the project. “The plant locations will be displayed on a high-resolution aerial photograph of the Morris landscape, enabling the visitor to see exactly where they are on the grounds.” The system will also provide the staff with a precise way to locate specific plants in the living collection, facilitating research, plant health management, and curatorial activities. “You’ll be able to walk through the garden and know exactly what you’re looking at,” Morris Olshefski said. “It will give you information about the plant, a photo, whether it’s wild-collected or what its …

Active-Duty Free Admission Program Sponsored by Wawa We are pleased to announce that the Morris Arboretum has received a first-time grant from Wawa in support of our Active-Duty Free Admission Program. Image We are pleased to announce that the Morris Arboretum has received a first-time grant from Wawa in support of our Active-Duty Free Admission Program . This grant provides all current active military members and their families with free admission to the Arboretum. To qualify for the program, service members simply need to show a valid military ID, a Geneva Convention Common Access Card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card at the entrance kiosk. This program does not include ticketed and promotional events at the Arboretum. The Arboretum began offering free admission to active military members in 2019, inspired by the story of a longtime member who found solace and healing in the gardens after returning from military service during the Cold War.  “Morris Arboretum has long been a place for people to replenish themselves physically and mentally,” said William Cullina, the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of Morris Arboretum. “Our active-duty free admission program is our way of saying thank you and to provide comfort in a beautiful setting to those who give so much for our country. The Arboretum is proud of this program, and grateful for The Wawa Foundation’s support.” The grant will formally be presented today at the grand opening of Wawa’s newest store in Glenside, PA. Wawa is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with local communities and national partners, and we thank them for their support! Blog Image December 15, 2022 … Active-Duty Free Admission Program Sponsored by …

Plant Names Tell Their Stories: Maidenhair Ferns Morris Arboretum & Gardens hosts several of the over 200 species of maidenhair ferns. The maiden commemorated in the name is none other than Venus—the Greek goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and victory. Morris Arboretum & Gardens hosts several of the over 200 species of maidenhair ferns. The maiden commemorated in the name is none other than Venus—the Greek goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and victory—due to parallels between the mythology surrounding Venus and the form and function of maidenhair ferns. Image Birth of Venus by Botticelli  shows Venus, newly born from the sea, with long, windblown hair. Public Domain. Pliny the Elder (AD 23/24 – AD 79), a Roman natural historian, noted that maidenhair ferns arise from moist places. He also noticed how contradictory this preference in habitat is, considering the maidenhair’s aversion towards wet foliage: water that falls on the leaflets beads up, demonstrating what is now popularly called "the lotus effect," referencing the superhydrophobic self-cleaning properties exhibited by the leaves of the lotus flower. This excellent defense mechanism allows a plant to rid itself of unwanted bacteria and fungi, as well as particles that block photosynthesis. Image Adiantum sp. - Notice the black hair-like stems that inspired the name "maidenhair." Photo by Katherine Wagner-Reiss. Image Adiantum sp. - Shown here is the characteristic water repellency of the leaves.  Photo by Katherine Wagner-Reiss.                               Image Statue of Venus wringing out her hair. From Pompeii, House of Camillo, Marble, 1st century AD.  CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Pliny also noted that some people in his day called this fern "beautiful hair." The delicate leaf stem is hair like: very thin, hard, wiry, shiny, and black or dark brown in color. With this visual similarity in mind, the plant was used to dye hair and treat hair loss. Venus was, by legend, conceived in …

What's in Bloom: June What's in Bloom: June Image June at the Morris Image oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia Oak Allée Native to the southeastern United States, these shrubs get their name from their oak-like leaves. Large panicles of white flowers bloom in June, turning pink and purple as the summer progresses. Image mountain-laurel Kalmia latifolia Overlook Garden; Garden Railway These native evergreen shrubs display mesmerizing clusters of pink and white flowers. Mountain-laurel is in heath family, Ericaceae, the same family as rhododendrons and pieris. Image woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica  Oak Allée Tubular red flowers bloom upright on these native perennials, attracting hummingbirds to shady areas of the garden. Image Japanese raisin-tree Hovenia dulcis Orange Balustrade Inconspicuous, cream-colored flowers emit a sweet, wafting fragrance through the parking lot and above the Orange Balustrade. Image panicle golden-rain-tree Koelreuteria paniculata Baxter Memorial As this tree’s blooming passes its peak, small yellow flower petals gently fall to the ground creating the appearance of “golden rain.”   Image bottlebrush buckeye Aesculus parviflora Compton Native to the southeastern United States, these spreading shrubs produce tall panicles of small white tubular flowers with pink anthers. In the fall, bottlebrush buckeye displays bright yellow fall color. … What's in Bloom: …

Contemporary of the Dinosaurs: Cathay Silver Fir This spring, the Morris added an extremely rare plant to our collection: the Cathay silver fir, Cathaya argyrophylla, an ancient member of the pine family, and a “living fossil" that first appeared in fossil records around 140 million years ago during the Cretaceous period of the late Mesozoic Era.   Image The Cathay silver fir, Cathaya argyrophylla, is located to the left of the Key Fountain and across from the dawn-redwoods in English Park. The Morris possesses a collection of trees and shrubs that encompass everything from the exotic to the common,  the ornamental to the esoteric. This spring we were fortunate to add another extremely rare plant to our collection. The Cathay silver fir, Cathaya argyrophylla, is an ancient member of the pine family, and a “living fossil.” It first appeared in fossil records around 140 million years ago during the Cretaceous period of the late Mesozoic Era. It was a contemporary of the dinosaurs that roamed the earth during this same time. The Cathay silver fir was thought to be as extinct as the dinosaurs who ate it. In 1938, Professor Yang Hsien-chin from Fudan University was doing fieldwork on the remote Golden Buddha Mountain in southeastern China when he discovered an unknown conifer. He took herbarium specimens from his mysterious find back to his lab for further study. Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors (not the least of which was the outbreak of a global war), his herbarium voucher sat uninvestigated. In 1949, the newly installed Chinese Communist Party created the Institute of Botany and folded Professor Yang’s specimen into a national herbarium collection. Here his herbarium vouchers languished in further obscurity as an unidentified tree. In the summer of 1955, in another remote forest near the Golden Buddha Mountain, several Chinese botanists discovered conifers they did not recognize. They sent specimens of these plants to the Institute of Botany. Using …

Tours for Adults Tours for Adults Image Free with general admission. Image Garden Highlights Tour January – March Weekends: 1:00 pm March – December Weekdays: 10:30 am • Weekends:  1:00 pm Last weekday tour will be 12/1 Our knowledgeable guides will design a tour around the interests of the attendees. Every tour is different so come back as many times as you’d like.  Learn More Image Winter Wellness Walks November – March Weekends: 10:30 am Experience winter beauty at Morris Arboretum & Gardens while getting your steps in!  Sponsored in part by Independence Blue Cross. Learn More … Tours for Adults …

Private Estate 1887-1932 Private Estate 1887-1932 Image Collections: Private Estate Era, 1887–1932 Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania Records Morris Arboretum was originally the private estate of John Thompson Morris (1847-1915) and his sister Lydia Thompson Morris (1849-1932). John and Lydia established the estate in 1887 with the purchase of 67 acres in Chestnut Hill, which they named Compton. Their Gothic Revival style mansion and carriage house, designed by Theophilus P. Chandler, Jr., were constructed the following year. In subsequent years, they built a large greenhouse complex near the banks of the Wissahickon River, including a Fernery, Palm House, potting shed and hotbeds. Over the next quarter century, John and Lydia Morris purchased several contiguous properties and enhanced the grounds with classic European and Japanese gardens, picturesque garden follies, fountains, ponds and pergolas. Between 1881 and 1910, the Morrises went on eight extended trips overseas and attended seven international expositions. On their travels, they purchased antiquities and objet d’art to furnish the mansion and donate to Philadelphia institutions. In addition to creating beautiful pleasure gardens for their own enjoyment, John and Lydia amassed an extensive collection of tree and shrub families and genera from around the world, with the goal of establishing botanical gardens “conducted on scientific principles.” Their goal was realized after John’s death when Lydia bequeathed Compton and Bloomfield to the University of Pennsylvania. Biographical Sketches John T. Morris biographical sketch Lydia T. Morris biographical sketch Yonehachi Muto, Landscape Architect: Hill & Water Garden, Overlook Garden   “From the Archives” Articles about the Private Estate Era Each month, the Morris Arboretum Volunteer Newsletter features a column, “From the Archives,” about people and events of the Private Estate Era. The column is authored by archives volunteer, Joyce Munro. …

Exuberant Blooms Exuberant Blooms Image Image Exuberant Blooms , our annual modern take on Victorian flower carpets, gets even HOTTER this summer with eight beds of bigger, bolder, brighter, and more beautiful flowers! Spread over more than a quarter acre of open garden, the large paisley-shaped floral “islands” contain more than 10,000 plants with heights ranging from 8 inches to 8 feet. Hot colors dominate this year’s exhibition with a wide variety of annual and tropical plants of vibrant orange, pink, red, and purple flowers all vying for attention. And while there will be new and interesting foliage for visitors to admire (and hummingbirds and birds to enjoy!), we are also bringing back many of your plant favorites from last year. See what plants are growing in Exuberant Blooms  → Exuberant Blooms is sponsored by The Powder Mill Foundation and Ball Horticultural Company.   Image Image Image Image Image Image 1 / PREV NEXT … Exuberant Blooms …