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Seasons Magazine www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/seasons-magazine

Seasons Magazine Seasons Magazine Image Seasons Spring/Summer 2025 Read the latest issue of Seasons below, or download the PDF  here .  Past Issues of Seasons Fall/Winter 2024 •  Spring/Summer 2024  •  Fall/Winter 2023 •  Spring/Summer 2023 •  Fall/Winter 2022 • Spring/Summer 2021 •  Fall/Winter 2021 • Spring/Summer 2020 •  Fall /Winter 2020  •  Fall 2019  •  Summer 2019 • Spring/Winter 2019  •   Fall 2018  • Summer 2018  •  Spring/Winter 2018 • Fall 2018   … Seasons Magazine …

Bees, Butterflies & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise www.morrisarboretum.org/pollinator-paradise

Bees, Butterflies & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise Bees, Butterflies & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise Image Image   Calling all pollinators and pollinator lovers! Morris Arboretum & Gardens becomes a paradise for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in its newest exhibition, Bees, Butterflies, & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise , running May 23 through September 30, 2025 . Each month brings together people, plants, and pollinators in meaningful ways: Memorial Day Weekend sees the opening of Garden Railway: World Pollinators , featuring charming miniature trains weaving through a landscape teeming with flowers and buzzing with life. Nearby, the Hummingbird Hut offers a chance to get a close-up view of these tiny, iridescent birds as they flit from bloom to bloom, showcasing their delicate grace. On June 14 – 15, we celebrate the next 100 years of our Rose Garden with a special Rose Garden Celebration Weekend that focuses on the spectacular beauty of these beloved flowers. Beginning June 28, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in two new lush meadows planted especially for this exhibition. Giant pollinator-inspired art adds a creative touch, with artists presenting works that capture the essence and importance of pollinators in our ecosystem. And in July, returning floral display Exuberant Blooms bursts with a riot of colors and fragrances, celebrating the variety and splendor of flowering plants. Throughout the entire season, visitors can enjoy a variety of fun events , from interactive workshops to engaging programs to specialty guided tours, making this exhibition a delightful and eye-opening experience for all ages.   Courses Image Native Bees at Morris Saturday, May 3 • 1 pm Members: $30 • Non-members: $35 The Morris hosts a great variety of native bees and ways to support these important insects. This workshop will be a hybrid of classroom learning about pollination ecology, field ID, and training on photography-based citizen science so that you can …

Membership www.morrisarboretum.org/join-give/membership

Membership Membership Image Memberships Made For You We are thrilled to introduce our revamped Membership Program! Join or Renew Today → The Morris is proud to offer streamlined membership packages that maximize convenience and flexibility at all levels. Choosing to join at the Supporter, Patron, and Benefactor levels also offer expansive benefits along with the pride of supporting the Morris’s mission as philanthropic members. Image Click image to download larger version.   Membership Levels Individual Admits 1 named member with options to purchase up to 4 Youth add-ons (ages 3 – 17): Purchase • Give a Gift of Membership Individual: $75  Individual + 1 Youth: $87     Individual + 2 Youth: $99    Individual + 3 Youth: $111 Individual + 4 Youth: $123 *see additional benefits listed on chart above Friends & Family Admits 2 people with options to purchase up to 4 Youth add-ons (ages 3 – 17): Purchase • Give a Gift of Membership Friends & Family: $125 Friends & Family + 1 Youth: $137 Friends & Family + 2 Youth: $149 Friends & Family + 3 Youth: $161 Friends & Family + 4 Youth: $173 *see additional benefits listed on chart above Supporter Admits 4 people with options to purchase up to 4 Youth add-ons (ages 3 – 17): Purchase • Give a Gift of Membership Supporter: $250 Supporter + 1 Youth: $262 Supporter + 2 Youth: $274 Supporter + 3 Youth: $286 Supporter + 4 Youth: $298 *see additional benefits listed on chart above Patron Admits 6 people with options to purchase up to 4 Youth add-ons (ages 3 – 17): Purchase • Give a Gift of Membership Patron: $750 Patron + 1 Youth: $762 Patron + 2 Youth: 774 Patron + 3 Youth: $786 Patron + 4 Youth: $798 *see additional benefits listed on chart above Benefactor Admits 6 people with options to purchase up to 4 Youth add-ons (ages 3 – 17): Purchase • Give a Gift of Membership Patron: $1,500 Patron + 1 Youth: $1,512 Patron + 2 Youth: 1,524 Patron + 3 Youth: $1,536 Patron + 4 Youth: $1,548 *see additional benefits listed on chart above …

What's in Bloom: April www.morrisarboretum.org/whats-bloom-april

What's in Bloom: April What's in Bloom: April Image April at the Morris Image Virginia bluebell Mertensia virginica Widener Woods These charming native wildflowers are a welcome sign of spring in the garden. Flower buds emerge a bright pink color and turn blue as they bloom, adding brightness to shady areas of the garden. Image Yoshino cherry Prunus x yedoensis Cherry Allée Following some of the early-blooming cherry varieties are the white flowers of Yoshino cherries, marking the peak of cherry blossom season here. These trees are a cross between Prunus speciosa , Oshima cherry, and Prunus pendula f. ascendens , weeping cherry. Learn More Image eastern redbud Cercis canadensis Log Cabin Clusters of pink flower buds cover leafless twigs and branches on this native tree. Redbud flowers are characteristic of the pea family, Fabaceae, with three upturned petals called the wings and banner and a lower cup-like petal known as the keel. In addition to the pink-flowering straight species, there are also several white-flowering varieties, such as Cercis canadensis var. alba and Cercis canadensis ‘Royal White’, on display in the garden. Image Piedmont azalea Rhododendron canescens Native Azalea Collection, across Key Fountain The showy pink flowers of this native shrub display long stamens and emit a strong, pleasant fragrance that wafts through the garden. In their native range of the southeastern United States, Piedmont azaleas can be found in acidic soils and bogs. Image Vilmorin dovetree Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriana   Mercury Loggia Dovetrees get their common name from the white, dangling bracts that resemble doves perched in the canopy. Image white enkianthus Enkianthus perulatus Pennock Garden Clusters of small bell-shaped flowers cover these large shrubs in the spring. Plants in the genus Enkianthus are in the Heath family, Ericaceae, which also includes Rhododendron and Pieris . Image flowering dogwood Cornus florida Seven Arches These popular native trees …

What's in Bloom: March www.morrisarboretum.org/whats-bloom-march

What's in Bloom: March What's in Bloom: March Image March at the Morris Image star magnolia Magnolia stellata Magnolia Slope Star magnolias are aptly named for their many-petaled, star-like flowers that open in early spring. While the straight species has white flowers, there are also pink-blooming cultivars such as M. stellata ‘Rubra’ (red star magnolia) planted on the Magnolia Slope. Image Okame flowering cherry Prunus ‘Okame’ Seven Arches This cultivar is one of the earliest blooming cherry trees we have in our collection, displaying bright pink flowers before leaves emerge. Their five-petaled flowers are characteristic of the rose family, Rosaceae. Learn More Image spike winterhazel Corylopsis spicata Witchhazel Collection Drooping yellow flowers with red anthers hang from the branches of these large shrubs, emitting a pleasant fragrance in the garden. This type of flower arrangement is called a spike because the individual flowers do not have pedicels and are attached directly to the main flowering stalk. Image katsura-tree Cercidiphyllum japonicum Azalea Meadow This champion tree stands out year-round with its sprawling form, heart-shaped leaves, textured bark, and fragrant fall foliage. In early spring, this tree produces inconspicuous red flowers along its branches. Image yulan magnolia Magnolia denudata Azalea Meadow Native to China, yulan magnolia has been in cultivation since the 7th century AD. Large-petaled, cream-colored flowers bloom on leafless branches, marking the transition into spring. Image bodnant viburnum Viburnum x bodnantense Widener Visitor Center A cross between Viburnum farreri and Viburnum grandiflorum , these large shrubs open up densely-clustered pink and white flowers that add fragrance and color to the early spring garden. Cherry Tree Map See the cherry blossoms this season! Cherry blossoms bloom in phases from late March through mid April. Use our Cherry Tree Map to find our whole collection and their bloom times. See Map See what …

For Adults www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/adults

For Adults For Adults Image Image Spring 2025 Courses From our lecture series that focuses on transforming your outdoor space into a thriving ecosystem to creative courses that includes watercolor painting in our gardens, we have a full roster that will flex your green thumb, your creativity, and your mind. Download the Spring 2025 Course Catalog → Behind the Scenes Birding Botany Creative Expressions Culinary Adventures Growing Minds Health & Wellness Horticulture & Design Lectures School of Arboriculture Sustainable Practices Trips Become a Volunteer The Morris could not accomplish all that it does without the help of its volunteers who play an integral role in the organization. Volunteering at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens can be a rewarding and stimulating experience: learn new skills, make new friends, and become a valued member of the extended volunteer staff.  Join Today … For Adults …

Events

The bright green foliage of a maidenhair fern.

Climate-Proofing Plants for a Changing World

Tuesday, April 22 •
12 pm
Virtual
Registration is required
Register Today
A graphic of a hand holding a plant advertising a virtual event titled, "Climate-Proofing Pants for a Changing World."

April 22, 2025 • 12 PM ET • Virtual

Join us for a virtual armchair conversation on groundbreaking advances in breeding plants to thrive in a warming world.

This event features William Cullina, The F. Otto Haas Executive Director at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens, and Dr. Doris Wagner, DiMaura Professor of Biology at Penn Arts & Sciences. Dr. Wagner is also the inaugural director of the Penn Plant Adaptability and Resilience Center (Plant ARC), a new initiative dedicated to sustainable, plant-based solutions for addressing climate change.  They will engage in a captivating discussion about Plant ARC’s pioneering research on cellular precision editing and other innovative approaches to developing climate-resistant plants.

Meet the Panelists 

Headshot of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and hoop earrings.
Introductions by
Alexandra (Lexa) Edsall, GCP’16, GCP’17
Chair, Board of Advisors, Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Since joining the Morris’s Board of Advisors in 2020, Lexa Edsall has been an active member of the Morris’s Master Planning Working Group. Edsall has a deep career in politics and law, serving in the offices of the deputy attorney general and the solicitor general at the US Department of Justice; as an associate at Covington & Burling; as a judicial clerk to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; and as senior adviser to the general counsel at the US Department of the Treasury. Edsall earned her BA and law degree from Harvard University and has a master of city planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

 

A headshot of a man with gray hair smiling outdoors in a suit.
William Cullina
F. Otto Haas Executive Director, Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Prior to joining the Morris, William Cullina was the president and CEO of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens for 8 years. He holds degrees in plant science and psychology and has been working in public horticulture for 30 years. He has extensive experience in commercial nursery production as well as a background in horticultural and forestry research. Cullina is a well-known author and a recognized authority on North American native plants.

 

 

Headshot of a woman with short grey hair, black-framed glassed, and a black shirt standing outdoors in a blooming garden.
Doris Wagner
DiMaura Professor of Biology, Penn Arts & Sciences

Doris Wagner is the inaugural director of the Penn Plant Adaptability and Resilience Center (Plant ARC), a multidisciplinary center housed in the Department of Biology. The Center focuses on enhancing plant development and fortitude in the face of increasingly common extreme and unpredictable weather events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods. Wagner is a leader in the fields of plant biology, chromatin modification, and epigenetics, which involves the reprogramming of cell identity and function. She has received numerous grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and serves as editor-in-chief of Current Opinions in Plant Biology. Wagner holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

People Plants & Penn Discussion Series

Events

The leaves of bright green ferns with a light green dotted-line pattern along the fronds.

Eat the Weeds! Foraging and Cooking with Tama Wong

Saturday, May 10 •
10:30 am
Registration is required.
Register Today
Saturday, May 10 • 10:30 am – 12:30 pm 
Tama Matsuoka Wong, Forager, Meadow Doctor, Lawyer, Author, and Owner of Meadows + More
Members: $50 • Non-members: $55

Late spring is the perfect time to further explore the bounty of forageable, delicious "weeds" in our area.  We will explore different plants both in the field and on our plates!

Join Tama for a morning of exploring the most delectable of these wild plants in the Morris’s meadows. Tama will break down common assumptions about what is ugly, what is useless and what is unwanted by gleaning and making delicious use of unwanted ‘weeds.’ After an introduction, the group will go on a walk and learn how to forage for common spring edibles. You’ll learn the historical background and harvesting tips of some of the most common wild edibles in the Mid-Atlantic region. Then Tama will discuss the cooking and preparation of these edibles, and we will share bountiful tastes of wild edibles and ideas for incorporating them into every meal! 

Tama Matsuoka Wong is a forager, weed eater, meadow doctor, lawyer and mother of three. She is the author of the backyard field guide and cookbook Foraged Flavor (2012) and Into the Weeds (2024). She is the owner of Meadows + More, connecting great food with nature (meadowsandmore.com).