Scott Arboretum () is an
arboretum coterminous with the campus of and operated by
Swarthmore College. It is open to the public daily without charge. The arboretum was established and endowed by the Scott family in 1929
in honor of Arthur Hoyt Scott (class of 1895, inventor of the paper towel), "for the purpose of enabling Swarthmore College to acquire, cultivate and propagate the better kinds of living trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants which are hardy in the climate of eastern
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
and which are suitable for planting by the average gardener."
Today the arboretum contains over 4,000 kinds of ornamental plants, labeled with scientific and common names, and grouped in collections for ready comparison. It is "celebrated for its horticultural excellence and display" and "grants Swarthmore’s 1,500 students an academic life immersed in the plant kingdom, although the arboretum welcomes visitors as well."
Each year, the Scott Outdoor Amphitheater plays host to the commencement ceremony of approximately 350 graduating seniors. The amphitheater consists of eight tiers, grassed, and edged in stone. Tulip trees "rise like columns" to create a sylvan take on the Classical Greek Amphitheater.
Each year, the Dean Bond Rose Garden supplies the roses that are cut in full bloom and pinned to each graduation gown.
Select gardens and collections
* Crum Woods – woodland with walking trails.
* Dean Bond Rose Garden – over 650
rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
s of more than 200 types.
* James R. Frorer Holly Collection – over 350 different types of
holly
''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...
.
*
Pinetum –
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...
s,
spruces,
firs, and other
conifers.
See also
*
List of botanical gardens in the United States
*
North American Plant Collections Consortium The Plant Collections Network (PCN) (formerly the North American Plant Collections Consortium) is a group of North American botanical gardens and arboreta that coordinates a continent-wide approach to plant germplasm preservation, and promotes exce ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
The Scott Arboretum
Arboreta in Pennsylvania
Botanical gardens in Pennsylvania
Swarthmore College
Parks in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
1929 establishments in Pennsylvania
{{arboretum-stub