Morris Arboretum
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The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania (37 ha / 92 acres) is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located at 100 East Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The arboretum is open daily except major holidays; an admission fee is charged.
The arboretum was formerly the estate of John and Lydia Morris, who purchased and landscaped much of the arboretum's current site starting from the 1880s. Morris was interested in growing plants from around the world, including those collected in China by E. H. Wilson around 1900, and many of today's specimens date to Morris' original plantings. The estate became a public arboreum in 1933.
Today the arboretrum contains more than 13,000 labeled plants of over 2,500 types, representing the temperate floras of North America, Asia, and Europe, with a primary focus on Asia. Significant collections include native azaleas, conifers, hollies, magnolia species, maples, roses, and witch hazels. The arboretum has identified 17 trees in its collection as outstanding specimens: Abies cephalonica, Abies holophylla, Acer buergerianum, Aesculus flava, Cedrus libani var. atlantica 'Glauca', Cercidiphyllum japonicum, Fagus engleriana, Fagus sylvatica f. pendula, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Pinus bungeana, Platanus x acerifolia, Quercus alba, Quercus × benderi, Tsuga canadensis f. pendula, Ulmus glabra 'Horizontalis', Ulmus parvifolia, and Zelkova serrata.
The arboretum is set within a fine, mature landscape, primarily designed in the English park style but with Japanese influences. It includes winding paths and streams, a swan pond, formal rose gardens, and large sweeps of azaleas, rhododendrons, and magnolias. Notable aspects of the arboretum are as follows:
- English Park (circa 1912) - mainly planted with species collected in China, with significant collections of maples, witch hazels, dogwoods, cherries, and stuartias.
- Fernery (1899) - an 8-sided glass house said to be the only remaining freestanding Victorian fernery in North America. Morris ordered his original ferns from London expert John Birkenhead. The collection was botanically grouped and labeled; it included 523 fern varieties and 47 Selaginella (club moss) varieties.
- Garden Railway - G scale trains and trolley cars running on 45 mm track (1¾"), and representing railroads throughout history, including freight and passenger models.
- Greenhouse - Closed to the public; little now remains of Morris' original structure.
- Japanese Overlook (1912) - a hybrid of English rock garden with Japanese garden, landscaped with fudo stones, stone lanterns, and Japanese maples, conifers, and smaller acid-loving plants.
- Japanese Hill and Water Garden (1905) - Tsukiyama-niwa style garden with hills, rocks, water, trees, bridges, paths, shrines and lanterns.
- Mercury Temple and Ravine Garden (1913) - classical loggia housing a sculpture of Mercury At Rest, with grotto and a picturesque rock garden within the valley below.
- Rock Wall Garden (1924) - alpine plants on a six-foot-high wall.
- Swan Pond (1905) - a small lake created by digging and damming the East Brook.
