Holden Arboretum
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The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, is one of the largest arboretums and botanical gardens in the United States, with over 3,500 acres (1,376 ha), 600 acres (243 ha) of which are devoted to collections and gardens. Diverse natural areas and ecologically sensitive habitats make up the rest of the holdings. The Arboretum's collection includes 9,400 different kinds of woody plants, representing 79 plant families.
Specializing in the woody plants that can be grown in the climate of Northern Ohio, Holden has a number of specimens obtained during wilderness collection trips, particularly to China and Korea near the 40th parallel, areas with a similar climate to Northeast Ohio. Holden is home to two National Natural History Landmarks, accessed by guided hikes, and is Midwest representative for The Center for Plant Conservation. Special gardens include the Myrtle S. Holden Wildflower Garden, the Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden, and the Arlene and Arthur Holden Jr. Butterfly Garden. The Holden Arboretum also features extensive Crabapple, Lilac, Viburnum and Conifer Collections.
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[edit] History
The Arboretum is named for Albert Fairchild Holden, a mining engineer and executive, who had considered making Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum his beneficiary. However, his sister, Roberta Holden Bole, convinced him that Cleveland deserved its own arboretum. Thus Mr. Holden established an arboretum in memory of his deceased daughter, Elizabeth Davis. When he died in 1913 at age 46, Mr. Holden left a trust agreement in which he provided that funds be designated for an arboretum. After a study of possible sites, Roberta Holden Bole and her husband, Benjamin P. Bole, donated 100 acres (40 ha) in Kirtland Township. In 1931 the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas approved establishment of The Holden Arboretum. In December, 1988, 75 years after Albert Fairchild Holden's original bequest, the Holden Trust began to benefit the Arboretum as he and so many others had envisioned. His permanent endowment, together with the gifts of other contributors and supporters, make possible the development of a truly first-class arboretum.
[edit] Major Collections
- The Display Garden maintains a landscaped array of Lilacs, Viburnums, bulbs and companion plantings.
- The Lily Pond 20 acres (8 ha) contains over 10,000 bulbs in 108 plantings in early spring, with 260 Lilac plants, followed by the blooming of 267 white-flowering Viburnums. Summer offers over 800 perennial plantings.
- The Crabapple Collection contains 280 trees.
- The Hedge Garden, within the Display Garden, showcases 27 hedges ranging in size from 2 to 8 ft (0.5 to 2.5 m) in height. Some are evergreen, some deciduous, and some are barrier plants with thorns.
- The Helen S. Layer Rhododendron Garden contains heaths and vernal witch hazels in March, through to the fall heathers and native witch-hazels in October and November, with over 1,200 rhododendron plants and over 100 mountain laurel plants. This garden is set in a mature oak, beech, and maple forest.
- The Conifer and Magnolia Collections contain over 135 magnolia plantings, and over 470 conifer plantings that represent pines, spruces, and firs.
- The Norweb Nutcracker Collection, the second largest collection known, was begun in 1967 as an extension of the already famous nut tree collection. The Nutcracker Collection numbers 512, and the nut tree collection now exceeds 450 plants.
Other major collections of scientific value but not easily accessible to the casual visitor include Maple, Hawthorn, nut-bearing, and specimen trees (a diverse planting of deciduous trees).
[edit] Holden Arboretum Police
Maintaining public safety in Holden Arboretum is the responsibility of the Holden Arboretum Police Department (HAPD), a department that provides police services to the Holden Arboretum area. The geographic area that Holden has property within comprises two counties, Lake and Geauga, and 5 townships and municipalities. Operating under the auspices of The Holden Arboretum, the HAPD is integral to Holden's mission of providing an environment that allows the important education, research, conservation and collections to thrive .
[edit] Natural Areas
The majority of land at The Holden Arboretum is maintained in a natural state. Even though it gives the appearance of being untouched, crucial management decisions are always being made to maintain the diversity and health of these areas.
The goal of natural areas management is to maintain and ultimately increase species diversity of both flora and fauna. In order to preserve our native habitats, plant community surveys are conducted by Arboretum staff to inventory the composition of the existing flora. Wise management of unique areas such as Bole Woods, Pierson Creek Valley, Stebbins Gulch, and Little Mountain cannot begin until there is an understanding of the plant communities which comprise these areas.
Diseases, pests and human threats have the potential to severely affect our natural areas. In order to reduce their impact these problems need to be monitored and researched. Current critical issues under study include: exploding gypsy moth and deer populations, beech bark disease, and water quality.
