Nebraska's
Arboretum System
Links Sites Across the State
By Fred
Thomas
World -Herald Correspondent
An article from the Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, NE
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A movement began in the
1970s to create an arboretum in Nebraska - a place where trees and
other plants could be grown and displayed "to enhance the
culture and beauty" of the state.
What resulted was the
founding of an arboretum unlike any in the world.
Rather than bound to a
single place, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum is a remarkable
network of arboretums, parks, historic properties and other public
landscapes located in communities across the state.
Linked together and supported by the arboretum office at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, this unique statewide network makes
the Arboretum accessible and relevant to citizens across Nebraska.
One of the main purposes
of an arboretum is to assemble a collection of plants in order to
evaluate their performance under local growing conditions. The
first concern, of course, is whether the plant can survive.
After that comes matters of maintenance - is the plant easy to grow
or does it take extra work and resources (water, fertilizer,
pesticides, etc.) to maintain in good condition? Finally there
is the matter of aesthetics or the appearance of the plant.
With 44 affiliate sites
located in 30 communities, the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum offers
many opportunities to discover the diversity of trees, shrubs and
other plants that can meet Nebraska's challenging growing
conditions. Several sites within or close to Omaha have
substantial collections of woody plants.
Omaha's Metropolitan
Community College is one of the newest affiliates. The Fort
Omaha campus features many grand specimens of trees, some more than
100 years old. Actual development of an arboretum on campus
began about nine years ago, with new plantings taking place every
year.
The Blair Community
Arboretum encompasses three parks, a schoolyard and the campus of
Dana College. Steyer Park, with more than 100 varieties of
trees and shrubs, is the centerpiece of the community arboretum.
Black Elk Park, located at the west edge of Blair, also has an
outstanding collection of woody plants.
Clemmons Park Arboretum
is located in Fremont. The labeled collection includes more
than 100 species of trees, with special collections of oaks, maples,
crab apples and evergreens. The plantings are arranged along
sidewalks and walking trails throughout the six-acre park.
With a collection of
several hundred species of woody plants, the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln has the most diversity of any site in the statewide
system. It also has the most extensive labeling of specimens.
The plantings are woven into the campus landscape as series of
gardens and collection spaces.
Two other affiliates of
the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum are located in Omaha. Joslyn
Castle has a historic landscape. Swanson Science Park is an
arboretum adjacent to Swanson Elementary School.
There are many good
reasons for visiting an arboretum. One is to see how the wide
variety of trees and other plants perform under Nebraska growing
conditions. Homeowner wanting to try new and different plants
in their landscapes will often find the plants have already been
tested at a local arboretum.
Another is to observe
the size and shape of trees and shrubs as they reach maturity .
Many "cute" little blue spruce trees have been planted
right next to a house or sidewalk without realizing they will grow
to 40 feet or more in height.
Along with these
practical benefits, an arboretum also provides a place to simply
enjoy the outdoors and to appreciate the art of landscape
horticulture. Few people would grow trees or other plants if
they were not attractive and enjoyable to be around. An
arboretum, by bringing together a diverse array of plants, provides
a unique opportunity to be inspired and renewed by the beauty and
wonder of the natural world.
For more information,
call 402-472-2971
or write P.O. Box 830715,
Lincoln, NE 68583-0715
For information on
the Branching Out program call 800-769-TREE.
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