Polly Hill Arboretum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Polly Hill Arboretum |
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Polly's playpen, a fenced-in garden containing some of the arboretum's most beautiful plants
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| Location | West Tisbury, Massachusetts, United States |
| Area | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| Elevation | 21 metres (69 ft) |
| Established | 1998 |
| Founder | Polly Hill |
| Open | Daily, sunrise to sunset. |
| Status | Public |
| Plants | 3,061 |
| Species | 935 |
| Collections | Stewartia, Magnolia |
The Polly Hill Arboretum is a special place on Martha's Vineyard in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. It's like a big outdoor museum for plants! This beautiful area covers 60 acres (about 24 hectares) and is home to many different trees, shrubs, and flowers. It was started in 1958 by a very talented plant expert named Polly Hill.
Discover the Polly Hill Arboretum
The Polly Hill Arboretum is a unique plant collection found on Martha's Vineyard. It has 20 acres (8 hectares) of cultivated gardens. Another 40 acres (16 hectares) are natural woodlands. This amazing place is located at 809 State Road in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, United States.
Polly Hill, a skilled plant grower, began developing the arboretum in 1958. Her hard work made it a special spot for plants. Because of its importance, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This means it's recognized as a historic and valuable site.
A Look Back in Time
The land where the arboretum sits has a long history. In 1687, Henry Luce, an early English settler, bought 400 acres (1.6 square kilometers) from the native people. Later, in 1926, Polly Hill's family bought 40 acres (16 hectares) of this land. At that time, it was used as a sheep farm.
After her father passed away, Polly Hill decided to create an arboretum in 1958. She started growing trees from seeds. Over time, more land was purchased, making the property a total of 60 acres (24 hectares). The arboretum's main office is in a building from the 1670s. Other old buildings on the property include the Far Barn (around 1750) and the Cow Barn.
What You Can See There
The Polly Hill Arboretum is home to many different kinds of plants. You can find North Tisbury azaleas, which are colorful flowering shrubs. There are also witch-hazels and winter hazels, known for their interesting blooms. You might also see beautiful camellias and large magnolias.
The arboretum also features stuartias, which are trees with lovely bark and flowers. You'll find many conifers, like pine trees, and different types of hollies. These include both deciduous (lose leaves in winter) and evergreen (keep leaves all year) varieties.
There's a special dogwood avenue where dogwood trees line a path. You can also see a pleached hornbeam arbor. This is a cool tunnel-like structure made from trees whose branches are woven together. Polly Hill herself introduced many new plant types. These include varieties of Cornus kousa, Ilex, Stewartia, and about forty different Rhododendrons.
