Holden Arboretum
Encyclopedia
The Holden Arboretum, in Kirtland, Ohio
, USA
, is one of the largest arboretum
s and botanical garden
s 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 Landmark
s, 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.
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).
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.
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.
Kirtland, Ohio
Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is one of the largest arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
s and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s 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
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Holden has a number of specimens obtained during wilderness collection trips, particularly to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
near the 40th parallel, areas with a similar climate to Northeast Ohio. Holden is home to two National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
s, 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.
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.Major collections
- The Display Garden maintains a landscaped array of LilacLilacSyringa is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family , native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere....
s, ViburnumViburnumViburnum is a genus of about 150–175 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny...
s, bulbs and companion plantings.
- The Lily Pond 20 acres (8 ha) contains over 10,000 bulbs in 108 plantings in early spring, with 260 LilacLilacSyringa is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family , native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere....
plants, followed by the blooming of 267 white-flowering ViburnumViburnumViburnum is a genus of about 150–175 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. Its current classification is based on molecular phylogeny...
s. 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 heathEricaErica ,the heaths or heathers, is a genus of approximately 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names "heath" and "heather" are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance....
s and vernal witch-hazelWitch-hazelWitch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America , and one each in Japan and China...
s in March, through to the fall heatherCallunaCalluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
s and native witch-hazelWitch-hazelWitch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America , and one each in Japan and China...
s in October and November, with over 1,200 rhododendronRhododendronRhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
plants and over 100 mountain laurel plants. This garden is set in a mature oakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, beechBeechBeech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, and mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
forest.
- The Conifer and Magnolia Collections contain over 135 magnoliaMagnoliaMagnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
plantings, and over 470 coniferPinophytaThe conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
plantings that represent pinePinePines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s, spruceSpruceA spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
s, and firFirFirs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
s.
- The Norweb Nutcracker Collection, the second largest collection known, was begun in 1967 as an extension of the already famous nutNut (fruit)A nut is a hard-shelled fruit of some plants having an indehiscent seed. While a wide variety of dried seeds and fruits are called nuts in English, only a certain number of them are considered by biologists to be true nuts...
treeTreeA tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
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
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, Hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
, nut-bearing, and specimen trees (a diverse planting of deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees).
Holden Arboretum police
Maintaining public safety in Holden Arboretum is the responsibility of the Holden Arboretum PolicePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
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.
Natural areas
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and health of these areas.
The goal of natural areas management is to maintain and ultimately increase species diversity
Species diversity
Species diversity is an index that incorporates the number of species in an area and also their relative abundance. It is a more comprehensive value than species richness....
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
Little Mountain (Ohio)
Little Mountain is a hill on the border of Lake and Geauga Counties in Ohio, with an elevation of . It sits along the border of Concord Township, Lake County, Ohio and Chardon Township, Geauga County, Ohio...
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
Gypsy moth
The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae of Eurasian origin. Originally ranging from Europe to Asia, it was introduced to North America in the late 1860s and has been expanding its range ever since...
and deer populations, beech bark disease, and water quality.