Polly Hill Arboretum
Encyclopedia
The Polly Hill Arboretum includes 8 ha (20 acres) under cultivation, with an additional 16 ha (40 acres) of native woodland, located on Martha's Vineyard
at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts
, USA
. It has been developed since 1958 by the horticulturist Polly Hill
.
In 1687, Henry Luce, one of the first English settlers on Martha's Vineyard purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land in the island's center from the natives. In 1926, 16 ha (40 acres) of this land, then a sheep farm, were acquired by Hill's family. After her father's death, Hill decided to create an arboretum in 1958, growing the trees from seed. Through purchase of adjacent land, the property was increased to a total of 24 ha (60 acres). The Arboretum’s administrative offices are housed in a building dating from the 1670s. Other historic structures on the property include the Far Barn (circa 1750) with its attached Slaughterhouse
, the Cow Barn (a private residence), and the adjacent "Gym".
The Arboretum now contains North Tisbury azalea
s, witch-hazel
s, winter hazels, camellia
s, magnolia
s, stuartias, conifers, and deciduous and evergreen hollies
, and incorporates a dogwood
avenue
and a pleached hornbeam
arbor
. Polly Hill plant introductions include varieties of Cornus kousa, Ilex, Stewartia, and about forty Rhododendron
s.
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts
West Tisbury, Massachusetts
West Tisbury is a town located on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census. Along with Chilmark and Aquinnah, West Tisbury forms "Up-Island" Martha's Vineyard.- History :...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It has been developed since 1958 by the horticulturist Polly Hill
Polly Hill (horticulturist)
Mary Louise Butcher "Polly" Hill was an American horticulturist best known for testing how well plants could survive in cold climates. She founded the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts....
.
In 1687, Henry Luce, one of the first English settlers on Martha's Vineyard purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) of land in the island's center from the natives. In 1926, 16 ha (40 acres) of this land, then a sheep farm, were acquired by Hill's family. After her father's death, Hill decided to create an arboretum in 1958, growing the trees from seed. Through purchase of adjacent land, the property was increased to a total of 24 ha (60 acres). The Arboretum’s administrative offices are housed in a building dating from the 1670s. Other historic structures on the property include the Far Barn (circa 1750) with its attached Slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
, the Cow Barn (a private residence), and the adjacent "Gym".
The Arboretum now contains North Tisbury azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s, witch-hazel
Witch-hazel
Witch-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, winter hazels, camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s, magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia 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....
s, stuartias, conifers, and deciduous and evergreen hollies
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
, and incorporates a dogwood
Dogwood
The genus Cornus is a group of about 30-60 species of woody plants in the family Cornaceae, commonly known as dogwoods. Most dogwoods are deciduous trees or shrubs, but a few species are nearly herbaceous perennial subshrubs, and a few of the woody species are evergreen...
avenue
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
and a pleached hornbeam
Hornbeam
Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...
arbor
Arbor
Arbor or arbour may refer to:*Arbor , a landscape structure*Arbor or mandrel*Arbor, California*Arbor, a counterweight-carrying device found in theater fly systems...
. Polly Hill plant introductions include varieties of Cornus kousa, Ilex, Stewartia, and about forty Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s.
See also
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- North American Plant Collections ConsortiumNorth American Plant Collections ConsortiumThe North American Plant Collections Consortium is a group of North American botanical gardens and arboreta that aims to improve the continent's living plant collections, and enhance the availability of plant germplasm...