Arnold Arboretum

The Arnold Arboretum is a botanical research institution and free public park affiliated with Harvard University and located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston.

Established in 1872, it is the oldest public arboretum in North America. The landscape was designed by Charles Sprague Sargent and Frederick Law Olmsted and is the second largest "link" in the Emerald Necklace. The Arnold Arboretum's collection of temperate trees, shrubs, and vines has an emphasis on the plants of the eastern North America and eastern Asia, where Arboretum staff and colleagues are sourcing new material on plant collecting expeditions. The Arboretum supports research in its landscape and in its Weld Hill Research Building.

The Arboretum was founded in 1872. It was established through land and financial gifts from Benjamin Bussey and James Arnold, with trustee George Barrell Emerson facilitating its creation. Harvard appointed Charles Sprague Sargent as the first director, who partnered with landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds. A unique agreement with the City of Boston ensured public access through a 1,000-year lease.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Arboretum became a center for botanical research, with Sargent publishing The Silva of North America and launching Garden and Forest. Inspired by his travels to Japan, the Arboretum began decades of plant collection in East Asia, led by botanists like Ernest Henry Wilson.

The Great Depression and World War II paused international collecting, shifting focus to landscape preservation and public education. The mid-20th century brought innovations in plant cultivation, with the 1962 construction of the Dana Greenhouses supporting horticultural research.

Plant exploration resumed in the 1970s, particularly in China, with partnerships like the Sino-American Botanical Expedition. In 2011, the Weld Hill Research Building opened, advancing scientific study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arboretum remained open as a vital public refuge.

In 2022, the Arboretum celebrated its 150th anniversary, reaffirming its mission of research, conservation, and free public access. Today, it continues to serve as a leading institution in botanical science and education.

The Arboretum occupies 281 acres in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale sections of Boston. The Visitor Center is located at the Hunnewell Administration Building at 125 Arborway. The Arboretum contains four notable hills: Bussey Hill, Peters Hill, Hemlock Hill, and Weld Hill. Of these, Peters Hill is the tallest at 240 feet (73 meters).