Morris Arboretum Invites Visitors to Experience Spring
After a long winter in Philadelphia, everyone is ready for spring. And Morris Arboretum, with its spacious 92-acre garden intends to show off its collections and more this spring in a safe and beautiful environment.
As visitors enter the Morris Arboretum’s winding drive, spring bursts forth along the Magnolia Slope in a dizzying array of form and color. Magnolia’s small to medium-sized flowering trees are one of the most diverse groups of ornamental trees in our area. Magnolia flowers generally range in color from white to soft pink to deep purple, and recent advances in breeding have resulted in yellow-flowered forms as well. The Arboretum has over 200 plants of 101 types of magnolias and April and early May is the best time to enjoy their beautiful and wonderfully fragrant flowers.
Another glorious harbinger of spring are Japanese flowering cherries which are among the most beloved ornamental flowering trees. The ephemeral nature of ornamental cherries makes them all the more special. Morris Arboretum has approximately 45 different types of cherries with staggered bloom times, so depending on weather conditions, visitors can enjoy three to four weeks of blooming cherries throughout the Arboretum’s garden. Although hard to define, the full bloom is usually based on when 70% of the Yoshino cherry (Prunus × yedoensis) blossoms are open. Two groups in Washington, DC study the weather extensively to predict the blooming period including, The National Park Service, (www.nps.gov) and the National Cherry Blossom Festival (www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org). Philadelphia Yoshino cherries flower about one week to ten days after those in Washington, DC, so in 2021 we can expect bloom time in Philadelphia and the Morris Arboretum to be somewhere around April 9-16. Of course, Morris Arboretum has more than just Yoshino cherries, so there is always more to see.
New this year, visitors will also be treated to 8,000 plus tulips planted for spring, from the Step Fountain to the Rose Garden to the Garden Railway.
Also, this April, Morris Arboretum welcomes artist, Reed Bmore who will install approximately 10 of his wire sculptures throughout the garden. Reed Bmore is a street artist from Baltimore Maryland. As a street artist, Reed Bmore installs wire drawings on traffic lights and electrical lines around America. The idea of these installations is to instill a sense of nostalgia and wonderment to the viewer. At the Morris Arboretum Bmore will suspend his large wire sculptures from trees, high up for visitors to discover. A scavenger hunt will be available online for visitors to find each of the nature- themed wire sculptures. Images of Reed Bmore’s work can be found at reedbmoreart.com.
Spring is a wonderful time to visit the Morris Arboretum! With advance tickets required to control the number of visitors, Morris Arboretum is a safe and beautiful way to experience nature. Garden hours from April-October are 10am-5pm on weekdays and 9am-5pm on weekends.
Morris Arboretum is one of more than 30 Philadelphia gardens in America’s Garden Capital. This 92-acre horticultural display garden features a spectacular collection of mature trees in a beautiful and colorful landscape. The Morris Arboretum, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania’s Division of Business Services, offers educational programs for many audiences ranging from youth to professional and is a leader in botanical and horticultural research. The official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Morris Arboretum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and accredited by the American Association of Museums. For more information, visit: www.morrisarb.org