Announcements/Stories from The Arboretum

Contact The Arboretum

For questions, please reach out at the following:

Email: arboretum@uky.edu
Phone: +1 (859) 257-6955

Recent Announcements/Stories

  • Kentucky Children’s Garden

     September 22, 2023

    The Kentucky Children's Garden (KCG) has had a great season welcoming children and families from across the Bluegrass. From opening day on April 1 through September 14, 2023, we have welcomed 15,069 guests (not including those under the age of two years). This includes:

    273 school age children and chaperones attending grade level field trips13 Countdown to Kindergarten participants64...

  • The Fingerprints of Leaves

    By Janet James, Arboretum Volunteer  September 22, 2023

    In previous newsletters, I described my ongoing project of photographing various aspects of The Arboretum’s outstanding collection of Kentucky native tree and shrub species. Their colorful autumn leaves are falling at this time of year, as temperatures drop and daylight hours shorten. 

    When each leaf releases its hold on a twig, a “fingerprint” of it remains behind. Botanists refer to...

  • Volunteer Spotlight – Ornamental Horticulture Gardens volunteers

    By Andy Mead, Arboretum Volunteer  September 22, 2023

    The work of a gardener is never done.

    Just listen to Mary Beth McCormac as she plants salvia in the Fragrance Garden, which is this Tuesday’s task for the Arboretum’s Ornamental Gardens volunteer group. [Note: this interview was conducted in May 2023.]

    “We start weeding in late March and we weed all the way through to planting season,” she said. “So, we just started planting. Then...

  • Visitor Center fundraising update

     September 22, 2023

    We are pleased to share an update related to the Dorotha Smith Oatts Visitor Center at The Arboretum. Over the past few months, momentum has been building related to our philanthropic efforts to renovate and expand the Visitor Center. The timing is important, given the increase in the number of visitors and programs offered annually and the need for additional space. The firm of Lord Aeck...

  • Fall Harvest Season: Seed Collections & Partnerships

    By Jess Slade, Native Plants Collection Manager & Curator  September 22, 2023

    Harvest season is upon us!

    This is a time to gather crops and collect seeds from many of our native plant species. Most of our woody plants, including trees like oaks and hickories, bloom in the spring and take the entire growing season to produce mature fruit. In autumn, these fruits begin to ripen and fall from the trees for natural dispersal.

    Collecting seeds from natural areas...

  • Sixth Annual UFI Tree Week

     September 22, 2023

    The Arboretum is proud to be a vital part of the Urban Forest Initiative’s sixth annual celebration of Tree Week, from October 6 to 14, 2023, in communities across Kentucky.

    The Arboretum will offer the following programs during Tree Week:

    Saturday, October 7 – Arbor Day (see previous article)

    Sunday, October 8 – Woody Plant Propagation with Dr. Bob Geneve and Shari Dutton...

  • Arbor Day

     September 22, 2023

    The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, a partnership between the University of Kentucky and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, is gearing up for its 32nd Arbor Day celebration on October 7, 2023. This event, held in conjunction with the UK Urban Forest Initiative's Sixth Annual Tree Week, will feature a plethora of activities, including a plant and seed exchange, free...