Visitor Stories

I didn’t step foot in the Arboretum for the first year I lived in Jamaica Plain. Then one late spring day, in the midst of a pretty heavy mental funk, I decided to go for a walk. I’ve been back nearly every day since for the past 4 years. The Arboretum has offered more than I could possibly put into just a short blurb. People think of many different things when they think Boston, but to me, the first thing I see are the winding pathways through the trees that have truly became my home.

After many years of living near the Arboretum and walking there many times a week, I moved to Sherborn. Friends assured me I would find lovely walking trails in Sherborn. They didn’t understand how much the Arboretum means to me. My interactions with your staff, other visitors, the exhibits, and the lectures are irreplaceable. The Arnold Arboretum for me is a community of people who revere nature, plants, and our planet. It is a place of solace, learning, and wonder. What the remarkable Ned Friedman has brought to the Arboretum cannot be too highly praised. His enthusiasm and passion is visible throughout the Arboretum. Although I visit infrequently now, these Director’s Lectures give me the opportunity once again to be inspired and succored by the spirit of my beloved Arnold Arboretum. Many thanks to all of you who work hard to bring these lectures to Arboretum lovers near and far.

We moved to Roslindale in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Our family of four was packed into a two-bedroom in the South End during the lockdown; our new home by the Mendem gate of the Arboretum gave us space to breathe, both literally and figuratively. When we moved, our eldest daughter began outdoor preschool in the Arboretum. Her younger sister has since joined. Rain or shine, all year round, they explore the park, learning in and with the stunning nature around them. Some of my most cherished memories are from our ritualized walks to school, by scooter, stroller and sometimes even by sled. Our takeaway: you don’t have to wait for perfect conditions to enjoy your world. The paths throughout the park are a constant in my life; I have run them weekly, I waddled them when I became pregnant with our third child, and slowly walked them while my newborn son slept in a carrier on my chest. The Arboretum has proven to be a respite from our busy lives; a place where not only trees, but its visitors flourish and grow.

I got to marry the man of my dreams surrounded by nature without breaking the bank. I look forward to visiting that spot and walking the grounds every year to mark the passing of time and to look back on that special moment we got to share in a place that is so public yet so intimate.

I used to live on Fairview, close to the Mendum street gates and have walked the arboretum for the past 25 plus years. During the pandemic when I went remote, I got up every morning, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter and walked for at least an hour. I never walked in the Arb(I’m a Rozzident of 16 years lol) in the Winter/cold weather nor did I do a sunrise walk, because I was always commuting to Harvard Sq. I love the nature, sounds, trees, birds, little animals that come and go through the seasons. The Arb gave me peace when the world was literally crazy, politically, environmentally and health-wise. I see all the early morning regulars and we greet each other and have a little chat. I loved seeing the ponds getting cleaned and hearing the frogs and turtles squawking again. I’d love to take an official tour sometime, just to hear the history and the plans for the years ahead.

My children were five, two and less than one when I first visited the Arboretum in 1969. We I fell in love with it. My small boys discovered a tree whose branches touched the earth, creating a leafy bower big enough for them to hide in. One year we happened upon the sand pear on Bussey Hill in full bloom. We all agreed it was our favorite and tried to catch it in its glory every April. I am now an Arboretum docent and love every inch of it, but the sand pear still holds its special place.

As a young child I lived a few blocks from the Arboretum in Roslindale. My father would take me and my siblings to the Arboretum frequently. That’s when my lifelong love story with the Arboretum started. I remember watching fireworks from the hill. They gave out Hoodsie cups back then! Now I return whenever I can, especially in May to see the lilacs. The Arboretum will always be one of my most special places.

The Arboretum was my only garden when we first moved to the Boston area in the early 1980’s. Hubby took me to my first Lilac Sunday in 1983 and I became a member. I have been to lectures and classes and, of course, many Lilac Sundays. Even though I have moved away, I still keep my membership and try to get there whenever I get back for a visit. Keep up the good work.

We are very grateful to live close to the Arboretum and to be able to visit it so often. We feel as if it belongs to us (as it does to everyone). It has a special place of belonging that is hard to explain. We are very proud of the work you do and hope you will continue to lead in protecting our biodiversity in the challenging times ahead.

I have been visiting and the Arnold Arboretum since I arrived in Boston/Cambridge in 1958 to attend college. It has been a place of refuge and learning. I have especially cherished the plant sales and giveaways, and many of the favorite items in my garden come from Arboretum seedlings. As a long-time bonsai enthusiast I have always been drawn to the amazing Larz Anderson Bonsai collection at the Arboretum. I noticed that over the years the collection had languished and become somewhat static, so back in 2015 I made a dramatic contribution of ten of the finest bonsai from my own private collection along with some heirloom pots and a sizable collection of bonsai books and publications plus substantial donations ($5000 per tree) for the curation and maintenance of the collection. Some of these trees had been exhibited in the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition, the Topsfield Fair and other venues. One had been featured on the cover of the Journal of the American Bonsai Society. I hope that in the future the collections will help the Arboretum to become a center of bonsai learning and appreciation.