The Barnes Foundation Arboretum Opens For 2016 Season

THE BARNES ARBORETUM OPENS FOR 2016 SEASON 

New hours, April 30 annual plant sale, and upcoming workshops

Arboretum highlights include 40 state champion trees and a National Hosta Display Garden

Philadelphia PA- The Barnes Foundation announces the opening of the Barnes Arboretum for the 2016 season. Beginning on Saturday, April 30, the arboretum is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 am–4 pm, through September 4, 2016.

To kick off the season, the arboretum hosts its annual plant sale on Saturday, April 30, with a member preview 8:30–10 am and public hours 10 am–2 pm. A wide variety of plants, including Clethra, conifers, Japanese maples, lilacs, magnolias, roses, Stewartia, ferns, peonies, and perennials are available for purchase. Admission to the plant sale is free; all proceeds from sales support the Barnes Arboretum and horticulture program.

“The grounds of the Barnes Arboretum are vast and beautiful with many historic and rare plants to see,” said Thom Collins, Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation. “On Saturdays and Sundays, visitors can explore the arboretum’s 12-acres, picnic or take a tour to learn more about the unique trees and plants that Laura Barnes passionately worked to cultivate. On weekdays, we also have a wide range of programs and classes for horticulture enthusiasts of every age to enjoy.”
This season also marks the launch of a new 42-stop arboretum audio tour, accessible at arbtour.barnesfoundation.org.

In 1922, when Albert and Laura Barnes bought the property, it already housed a collection of specimen trees that its previous owner, Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson, had started assembling in the 1880s. The site became the home of Barnes’s educational foundation, and Wilson stayed on as first director of its arboretum. While Albert concentrated on the art collection, Laura devoted herself to the arboretum. Her legacy lives on in the beauty of the landscape and in the horticulture school that she founded in 1940.

The 12-acre arboretum is astonishingly diverse for its size with about 2,500 taxa of woody and herbaceous plants, many rare. The peony and lilac collections date back to the early 1900s and are important genetic resources for conservation and study. An herbarium started in 1968 by John Fogg, a long-time instructor at the arboretum school and director after Laura, contains more than 10,000 specimens that supplement teaching and research.

The arboretum is accessible by public transportation: SEPTA Regional Rail (Paoli/Thorndale Line to Merion Station) and the #1, #44, and #65 bus routes. 
Admission $5; members free. Guided tours at 1 pm: $10; members $8 (includes post-tour admission). Tickets available onsite. 300 N. Latch’s Lane, Merion, PA 19066.

SPRING PROGRAMS AT THE BARNES ARBORETUM:

Register online at www.barnesfoundation.org/programs or by calling (215)278-7200.

Stressed Out! Using Botanicals as Phytotherapy
Friday, May 6, 1:30–3:30 pm
Instructor: Dr. Anne Bower, ecologist and medical herbal specialist, Philadelphia University
Learn how to make herbal home remedies for stress relief and relaxation, including teas, decoctions, poultices, and aromatherapy with calming herbs like chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, licorice root, and peppermint.
$30; members $27

Everyday Health: Fun and Tasty Herbal Prevention
Friday, May 13, 1:30–3:30 pm
Instructor: Dr. Anne Bower, ecologist and medical herbal specialist, Philadelphia University
Did you know that the powerful anti-inflammatory compounds in garlic, turmeric, pepper, and ginger can help prevent many chronic health conditions? Learn simple recipes for smoothies and teas using these and other essential herbs and plants that are as delicious as they are healthy.
$30; members $27

Ferns and their Allies
Thursday, May 26, 10 am–1 pm
Instructor: Harriet Cramer, garden designer, writer, lecturer
Expand your knowledge of native and notable non-native ferns suitable for our region and learn how to identify, cultivate, and create effective design combinations with ferns at one of the biggest collections of hardy ferns in the country. Workshop is eligible for 2.5 APLD CEUs.
$40; members $36

Make a Pest-Free Home, Naturally
Friday, June 3, 1:30–3:30 pm
Instructor: Dr. Anne Bower, ecologist and medical herbal specialist, Philadelphia University
Learn simple recipes to keep bugs at bay with non-toxic herbal and mineral solutions. Use the power of peppermint, baking powder, vinegar, and orange oil to make your home pest-proof year-round.
$30; members $27

About the Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation (barnesfoundation.org) was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture." The Barnes holds one of the world's finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings, with extensive works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine, and Giorgio de Chirico; works by American masters Charles Demuth, William Glackens, Horace Pippin, and Maurice Prendergast; old master paintings; important examples of African sculpture; Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles; decorative arts and ironwork; and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia. While most collections are grouped by chronology, style, or genre, art at the Barnes is arranged in ensembles structured according to light, line, color, and space—principles that Dr. Barnes called "the universal language of art." The Foundation's programs include First Fridays, young professionals nights, tours, tastings, and family programs, as well as Barnes–de Mazia Education Program courses and workshops. These programs advance the Foundation's mission through progressive, experimental, and interdisciplinary teaching and learning. The Barnes Foundation is open Wednesday–Monday and tickets can be purchased on site, online, or by calling 215.278.7200. Ticket prices and current hours are listed on our website. 

The Barnes Arboretum in Merion contains more than 2,500 varieties of trees and woody plants, many of them rare. Founded in the 1880s by Joseph Lapsley Wilson and expanded under the direction of Laura Leggett Barnes, the living collections include 40 state champion trees, a Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus), a dove tree (Davidia involucrata), a monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana), and a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Other important plant collections include lilacs, peonies, stewartias, ferns, medicinal plants, hostas, and magnolias. The Horticulture Education program has offered a comprehensive three-year certificate course in the botanical sciences, horticulture, garden aesthetics, and design since its establishment in 1940 by Mrs. Barnes. The arboretum also offers horticulture workshops and lectures, and is open to the public Friday–Sunday from May through November. Tickets can be purchased on site, online, or by calling 215.278.7200. Ticket prices and current hours are listed on our website.