Can it be true?

I was at REI the other day, and snooped around the book section (gift card burning a hole in my pocket). I got a copy of "Trees of Seattle" 2nd Ed. by Arthur Lee Jacobson. He describes over 1300 kinds of trees that live here, and describes where each can be seen. He makes a statement that "Seattle has more different kinds of trees than any other city". Wow. I knew it was a lot.
Do you think it is true? Any other candidates?

I would think any city that has a major arboretum is a candidate to have as many types of trees as mentioned.

The author may be speaking of trees out in the public and private realms - not associated with a horticultural institution. I have not read his book, so I'm not familiar with the categorization of that statement.

I'd include Boston (Arnold Arboretum), Washington DC (US National Arboretum), Vancouver BC, St. Louis (Missouri Botanical Gardens), and London (Kew Gardens) among various and several candidates.

I could certainly see Vancouver getting the nod. When it comes to arboretums and gardens, they take after their namesake. I would think someplace topical like Miami would be right up there.

Or tropical...

I have to go to the Arnold Arboretum for the first time this year - it is inexcusable that I have never gone!

I've always thought Miami was topical. Lol

Wha, shame on you! I'll be seeing Arnold for the first time this July and can barely contain my enthusiasm. For those who have been there, do you think four hours is enough time to see it? We've also got Mt. Auburn on the agenda. There are of course many other horticultural treasures in Boston, but we'll only be there three days and there's a lot of history to take in as well.

BTW, has anyone visited the H. H. Hunnewell Arboretum at Wellesley College? This from the Wellesley website regarding Mr. Hunnewell: "The arboretum takes its name from Horatio Hollis Hunnewell (1810-1902), a prominent member of the philanthropic Hunnewell family. An avid horticulturist, H. H. Hunnewell popularized and cultivated cold-hardy rhododenrons and donated many to the college. His estate on Lake Waban, dating from 1852, is home to world-famous gardens of his creation, including a pinetum of rare conifers."

Pinetum of rare conifers? Just try to keep me away. :)

Pseudo I spend some much time on my own gardens I can not even get in a round of golf.

I take it you're just down the road a bit from Dunstable? ;) Wha, I realize Boston is probably not the most accessible drive for you, but c'mon man, you can't be more than an hour away. I live in a horticultural desert, so to speak, and I'm always dreaming about having a place next to a major arboretum. But, I suppose one can get bored with just about anything.

Hi Pseudo. I have spent many delightful lunch hours at the Arnold Arboretum. If you only have four hours, then that is what to work with. You can narrow it down to specific zones that interest you or just walk the whole thing if you are energetic, though there is even an annexed section that makes the walk much longer. Or you can get a plant list and look for what has aroused your keenest desire. I seldom miss an opportunity to see the bonsai collection. Much of the conifer collection can be viewed by taking a walk that easily loops around it, which lets you view the conifers from several vistas. Yes to Mt Auburn Cemetary too, but it is not as clearly memorable to me, perhaps because I have not made so many repeat visits.

I'd also love to finagle a view of the Hunnewell Pinetum, so if you learn how to do that, please share. You might be able to find someone with a boat so you could see it from Lake Waban. Or you may know a horticultural society member who volunteers at their greenhouse. As far as I've been able to learn, it is not to be confused with the fine features at Wellesley College with its lovely arboretum that has the Hunnewell name because of the family's generosity to the college's plant collections. I saw on the American Conifer Society website that Wellesley started a conifer specimen garden under supervision of the ACS in 2007. Nor is it the same as Elm Bank also nearby and where Mass horticultural society has restored the Italianate garden and they have a Bressingham Blooms garden as well.

You haven't mentioned Boston Common or the Public Gardens. Still impressive. To me the next level of exploration of Boston meant finding the strands of the Emerald Necklace such as Fenway and Jamaica Pond (near the Arnold Arboretum). Fenway gives way to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. She was not just a flamboyant character and an art collector. She was also an avid horticulturalist who specified the locations of her plants in great detail. This year they have planted hardy camellias in the walled outdoor garden. I am eager to see if the bushes survived the brutal winter.

Hi Rosemary,

Very good information; I appreciate it. I was hoping to simply walk onto the grounds of Hunnewell Pinetum during the visit to Wellesley (Mr. Magoo fashion if you will), but if I read you correctly that might not be possible. I think what I'll do is contact the folks at Wellesley and hopefully get something arranged. The conifer collection at Hunnewell sounds fascinating and I'd hate to make a visit to Boston without seeing it. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

The Arnold is my #1 hort destination on this trip out east. I've told my spouse we should plan on four hours, but you know how easily time can get away during these sort of things. ;) It sounds like you're recommending we spend our limited time at Arnold rather than Mt Auburn. Am I reading that correctly? We'll also be doing the Freedom Trail, which should put us in close proximity to Boston Common & Public Garden.

A short jaunt from Arnold is the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site and Olmsted Park. I'm a fan of Olmsted, but just not sure if this would be time well spent for a landscape layman. We'll have to play this one by ear.

Thanks again for all your help. There's so much to see and do in Boston -- I can't wait!

Pseudo

I wouldn't forsake time at the Arnold to spend more time at Mt Auburn if it's trees your after. Don't get me wrong, Mt. Auburn has great specimens but the Arnold has the lion's share in the area.

If you're there in early July, the Bradley rose garden at the Arnold might be in full bloom. It's a collection of plants that are in the rose family more than a formal rose garden as such.

The old dwarf conifer path is an interesting example of what 100 year old dwarf conifers look like. They're not so dwarf anymore. The list goes on and on........

4 hours is a good section of time to devote to a visit.

I couldn't say it better. Lately I've been intending to go back to look up some more of their acer hybrids near the visitor's center to see the mature trees again. Hard to miss in fall of course. And to appreciate their large ilex opacas near the Bonsai garden, too. The vining plants are a bit newer than most, but by now have had some time now to get established. I believe they are near the roses.

Although the Olmstead estate is nice and there are historic homes Olmstead planted also, and they will have some large trees and shrubs, seeing it helps to appreciate how normal his ideas have become. It's a short hop to get to it if you have time and can navigate the cow paths we call roads.

Another destination is the Harvard Museum of Natural History. I find it amazing to imagine myself back in time and first viewing the glass flower collection in an era when neither photography nor plastics could capture the details of a botanic specimen. There is also an interactive computer program that charts the animal and plant kingdom. I haven't been there lately to see how they are handling all the new genetic research.

It wasn't too long ago that someone ( I won't give a name, but he's a holly good fella) corrected me on the spelling of Olmsted. I too wanted to put an "a" in the last name, which is the more common version, at least in these parts. At the time, I was reading a biography on Olmsted, so I had no excuse for the misspelling.

Yep. speling is a god thing.

Glad we cleered taht up. BTW, I got a prompt response from Wellesley that I was basically SOL regarding a visit to the Hunnewell Pinetum.

That's what you get for living right.

Next time, you'll pull the trigger on the big guns, and your VIP spot will be secured.