A series of garden tours featuring UNL’s Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum and other East Campus plantings begins April 7. The tours are held from noon to 1 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.
Emily Levine, special projects research horticulturist with agronomy and horticulture and former grounds supervisor for the arboretum, leads the tours.
“The tours are informal, designed to help us learn to see and to learn what to look for,” said Levine. “We’ll also observe how different plants change through the seasons and share maintenance tips.”
Information is designed for all levels — students can attend to supplement formal horticulture education; faculty and staff can gain more knowledge about campus gardens; and the public can glean ideas for their own yards.
Each tour begins by the Karl Loerch Gazebo, located one block east of the UNL Dairy Store. The tours are free and open to the public. In event of rain, the monthly tour will shift to the second Tuesday.
Throughout summer the tours will examine the woody plants of the arboretum. Herbaceous plants in the Yeutter and Fleming slope gardens will also be explored. Other areas of focus may include the Keim Hall courtyard and the Evasco Demonstration and Teaching Garden.
Originally dedicated in 1969, Maxwell Arboretum later became one of the first sites of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. Growing out of experimental plantings by Maxwell, the state extension forester, in the 1940s, the arboretum is the university’s premier green space, showcasing collections of individual tree and shrub species, herbaceous gardens, native prairie, a vine arbor and much more.
Tour updates and information about Maxwell Arboretum are available at http://unlgardens.unl.edu.
