Hartford Pre-Conference Tour
The Eastern Region IPPS annual meeting will be held in Hartford, Connecticut from September 21-24, 2016. Besides featuring dynamic speakers during the educational sessions, a special emphasis has been put on offering tours that are diversified and focused on production, education and propagation. In addition to 2 half day tours that will feature some of Connecticut’s best growing operations, there will be a full day pre-tour on Wednesday, September 21st that promises to feed you passion for plants!
Hop on the Pre-Tour bus bright and early and we will head northeast to Boston, Massachusetts where the Arnold Arboretum is waiting to show off one of the finest collections of plant material anywhere as well as new state-of-the-art facilities for research and propagation. The Arnold’s living collection occupies 281 acres and is supported by Herbaria collections of more than 1.3 million specimens.
Upon arrival, we will be welcomed by Dr. William (Ned) Friedman, Director and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. You will then be able to choose from a number of guided tours or walk the collections on your own. Guided 30-minutes tours will visit the Explorer’s Garden, the Leventritt Shrub & Vine Garden, Dana Greenhouse & Nursery and the Weld Hill Research Greenhouse & Nursery. There will be time to enjoy the Self-guided Centenarian Tree tour and the Bonsai/Penjing Pavilion open house. We will pick up a boxed lunch to enjoy on the half hour ride to our afternoon stop.
Our second stop will be Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Mount Auburn Cemetery is one of the most beautiful and historic landscapes in America. Its impressive collection of over 5,000 trees represents 630 taxa. Thousands of shrubs and herbaceous plants weave through 175 acres of hills, dells, ponds, woodlands and clearings. Plant species from around the world that grow in a northern temperate climate can be seen on the grounds, including individual specimens recorded as Massachusetts state or New England champions of their species. Guided walking tours will be available or you may explore on your own.
Autumn is a magical time of year in New England. You will not want to miss this year’s IPPS Eastern Region Conference in Hartford, Connecticut, September 21-24th. Please come and join us!