In celebration of Arbor Day, On April 23, 2025, Nathan Anderson, the director of the WSU Arboretum, presented his talk titled “Lessons from Longwood Gardens: Shaping the Future of the Landscape Arboretum at WSU”. This talk was coordinated with the help of Professor and Chair of the Biology Department, Amy Runck.
During this talk Anderson detailed what the Arboretum is doing on campus, what he learned during his sabbatical as a part of a fellowship program at Longwood Gardens, a garden located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and how he plans to integrate what he learned during his fellowship into the Landscape Arboretum to create a more positive public horticulture.
Public horticulture is defined by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture as ‘the design and maintenance of arboreta, public gardens, parks, and athletic facilities’. Public Horticulture is integrated by the Arboretum into the Winona State campus through the various gardens of purpose that are placed around campus, including the Indigenous Learning Garden, the IWC Native Garden and the Lawerence Pond outside the Performing Arts Center.
Anderson discussed how making sure that plants, and especially native species to Minnesota, is at the forefront of the Arboretum’s commitment and work on campus.
“These plants offer valuable ecological benefits, such as improved water management, support for pollinators, and reduced maintenance needs.” Anderson said. “By integrating native species into campus landscapes, we give the University community a chance to experience their benefits firsthand and, hopefully, inspire them to incorporate these plants into their own lives beyond WSU.”
During Anderson’s talk he specified that the Arboretum has over 1,100 trees on campus, with having 52 out of 53 of Minnesota’s native trees.
In addition to this talk, the Arboretum helps to coordinate and provide supplies for the Winona State Arbor Day celebration. During this event, young students from the local area come on campus and interact with the plants that have been integrated in Winona State’s campus. The students are able to have activities in relation to the plants on campus and become more connected to the wildlife around them. Additionally, the Arboretum hosts an annual tree seedling giveaway so that community members and students have the chance to take a piece of Winona State’s Arboretum with them.
The arboretum is hoping to create even more ways that allow the plants on campus to become a part of Winona State traditions and help students, staff, and community members to build meaningful memories and connections as we incorporate the plants into our culture on campus.
For students that want to get more involved and connected to the Arboretum you can volunteer with the Arboretum, and clubs can coordinate to “Adopt-a-Garden” to care for specific gardens on campus or help promote and improve public access for the educational material about the collections on campus through social media with the help of students. If students would like to get involved, contact: [email protected].
