The Arboretum, University of Guelph

What's in bloom this first week of Summer? Canada Anemone, Blue false indigo, Gray dogwood, Yellow foxglove, Pale purple coneflower, European mock-orange, and Purple-flowering raspberry!

1. Anemone canadensis - Canada anemone (Location: Roots and Shoots Garden)
2. Baptisia australis - Blue false indigo (Location: Gosling Wildlife Gardens, English Garden)
3. Cornus racemosa - Gray dogwood (Location: Gosling Wildlife Gardens, World of Trees)
4. Digitalis grandiflora - Yellow foxglove (Location: English Garden)
5. Echinacea pallida - Pale purple coneflower (R.J. Hilton Centre)
6. Philadelphus coronarius - European mock-orange (Gosling Wildlife Gardens)
7. Rubus odoratus - Purple-flowering raspberry (Gosling Wildlife Gardens, Roots and Shoots Garden, R.J. Hilton Centre)

Snap a photo? Tag The Arb!
Note: Please keep to the designated pathways and lawn areas to protect spring's ephemeral blooms. Do not climb the trees, pick or prune plants, or step in plant beds. Thank you!



Photos by Head Gardener, Cael Wishart

Let's meet Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)!

Siberian Elm was introduced to North America in the late 1800s and quickly became popular as a shade tree, shelterbelt species, and even a living hedge. Its rapid growth, drought tolerance, and ability to thrive in poor soils made it a favourite choice across much of the continent.

But fast-growing trees often come with trade-offs.

What starts as a tidy hedge can eventually become a massive tree reaching 15–20 metres tall. Siberian Elm produces huge numbers of wind-blown seeds, spreads aggressively into natural areas, and has brittle wood that is prone to storm damage. Despite its vigorous growth, it is often relatively short-lived compared to many native tree species.

One easy way to identify Siberian Elm is by its small leaves, which have a more symmetrical base than our native elms.



Photos:
1. Siberian Elm (Ulmus pumila)
2. A Siberian Elm branch
3. A Siberian Elm leaf in the palm of a hand

Photos and Text by Alison Morrison, Manager of Horticulture

Looking for a great last-minute Father’s Day or teacher's gift for the nature lover in your life?
Are you a teacher looking for classroom resources for next year?
Shop Arb Merch!

Biodiversity sheets are a great option at only $5 each (including tax)!
Along with many other useful and stylish items, available on our website!

The Arboretum Centre is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM - 4 PM, for in-person orders or pickup. We also offer Canada-wide shipping!

Visit our website for details!
(link in the bio and here: https://uogarboretumshop.ca/)



Photos (each photo has informative text as noted above, image descriptions below):
1. The display cabinet features Arb Water bottles, tree tote, Garden birds and Dragonflies biodiversity booklets, calendar, Feeder birds and Wildflower biodiversity booklets, biodiversity sheets, and hoodies
2. Sparrow and other biodiversity sheets spread out
3. Tree tote, biodiversity booklets, including Feeder birds and Wildflowers
4. An assortment of biodiversity sheets, including birds, fungi, trees, and insects
5. Arb hoodie, Mushrooms, Spiders, and Mammals biodiversity booklets, water bottle, neck gaiters, and bowl (collapsible silicone)
6. Arb lanyard with ruler, hoodie, neck gaiter, and biodiversity sheet

What's in bloom this week? Yarrow, Lance-leaved Tickseed, Bearded Iris, Itoh Peony and Tree Peony, Oriental Poppy, and Woolly Thyme!

1. Achillea x ‘Moonshine’ - Yarrow (Location: English Garden)
2. Coreopsis lanceolata - Lance-leaved Tickseed (Location: R.J. Hilton Centre, Gosling Wildlife Gardens)
3. Iris germanica ‘Clarence' - Bearded Iris (Location: English Garden)
4. Paeonia itoh ‘Bartzella’ - Itoh Peony (Location: English Garden)
5. Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Renkaku’ ' Tree Peony (Location: Japanese Garden)
6. Papaver orientale ‘Royal Wedding’ - Oriental Poppy (Location: English Garden)
7. Thymus pseudolanuginosus - Woolly Thyme (Location: Japanese Garden)

Snap a photo? Tag The Arb!
Note: Please keep to the designated pathways and lawn areas to protect spring's ephemeral blooms. Do not climb the trees, pick or prune plants, or step in plant beds. Thank you!



Photos by Head Gardener, Cael Wishart

June 2026 Newsletter!
Check your inboxes or visit the newsletter link to learn about Indigenous History Month, AccessNow, Oak Catkins, and More!

Link in the bio and here:
https://mailchi.mp/uoguelph/june2026



Photo: Screenshot of the June newsletter banner, with blooms in the background, and the newsletter title. Plant ID text: Cucumber magnolia (Magnolia acuminata) at The Arboretum. Photo by Polly Samland.

Solstice Yoga Fundraiser for the Nature Centre on International Yoga Day!

Join Elaine Kelly on the longest day of the year - the Summer solstice, June 21, 2026, for an invigorating morning practice at 7 AM, or calming evening practice at 7 PM.
Both sessions will be 60 minutes in length. Please bring your own mat, water, and dress for the weather with insects in mind.

Location: OAC Centennial Arboretum Centre, 250 Arboretum Rd., Guelph

Registration is pay-what-you-will with a suggested donation of $20 to the Arboretum Nature Centre renovation project. All proceeds go towards the Nature Centre renovation!

Please register for free on our website, and show proof of donation to the instructor in-person.

Registration and donation links here and in the bio:
https://arboretum.uoguelph.ca/educationandevents/workshops
website: https://bbis.alumni.uoguelph.ca/BBIS_Cannon/give/arboretum.

Elaine Kelly is an alumna who spends her 'winters' in Guelph and the rest of the year in New Zealand. She has been teaching yoga for 16 years and hosts international retreats. These 2 60-minute classes offer an opportunity to practise outdoors as the sun rises and sets on the longest day of the year.
www.elainekellywellness.com



Photo: Event poster with a person doing yoga and informative text.

Let's meet some compound leaves with 3 leaflets from around The Arboretum!

Sometimes we can find patterns in nature, and there is no clear reason why a form is repeated - it just is. We may be familiar with the rhyme "leaves of 3, let it be" to describe poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), but many woody plants have similar leaves. Here is a little photographic taster platter of compound leaves with 3 leaflets from around The Arboretum. Along with the dreaded poison ivy, which you can recognize climbing a century pine in the birch family collection, there are the closely related (benign) fragrant sumac, raspberry (which often grow companionably with poison ivy in the wild), bladdernut and hop-tree (both of which have scientific names referring to 3 leaves), and paperbark maple (not the only maple with compound leaves). I welcome you to explore and encounter more examples - or to discover your own pattern among the plants.



Photos:
1. Poison ivy climbing up a century pine
2. Toxicodendron radicans - poison ivy ground
3. Toxicodendron radicans - poison ivy climbing
4. Rhus aromatica - fragrant sumac leaf
5. Rubus - raspberry leaflets
6. Ptelea trifoliata - common hop-tree leaves
7. Staphylea trifolia - American bladdernut leaf
8. Acer griseum - paperbark maple leaf

Photos and text by Polly Samland, Collections Horticulturist and Plants Records Technologist