University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Garden

University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Garden This is the official page of the University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Garden Mote, Jr.’s commitment to becoming a green campus.

The University of Maryland, the state’s flagship campus, is located in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The American Association of Public Gardens, by designating the university as an arboretum and botanical garden in 2008, recognized then President C.D. Maryland is also the first university in the state to be honored as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation. The 1,250 acre UMD Arboretum and Botanical Garden is a campus-wide arboretum with 800 landscaped acres and 400 acres of undeveloped urban forest. Our gardens are a beautiful reminder of Maryland’s history and a harbinger of Maryland’s future. The university sees our campus green space as a research and teaching space. Through exemplary practices of environmental stewardship, horticulture and urban forestry, the Arboretum and Botanical Garden will enhance the campus’ aesthetic and promote awareness of conservation and preservation of our natural environment for the enrichment of the university community, the citizens of Maryland and our visitors.

10/02/2026

Consider gardening as a hobby to increase your quality of life!

video shared by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

Join us Saturday, October 3 for some outdoor fun! 🌿
09/29/2026

Join us Saturday, October 3 for some outdoor fun! 🌿

There was a lot of activity around 9:15 am this morning, high up in this Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) near t...
09/24/2026

There was a lot of activity around 9:15 am this morning, high up in this Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) near the Arboretum Outreach Center. The view from the third floor balcony of the Stadium Drive Parking Garage was excellent. I have the feeling that freshly exposed and ripened Southern Magnolia seeds are preferred by squirrels over acorns. They may not provide as much food or store as well as acorns; however, the squirrels seemed to be attracted to them like that I am attracted to a well made carrot cake!

photo, videos and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

Chill Friday garden vibes....
09/24/2026

Chill Friday garden vibes....

Climbing-Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus) is native to the southeastern United States. These plants were installed by Ho...
09/23/2026

Climbing-Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus) is native to the southeastern United States. These plants were installed by Horticulturist Chris Erb's crew on November 4, 2025. They are installed on a trellis screening a trash dumpster enclosure to the east of Pyon Chen Residence Hall. They are extremely late bloomers and seem to take light frosts in stride without harm to them.

https://mtcubacenter.org/plants/climbing-aster/

photos and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

A superbloom or large wave of blooms will be opening this evening and bloom over the next 3 days on this large shrub in ...
09/20/2026

A superbloom or large wave of blooms will be opening this evening and bloom over the next 3 days on this large shrub in front of Tawes Hall. The blooms are only fragrant about 2 hours after sundown and a short time after that. By morning, there is no fragrance. This is an exceedingly rare cultivar of Brugmansia call 'Pat's Pink', named after the person that selected it out of a group of Brugmansia suaveolens seedlings, Padric Stevenson of Auburn, Alabama. Padric gifted us a cutting of this rare plant a number of years ago. If conditions are right, the fragrance can be detected from around 50 yards away, 2 hours after sundown. There is no fragrance lingering at sundown.

This is by far the most fragrant plant that I have ever met. Even a single blossom can overpower a large, closed room with no ventilation. This could be the last superbloom event of the year on our 'Pat's Pink' Brugmansia. This plant has never been available from commercial sources.

photos and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

‘Bari’ Fig (Ficus carica ‘Bari’) is probably the nicest looking of 60 plus fig cultivars in the greenhouse. Most cultiv...
09/20/2026

‘Bari’ Fig (Ficus carica ‘Bari’) is probably the nicest looking of 60 plus fig cultivars in the greenhouse. Most cultivars have at least a few leaves with diseases or other issues showing up in the leaves. ‘Bari’ does not! The leaves have gotten quite large in the greenhouse. 'Bari' was found thriving in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia and is likely more cold hardy than most figs. Hope the fruit will be as good as the leaves look!

photos and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

This is an exciting development that is a step towards getting blight resistant American Chestnut trees, without the gen...
09/16/2026

This is an exciting development that is a step towards getting blight resistant American Chestnut trees, without the genes of the Chinese Chestnut in them, into the hands of the public.

shared by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

Decision marks first time a genetically modified tree designed for forest restoration clears regulatory hurdle.

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3931 Stadium Drive
College Park, MD
20742

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