What started as a family planting project for Michael Ross and his son, Andrew, turned into a significant contribution to the University of Maryland (UMD) Arboretum. One day, as Ross and his son were walking around the U.S. Capitol, they noticed there were a few redwoods growing on the Capitol grounds. Surprised that sequoia trees could grow in the Mid-Atlantic region, Ross and his son decided to experiment with growing a redwood of their own in their backyard. The two were able to purchase the tree, Sequoia sempervirens, a Coastal Redwood, through the mail in 2020, and upon arrival, Andrew named the tree “Reddy.” Ross and his son began with planting the four-inch sapling in a large pot, but as sequoia trees are known for growing very quickly and very large, they realized that the tree would not fit in their small backyard. Being a professor of history at UMD, Ross recalled the campus’s Arboretum status and contacted the university to see if Reddy could be added to the Arboretum’s collection. Two staff from the Arboretum, Karen Petroff and arborist Scott Rupert gladly accepted the donation, excited to welcome another specimen to the campus. By the time the university received the specimen, the seedling had already grown significantly, at least 30 inches. The tree was planted, with the help of Michael and Andrew Ross, on the Chapel Drill Field. As of now, the tree is very tender but has been fenced off to help it survive in its new environment. This redwood is the UMD Arboretum’s second redwood on campus, the older of which is located in the Peace and Friendship Garden.
As stated before, Reddy the Redwood was not able to stay in the Ross’s backyard due to its reputation for growing very large. Coastal redwoods are long-lived evergreen trees, living up to 2,200 years and reaching heights of 379 feet and widths of 26 feet in diameter at breast height. These trees are native to California and the southwest corner of Oregon, but there are three specimens of the coastal redwood growing at the US Capitol grounds in Washington DC. The redwood’s native region is characterized by wet winters and cool, foggy summers on the coastal plain. As an evergreen tree, coastal redwoods have flat, bright green needles, long and furrowed seed cones, and red-brown bark. The trunk is straight and flared outward at the base. The UMD campus will hopefully become a suitable home for Reddy the Redwood so that Ross and his son, as well as other community members, will be able to watch Reddy grow up.
Written by Amanda Sames, Lead Intern