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News

Locally published Articles

  • But Wye? The Wye Oak's Legacy on Campus

    Nestled in the Eastern Shore town of Wye Mills, Maryland is the memorial and resting place of “Maryland’s oldest citizen,” a 460-year-old White Oak (Quercus alba) famously known as the Wye Oak. The history of this remarkable tree lives on here in College Park as well. Beyond the approximate 16,850 woody specimens we care for on campus, our arboretum inventory holds 16 county champions, 40 dedicated trees, and various USDA Germplasm species brought back from national and global expeditions.  We are always welcoming of significant plant material to expand our diverse teaching collection and this year we are grateful to receive 10 seedlings of the famed Wye Oak from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. 

  • Get to Know Our Staff

    Since 2008, The University of Maryland campus has been recognized as an Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This process created the Enhancement Team at UMD. Its mission is to create, improve, and maintain the landscape management of perennial plants and annual flowers in the most visible places and essential areas of the University. Luis Alfonzo was the first horticulturist to lead the Enhancement Team, and continues to guide its operation.

  • UMD Arboretum Reports 5,927 Volunteer Hours in 2022

    Each semester, many hundreds of UMD students and community members volunteer their time to support the UMD Arboretum by performing weeding, mulching, planting, and litter cleanup. In 2022, the Arboretum recorded 5,927 volunteer hours at a record value of $178,861*.

  • FM Completes the Transition to Electric Leaf Blowers

    Facilities Management’s (FM) Landscape Maintenance team has accomplished the long-awaited switch from gasoline-powered to electric leaf blowers. Completing a transition that began in 2018, FM eliminated the last of the gasoline-powered equipment at the start of this year. Outside contractors are also required to use electric blowers when working on the UMD campus.

  • Magnolias in our Midst

    Our campus has many different types and species of magnolias in bloom each spring. If you have magnolias at home, our friends at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has a good article on their care and use. 

  • Bees Without Borders

    Along a busy stretch of Adelphi Road just south of the University of Maryland sits an unremarkable field, its dormant scrub offering little trace of the six-month, nectar-fueled rager it hosted last year. But by June, the sea of muted brown will again give way to a riot of black-eyed Susans, golden Alexanders and crimson beardtongues—a floral feast for the eyes, and for the bellies of bees, butterflies and other frequent fliers roaming the region.

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