Unusual and appealing shrubs and trees grace the campus landscape
The Connecticut College campus is managed as one of the Arboretum plant collections and is another wonderful place to observe unusual tree and shrub plantings. The campus landscape collection currently has 420 different types of woody plants represented by 1,336 trees and 2,122 shrubs and 7 vines. Some trees of interest and beauty include the Franklin tree, the Japanese pagoda tree, seven-son flower, Chinese witch hazel and many others.
Established in 1911 as Connecticut College for Women, the College early on began a long-term project of campus beautification through plantings, including the planting of some unusual species. Today the fruit of these early efforts is clearly seen in some of the large specimen trees around campus. This commitment to planting unusual and appealing trees is still with us today, and interesting new specimens are added annually. The grounds supervisor works with the Arboretum staff to maintain the long tradition of colorful and varied plants.
The campus landscape is maintained with minimal use of fertilizers and pesticides.
“Old Fields” are open landscapes dominated by meadow grasses and flowers, periodically interrupted by scattered drifts of trees and shrubs. Commonly occurring after agricultural abandonment, they are one of the signature landscapes of New England, and reflect both the agricultural and ecological heritage of the region. Today old field habitats have become increasingly rare, an unfortunate development, as they are crucial to the survival of many species of insects, mammals and particularly birds.
