Affiliates

Connecticut College Arboretum

270 Mohegan Avenue
New London CT 06320
860-439-5020
www.conncoll.edu/the-arboretum

The Arboretum, established in 1931, is a signature feature of Connecticut College. Today it encompasses 750 acres, including the landscaped grounds of the College campus as well as the surrounding plant collections, natural areas and managed landscapes. The Arboretum offers visitors a chance to explore a diverse collection of native plants and natural habitats or simply wander and enjoy the beauty of this precious natural resource. The Arboretum is open to the public, free of charge, every day of the year from sunrise to sunset.

The Arboretum has three major plant collections: the Native Plant Collection, 30 acres of woody plants and wildflowers indigenous to eastern North America; the Campus Landscape, with 120 acres of trees and shrubs from around the world; and the three-acre Caroline Black Garden, with a diversity of woody plants, many quite mature, in a garden setting. Professional curatorial techniques, such as mapping, inventories, plant labeling and computer databases, are used to keep track of the thousands of specimens now part of the Arboretum plant collections.

Taking a self-guided tour is an excellent way for first-time visitors to experience many interesting features in the Native Plant Collection. Brochures are available in a small box on the notice board inside the entrance on Williams Street or online. Approximately 2,500 trees, shrubs and vines native to eastern North America and hardy in southeastern Connecticut are labeled with scientific names and accession numbers. The various species take turns displaying their beauty throughout the seasons: shadbush and willows in April; dogwood and azaleas in May; mountain laurel and magnolias in June; giant rhododendron, sourwood and sweet pepperbush in July; Franklin tree in September; brilliant autumn foliage in October; evergreens and conifers year-round. Spring blooming wildflowers and late summer blooming perennials add color and pollinator habitat across the landscape.

Several hundred acres of the Arboretum are dedicated as Natural Areas. They include diverse habitats such as red maple swamps, bogs, restored meadows, oak-hickory forests, abandoned farmlands reverting to woods, a wooded island in the Thames River, and a salt marsh. These lands are kept as free as possible from human disturbance and are information about gardening with native plants, and digital versions of our bulletins. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see what’s in bloom.

Public program annual highlights:

• Free guided tours of the Native Plant Collection: the first Sunday of each month, May through October, at 10 a.m.
• Music in the Meadow on the grassy lawn of the outdoor theater in June
• Native Plant Sale in September
• SALT (Smaller American Lawns Today) Conference in November
• Landscape, Ecology & Culture Symposium in partnership with Landscape Designer, Larry Weaner, in January
• Free programs for elementary school children led by Connecticut College students
• Garden club members of the Arboretum ($50) are entitled to one free private tour per year specifically available for observational research, teaching and connecting with the natural world.

The Arboretum is an integral part of the New London community, offering an extensive array of walking trails for education and passive recreation, programs for local schoolchildren, as well as public tours, workshops and conferences with a focus on ecological landscaping. In addition to education and research missions, the Arboretum provides stewardship of College lands and leadership on conservation issues locally and statewide.

Come visit in person and online, check out the many tours and programs conducted throughout the year and learn more about what the Arboretum has to offer! Our website has interactive trail maps, detailed