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Morris Arboretum & Gardens

A ‘reawakening’ of interest in nature
Bill Cullina stands on bridge surrounded by ferns

Bill Cullina, director of the Morris Arboretum, poses inside the Arboretum's Victorian fernery in March 2022. 

A ‘reawakening’ of interest in nature

In a Q&A with Penn Today, Morris Arboretum Director Bill Cullina discusses lessons taken from the pandemic, adapting to climate change, and future research. 
Progress toward a more sustainable University
Shoemaker Green.

Progress toward a more sustainable University

Two years into the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0, Penn is tracking significant steps toward its goals.

Katherine Unger Baillie

‘Ten Thousand Birds’ merges nature with classical music
Man with cello outside with child dancing

Alarm Will Sound will perform at the Morris Arboretum in September. (Image: Alan Pierson)

‘Ten Thousand Birds’ merges nature with classical music

Penn Live Arts kicks off its fall season with the local premiere of “Ten Thousand Birds” given by modern chamber music ensemble Alarm Will Sound in an outdoor performance at Morris Arboretum’s Bloomberg Farm

Kristina García

A fountain, its steps, and its garden—restored
Step Fountain and surrounding garden flowers

The Step Fountain at the Morris Arboretum, newly restored alongside a series of newly planted garden beds. (Image: Rachel Browne)

A fountain, its steps, and its garden—restored

In a photo essay, see the newly restored Step Fountain and surrounding garden beds at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.
The stories trees tell
cherry blossoms in front of fisher library Penn is the only Ivy League university with a campus that is an accredited arboretum. This recognition underscores a commitment to rigorously care for the University’s thousands of trees, representing hundreds of species.

The stories trees tell

In a photo essay, Penn Today highlights some of campus’s most iconic trees.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Cultivating beauty
Flowering cherry trees

Early in the quarantine, cherry trees, such as these Prunus sargentii, opened their spectacular blooms, with no one around to see but the Arboretum’s essential staff. “It was an especially good year for flowering cherries,” says Anthony Aiello, the Gayle E. Maloney Director of Horticulture and Curator of the Morris Arboretum, “a collection that we have worked on developing for the last 10 years, so it was disappointing that there was no one there to enjoy them.” (Image: Anthony Aiello)

Cultivating beauty

Essential horticultural staff at the Morris Arboretum have been tending to the land to ensure that the sweeping property and its plants are ready for visitors when the time is right.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Celebrate the arts, history, and nature from home
Triptych of a still from an art museum showing a contributor to their online content, a spring blossom and a collection of historical objects from the Penn Museum available for exploring virtually online.

Celebrate the arts, history, and nature from home

While Penn’s arts and culture centers remain closed, they are still finding ways to sustain connections through online collections and programs.

From The Power of Penn

Five events to watch for February
The Crossing choir gathered with composer in center Philadelphia choir The Crossing. (Image: Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts)

Five events to watch for February

Happenings on campus and beyond to look for this February, ranging from “Galentine's Day” to the beginning of “#Glassfest.”