One of the highlights of our summer was when Karen, Magnolia, and I traveled to Martha’s Vineyard in July for me to speak at Polly Hill Arboretum on cultivating a passion for native plants. I didn’t quite know what to expect of the area having never been to Martha’s Vineyard before, but I had heard wonderful stories about this famed island.
And over a four day period we got to explore the arboretum located in West Tisbury and learn more about this magical place. Our gracious host was Tim Boland, executive director of the arboretum who I had met years ago at a Magnolia Society International meeting, and since then we had remained friends.
Executive director Tim Boland with a Magnolia macrophylla (big leaf magnolia) that Polly named ‘Julian Hill’ since her husband Julian loved large white flowers.
He told us much about the wonderful Polly Hill that the arboretum is named after. Sometimes people think they’ve started too late in the gardening world to make an impact. Polly sowed her first seeds for the arboretum when she was 50. Her approach was to try as many seeds as she possibly could of temperate zone flora, and this trial and error process allowed her to learn what could grow in her island zone 7a habitat. She had very little formal training in horticulture save for a few botany classes she took to learn terminology, but her dedication to the craft and her efforts to make connections across the plant world made her a consummate plantswoman. She passed away at the age of 100 in 2007, but her legacy and impact on the world lives on.
One of her philosophies was, “Sharing is the very essence of the plant world.” And, Tim was kind enough to share a copy of Polly Hill: Leaves from a Life by Ralph Graves that featured endearing stories and quotes from Polly. I’ve included a few of those below along with inspiration from our visit. And, should you want to further explore the arboretum vicariously, their plant database is accessible using their IRISBG map or this explorer.
The Far Barn (header image) was one of the most incredible speaking venues I’ve enjoyed. It dated back to the mid-1800’s.
EmbracING the SPIRIT of Place
I was surprised by how agricultural the area surrounding the arboretum was. Even right next door was the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society who is hosting their 162nd fair this year. And, a restaurant down the road was named 7a for the USDA hardiness zone. It was quintessential New England.
The arboretum also imbued this agrarian sense of place. Polly Hill Arboretum had two large open spaces, north field and west field, where grasses and forbs are mown in spring late enough to allow creatures to overwinter in the duff. She commented that the meadows were “the real New England scene.” Even though she loved planting as many trees and shrubs as she could, the meadows were off limits for planting. She joked about anyone ever planting the meadows. “And, if they try to do that after I’m gone, I will haunt them!”
A curved path through the north field beckons exploration.
The path through the West Field leads back to other woody collections.
I loved how they allowed the space around fences to grow up a bit to soften the edges and provide habitat for creatures.
I have long enjoyed fence rows for their potential to be refugia for species, and at Polly Hill Arboretum they artfully allow their fences to get a little wild.
A line of Nyssa sylvatica (beetlebung) punctuates the stone wall behind.
This beautiful fireplace adds to the New England charm.
LEARNING ABOUT THE VINEYARD’S FLORA
I was impressed by Polly Hill Arboretum’s efforts to collect and preserve information. I learned from Tim this practice was original to Polly.
Tim shared with me that the way the arboretum was protected in entirety was thanks to David Smith, a scientist who developed a vaccine for spinal meningitis. With his wealth he wished to protect and conserve natural areas on Martha’s Vineyard. He had already saved the beautiful Moshup Trail on the Aquinnah Cliffs from development and was looking for another location on the vineyard to conserve. David visited the arboretum but wasn’t enthused about supporting a garden. But, then he met with Polly. In their conversation, his interest was piqued when she shared that she had records of every plant and tree planted dating back 39 years to 1957. He didn’t see her as a gardener any more but as a scientist, just like he was. The rest is history.
To me that shows the power of keeping records in gardening. We are so busy, but you never know. Maybe one day someone will come look at your detailed gardening journal and endow your property!
They have expanded their efforts of data collection to create a Flora of Dukes County that contains 1,377 taxa. Tim showed me through their herbarium collection in its climate controlled room and where they dry, press, and catalog their specimens.
Another striking thing about the arboretum was their work to preserve their history. They had every correspondence that Polly had ever sent. Tim quipped that somewhere in the collection was even a letter he wrote to her.
At Polly Hill Arboretum, their education center features places for learning and research on the island flora.
Polly Hill Arboretum is continually working on a flora for Martha's Vineyard. They had this really cool collection of algae.
In the education center, I spied pinned to the wall Karen's design she did for Polly Hill Arboretum wildtype kits.
Polly’s Play pEn
Garden comes from the Old English word geard meaning fence. There has long been this concept of a garden being something separate from the wilds of the world, and sometimes we as gardeners need protected space to grow and enjoy plants.
Polly had a space called Polly’s Play Pen where treasured plants grew that would have long been eaten by deer. Tim took me through this space talking about some of them. One of my favorites was Shortia galacifolia (Oconee bells), a somewhat rare native perennial to the southeast US. It’s has a famed story where Asa Gray looked for it for almost 40 years before a teenager found it and shared it with a botanist.
Inside we also spied Rhododendron nakaharae ‘Mt. Seven Star‘. Tim shared the story of how Polly got this plant. Polly had grown this species before, but she wanted plants collected from the wild as the provenance was important scientifically. One of her neighbors Ann Fielder was going to Taiwan, and she gave her $10 to go find someone at the university who could help them find the plant. A gentleman said the Rhododendron grew on Mt. Seven Star. They couldn’t find it but stopped for a picnic on the mountain. One of the Ann’s grandchildren was playing and fell right into the shrub. The cuttings died, but Polly was later sent seed from the same man who had helped them find the original location on Mt. Seven Star. One lived, and she named it after its finding place. From that plant originated the North Tisbury hybrids. That plant is still protected and growing in Polly’s Play Pen.
Polly's Play Pen is a fortress for plants that Polly tried, and today it still serves to protect many unique species.
Tim admires a large Enkianthus campanulatus (Redvein enkianthus) in Polly's Play Pen. It is a lovely woody with urn-shaped flowers and red fall color.
One of my favorite plants from Polly's Play Pen was Shortia galacifolia (Oconee bells). This encounter was only my second time seeing this wonderful native. It has a famed story of Asa Gray looking for this southeast native for almost 40 years before it's rediscovery.
The famed low-growing Rhododendron nakaharae ‘Mt. Seven Star‘.
WILD COLLECTING
Tim and team continue their mission of searching out unique flora. They have made multiple collecting trips to places like the Ozarks in Arkansas and the panhandle of flora. Tim said that the arboretum’s focus is native plants to the eastern US and southeast Asia. And, they are keeping the spirit of Polly alive with these expeditions of continually searching for plants to try to grow on the vineyard.
One of the shade huts at Polly Hill Arboretum features wild collected plants and species propagated from the arboretum. Note how clean everything is. They also track every plant that comes in and leaves the nursery.
I can't write a post about Polly Hill Arboretum without mentioning Stewartia, one of Tim's favorite genera. Here is a nice upright form of Stewartia malacodendron (silky camellia) from the southeast US. I commented how in Texas they are much shrubbier.
The visitor center at Polly Hill Arboretum features a group of Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas bluestar) collected in the wild in Arkansas.
Polly Hill Arboretum also sells plants that do well on Martha's Vineyard including some from wild collections.
It’s funny. Now that I’ve left, I’ve had conversations with friends about Polly Hill Arboretum, and the word magical continues to be used. I wholeheartedly agree, and I can’t wait to return to see what other lessons can be learned from this enchanting place.