On a bitter cold sunny day recently, I decided to bundle up and go learn more about trees by attending the “Appreciating Trees in Winter: Bark, Buds, and Branching Architecture” walking tour at Polly Hill Arboretum.
Assistant director and curator Emily Ellingson led a group of about 16 attendees through a section of the Arboretum. “Today we’ll be doing more of a tree and shrub observation,” she said. “We’ll identify trees together, and as we’re going along, you can share or ask anything, and we’ll stop and talk.”
Though we often think of visiting arboretums in warm months, Ellingson said that during the winter, we can really see the bones of Polly Hill, and a bit of what is hidden during the summer. She also shared a little background on founder Polly Hill. “Polly started much of what we see here now with seeds. She was a scientist –– she observed, documented, and shared her work. These principles are what caused the great conservationist David Hamilton Smith to fund the establishment of the Arboretum.”
The first trees we stopped to admire were European weeping beeches, which were lovely but apparently a bit under the weather. Standing in front of one of them, Ellingson noted, “It’s infected with the beech leaf disease, like so many beech trees, but we’re treating it.” I was curious to learn more about beech leaf disease, and read on mass.gov, “Beech leaf disease (BLD) is a newly described disease, first identified in Ohio in 2012. The disease causes damage to a tree’s leaves, leading to reduced vigor, and can eventually lead to tree mortality.” Though it’s unfortunate, it’s reassuring to know that Polly Hill staff are invested in these trees, and on top of their care.
We also stopped to chat with a magnolia tree. Ellingson asked us to check out its buds, which looked as though they were wearing fuzzy sweaters. This actually wasn’t too far from the truth, as it turned out. “The furry coating insulates the buds, and keeps them warm throughout the winter,” she said.
There were a number of trees we focused on that I’d never heard of. Being guided by Ellingson, who clearly has a vast knowledge of trees and shrubs, was pretty awe-inspiring, and helpful for a novice like me.
“There are many forms of trees,” she said. “Weeping, ornamental –– take a look at the shape of the branches themselves. Also look at the bark as we move along. There are so many varieties –– smooth, fissured, ridged, peeling.”
A few of the trees that stood out for me included the snakebark maple, whose bark did look eerily similar to snakeskin. The paperbark maple, whose bark looked for all the world like peeling paper, was another showstopper. “A beloved and well-known garden plant, paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is endangered in its native habitat in China,” I read on Polly Hill’s website, and Ellingson said, “There are fewer than 250 of these trees left. It took a lot for this tree to get here.”
The daimyo oak, a tree native to Japan, Korea, and China, has floppy brown leaves that reminded me of well-worn paper bags. We spent some time on this tree. Nearly everyone in the group walked closer to get a better view, and a few of us gently touched the leaves to get a sense of their texture. Not surprisingly, they felt a bit like paper bags.
Though I loved all the trees we visited, the Sargent’s weeping hemlock moved me the most. Viewing it from underneath its canopy was pretty spectacular. It reminded me of a tree one might see in a J.R.R. Tolkien movie. A maze of branches –– thick, big, strong –– curved around one another in a dance. I knelt down to capture some images of those dancing branches, and felt humbled (and a tiny bit in love).
The “Appreciating Trees in Winter” tour covered just a tip of the iceberg in terms of variety and number of species at Polly Hill, and opened my eyes to a mere smidgen of what arborists know. “I love coming here,” Marc Fournier, a fellow attendee and former arborist for Mytoi Japanese Garden on Chappaquiddick, told me. “It’s one of my favorite places on the Island –– a combination of science, nature, and beauty –– and Emily has such a wonderful wealth of knowledge.”
Ellingson’s love for her work shone through during our hourlong tour, as she patiently and happily answered any and all questions we threw her way: “I love the questions people ask. It challenges me. It’s really fun to show people the things we’re excited about here.”
There will be another winter walk coming up on Feb. 15, from 10–11 am, led by Polly Hill’s executive director, Tim Boland. Boland will be discussing witch hazels –– the first shrubs to bloom in spring, providing us with a burst of yellow after the long winter months. For more information, visit Polly Hill’s website, pollyhillarboretum.org.
