Arlington at 150, part XI Forget any picture you might have of an empty and lifeless stone mausoleum, that’s not what Arlington is like. Arlington National Cemetery is a living memorial, combining tens of thousands of native and exotic plants in a unique blending of landscapes, combined with formal and informal gardens. More than 8,500 native and exotic trees fill the landscape with color; the first and last impression of the visitor is that of beauty and a sense of peace. Take a single species of tree, for instance, the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), of which there are 165 specimens at Arlington. Each tree stands 10 to 30 tall, with pink and purple flowers emerging directly from the bark and branches in early April. 5 wide glossy, heart shaped leaves emerge later in the spring. At first purple, by summer they have turned to green and the pods have begun to grow. Like pea pods, they grow green to reddish during the early months, later turning to black before falling off. In late winter, there is no more striking contrast with a fresh fall of snow. The cemetery also has 24 Chinese redbuds, a strain that is native to central China. These are only two of Arlington’s hundreds of varieties of flowering trees. The Cemetery’s horticulture division recently installed 297 tree labels, identifying many of the cemetery’s noteworthy specimens. 36 of them form a right angle along Farragut and Wilson Drive, each of them a direct descendant of a famous ancestor, and each a memorial to recipients of the Medal of Honor. Ancestors of these tree descendants include the Cottonwood of Delta Colorado, which shaded the peace meetings between settlers and Ute tribes in 1879. The Sweetgum of the Westmoreland, VA home of four generations of the Lee family, including Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee; the only brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. The great Charter Oak of Connecticut, sprouted sometime in the 12th or 13 century. The American Sycamore descended from the witness tree at Gettysburg. There is the Red Maple from Walden Woods, outside of Boston, and the Sycamore Maple, witness to George Washingtons crossing of the Delaware. Others include the Water Oak next to the Brown Chapel African Methodist Church in Selma, where people listened to Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. speak before setting out on the 50 mile march to Montgomery. The George Washington American Holly, grown from seeds gathered at Mount Vernon. The 100 year old Water Oak that Helen Keller climbed as child, and the Overcup Oak, descended from a tree which shaded the birthplace of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. For years, the 624 acre grounds at Arlington have been a living memorial, and some of the most beautiful gardens you’re going to see. In 2013, the cemetery received official accreditation as an arboretum by the Morton Register of Arboreta. A living memorial taking its place on the nation’s most comprehensive list of arboreta and public gardens, and designated the Arlington National Cemetery Memorial Arboretum.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 10:49:06 +0000
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