FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Spring Blossoms Herald the Ongoing Renewal of the Barnes Foundation Gardens
MERION, PA, February 9, 2006 - First the magnolias blossom in April, in white, yellow,
and shades of pink. Then the lilacs bloom-in 250 varieties-while the woodland comes
alive with wildflowers. When May brings out a hundred peonies, the gardens of The
Barnes Foundation are once more in full glory, to the delight of visitors from the
Philadelphia region and around the world.
But this year, the first blooms herald more than the coming of spring. They testify
to the Foundation's ongoing effort to renew its 12-acre gardens and Arboretum, which
includes specimen trees originally planted in the 1880s and surrounds the Foundation's
world-renowned art gallery.
According to Jacob Thomas, Director of the Arboretum, the Foundation's
botanical collection is in the fourth year of a major restoration. The results will be
particularly apparent this spring in the terraced perennial garden, which has been cleared
of invasive species and is being replanted in its original formal design. Surrounded by
roses, lilacs, viburnums, and crabapples, the restored perennial garden will bloom with
200 varieties from early spring through fall.
"When the Foundation's gallery is relocated to Philadelphia, the Arboretum will
become the major focus of the campus here in Merion," Dr. Thomas states. "We are
working to ensure that these unique and diverse collections continue to serve as a
teaching resource for our Arboretum School and a joy for our visitors."
Helping to mark the spring garden season is the Foundation's popular plant sale,
an annual fund-raising event for the Arboretum, held this year on April 29 and 30.
Recent capital improvements to the Arboretum include a complete reconstruction
of the greenhouse, finished in 2002. Rebuilt from the foundation up with new
temperature and humidity controls, the greenhouse now houses 250 varieties of plants
and serves as an important facility for the Arboretum School, which was founded in 1940
by Laura Leggett Barnes, the wife of Dr. Albert C. Barnes.
Another focus of the restoration is the Foundation's unusual collection of hardy
ornamental ferns. When it was assembled in the 1930s by Laura Barnes, the fern
collection was one of the finest of its kind in the United States, featuring more than 100
varieties. Given the Pennsylvania climate, says Dr. Thomas, the planting of these ferns
was a bold and successful experiment.
Significant improvements to the Arboretum are also being carried out behind the
scenes, away from visitors' eyes. Fifty years' worth of comprehensive data on the
Arboretum's plants, including bloom and accession records, is now being transferred
from index cards and registers to computerized files, making this invaluable information
available to researchers at other horticultural institutions.
The Arboretum and Gallery of The Barnes Foundation are open to visitors by
prior reservation, Friday through Sunday (from September to June) and Wednesday
through Friday (in July and August). Visitors can take a guided tour of the Arboretum
starting at 11:15 a.m. on every public day. For reservations, the public may visit
www.barnesfoundation.org
or call 610.667.0290, option 5.
The three-year course of study at the Arboretum School is conducted over the
standard academic year, September to May. For information on classes, the public may
call 610.667.0290, ext.2259.
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For further press information:
Claire Whittaker
The Kreisberg Group, Ltd.
130 West 25th Street, Suite 800
New York, NY 10001
212.799.5515
claire@kreisberggroup.com
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Henry Butler
The Barnes Foundation
610.667.0290 x 1073
hbutler@barnesfoundation.org
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The Barnes Foundation
300 North Latch's Lane
Merion, PA 19066-1729
610.667.0290
info@barnesfoundation.org
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