Why can’t we just use common names for all plants? Wait a minute… We often do use common names for plants here at Hoyt Arboretum! If you are a hiker, gardener, or just a general lover of plants, using common names for most plants is totally fine and appropriate. Really, there is no plant shaming … Read more
…and how to make your own pressed flowers and leaves at home! At Hoyt Arboretum, we make several hundred pressed and dried plant specimens every year to scientifically document and validate our tree collection. Many of the larger botanic gardens and arboreta, as well as most land-grant universities, have dried plant collections to record the … Read more
Late spring is a perfect time to visit Hoyt Arboretum to see many of our glorious dogwoods! The Arboretum has over 70 different species, varieties, or cultivars of dogwoods, with most of them located in the Dogwood Section along the north end and back edge of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. First off, what is a … Read more
Spring has arrived in Portland, when new blooms seem to be appearing daily. Not to be left behind, winged creatures have been quick to follow. Leaving a window propped open while typing the day away in productive bliss may reward the patient with cheery chirps, trills, and melodic whistles — a comfortable springtime soundtrack to … Read more
Hoyt Arboretum is known for trees, not orchids. We don’t have fancy greenhouses to grow tropical epiphytic orchids. Nor do we have deep, complex older-growth forests that might have our native terrestrial orchids, such as calypso orchids (Calypso bulbosa), coralroots (Corallorhiza spp.), or twayblades (Neottia spp.). The grounds of Hoyt Arboretum, however, do have three … Read more