A Tradition of Bloom: Lilac Sunday |
For more than a century, the Arnold Arboretum has welcomed visitors from Boston and beyond to Lilac Sunday, our annual celebration of spring and the flowering of our premier collection of lilacs. Join us on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 10) to roam among more than 400 lilacs and many other plants in glorious bloom across our 281-acre landscape. Featured activities from 10:00am to 3:00pm include lilac and landscape tours, family fun and crafts, chalk drawing, equipment displays, and more. Bring a picnic to enjoy in a special spot, allowed on this day only. Street parking along the Arboretum perimeter is extremely limited, so alternatives—including walking, bicycling, ridesharing, or use of public transportation via the Forest Hills MBTA station—are strongly encouraged.
Due to the extraordinary diversity of our lilacs, flowering is staggered over the course of more than a month. For self-guided discovery, explore the collection using our Expeditions mobile guide, which offers maps, stories, and seasonal highlights right on your phone or mobile device (see story below). You can also register for one of several guided lilac tours on the days preceding and following Lilac Sunday. Join our enthusiastic docents on a 45 minute amble up Bussey Hill from the ponds to see the lilacs, relish their scents, and get acquainted with the many species, hybrids, and cultivars we grow. We also invite you to become a member of the Arboretum on Lilac Sunday—brand new members can receive a free lilac, while supplies last. |
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When Trees Testify with Beronda Montgomery |
On Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30pm in the Hunnewell Building, the Arboretum welcomes plant biologist, educator, and author Beronda Montgomery for a conversation rooted in science, history, and living landscapes. In her new book, When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy, Montgomery reveals how eight trees and shrubs bear witness to the Black American experience—serving as markers of survival, resilience, knowledge, and care. Guided by sycamores that once signaled routes to freedom, pecans whose cultivation was advanced by an enslaved African woman, and willows long valued for their medicinal bark, Montgomery invites us to see familiar plants with new understanding. Each species becomes both storyteller and teacher, grounding human history in the ecological world. Join us for this timely and illuminating program that deepens our relationship to plants while honoring the intertwined legacies of botany and cultural history. |
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Expeditions: Your Next Adventure Awaits |
This season, we invite you to experience the Arboretum in an entirely new way. Our redesigned mobile guide, Expeditions, has joined Bloomberg Connects, expanding access to storytelling across our landscape and spectacular living collections. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning to a favorite path, Expeditions transforms your walk into a richly layered journey, offering curated tours, interactive maps, and stories about the plants and people that make the Arboretum so extraordinary. Now available in more than 50 languages, our guide welcomes visitors from around the world and across Boston’s communities to explore in the language they’re most comfortable using. As you move through the Arboretum, look for Expeditions signs highlighting featured stops, seasonal moments, and insights from Arboretum experts. Each visit becomes a self-guided exploration, with new paths to follow and new stories to discover. Get started by downloading the Bloomberg Connects app and searching for the Arnold Arboretum, or simply scan any Expeditions sign you see in our landscape—no download required. |
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Small Trees Make a Big Comeback |
The Arboretum heralds a small but mighty return each spring: our celebrated bonsai collection comes back on view. As WBUR recently reported, these meticulously trained trees—some dating back centuries—have emerged from their carefully managed winter dormancy and are thriving in the Bonsai Pavilion overlooking the Leventritt Garden. Each bonsai tells a story of patience, precision, and remarkably specialized care. After months in cold storage, suspended in a “controlled winter,” the trees are gently reintroduced to light and warmth, pruned, wired, and monitored daily by Arboretum experts. From flowering cherries and lilacs in spring to maples and ginkgoes in fall, the display rotates throughout the season, ensuring something new to delight the senses with each visit. Though miniature in scale, the collection is monumental in artistry and horticultural skill. Read more about their journey back to view in WBUR’s feature—and come see these living sculptures up close, now through autumn.
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