What's Happening at The Arboretum

On September 12, 4 PM, The Arboretum at Flagstaff celebrates the life and the 100th birthday of founder, Frances McAllister. 

The gardens and buildings were the residence of Frances, who first came to Flagstaff while she was passing through on the train in the 1930s.  Frances’ love of native plants began as a small child and she pursued her passion for gardening in her new home.  Her experimentations and success in gardening prompted her to want to share her gardens and research with the public. 

Frances also give a lot of time and support to many other organizations in Flagstaff including The Museum of Northern Arizona, Lowell Observatory, and The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra. 

We are all joining together to celebrate Frances.  Please join us!

If you live in Flagstaff or are visiting, you will have seen sunflowers in bloom everywhere! 

Originating from Central America, sunflower varieties now grow across the United States.  Sunflowers have an interesting feature called “heliotropism”, where the heads of sunflowers follow the sun from east to west during the day during early growth. 

 The Arboretum at Flagstaff has sunflower fields in bloom throughout the gardens, and we feature a sunflower maze.  The flowers are mid-growth and should be fully grown in the next few weeks. 

Come on out to make your way through the maze, and enjoy ALL the sunflowers in bloom!

Yesterday we held an impromptu mushroom walk on the Nature Trail for our Facebook friends.  After the good soaking rain that we got on Saturday there was a bountiful flush in the gardens and on the trails.  By today everything is drying out.

If we get another good rain, we will post a last minute invitation on our Facebook page.  Please become a fan or check regularly if you would like to come with us on another jaunt through the woods identifying common species found in northern Arizona.



southwestern caesar's amanita

The finishing touches to the Frances McAllister Garden were applied in late July, and included a waterfall and small pond, native and non-native flowers, intricate stonework laid by Native Plant and Seed, and a memorial plaque.  Board members, staff, and guests celebrated the dedication on Saturday, July 31 with a ribbon cutting ceremony provided by the Chamber of Commerce.

An interesting plant blooming in our Shade Garden is the Yucca filamentosa, common name, Adam’s Needle. 

This plant can be identified by it’s white, threadlike filaments on the edges of the leaves. 

It has long, blue-green leaves, and a flowering stalk that can grow up to 10 feet tall.  The stalk produces creamy-white, bell-shaped flowers that hang downward, which bloom in July and August.  This yucca is very hardy.

The wildflowers are in bloom at The Arboretum at Flagstaff, especially the penstemons!  We celebrated our Penstemon Festival last Saturday, the 10th, and it was perfect timing since Flagstaff has been having monsoon rains. 

On July 17th, Christine Maxa leads the Wildflower Walk in the gardens.  Maxa is the author of Arizona’s Best Wildflower Hikes, and will explain the secrets of Arizona’s high country’s wildflowers in bloom this month, during the hour-long walk. More information about Christine Maxa can be found on her website, www.jamaxpublishers.com. 

Space for the Wildflower Walk is available on a first-come, first served basis, begins at 9:30 AM in the Courtyard Garden, and is limited to twenty participants. Please sign up on arrival. 

The purple Rocky Mountain Penstemon is one of the longest-lived and easily grown penstemons.  You will see many of these flowers in the region as it blooms for a full month this time of year.  Penstemon are native to the Flagstaff region and prefer an elevation of 7,000 feet.  The Rocky Mountain Penstemon, among other penstemons, are great hummingbird attractors.

Beginning next Thursday, July 15, The Arboretum at Flagstaff offers an Ethnobotanical Program in the afternoon.  Visitors can join Maybelle Little, a knowledgable Navajo elder, in the Herb Garden to learn about the Navajo uses of native plants.

The program begins at 4:00 p.m. and lasts through the end of the day at 5:00 p.m.  There is no need to register for this program, and visitors are encouraged to stop by based on their schedule. 

This program receives generous support from The Arizona Ethonobotanical Research Association.

We are expecting the monsoon rains to arrive soon, and with the nice, warm weather we have been having, it is time to plant.  Gardens staff and volunteers are planting throughout the gardens at The Arboretum at Flagstaff. 

On the berms by Willow Wash, new irrigation has been installed, and we are planting Russian Sage and various Penstemons. 

We encourage others to plant at this time of the season as well. 

Our 25th annual Plant Sale and Penstemon Festival takes place on Saturday, July 10th, 9 AM- 5 PM.  A special member’s only preview takes place on Friday, July 9th from 2-6 PM.  This event is free!

At the sale, we feature plants that do well in our environment, and we will have experts on hand if you have questions about your garden.  Come on out to buy plants that are sure to do well in your garden!

The spotted coral root is in bloom at The Arboretum.  This wild orchid is native to our high elevation environment and prefers woodland areas. 

At The Arboretum, it is growing among rocks and pine needles. 

The plant is a saprophyte.  It lacks chlorophyll and therefore gets its energy from dead or decaying organic matter.   

You can recognize it by its red-brown stalk and spotted white flowers.