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Botanic Garden of Smith College, The

United States of America - Massachusetts - Northampton
Institution Code: SCHN
International Agenda Registration: N
BGCI Member: Y
Lyman Conservatory with perennial border in the foreground and the campus arboretum. Botanic Garden of Smith College, Northampton, MA
Lyman Conservatory with perennial border in the foreground and the campus arboretum. Botanic Garden of Smith College, Northampton, MA
About the Botanic Garden of Smith College, The
The Smith College campus was originally planned and planted over one hundred years ago as a botanic garden and arboretum, designed by the landscape architecture firm of Frederick Law Olmsted. Today, the Botanic Garden encompasses the 125 acre college campus. The Lyman Plant House features a changing Exhibition Gallery and the Lyman Conservatory consists of 12,000 square feet under glass, housing tropical collections and two special shows annually: the Spring Bulb Show in March and the Fall Chrysanthemum Show in November. The campus arboretum and specialty gardens on campus contain over of 7000 labeled and mapped plants. Adjacent to the Lyman Conservatory are the Rock Garden, one of the oldest in America, and the Systematics Garden. Other gardens include a Japanese Tea House and Garden, Woodland and Wildflower Garden, and Herb Garden. Audio tours are available as well as guided tours for school groups.

Main Address:
Botanic Garden of Smith College, The
16 College Lane
Northampton
Massachusetts 01063 United States of America
Telephone: (413) 585-2742
Fax: (413) 585-2744
URL: www.smith.edu/garden
Primary Email: garden@smith.edu

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Michael Marcotrigiano, Professor of Biology & Botanic Garden Director
    Curator's Name: Elaine Chittenden, Manager of Living Collections
    Plant Records Officer's Name:
  • Total Staff:
    Horticultural Staff Number: 8
    Educational Staff Number: 2
    Research Staff Number:
    Administration Staff Number: 5

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: Private: Y
    Status: State: N
    Status: Educational: Y
    Status: Municipal: N
    Status: Satellite: N
    Status: Trust: N
  • Date founded: 1895
  • Physical Data
  • Natural Vegetation Area: N
  • Landscaped Area: Y
    Landscaped Area: Size: 50 Hectares
  • Total Area: 50 Hectares
    Latitude: 42.3165694
    Longitude: -72.6401580
    Annual Rainfall: 1092 mm
    Altitude: 61.00 Metres
    Total area of glasshouses: 1115 Metres

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: Y
    Herbarium: Number of Specimens: 60000
    Arboretum: Y
    Arboretum Size: 50
  • Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: Y
    Seed Bank: N
    Published Plant Catalogue: Y
    Computer Plant Record System: Y
  • Open to public: Y
    Friends society: Y
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Y
    Retail Outlet: Plant Sales: N
    Disabled access: Y
  • Number of Visitors: 60000
    Number of Volunteers: 35

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 10000
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 6500
  • Special Collections:-1200 types of woody trees and shrubs
    -2200 types of hardy herbaceous plants
    -3200 types of tender herbaceous and woody plants in the Lyman Conservatory
    -6600 different kinds of plants, with altogether approximately 10,000 total on campus
  • Invasive Species Monitoring: Y
    Invasive Species Policy: Y
    Plant Collection Policy: Y

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Y
    Medicinal Plant Programme: N
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: Y
    Reintroduction Programme: N

Research Programmes

  • Plant Breeding: Y
    Conservation - Biology: Y
    Invasive Species Biology and Control: Y

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Y
    Education Signs in Garden: Y
    Public Lectures/Talks: Y
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Y
    Guided Tours: Y
    Permanent Public Displays: Y
    Special Exhibitions: Y
    Courses for School Children: N
    Courses for University/College Students: Y
    Courses for General Public: N
    Education Programme: Y