URI botanical gardens among 50 ‘most stunning’ in online report

THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND'S botanical gardens earned a mention in a listing of the 50 most stunning university  gardens and arboretums in the world by Best Masters Programs. / COURTESY BEST MASTERS PROGRAMS
THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND'S botanical gardens earned a mention in a listing of the 50 most stunning university gardens and arboretums in the world by Best Masters Programs. / COURTESY BEST MASTERS PROGRAMS

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The University of Rhode Island’s botanical gardens are among the most beautiful in the world, according to a list of the 50 most stunning university gardens and arboretums from Best Masters Programs, an online guide to master’s degree programs.
URI ranks No. 45 on the list, and is praised for its “ericaceous garden,” referred to as a “particular treasure.” Ericaceous plants typically have bell-shaped flowers; they include heather, rhododendron and azalea.
“Tucked around a grassy knoll, it is filled with mountain laurel, azaleas and rhododendron plants and outlined with a dwarf conifer display. Another highlight is the white garden that contains only plants that bloom white flowers. In addition to shrubs and perennials, this garden includes white-barked paper birch. The flora surrounds a low circle wall that visitors and students use as a charming learning space,” the website states.
Gardens and arboretums considered for the list were identified using information from the Morton Register of Arboreta, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, the American Horticultural Society and other data sources.
Evaluations were made based on garden size, plant variety and unique attributes that contribute to the garden’s or arboretum’s atmosphere, among other things. Conservation, sustainability and education also were considered.
List highlights include the 10,000-square-foot Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum at University of Michigan, the largest display greenhouse at a U.S. university, and the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens at the University of Tokyo, dating back to 1684. Matthaei ranked No. 5 on the list, and Koishikawa, No. 27.
No. 1 was Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, also the official state arboretum of Pennsylvania. It features an 8-sided glass Doris H. Hamilton Fernery with more than 500 varieties of ferns. The 1899 fernery is the only remaining freestanding Victorian structure of this kind in North America.
Kayla Berkey, of Best Masters Programs, said in a press release that university green space “can be an important factor for people with an interest in environmental studies and for anyone who appreciates using outdoor space for studying and recreation.”
“With increasing societal interest in environmental preservation and sustainability, the hands-on research gardens and arboretums included in this list can be a valuable asset for people planning to study these fields,” Berkey stated.
View the entire list here.

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