2013 UIRA Arboretum Tour

The University of Idaho Retirees Association hosted a free walking tour of the Arboretum & Botanical Garden with university horticulturist Paul Warnick during peak lilac blooming season.

Warnick has been working with the Arboretum & Botanical Garden for 13 years. He and his crew maintain the 63-acre valley year-round.

Did you know ...

• The Arboretum & Botanical Garden was established in 1980. The university started planting trees in 1982. Often referred to as the "new" arboretum, the garden was established after the Charles Houston Shattuck Arboretum. In 1909, the campus was essentially treeless before Shattuck initiated planting on the slope west of the Administration Building.
• The south side of the Arboretum & Botanical Garden is 10 degrees cooler than the north side. Warnick said the south portion can freeze in August.
• The John and Winifred Dixon Butterfly Garden, located near the south end of the new arboretum, was established using funds garnered from the sale of golf balls. The balls were found in the arboretum from the nearby university golf course. John and Winifred sold the balls at the Moscow Farmers Market for 25 cents each.


• The Alberta Spruces in the new arboretum are all the same species of tree, even though they differ drastically in size. Some are more dwarfed than others. These trees aren't pruned either, they grow that way naturally.





• The Contorted Douglas Fir in the new arboretum is a species patented by a local Moscow resident. The tree is one of the largest Contorted Douglas Firs on earth.

Learn more about the Arboretum & Botanical Garden online.