The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens (22 acres) are botanical gardens located on the campus of Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. They are open daily without charge.
The gardens contain more than 500 species of woody plants, in 53 families, displayed in three major collections:
Alexandra Botanic Garden - established in 1906 in honor of Alexandra Severance, with today's gardens created in 1920-1921. The garden contains ponds, meadows, a maple swamp, collections of roses, viburnums, heather, etc., in naturalistic landscapes. It also contains the Cameron Garden, a sensory garden, and the Creighton Educational Garden, a small collection of alpine plants and miniature conifers.
H. H. Hunnewell Arboretum - named in honor of benefactor Horatio Hollis Hunnewell. A fine collection of rhododendrons and conifers, with flowering crabapples and cherries, Tilia, hollies, ginkgo, dogwood, birches, Japanese maples, and many other deciduous hardwoods. The arboretum contains notable specimens of Liriodendron tulipifera, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Stewartia pseudocamellia, and a 300-year-old Quercus alba.
Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses - built 1922-1923 and named in honor of their designer, Professor Margaret Clay Ferguson. These 14 small greenhouses include a desert house, tropic house, warm temperate house, hydrophyte (water) house, begonia house, and the Mabel A. Stone Cryptogam House, as well as a propagation house, seasonal display house, two research houses, and two houses for student use. They exhibit over 1,000 plant varieties, including xerophytes from the Americas and Africa, ferns, useful tropical plants, etc. Of particular interest is the 130-year-old Durant camellia given by Wellesley's founder, Henry Fowle Durant.
