The Virginia State Arboretum stands in the central 172 acres of Blandy Experimental Farm, and surrounds the picturesque Historical Quarters building. Come explore our labelled tree and shrub collections that date back the early 1930’s from all over the world. Wandering through these remarkable plantings makes you feel as if you’re travelling through a foreign forest. Walk through the largest Conifer collection in the Southeast. Experience a 300 hundred tree Gingko grove in the fall season. Stand under our many towering Virginia State Champion trees. Browse America’s largest boxwood library and stroll down a Cedar of Lebanon allee. Bring the dog, the kids, or your favorite walking buddy next time you visit Virginia’s State Arboretum.
Boxwood Garden
Blandy is home to the American Boxwood Society Memorial Garden. This garden serves as a reference library for over 162 cultivars of boxwood, the largest of its kind. It also serves as the back up collection for the U.S. National Arboretum.
Community Forest
Our Community Forest is named for its roots being planted 100% by volunteers! This growing forest is planted with all Virginia native species on an old pasture, and continues to expand every year with help from our community.
Ginkgo Grove
Over 300 gingko trees turn golden yellow in fall for a spectacular show of color. Watch out for the stinky fruit that ripens the same time as the leaves change.
Labelled Collections
All trees are labelled with an embossed tag. Each tag has two numbers, one refers to the group and year that the plant came in, the other is its individual ID #. All our metal tags are made with a vintage Roover embosser.