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Table of Contents

Tours

1. The Botanic Garden of Smith

   The Botanic Garden spans the entire campus, including an arboretum and specialty gardens.

   Stops

   1. Wilson Bulb Bank

      Wilson Bulb Bank is a naturalized planting of daffodils on the hillside next to Wright Hall. This garden was established by Jean Wilson, class of 1924 and professor emeritus of history, in memory of her two sisters, Jessie Wilson '22 and Agnes Wilson '27. This cascade of daffodils signaling the arrival of spring is best viewed in early to mid-April.

   2. Rock Garden

      Rock gardens are designed to evoke the feeling and character of high altitude and tundra environments. Inspired by the alpine garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in England, the Smith College Rock Garden was established in 1897 and renovated in 1937 and 1983. It is one of the oldest rock gardens in the United States. This rock garden, however, is not intended to recreate an alpine scene—it has a shaded area, contains dwarf cultivated selections, and the summer heat and humidity preclude the use of many alpine species. The garden is home to more than 800 different types of alpine, dwarf and woodland plants, making it the most intensively planted area on the Smith campus.

   3. Hardy Xerophyte Garden

      Complementing the indoor cacti and succulent collection is this outdoor garden area established in 2007 on the south side of the Lyman Conservatory. It features cold-hardy xerophytes, plants adapted to dry environments and able to survive here outdoors when properly sited. A deep layer of gravel underlies the planting bed, which provides adequate drainage for these plants, especially important to their survival through the winter. Plants are mostly native to Mexico, western North America, and southwestern United States, with a few from Europe.

   4. Systematics Garden

      Adjacent to the Lyman Conservatory, the Systematics Garden features planting beds that are arranged taxonomically, in groupings of related plant families. A valuable resource for teaching, the garden was originally laid out in 1894 and redesigned in the 1980s and again in 2014 to reflect more modern theories of plant classification.

       

      The current design features angiosperms (flowering plants) and therefore does not show species that evolved earlier, such as the ginkgo, one of which is growing in the midst of the garden, and ferns, which can be seen next to Burton Hall. The signpost represents where the common ancestor of all flowering plants would be, if it still existed. The granite stones lead to major evolutionary groups of flowering plants. The garden displays only a small sample of the quarter million flowering plant species in existence.

   5. Ruth Brown Richardson Perennial Border

      Inside the iron fence along College Lane next to the Systematics Garden is the Perennial Border, which was planted in 1984 in memory of Ruth Brown Richardson, class of 1913. Plantings are designed for purely ornamental purposes. On the outside of the fence is an assortment of bedding annuals supplemented by self-sown red flanders poppies, which create a colorful display along the road. Throughout the growing season there is always something in bloom here.

   6. Church Exhibition Gallery

      A vision for an exhibition gallery was part of the 2003 Lyman Plant House renovation. In keeping with the educational mission of the Botanic Garden, the primary function of the gallery is to serve as a space for education. The gallery features changing exhibitions on a variety of interdisciplinary botanical and horticultural themes.To view current and past exhibits, click here.

   7. Lyman Conservatory

      In 1894, the first greenhouse was constructed at Smith College. Over the next century greenhouses were added, including the magnificent Lord and Burnham Palm House. Today the Lyman Conservatory consists of 12,000 square feet under glass, home to approximately 3,200 herbaceous and woody plants that are not cold hardy in New England. Collections include cacti and succulents, economic crops, fragrant plants, ferns, orchids and other epiphytes, plants with variegated and patterned leaves, and plants from tropical rainforests as well as cool temperate regions. The Lyman Plant House and Conservatory is one of the most popular places on campus to visit on cold winter days. Here, students can take advantage of the numerous resources through biology classes, internships and work study.

       

      Each year the conservatory hosts a spring bulb show and fall chrysanthemum show that draw thousands of visitors. These are annual Botanic Garden traditions that date back to the early 1900s. The fall show begins on the first Saturday in November and runs for two weeks. The spring show begins on the first Saturday in March and runs for two weeks.

   8. Wildflower and Woodland Garden

      Best described as a wooded ravine, this shady area features a mature canopy of native hardwoods and conifers, with understory trees and shrubs, ferns, wildflowers and wetland species. It includes the Edith Branwell Reilly Hand '52 Wildflower Garden and the Alice Orme Smith 1911 Rhododendron Garden. A path with bridges over the stream provides a means through the woodlands. Best seen in early spring.

   9. President's Residence Gardens

      Surrounding the President's Residence are several garden areas. An enclosed herb garden, established in 1978, features borders and four quadrants, incorporating plants of medicinal and culinary value as well as those used for fragrance and dye. Annual and perennial displays include collections of peonies and clematis. The grassy terrace behind the herb garden offers panoramic views of Paradise Pond and Mount Tom. Spring blossoms of the large mountain silverbell, Halesia monticola, hover over the house and gardens. The gardens are at their best in May and June.

   10. Capen Garden

       Capen Garden, named for Bessie Capen, is located in the northeast corner of campus, off Prospect Street. This secret treasure is one of several outdoor gardens on campus. Its dual functions of education and display serve the Botanic Garden's mission well. The garden is used by horticulture students as a living laboratory, and at the same time it is enjoyed by the visiting public. Features include a formal gazebo, rose arbor, rustic pergola, knot garden and the Friends Fountain. Displays of tulips, mountain laurel, lilacs, roses, annuals and perennials, in addition to a variety of trees and shrubs, make the garden a delight in any season. 

        

       Bessie Capen, one of the first women to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was hired in 1876 to teach botany and chemistry at Smith. She later founded the Capen School, adjacent to the Smith Campus. The college acquired the school and property in 1921.

        

   11. Conway Gazebo

       The Gazebo at Capen Garden was dedicated to Jill Ker Conway, the first woman president of Smith College, in honor of her retirement in 1985. The flowerbeds surrounding the gazebo display spring bulbs and summer annuals. Each fall the horticulture class plants tulips as a memorial tribute to Mary Mattison van Schaik, class of 1931, an ardent supporter of the Botanic Garden.

   12. Trudy's Garden

       Trudy's Garden is a small ornamental garden located behind Alumnae House. It was established in honor of Gertrude "Trudy" Ridgeway Stella '37, who served for 20 years as the director of the Alumnae Association. The fence surrounding the garden was designed by the late Elliot Offner, sculptor and professor emeritus. Offner's large bronze sculpture "Bittern Mother and Child," 1992, was placed for permanent viewing in Trudy's Garden.