Trees of Elizabeth Park
The trees of the Park are quite a unique collection in themselves. Often, the trees are overlooked because the visitor is focusing on the gardens. Mr. Pond loved trees and had many unique trees and shrubs planted when he lived here.
Many of the trees were planted, some going back over 100 years, but some grew here naturally. Theodore Wirth, the first Park Superintendent, kept many of these trees, and these remain today. During his tenure, Mr. Wirth planted hundreds of new trees as part of his master design. The property has been transformed from a bucolic country estate to a municipal botanic garden, including many fine trees and shrubs.
Tree species include: shagbark hickory, Katsura (a native of Japan), black birch, golden larch, kousa dogwood, and weeping blue spruce. The oldest trees are the oaks. Several of the trees in the Park are State Champions, as designated by the Connecticut Botanical Society, notably the mono maple and the golden larch.
- Click HERE for the Arborscope aerial map and database of Elizabeth Park trees.
The Kim Arboretum at Elizabeth Park
On May 17, 2019, the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle Illinois awarded Elizabeth Park accredited Arboretum status as a Level 1 Arboretum. The Kim Arboretum at Elizabeth Park is named after local Architect Tai Soo Kim, whose generous donation permitted the planting of 70 new trees, adding to the Park’s already significant collection. Read more about Elizabeth Park’s newly earned Arboretum status HERE.