Maxwell Arboretum walking tours continue on Tuesdays through October

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Gardens' informal walking tours of the Earl G. Maxwell Arboretum on UNL's East Campus will continue through October, on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, noon to 1 p.m.

The tours are led by Emily Levine, special projects research horticulturist with the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture and former grounds supervisor for the arboretum. They are free and open to the public.

Tour participants can see an edible landscape as fruit and nut trees yield their harvest, watch the stunning variety of fall color in both woody and herbaceous plants, and learn how to extend their bloom season with fall flowering perennials. Students can supplement their formal horticultural education, faculty and staff can gain more knowledge about their campuses' gardens, homeowners can get ideas for their own yards, and everyone can appreciate the beauty and science of the plants in the arboretum during a leisurely walk.

Dedicated in 1969, the Maxwell Arboretum later became one of the first sites of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. Growing out of experimental plantings by Maxwell, the state extension forester, in the 1940s, the arboretum is the university's premier green space, showcasing collections of individual tree and shrub species, herbaceous gardens, native prairie, a vine arbor and much more.

Participants should meet at the Karl Loerch Gazebo located one block east of the UNL Dairy Store just off 35th and Holdrege streets. Some metered parking is available on the East Campus Loop south of the arboretum. In the event of rain, that week's tour will be canceled.

For more information contact Levine and (402) 472-6274 or elevine2@unl.edu, or visit http://unlgardens.unl.edu for tour updates and information about Maxwell Arboretum.

WRITER: Emily Levine