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Secrest Arboretum - Wooster, Ohio

14 years ago

After having regularly browsed this forum for a year, I decided to finally join and post. The conifer forum is certainly a great resource and I have truly appreciated learning from everyone's insights.

A few Sundays back I drove down to Secrest Arboretum in Wooster (I should have spent more time there instead of rushing home to watch the Browns get the crap kicked out of them). I'd never been there, but it was an awesome experience. I highly recommend checking it out if you're ever in the Cleveland area. I don't have a legit camera, so the pictures are of the infamous cell phone variety. The highlights are below, but here is the link to view all of them: http://picasaweb.google.com/stegmeier/SecrestArboretum92709#

Metasequoia Glyptostroboides - Dawn Redwood grove, planted 1953

Pinus strobus 'Pendula'

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Argentea' - A beastly specimen. Imagine this badboy being planted too closely to your house!

Picea glauca 'Albertiana Conica' - Dwarf Alberta Spruce

Everyone's favorite dwarf conifer! I took this picture merely for the size of it. It was probably 15 feet tall. Flying solo, I didn't have anything to include in the picture for scale.

?Picea abies 'Virgata'? - The 'elusive' Rat Tail Spruce? I was amazed at how stately this specimen was. It's rocking an incredibly straight and narrow leader.

Some general scenery:

I'm hoping to head back out there again this autumn and will try to get some shots of the fall foliage, this time with a less budget camera.

-Steg

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Comments (14)

Embothrium
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
What's the tree behind the street sign?
gardener365
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
It's gotta be Abies alba 'Green Spiral'. See the conifer database at the ACS.

A photo I easily recognize.

Dax

Here is a link that might be useful: American Conifer Society
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Sorry I should have posted this link! Secrest Arboretum is in Wooster at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development campus. Here is a link that might be useful: Secrest Arboretum plant sale
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Here is a blog with the most detailed damage assessment i could find. I am not very familiar with Secrest. I did notice they report the Dawn Redwood grove intact and are planning on rebuilding with donations towards that end already coming in. Here is a link that might be useful: blog with some damage detail
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steg
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yes, Dax is right on, as usual. There are a handful of other pics of that, bboy, if you go to the link I provided. None were all that spectacular, so I didn't include it here. It was a pretty impressive tree, though, and one of which I'd like to get another picture.

-Steg
sluice
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Super nice! I like the dawn redwoods and the rat tail thing. Thanks for posting these.
steg
Original Author
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks, sluice. The dawn redwoods were certainly majestic and that rat tail thing really caught my eye, too. I was definitely inspired to check that place out after seeing some of your amazing pictures on here. Wish we had some more unique conifers growing naturally out my way, but Secrest is definitely a gem.

-Steg
salicaceae
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ditto the endorsement. I have been there many times and always find new surprises. Some other interesting plants of note:
Huge! Abiea procera 'Glauca' - and many other firs
80+ y.o. Pseudolarix amabalis
Reproducing populations of Cercidiphyllum japonicum and Magnolia macophylla
Plantations of many larches - incl. L. gmelinii var. principis-rupprechtii and L. occidentalis

I donated a truck load of stuff and met with the director last year...I need to go back.
wadet
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Off topic! :-)
Steg, is that your 944?
gardener365
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If I were to guess I'd say it's Picea glauca 'Fort Ann' - a Bob Fincham introduction says my book, on the net one site says Greg Williams introduced it. The rat tail plant.

Dax
steg
Original Author
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A follow-up, months in the making... Firstly, Wadet, yes, that is my 1983 944. Secondly, I have purchased a legit camera, so look for some more 'steg activity' in the upcoming months!

As many of you heard, and as Dax posted, a pretty beastly tornado hit the OSU agricultural extension campus in Wooster on Thursday, and unfortunately, the hardest hit area was Secrest Arboretum. Thankfully, my buddy Kyle and I swung by for a visit earlier in the month and we snapped up a ton of pictures. The highlights are as follows, with the full collection of higher-res photos on my picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/stegmeier/SecrestArboretumSeptember42010

It's incredibly sad that this happened, but at least we have some recent pictures of Secrest as many will remember it.

Tsuga canadensis 'Sargentii'

Picea abies 'Virgata' - This 'rat tail' spruce is near the main entrance and not the one posted previously.

Larix kaempferi 'Pendula'

Pinus mugo 'Aurea' - Fine color

Abies alba 'Green Spiral'

Larix decidua?

Early fall colors. I was in larch mode that day...

Taxodium disticum 'Secrest' - based on a witches broom found at the arboretum. It's more of a prostrate form and I believe this was grafted on to a standard.

Sciadopitys verticillata 'Starburst'

Pinus densiflora 'Oculis Draconis' - What a gorgeous specimen!

Calocedrus decurrens

Larix kaempferi

Two good looking Serbians (actually, I'm German, so I suppose I should find a Pinus nigra...)

Metasequoia glyptostroboides, perhaps my favorite pic of the day

Great 'blue spruce-esque' color on this one!

A 'Gold Rush'/'Ogon' Dawn Redwood among the giants

A hoss of a Pinus strobus 'Pendula'. 'Fastigata' in the background.

I WASN'T LYING THAT IT IS HUGE!

The original rat tail previously posted.

Thought it was just another Norway spruce until I checked the tag.

Hope this post somewhat redeems myself from being a one hit wonder.
Steg
sprucebud
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you for posting these wonderful photos. That certainly looks like a special place to visit. I actually watched a short video on the Weather Channel about this tornado. Are you aware of the extent of the damage (to any of the plants you have shown here)? Is the picea omorika shown a particular cultivar?
Richard
gardener365
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Well done Steg and I never got a chance to go there. Was trying to plan a trip the beginning of this month. We might have been there on the same day.

As I posted on the trees forum, '20ft/7M trees are no longer there and the Arboretum is pretty much destroyed'

Dax
sluice
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Wow, a great tour! I like the Pinus densiflora 'Oculis Draconis' and the 1918 P. obovata is fantastic.
Sorry to hear about the tornado. Fortunate that you were able to get these photos beforehand.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I am amazed by tree damage in storms. Both a morbid curiosity and honest interest in how they come apart since I am near Tornado Country. Is Secrest open to visitors?

Before and after pictures would be terrbile/interesting.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
13 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Here is a link with a limited amount of information. There was another thread around here someplace....

Here is a link that might be useful: News Link

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