Arboretum
The Arboretum is located on the grounds of the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center at 1444 Diamond Springs Rd, Virginia Beach, VA.
The various landscaped areas in the Arboretum are open to the public.
Volunteers work on most Wednesday afternoons year-round to maintain the aesthetic value of these grounds for the public.
Virginia Beach Master Gardener Tree Stewards, under the supervision of Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HRAREC) staff, help to maintain the shrubs and trees in the Utility Line Arboretum, the main arboretum and the ‘old tree lines’ behind HRAREC’s greenhouse area. This encompasses good pruning practices and general clean-up of the areas.
Tree Stewards interact with the public to educate homeowners with limited knowledge of the diverse types of trees and shrubs that can be successfully grown in our area.
The Utility Line Arboretum serves to increase public awareness of the horticultural mantra “Right Plant, Right Place” by presenting
common area trees pruned for more full utility access,
both good and poor selections of trees to site under utility lines and
shows that both objectives - aesthetics and practicality can be achieved on their properties.
Each of these areas serve to enhance the public’s ability to refine their properties and to better value the investment in natural resources available to them in our area.
A new feature has been added to the Arboretums featuring a mound of water wise plants (aka xeriscaping, drought tolerant plants), capable of surviving long, dry, hot periods using features that minimize water loss, maximize water uptake, and need less overall maintenance.