In 1997, the Grounds Management Society and Grounds Maintenance Magazine named the College of the Holy Cross as the best maintained university grounds in the United States. Today, the Holy Cross community continues to take pride in its beautiful campus, including its Campus Arboretum.
As visitors and community members roam the campus, trees and shrubs will greet them at most turns. Arboretums offer a research, educational, and decorative space to celebrate diverse trees and shrubs. Holy Cross’ Campus Arboretum stretches across the 174 acre Worcester campus. There are over 115 varieties of trees and shrubs, many of which are commemorative plantings. Explore the Campus Arboretum booklet to review some of the commemorative plants.
Madeline Peplinski ’22 shares her experience living and learning within an arboretum. “I appreciate having an arboretum on campus because I remain amazed by some of the pieces of nature we have. I’ll never forget when the campus Gingko tree covered the ground with its bright yellow leaves. It was like entering a different world for a moment. There are so many different types of trees and spaces on campus it really is a gift. It is important to highlight green spaces so moments like this can continue to happen. So when you unexpectedly come down a staircase on campus and see a piece of nature you’ve never seen before.”