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Arboretum
Landscaped Grounds
Courtyard Gardens
Back Porch Gardens
Patio Gardens
Special Collections
The Nature Preserve
Visitors
VIEW: Slide Show (Coming Soon!)
Arboretum
The Medford campus features landscaped grounds, courtyard
and patio gardens, wildflower meadows, recreational areas,
and natural woodlands that constitute the Lewis W. Barton
Arboretum. In addition to the 168-acre Medford campus, the
88-acre Lumberton campus is an extension of the arboretum.
The beauty of our settings is just one of the reasons many
residents choose to live here.
The Arboretum is affiliated with the Greater Philadelphia
Gardens, a consortium of outstanding public gardens in the
Delaware Valley. It is maintained by the Horticulture Department
of Medford Leas in consultation with the staff of the Morris
Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1981, the Arboretum is celebrating its
25th anniversary this year!
Links
Morris
Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
Greater
Philadelphia Gardens
Master
Gardeners of Burlington County
Rutgers Univ. Cooperative
Extension
Mount
Holly Garden Club
Pinelands
Garden Club
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Landscaped Grounds
Surrounding the residential and community buildings are extensive
grounds: landscaped areas, recreational facilities and lawns.
Recreational areas include a putting green, chip and putt
course, croquet, shuffleboard, tennis courts and an area called
“the farm” consisting of small plots on which
some residents raise vegetables and fruits.
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CourtYard Gardens
In the central residential area ground-level, garden-style
apartments are grouped around central courtyards planted with
shrubs and small trees, herbaceous perennials and annuals,
both familiar and exotic, selected in part for disease resistance
and drought tolerance. Represented are 29 little known and
under-used woody plants of exceptional merit promoted by the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in their “Gold Medal”
award program. There are 33 courtyard gardens, each unique,
designed by outstanding landscape architects or horticulturists
from the staff of the Morris Arboretum. All courtyards are
connected to the Community Buildings by glass enclosed covered
walkways, and thus are accessible in inclement weather and
by wheel chair.
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Back
Porch Garden
Download
the attached PDF to read a great article about the distinctive
Back Porch Garden at Medford Leas.
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private Patio Gardens
Each courtyard apartment also has a patio or porch around
which the residents develop private gardens. Two greenhouses
are available to residents for propagating seedlings and winter
storage of plants. Adjacent to one of these is the Nature
Center, which contains a Nature Resource Library and meeting
room.
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Special Collections
- The Pinetum — a collection of conifers, many from
regions of Europe and Asia.
- Rhododendron collection
- Additional collections include holly, virburnum, and crabapple.
Link
Wildflower Guide / Medford Leas Residents' Association
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The Nature Preserve
The Nature Preserve offers a contrast between its hardwood
deciduous vegetation and the pine forests and cedar swamps
of the Pinelands National Reserve, just a few miles to the
east. Approximately 55 of the 168 acres of Medford Leas property
remain in natural vegetation. The major part is a flood plain
forest along the Southwest Branch of the Rancocas Creek. The
predominant trees here are red maple, ironwood, sycamore and
tulip tree. Another section is a mature upland forest in which
oak, beech and hickory are dominant, but with small successional
groves of Virginia pine and sweet gum. Mature forest is becoming
more scarce each year as a consequence of relatively uncontrolled
residential and commercial development. Medford Leas accepts
its responsibility to preserve this fragment through environmentally
sound management and to make the Nature Preserve available
for study and enjoyment by residents and also by members of
the wider community.
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Visitors
Individuals or small groups are welcome to visit the Arboretum
at no charge. Please check in at the reception desk in the
Community Building, where maps and brochures for self-guided
walks through the courtyards and along various trails in the
pinetum, the meadow and the woodlands are available. Call
609.654.3000 to make advance arrangements for guided tours.
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