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The Hatfield Township Arboretum is a beautiful place for residents to
visit, an educational site for learners of all ages, and a contribution
to the health of our earth. This 5-acre parcel of space includes more
than 200 trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants. Residential single homes
surround the arboretum on three sides and a retirement community
encloses the fourth. The goal of creating an arboretum was to preserve a
place of public beauty that had minimal impact on both nature and the
people who live in its vicinity.
Funding and Operation
Although
the project was meant to benefit the community and the environment
alike, it still required funding. The Municipal Tree Planting Program, a
component of the Montgomery Country Open Space Initiative, recognized
the environmental benefits and covered ninety percent of the total cost
to purchase and install the plants. Maintenance at the arboretum has
been handled by the Hatfield Township public works crew, outside
contractors, and volunteers under the supervision of the Hatfield Township Shade Tree Commission.
Visit the Arboretum Today!
In
order to please both township residents and wild critters, plantings
within the area were chosen for beauty, interest, seasonal color,
hardiness, and resistance to disease. The Arboretum, winner of the 2001
Suburban Greening Award by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society,
offers visitors a great walking trail meandering past the various
plantings, and there are also resting benches and on-site parking off of
the Princeton Place cul-de-sac. It is open daily from dawn to dusk as a
public park.
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