It’s not often enough that you find yourself completely consumed by nature. Every now and again it’s nice to just emerge yourself into nature. That’s exactly what happens at the Adkins Arboretum, located on the Eastern Shore, every single day.

Since 1980, the Adkins Arboretum has offered its 400-acre native gardens to the public. The Arboretum promotes the conservation and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay region’s native landscapes. As a model for land management and ecological restoration, the Arboretum fosters community engagement and inspires the adoption of land stewardship practices for a healthier and more beautiful world.
An arboretum, in its simplest definition, is a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes. The Adkins Arboretum has a beautiful and thorough display of native trees, plants, grasses, and shrubs.
The highlight of an Arboretum visit is to walk its 4 miles of paths through native woodlands and meadows.  The Arboretum is open daily from 10 am – 4 pm, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Guided walks are offered on Saturdays at 11 am from April through November.
If you plan on hiking, be sure to pick up a map at the Visitors Center before wandering off into the woods.  Mapped are points of interest throughout the ecological labyrinth of sorts. An audio tour with 35 mini-lessons is available free with admission. Ecologists, biologists, teachers, gardeners, Eastern Shore natives, and Arboretum volunteers tell you about 35 individual tour stops containing lessons about native plants and the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay region. Tour stop signs are bright green with white numbers. The walking tour may be done at any pace.
The trails lead you through forests and meadows that proudly promote native plant species that have so uniquely adapted to the climate conditions of the Delmarva Peninsula. These plants are drought tolerant, insect and disease resistant, provide food for local wildlife, and preserve the natural landscape.
The Adkins Arboretum also uses native plants in restoration projects to help to protect the health of Chesapeake Bay. This practice also enables property owners who live within the Critical Area of the Bay and its tributaries to meet state and county regulations. The Native Plant Nursery on the Adkins site raises and grows hundreds of plant species.
The Native Plant nursery is open throughout the growing season. Plants may be ordered online for pick-up at the nursery. The nursery is open for plant shopping Monday – Friday from 10 am – 4 pm.  A great selection of wildflowers (more than 80 species), trees, shrubs, grasses, and ferns are for sale.
Native plants display many ornamental features throughout the year. Beautiful colors and textures of leaves, barks, and berries make natives highly desirable in the landscape. Listed below is a small selection of stock available at the Arboretum’s Native Plant Nursery:
Trees: 
  • Oak
  • Tulip Poplar
  • Pine
  • Magnolia
  • Sassafras
  • River Birch
  • Bald Cypress
  • Dogwood
  • Azalea
  • Hydrangea
  • Summersweet
  • Holly
  • Blueberry
  • Arrowwood
Perennials, Grasses, and Ferns:
  • Aster
  • Goldenrod
  • Joe-pye weed
  • Hibiscus
  • Butterfly weed
  • Lobelia
  • Switch grass
  • Little blue stem
  • Christmas fern
  • Cinnamon fern
Programs in ecology, horticulture, natural history, arts, and crafts are offered year-round and are suited for all ages. Children’s camps are offered during the Spring/Summer season, too.
Campers will investigate traditional uses of native plants in the Arboretum’s wetland, forest, and meadows. Campers will have opportunities to float cattail boats, build forts, sip sumac tea, and model leafy fashion creations. They’ll also discover how wildlife depends on native plants for food and shelter. These popular day camps foster an appreciation for and love of the natural world through hands-on, experimental learning.
A local boy scout created the Arboretum’s nature play space, the Paw Paw Playground recently. In contrast to traditional playgrounds, nature play spaces are made almost entirely of natural materials and are designed to encourage creative outdoor play. The Paw Paw Playground includes two wigwam huts, a ring of tree-stump stools, and a snake-shaped wooden balance beam.
Other must see items while visiting the Arboretum include the goat herd, the pollinator garden, the children’s garden, and the Tuckahoe Creek.
Guests are reminded that this is important that the plants remain undisturbed; dogs remain leashed, and to marked paths are followed.
Admission to the Arboretum are $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 6 – 18, and free for children under the age of 5. Adkins Arboretum is located in Ridgely, Maryland. For more information, please visit the Arboretum’s website.
All photos by Ami Reist.