机构简介
波利希尔树木园（Polly Hill Arboretum）位于美国马萨诸塞州玛莎葡萄园岛（Martha’s Vineyard）上的West Tisbury镇，地址为809 State Road。园区占地面积60英亩（约24公顷），其中20英亩为人工栽培区，另有40英亩原生林地被保护保留。树木园由著名园艺家波利·希尔（Polly Hill，1907–2007）于1958年创立，1998年正式注册为非营利机构，2015年被列入美国国家史迹名录。园区现收集植物3,158种（含1,580个分类群），是北美植物收藏协会（North American Plant Collections Consortium）认证的第四级别（最高级别）植物机构。
历史沿革
1687年，亨利·卢斯从当地原住民手中购得玛莎葡萄园岛中心400英亩土地。1926年，希尔的家族收购了其中16英亩的牧羊场。1957年其父亲去世后，50岁的波利·希尔决定从零开始用种子培育树木，创建树木园。1958年，她在古老的巴纳德客栈农场（Barnard’s Inn Farm）种下了第一颗种子——一株欧洲山毛榉，至今仍矗立园中，编号58-001。此后通过持续购置相邻土地，园区扩大至60英亩。1997年，保育学家大卫·H·史密斯博士领导推动了园区的永久保护。1998年，树木园正式注册为非营利机构，建造了新的游客中心。波利·希尔于2007年以百岁高龄辞世，留下了享誉国际的植物遗产。2026年，长期执行总监蒂姆·博兰（Tim Boland）将退休，园区正在寻找新任执行总监。
植物收藏
波利希尔树木园的植物收藏主要聚焦于玛莎葡萄园本地植物、大西洋海岸平原植物以及东亚植物。园区拥有北美最大的Stewartia（椴叶桐）收藏，以及著名的”北特鲁罗”杜鹃花（North Tisbury azaleas）系列。园内还种植了山茱萸、冬灌木、山茶、玉兰、冬青，以及多种针叶树。波利·希尔亲手引种推广的植物包括日本花楸（Cornus kousa）、冬青（Ilex）、椴叶桐（Stewartia）以及约四十个杜鹃花品种。园区还种植了原产于阿根廷和智利的智利南洋杉（Araucaria araucana，俗称猴谜树），该物种在其原生区域已濒危。园内历史建筑包括始建于1670年代的主屋（Homestead）——现为行政办公楼、约1750年的法恩谷仓（Far Barn）及其附属建筑。
教育与科普
波利希尔树木园提供丰富的教育项目。青少年教育方面，园区为学校提供基于课程标准的野外考察项目（Curriculum-based Youth Education Field Study Program），让学生在自然环境中学习植物科学。成人教育方面，园区定期邀请顶级园艺专家举办讲座和工作坊。园区还与国内外其他植物园合作，开展珍稀濒危植物的种子采集与保护研究。在本地，园区工作人员采集、绘制地图并繁殖玛莎葡萄园本土植物，与岛上其他土地保护组织合作。园区执行总监蒂姆·博兰指出，园区还致力于帮助公众克服”植物盲区”——即人们对植物多样性缺乏认知的问题，通过教育让人们学会辨识植物、理解其生态与园艺价值。园区志愿者项目也为社区参与提供了机会。
参观信息
波利希尔树木园全年每日开放，开放时间为日出至日落。游客可免费入园参观。园区地址为809 State Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575。如需了解最新活动、课程或园区动态，请访问官方网站或致电508-693-9426咨询。
更多信息请访问：www.pollyhillarboretum.org
About the Garden
The Polly Hill Arboretum is a 60-acre (24 ha) public garden located at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard. Founded in 1958 by horticulturist Polly Hill (1907–2007) and established as a non-profit institution in 1998, the arboretum features 20 acres under cultivation plus 40 acres of conserved native woodland. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, it holds a Level IV accreditation from the North American Plant Collections Consortium, housing 3,158 plants representing 1,580 taxa. The arboretum serves as a vital plant resource center for the island and the wider botanical community.
History
In 1687, Henry Luce purchased 400 acres of land in central Martha’s Vineyard from native inhabitants. In 1926, Polly Hill’s family acquired 16 acres of this land, then a sheep farm. After her father’s death in 1957, the 50-year-old Polly Hill decided to create an arboretum by growing trees from seed. In 1958, she planted her first seed—a European beech (Fagus sylvatica), still standing today as specimen 58-001. Through adjacent land purchases, the property grew to 60 acres. In 1997, conservationist Dr. David H. Smith led the purchase of a conservation restriction on the property. In 1998, the arboretum was incorporated as a non-profit and a new Visitor Center was constructed. Polly Hill lived on the property until her death in 2007 at age 100. In 2026, longtime Executive Director Tim Boland announced his retirement, with a search underway for his successor.
Plant Collections
The Polly Hill Arboretum’s living collection focuses primarily on the floras of Martha’s Vineyard, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and eastern Asia. It holds one of the world’s finest Stewartia collections and the renowned North Tisbury azalea series. Other notable collections include witch-hazels, winter hazels, camellias, magnolias, conifers, and deciduous and evergreen hollies. The arboretum features a dogwood avenue and a pleached hornbeam arbor. Polly Hill introduced numerous plant cultivars including varieties of Cornus kousa, Ilex, Stewartia, and approximately forty Rhododendron selections. Several monkey puzzle trees (Araucaria araucana), endangered in their native Argentina and Chile, also grow here. Historic structures include the Homestead (ca. 1670s, now administrative offices), the Far Barn (ca. 1750), and the Cow Barn.
Education & Conservation
The Polly Hill Arboretum offers extensive educational programming. Youth education includes curriculum-based field study programs bringing students into the garden for hands-on plant science learning. The adult education program features high-caliber horticultural speakers and a variety of classes and workshops. PHA collaborates nationally and internationally with other public gardens on research and seed collection of rare and endangered plants. Locally, staff collect, map, and propagate native Vineyard plants in partnership with island land conservation organizations. Executive Director Tim Boland emphasizes the mission to combat “plant blindness”—helping people recognize plant diversity and understand plant value. Volunteer opportunities provide community engagement pathways, and the arboretum has produced over a dozen curatorial interns now working at arboreta across the country.
Visitor Information
The Polly Hill Arboretum is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Admission is free. The arboretum is located at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575. For the latest information on programs, events, classes, and current conditions, please visit the official website or call 508-693-9426.
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