Mt Washington Arboretum

The Mount Washington Arboretum (an arboretum is a collection of woody trees and shrubs cultivated and labeled for educational and scientific purposes) was begun in 1999 under the auspices of the Mt. Washington Preservation Trust. The Trust preserves open spaces in Mt. Washington through preservation easements and maintains with volunteers about 20 public gardens in Mt. Washington, the Arboretum being the largest (about one acre). The Arboretum site was at one time an apartment complex which was flooded during Hurricane David (1989); subsequently, the structure was condemned and removed and the land became part of the Baltimore City Parks Department. With its permission, the Arboretum was started in 1999 and received significant start-up grants from the TKF Foundation of Annapolis. The Arboretum was intended to be a showcase for native plants, an example of sound ecological principles and a sanctuary from the modern world.