Arboretum Facilities
The Richards Complex
The Richards Complex Educational Building is available for programs or activities which fit into our Mission Statement.
The Arboretum annually offers a variety of educational programs for the western New York green industry on topics such as arboriculture, tree selection and landscape installation, shrub and tree maintenance, integrated pest management and tree identification. The collection is continually growing, allowing it to be a regional learning station for the public and the green industry.
The Arboretum is a valuable tool to observe first-hand what many unique and unusual plants will look like in a landscape.
DWARF CONIFER GARDEN
A dwarf conifer is defined as a cultivar with a growth rate of one to six inches per year, with a landscape footprint of one to five feet tall in ten years. These selections become small, miniature conifers; all conifers are not evergreen, for example Ginkgo and Larch trees are conifers. Utilizing dwarfs allows small yards to enjoy conifers that will not absorb all the space in the landscape, typical species of conifers become very large trees.
Barbara Evans, the driving force for the creation of the garden, began construction in the summer of two thousand twenty-one. A fashioned serpentine path opens up to a circular outdoor teaching station adorned with thirty-one dwarf conifers arranged between huge rocks and several berms.
Arboretum Grounds
Draves Arboretum is located on 20+ acres with a 1.75-acre pond surrounded by almost 800 species of trees and shrubs in Darien, New York. The Arboretum is broken into sections that host a variety of plant collections, including The Pinetum, The Sanctuary, The Magnolia Section, Columnar Drive, The Showcase, The Overlook, Kalopanax Pass, and The Fairway.
Draves Arboretum is maintained to the high level of standards for tree maintenance set by the American National Standards Institute and the International Society of Arboriculture.
The Arboretum can host larger events such as corporate picnics and personal events. Contact the Arboretum for available dates to host your event.