News

By Paul Kingston, Nannen Arboretum Society

Discover Ellicottville’s best kept secret and you will find…The Nannen Arboretum, eight acres of tranquility and awe inspiring beauty.A place to meander, perhaps with a dog or two.

• A place to teach a son or grandchild to fish.
• A place to cross country ski or snowshoe when it’s a winter wonderland.
• A place to walk under an arbor of flowering crab apple trees and to take time to smell the fragrance that envelops you.
• A place just to sit and embrace the silence.
• A place that has over 200 trees and shrubs, an herb garden with 13 beds showing off a variety of herbs not seen anywhere else in this region known as The Enchanted Mountains.
• A place that has a replica of a 500 year old Japanese Stone Garden, a perennial flower garden, two nature study halls ideal for weddings and other celebrations.
• A place for strolling; stroll around Lake Nipponica and see how many huge grass eating carp are sunning themselves or swimming just below the surface of the lake.
• A place for all seasons.
• A place for you to discover.
• A place open year round, every day from dawn to dusk, and it costs not a single penny!

  So come and visit us at 28 Parkside Drive, Ellicottville, NY, 14731, behind the new Town Center and you will have found Ellicottville’s best kept secret, a place we call the “Jewel in the Crown of Ellicottville”, The Nannen Arboretum.

The “Sea of Tranquility”, a re-created art masterpiece of the Orient, is one of the unusual sites to see at the Nannen Arboretum. It is a replica of a 500 year-old garden in Kyoto, Japan. The original Ryoanji Temple Stone Garden was built in Kyoto, Japan at the end of the 15th century by Zen priests. The Ryoanji Temple Stone Garden is an abstract garden of stone and ground granite. It has neither tree nor bush. Its level area is a bed of finely crushed stone, skillfully ripple-raked to suggest the sea. Since it would be impossible to borrow the original garden from Japan as an art museum might borrow great paintings for a special exhibition, it was concluded that this phase of Japanese culture could best be portrayed by building a replica.

The first replica in this country was built at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in the 1960’s. John Ploetz, the developer of the Nannen Arboretum, was in charge of planting trees behind it. He was so impressed by the stone garden’s simplicity that he incorporated a smaller replica in the Nannen Arboretum in 1980. The garden is meant to be a meditation and contemplation garden. Granite grit is used as a ground cover because it is heavier than sand and the ripple raking resembles water. Seen from the trail above the garden, you see nine rocks arranged in threes and singles. The Zen priests named each with a religious trend, ours are Americanized: Faith, Hope and Love; three rocks of Trinity; Rock of Ages; Serenity; and Unity all standing in the “Sea of Tranquility”. The large stones represent islands and were mined in Akron, New York. The Torii Gate behind the garden is a Japanese Gateway to Heaven. The abstract picture created is intended to encourage contemplation and quiet meditation and to stimulate the observer’s imagination.

No Japanese Garden would be complete without water. Up the hill from the “Sea of Tranquility” is Lake Nipponica featuring large rocks standing several feet out of the water. As you walk along the trail surrounding the lake, the rocks create a fascinating change of scenery across the lake. The Amano Hashidate Bridge (bridge in heaven) crosses the west end of Lake Nipponica. The two upright supports are Torii Gates. The railings are painted red just as they were in Japan. Weeping willow trees in back of the bridge remind one of ceramic willowware china of ages past. While standing on Amano Hashidate Bridge, you get a beautiful view across Lake Nipponica plus a good view of the Ellicottville ski slopes. The reflection of the bridge and red railings is a sight to see viewed from the east end of Lake Nipponica.

To compare the garden of Ryoanji with traditional gardens in the West would be like comparing abstract painting with traditional art—or contemporary symphonic music with the old well-known symphonies. From the viewpoint of Western culture, is this a real garden? Is this art? These are questions that will stir discussion for a long time and there is no simple answer. But one point seems apparent: by introducing the likeness of the Ryoanji to Western New York, the Nannen Arboretum is in effect bringing us one of the famous artworks of the Orient.

The Nannen Arboretum is located at 28 Parkside Drive across from the Ellicottville Fire Department. The site is open to the public 365 days a year from dawn to dusk. Admission is free; donations are gratefully accepted. The main entrance is located at the far end of the Extension center parking lot. Visit the Nannen Arboretum online at www.nannenarboretum.com where you’ll find directions to the site, a virtual tour link, program announcements and more.

By Pat Kerl

April and May were busy months at the Nannen Arboretum.

We would like to thank everyone who helped make the Arbor Day Celebration such a wonderful experience. John Burrell, Ellicottville Town Supervisor and Charlie Coolidge, Mayor of the Village of Ellicottville, jointly presented the proclamation declaring April 25, 2014, Arbor Day in Ellicottville. The Nannen Arboretum Society planted a native Serviceberry tree, Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, with the shoveling assistance of John and Charlie. Jodi Bentley helped raise the Tree City USA flag commemorating 33 years of Ellicottville being honored as a Tree City USA. Jodi related that Ellicottville was the first village in the state of New York to be designated as a Tree City USA.

We also want to thank everyone who attended “NIGHT LIGHTS at Ellicottville’s Nannen Arboretum”. This event, created by SitlerHQ the same group behind the popular NIGHT LIGHTS at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, was a successful fund raiser for the arboretum. The event took place 3 weekends during the month of May strategically lighting the trees and structures throughout the garden presenting visitors with a unique perspective of the arboretum grounds. The tree lighting was complimented by musical entertainment as well as artists creating and displaying their works.

And last but not least, thank you to all the gardeners who attended the Annual Master Gardener Gardening Day, “Getting the Most Out of Your Garden”. Participants learned about many gardening topics including Square Foot Gardening, Container Gardening, Soil Improvements, Season Extension Techniques, Companion Planting, and Pest and Disease Management.

Wednesdays in the Arboretum will take place at the arboretum again this year during the months of July and August. Sponsored by the Master Gardeners of Cattaraugus County, two gardening sessions take place every Wednesday evening in the Northrup Nature Hall or the Chapman Nature Sanctuary. In case of rain, the sessions are held indoors at the Ellicottville Town Center building. Admission is free and open to the public.
The arboretum is funded by donations and grants. The Society is currently reviewing grant opportunities and encourages you to consider one of the following donation opportunities:

• Monetary donation – you may donate directly to the donation box located at the entry shelter at the Nannen Arboretum or by check to the address below;
• Memorial Bricks for the Celebration Walkway – bricks are available in 2 sizes, 4” x 8” or 8” x 8” (Details and applications available upon request);
• The gift of a tree or shrub – you may choose from a pre-selected list of trees and shrubs native to the Western New York area. (Details available upon request)
• A wooden bench memorialized with your personal message and/or special name on a brass plaque. (Details available upon request)

Nannen Arboretum Society
PO Box 1016
Ellicottville, NY 14731
info@nannenarboretum.com

By Pat Kerl
“Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.” Those are the words of J. Sterling Morton about the holiday he initiated in 1872 with the planting of more than a million trees in the state of Nebraska. Now Arbor Day is observed throughout the nation and the world with the planting of trees. Trees can reduce the erosion of our precious topsoil by wind and water, cut heating and cooling costs, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen and provide habitat for wildlife. Arbor Day is observed on the last Friday in April. Join the Nannen Arboretum Society’s observance on April 25, 2014, 11:00 a.m. as we plant a tree in the arboretum and raise the Tree City USA flag. Plan to plant a tree in your own yard this year; planting trees is not just for Arbor Day!

We encourage you to visit the arboretum during the month of May when the crabapple trees at the entrance are in bloom as well as other flowering trees and shrubs throughout the arboretum. It is one of the prettiest times of the year especially after our long, cold winter.

With the transfer of the Nannen Arboretum from the Cornell Cooperative Extension to the Town of Ellicottville in 2013, the Nannen Arboretum Society was formed. The society is a not-for-profit, volunteer based.comanization dedicated to providing home garden and natural resource education and an opportunity for nature appreciation and leisure. The society membership is open to anyone who desires to support the arboretum’s mission. Contact us at info@nannenarboretum.com to join, we welcome new members.

The society has been very busy during the last year accomplishing the following:

• Developed Bylaws and established a Board of Trustees and officers (copies available upon request);
• Applied for and received New York State Not-for-Profit status (donations are tax-deductible);
• Applied for New York Sales Tax Exemption status;
• Established a banking account;
• Set up a post office box, PO Box 1016, Ellicottville, NY 14731;
• Set up an email address, info@nannenarboretum.com;
• Currently redesigning the arboretum web site, www.nannenarboretum.com.

The arboretum is funded by donations and grants. The Society is currently reviewing grant opportunities and encourages you to consider one of the following donation opportunities:

• Monetary donation – you may donate directly to the donation box located at the entry shelter at the Nannen Arboretum or by check to the address above;
• Memorial Bricks for the Celebration Walkway – bricks are available in 2 sizes, 4” x 8” or 8” x 8” (Details and applications available upon request);
• The gift of a tree or shrub – you may choose from a pre-selected list of trees and shrubs native to the Western New York area. (Details available upon request)
• A wooden bench memorialized with your personal message and/or special name on a brass plaque. (Details available upon request)

The Master Gardeners of Cattaraugus County will host their annual Gardening Day in the Nannen Arboretum on May 17. 2014. The theme this year is “Get the Most Out of Your Garden”. This educational day is free of charge but pre-registration is recommended. Program details and registration procedures are being finalized and will be published shortly. Gardening Day will also include the annual Plant Exchange.

April and May are great months to visit the Nannen Arboretum as the landscape changes from the black and white of winter to shades of spring time. We hope to see you there.

By Pat Kerl
It is a beautiful time of year at the Nannen Arboretum as the trees go through their spectacular color change. As you walk through the arboretum, take note of these especially colorful trees.

• Approximately 20 tall red oak trees surround the Northrup Nature Hall. The seven to eleven lobed, lustrous dark leaves change to russet-red and red in the fall.
• Two deciduous conifers stand side by side just outside the Northrup Nature Hall:
  • Dawn Redwood whose ½ inch bright green needles turn orange to reddish brown in the fall;
  • Bald cypress whose rich green needles turn rusty orange to brown in fall.
• A Yellow Buckeye stands between the Northrup Nature Hall and the Chapman Nature Sanctuary. The dark green leaves composed of five 4 – 6 inch leaflets turn yellow to pumpkin orange in the fall.
• A Bottlebrush Buckeye has dark green leaves composed of five to seven 3 – 9 inch long leaflets that turn a rich butter yellow.
• Several European Beech trees appear throughout the arboretum. Their lustrous dark green, 2 – 4 inch leaves, hold late in fall before developing the rich russet and golden brown colors.

As you are viewing the foliage, be sure to see the path recently uncovered and restored at the far end of the arboretum. This winding path connects the far end of the asphalt walkway to a circular stone patio near the rear entrance to the arboretum. The path was covered by sod but detected by Paul Kingston who began uncovering it to see where it led. In early September, we had the work crew from Collins Correctional dig up the stones in the entire path, put down a gravel base, replace the stones and then fill the space between the stones with crushed limestone to keep the stones in place. The crew also cleaned the sod off the stone patio area. It is our understanding that the stones came from John Ploetz’ silo and were used to construct the path and circular patio as part of the original arboretum in the 1970s. What a lovely surprise to ‘unearth’ this interesting feature of the arboretum!

The Collins Correctional work crew also cleaned out the ditches, replaced the footer for the lower Herb Garden foot bridge, and removed pruned branches. We anticipate having additional work days from them in October.

We want to thank everyone who attended the Wednesdays in the Arboretum series making it a very successful program again this year. We averaged between 20+ attendees per session and had many repeat participants.

Organizational changes are also taking place not that the arboretum is owned by the Town of Ellicottville not the Cornell Cooperative Extension,

• The Town intends to designate the Nannen Arboretum as a Park safeguarding the arboretum property from any future change in ownership. It will probably be a Village Park allowing the arboretum to benefit from Village staff and services.
• The current Arboretum Committee has become the “Nannen Arboretum Society” operating independently of the Town and continuing to manage the arboretum to the benefit of the community. The society will be established as a non-profit.comanization with a Steering Committee comprised of a town board member, a village board member and an Arboretum Society member.
• The arboretum will continue to be funded by donations and grants.
  • Donations from individuals, businesses,.comanizations and government units are essential for on-going maintenance.
  • Establishing the non-profit status is a top priority to ensure continued funding for the arboretum. The Town lawyer is assisting the society in applying for the non-profit status. The society has appointed a Board of Directors and drafted a set of By-Laws, both needed to obtain non-profit status.
  • The CCE Board and the Town Board will work out the details of transferring any current arboretum funds held by CCE to the new society.
• The Village has taken over mowing and plowing; the Town plans to repave the parking lot; maintenance tasks beyond the society’s capability are decided on a case-by-case basis. The Arboretum Society is still able to use the services of the Collins Correctional work crew and BOCES arborist students. Ellicottville Landscaping also donated a work day earlier this year.
• Weddings in the arboretum will be handled by the Town with expectations that the improvements under way to the building will allow for indoor weddings and receptions.

These changes are all positive for the Nannen Arboretum enhancing its role as a non-profit, volunteered based.comanization dedicated to providing home garden and natural resource education as well as an opportunity for nature appreciation and leisure. Be sure and visit us this fall.