Fall Finale at the Barnes Arboretum

Join us for a color conscious autumn tour of The Barnes Arboretum through the half-mile loop trail. See the newly reimagined wildlife meadow and medicinal garden, trees with notable fall foliage, and plant choices for the extension of summer, particularly in the recently renovated Herbaceous Teaching Garden section of the formal gardens.

The Barnes Arboretum at Saint Joseph’s University, a 12-acre arboretum astonishingly diverse for its size, is home to more than 2,500 taxa of woody and herbaceous plants, many rare. The peony, lilac, and fern collections, which date from the early 1900s, are important genetic resources for conservation and study, and an herbarium contains more than 10,000 specimens that supplement teaching and research.

In 1922, when Dr. Albert C. Barnes and his wife, Laura Leggett Barnes, purchased the property, it already housed a collection of specimen trees that its previous owner, Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson, had started assembling in the 1880s. While Dr. Barnes concentrated on his art collection, Laura Barnes devoted herself to the arboretum. Her legacy lives on in the beauty of the landscape and in the horticulture school* that she founded in 1940.

*As you may already know, many of our very knowledgeable HPS members have completed the Barnes Horticulture Certificate Program, while others have been, or currently are, instructors in this program.

Restrooms are available in the service building.

The arboretum’s weekday hours are 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM. Tour attendees may arrive early or stay after the tour to further explore the arboretum.

In the event of heavy rain, the rain date is Monday, November 10, 2025.

This is a Members Only event and is limited to 25 participants. Registration is required. $15 per attendee. Only guests who are on the same membership as the registrant are permitted to attend.

Registration will open September 24^th. Registration closes November 5^th.

Click here if you would like to become a member of HPS/MAG before registering for this event.

Parking directions will be sent to all registrants in their confirmation email. A list of nearby lunchtime dining options will also be provided.

Guests are encouraged to take photos for personal use and to post them on social media. The arboretum can be found on Instagram: @barnesarboretumsju.

HPS Contact: Laura Axel at [email protected]