History & Future

Van Der Brohe Arboretum was established in 2018 on the grounds of the Former Emerald Hills Golf Course. The organization was established and granted 501.(c).(3) in 2019.

Masterplanning was completed in that year by Terra Engineering and Applied Ecological Services.

A Board of Directors was established shortly after.

Present Day

The trail system has been installed and the grounds are walkable. Benches and Franciscan Gardens accent the trails. Meadow crops and hundreds of trees have been planted. Several major features have been sponsored and built, including a propagation center, wisteria tunnel, council circle and towering ivy walls.

People are encouraged to visit.

Future

Initial planning for an arboretum must, by necessity, consider terms of several hundred years. The typical arboretum exists in a variety of permutations, inclusive of prairie settings and a variety of horticultural displays, but many can serve as a model for the Van der Brohe Arboretum.

Planning for the installation of an arboretum must therefore consist of many parallel steps which may not necessarily be sequential. Obvious development paths which will inform the activities of growing the VDBA are:

  • Adopt a Master Plan
  • Begin initial site layout through trail installation
  • Create entry and parking lot
  • Plant trees, gardens, and meadows
  • Plant areas of understory
  • Formalize the wetlands, scrapes, and ponds
  • Plan and develop Educational and Interpretive Center
  • Develop memorial plantings program
  • Establish research programming

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