Slayton Arboretum

Slayton Arboretum is a 14-acre arboretum that is situated next to the campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. It is privately owned but is open to the public. The arboretum is a significant part of the college and has been used by students since the 1860s. It officially began in 1922 when Mr. and Mrs. George A. Slayton donated the land to Hillsdale College.

Features of Slayton Arboretum

The Slayton Arboretum features a variety of attractions including a pond, a field station, a hillside rock garden, a waterfall, a pump house, bridges, and an amphitheater. These features were added between 1928 and the late 1930s. The arboretum was built on the site of a former gravel pit, which gives it a unique topography. The rock gardens, waterfalls, gazebos, amphitheater, and rustic cement bridges have survived virtually intact.

Flora of Slayton Arboretum

The Slayton Arboretum is home to a variety of trees and shrubs. These include conifers, magnolia, viburnum, witchhazel, mountain ash, maple, oak, and hickory. The arboretum is of considerable interest to ecologists as several species of exotic woody shrubs have naturalized in the area, excluding the native woody flora. The exotic shrubs that have become rampant are common buckthorn and common privet.