Featured Tree

The Okame Cherry: An Early Cherry Blossom

One of the first cherry blossoms to start off spring in Newport is the early Okame Cherry (Prunus ‘Okame’), which typically creeps into full bloom in Newport right before April checks in. It is an easily recognizable plant, both for its beautiful flower color and bloom period, thus becoming quite popular in Newport and greater southern New England. Its rapid growth rate, perhaps more than 2 feet per year, certainly has the growers readily producing it! 

‘Okame’ originated in England, the result of a controlled cross between the Fuji Cherry (P. incisa) and the Formosan cherry (P. campanulata), raised by Collingwood Ingram in 1940. The tree was named in honor of the traditional Japanese goddess of good fortune and mirth. The goal of this hybridization project was to combine the bright pink to carmine red flower colors of P. campanulata (male parent) with the reliable cold hardiness of the P. incisa (female parent), which worked out pretty well in this instance. The tree received a gold medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1988 for its outstanding landscape qualities. 

Read more here!

 Meet Our New Staff Member!

Morgan Palmer - Plant Production Manager

Morgan originates from Maine, where she grew up on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest and gained a fascination and love of all things nature through time spent exploring the woods. As a resident of the South Coast, she has spent the last 10 years gaining experience in growing as a landscaper, gardener, nursery grower, and cut flower farmer. She holds a B.S. in Geoscience with a concentration in Geospatial Technologies from Southern New Hampshire University. When not in the office, Morgan can be found tending to our plants at the Heritage Tree Center at Rogers High School. Please stop in and say hello!

Upcoming Spring Events

Island of Arboreta Tour:

Pax et Bonum

Tour Type: Small Wonder

Date: April 17, 2024

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Registration:

• $20 Member ~ registration open now - click on the link below
• $25 Non-member ~ registration opened March 25th

This beautiful Arboretum, covering one-quarter of an acre, is rich in diverse plant life. The owners have cultivated a gorgeous collection of trees of Japanese origin, including four species of Japanese maple, the herbaceous perennial Kirengeshoma palmata, and the Japanese Wood Poppy.

Pax et Bonum Arboretum also features ingenious water conservation through existing infrastructure uncovered on the property and expertly trained espaliered fruit trees which display how space can be efficiently used to create a truly unique home garden.

Register now for this event by clicking on the link below!



April & May Free Tree Walks* - Save the Dates!

These walks are a great opportunity for you to get a guided tour* of local neighborhoods where beautiful, unique plants and trees will be highlighted.

Registration for the April Free Tree Walk is open now & the May event will be opening soon (see dates below):

To get more details click on "Upcoming Events" below!

* These events require standing/walking for the duration of the activity.

Island of

Arboreta Tour: Wyndham

Date: May 8, 2024

Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 pm

Registration:

• $35 with parking included
• $15 without parking
• Members get $5 discount

This 19th Century manor house hosts gorgeous views of the property and ocean beyond. With an eye for the natural aesthetic flow of the landscape and environmental changes, it is a thriving tapestry made up of carefully selected and interesting specimens trees and other woody plants. Enjoy the graceful evergreens like weeping hemlock, enormous Bracken’s Brown Beauty southern magnolia, and London plane tree alongside the water lily festooned pond.

Register now for this event by clicking on the link below!

By joining the Newport Tree Conservancy as a member, you are supporting a wide range of initiatives that benefit our community and our shared tree canopy: