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Message from the Curator of the Davis Arboretum

It has been a banner year for the Davis Arboretum. From the success of Tiger Giving Day to the re-imagining of old water features, the arboretum continues to embrace growth and change while maintaining the integrity of its mission: Display living plant collections; preserve native southeastern plant communities; inspire an understanding of the natural world; and promote education, research, conservation, and outreach.

In addition to this original mission, we also emphasize the intrinsic aesthetic value gained from a proper botanical garden. The dedication and hard work of arboretum staff and our army of student workers have transformed the Davis Arboretum, reaching a new level of beauty and distinction. Every day, I am stopped, emailed, called, or flagged down by complete strangers commenting on how fantastic the arboretum looks. This feedback fills my heart with joy and pride, in the entire arboretum team, as well as for biological sciences, COSAM, and the university.

The dedication of the Auburn Family was most evident to us during this year’s Tiger Giving Day. Of the hundreds of proposed projects, the selection committee chose our pond lighting as one of the featured projects. Before the day began, donations started rolling in. We reached our goal before 10 a.m.! My mind was blown, and I was in complete shock. By the close of the event, we raised 126 percent of our goal, enabling us to add an additional section of lighting on the backside of the pond. We officially turned on the lights for our spring movie night event in April. The lighting has been a wonderful addition to the grounds, adding more security and bringing our collection to life after dark.

We have seen an increase in arboretum visitors due to grounds improvements. This year’s Azalea Festival was a roaring success. We had more than 800 guests enjoy the event with us. The live music, food trucks, art vendors, and our native plant sale were well received, and we are looking forward to building this event in the future. We are also eager to continue hosting Friday Night Frights, our partnership with the city of Auburn. Every Friday night in October, we will screen a different horror series on a large outdoor screen. During our monster movie events last year, we welcomed more than 600 people for the film series. This year we will show a different Hitchcock classic each week. The series is just one example of the growth in attendance we have seen over the past year.

None of this would be possible without the help, generosity, and dedication of the Auburn Family. I  encourage anyone who has not been by the arboretum in the past few years, to take a walk through the grounds to see the results of the hard work that transformed the arboretum into a premier garden. We are grateful and appreciative to everyone who has helped get us to this level and are looking forward to seeing even more improvements in the years to come.

War Eagle!

L. Morgan Beadles

Last Updated: 10/12/2018