Native shrubs and trees in this area were planted in the 1930s by the sisters. The sisters’ design included Pennsylvania’s state tree, the Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), and state flower, Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia). Original Mountain Laurel shrubs line the western edge of this area and a dwarf variety, “Little Linda” has been added, among other novel cultivars. Throughout the grounds, you will find a large variety of native trees: Sugar Maple, American Hornbeam and Redbud, to name a few. Allegheny Chinkapin, a native nut tree, provided the sisters with nuts for roasting. Only one non-native, a Japanese Maple, planted in 1953, now dominates the area and provides bright red Fall foliage.
Rhododendron Specimens
The Heritage Garden features a wide collection of Rhododendron and Azaleas, many of which were planted by the Goodell sisters from 1948 – 1955. The extensive collection also includes native Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum), which was planted by the sisters in the early 1920s. This species, used in early hybridizations to bring cold hardiness into the popular “Iron-clad” Rhododendrons of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, blooms in early July, much later than the mid-May to June bloom dates of the other Heritage Garden hybrids.
