Above: The Western Blue Flag (Iris missouriensis)
The Arboretum began in 1981 with articles of incorporation as a research garden named the Transition Zone Horticultural Institute (the name The Arboretum at Flagstaff was given shortly after we opened to the public). The purpose was for the promotion and support of scientific research and educational activities with 6 points of focus:
- The conservation of native plants of the San Francisco Peaks Colorado Plateau area
- Experimentation with adaptation of plants of the transition zone from other locations
- Testing conditions under which plants not grown locally may be adaptable
- Demonstration of methods for cultivation which require low water consumption and other protection techniques for soil
- Teaching the inherent values for man of the natural environment and the practices which will serve both man and nature best and enrich each without significant damage to either, and
- Investigating, extrapolating and comparing the empirical as well as theoretical resultant on the economic environment of various treatments of soil interplanting, greenhouse culture and planting of new varietals developed for parallel growing conditions.
Since that time we have had 45 years of amazing and useful research which aligns with our original incorporation goals. Studies have been conducted on just about all aspects of plants including horticultural trials, invasive species studies, rare plant conservation work, citizen scientist efforts, sustainability in gardening, and forest health. Most of this work was conducted by Arboretum scientists who applied for competitive funding through various agencies, universities, and foundations.
Last month I presented a summary of all this work to our dedicated volunteers (just another exclusive perk of being an Arboretum volunteer!) and showcased the kaleidoscope of projects that we have completed over the 45 years (and 25 years of my contributions!). We have made many of our publications available on our website under the Conservation menu, the oldest of which was published in 1975 and the newest published this month. Please take some time and peruse the publications and you can get a glimpse into the time and effort involved in our conservation research.
The plant that symbolizes a 45th anniversary is the blue iris, and our species is the Western Blue Flag (Iris missouriensis), beginning to flower this month. It symbolizes everlasting hope and faith, which is a great theme for us to bring into 2026. We continue to have hope and faith that we can keep up the financial support for our research and will continue to provide a critical role in plant conservation and education.
Sheila C. Murray is the Conservation Botanist at The Arboretum at Flagstaff.
