Growing a Legacy: A Century at Virginia’s State Arboretum

Story by William Anderson

For a century, the Orland E. White Research Arboretum in Boyce has unlocked the mysteries of the forest and been a tremendous asset in public education. But it hasn’t always been easy; it almost disappeared in 1965. The arboretum remained somewhat forgotten until a committed community effort convinced the Virginia General Assembly to designate it as the official state arboretum in 1986. Many view it as a nice place to walk their dogs, but its mission goes far beyond that. “We view the arboretum’s public role as primarily an educational role,” says Director David Carr. This year, the arboretum celebrates its centennial as one of Virginia’s leading centers for environmental education.

In 1926, Graham F. Blandy bequeathed 700 acres of his 900-acre estate to the University of Virginia. This became the Blandy Experimental Farm. Blandy gave the land, but it was Harvard-educated botanist Orland E. White who gave the farm its identity. White was a leading plant geneticist in his time. He was recruited from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and became the first director of the farm in 1927, which was named in his honor upon his retirement in 1955.

In the beginning, White never intended the arboretum to be open to the public. Instead, he designed it as a living laboratory. “He started it mostly as a research collection for him and his students,” Carr explains. At the time, scientists understood chromosomes but did not know that DNA was the molecule that contained genetics. In order to study how plants were related, White needed living specimens, which is why he planted the arboretum.

Those who have visited the arboretum may be surprised that it was never intended for the public, because the grounds are arranged beautifully. The trees seem to grow in natural stands, creating beautiful forests, quite the contrast from organized scientific rows. This is by White’s design. “He clearly had a vision for landscape architecture,” Carr says. “He seemed to understand what things would look like in the long run.” Many of the trees in the arboretum today were planted by White nearly 100 years ago. White also refurbished old slave housing as the primary laboratory and residence for researchers, creating an iconic horseshoe building that serves as a portal into the park.

Today the arboretum’s vast forest feels organic, but there is a method behind White’s design. In the early 20th century, the herbariums of museums organized pressed specimens of plants in cabinets according to what was called the Engler-Prantl system. In this system, plants were grouped with other closely related species, ordered by taxonomy. This way, the whole arboretum functioned as a gigantic museum exhibit. This encourages researchers to compare plants by walking through the trees rather than flipping through cabinets.

World War II posed a real challenge because all the male students were called to war. Faced with shutting down and stopping research, UVA made the historic decision to allow female graduate students to take up the research being done at Blandy Farm.

In 1965, UVA shifted its focus. “The biology department saw the future of biology [as] cell and molecular biology; they sort of viewed Blandy as a white elephant,” Carr says. Most of the faculty and students left the property, which was maintained by only a small grounds crew.

“Beginning in the 1980s, you have the revitalization of the university programs and the real blossoming of Blandy as a public resource,” Carr continues. This revitalization was spearheaded by local residents who understood the value of Blandy as a public resource. Orme Wilson lived on the Tuleyries, the remaining 200-acre estate adjacent to Blandy Farm, which has stayed in Blandy’s family. Wilson organized a local club called The Friends of Blandy, which worked with the arboretum to establish public programming and promote the farm. This created a dual mission of public education and university research, which Blandy serves to this day. White’s original park-like design has made the arboretum a scenic, peaceful place to enjoy nature and view rare trees.

In 1986, as a result of growing public attention, Blandy was officially designated the Virginia State Arboretum. The arboretum has been a huge asset for Virginia public schools, hosting between 6,000 and 7,000 students every year. With funding from the state, as well as tireless fundraising from the Foundation of the State Arboretum, Blandy is able to run public programs alongside its research mission, including K-12 field trips, summer camps, and more. ML

Posted on: July 16, 2026