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Blandy Experimental Farm

Phone Number: 540-837-1758

Address: 400 Blandy Farm Lane Boyce, VA 22620

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The purpose of Blandy Experimental Farm is to increase understanding of the natural environment through research and education. In that natural systems support and increasingly are affected by humans, ecological and environmental literacy are fundamental requirements for citizens, policy-makers, and society as a whole. Blandy Experimental Farm exists to promote this understanding through education and research on plants, plant biology, ecology, evolution, the environmental sciences, and the manner in which all of these are used and affected by humans. The three principal programs designed to achieve this mission include: University research and education Outreach and environmental education The State Arboretum of Virginia

Clarke County

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Blandy Experimental Farm and State Arboretum of Virginia

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Blandy Farm and State Arboretum –

Have you ever visited Blandy Farm on Mother’s Day weekend for their Garden Fair?  If not, do yourself a favor this year and go visit. Take in all the wonderful vendors and stroll the grounds.  Or go on a day where you have the place almost to yourself and take in the wonderful specimens of trees and shrubs.  Some of which were planted almost 100 years ago.

I went to VA Tech as a horticulture student and we had a field trip to Blandy.  Reading up on it for this post, I was fascinated by the history of the place.  I don’t think a single one of us on that trip picked up on the fact that we were on UVA ground!  We might not have gotten off the bus.

I still have pictures from that trip in 1979, of the beautiful trees, the old buildings and some really cool rock formations.  Last time I was there – I couldn’t find anything from my old trip – but it was just as beautiful.

Below is a timeline with some high points and interesting facts about Blandy. 

• Blandy Farm was established in 1926 when Graham Blandy, a New York stockbroker, and railroad tycoon, left 700 acres to the University of Virginia. In 1927 Dr. Orland E White became the first director. He was asked to establish a working field lab for advanced 
• The students, under Dr. White’s guidance, created the Arboretum to collect and study genetic diversity in woody plants and shrubs. Dr. White retired in 1955, leaving behind a collection of some 5,000 specimens at the Arboretum. Over 1,000 of those specimens are still standing today.
• After Dr. White’s retirement, Dr. Ralph Singleton took over. Also known as “the Father of Hybrid Sweet Corn Breeding”, Dr. Singleton took the fieldwork in a new direction. In the hopes of creating crops with disease resistant and greater yields, he started experimenting with nuclear radiation.
• The American Boxwood Society was established at Blandy in 1961.
• Between the years of 1965-1972, the University lost interest in the research programs and the Arboretum was neglected and became overgrown.
• In 1972 Tom Evert was named Director and Curator. He brought with him a vision of Blandy becoming a community resource, emphasizing horticulture and community outreach.
• So began the Blandy that we all know and love today. Mr. Evert added seasonal programming, garden shows and allowed the use of the grounds for weddings. 
• He also added and encouraged school field trips. I was a beneficiary of one of those early field trips when my Horticulture class made a trip in 1979
• From 1973-1987 Lord Fairfax Community College also took advantage of the programming. Bringing students to study farming.
• 1975-1990 Bob Arnold was on board as an arborist and historian.
• 1977 saw the first ornamental garden created – The Herb and Boxwood Memorial Garden.
• From 1983 to 1997 Ed Connor was Director, focusing on the ecology of plant-eating insects and trees and shrubs.
• 1984 FOSA or Friends of State Arboretum was established along with the shop being opened and the first Garden Fair and ArborFest.
• In 1999, the woodland section of the Nancy Lawick Crosby Native Plant Trail was opened.
• 2001 brought the meadow and wetland parts of the trail, along with the Hewlett Lewis Overlook Pavilion.
• 2004 saw the Peetwood Pavilion built classrooms for the K-12 class programming.
• 2009 the Wilkins Lane Loop Drive was open, allowing visitors access to the farther reaches of the property.
• 2012 glass doors were installed to the Peetwood Pavilion allowing longer use of the classrooms.

There are so many reasons to visit Blandy! 

• Herb Garden
• Pollinators Garden
• Zoo Garden – where all the plants are named after an animal!
• Walter Flory Memorial Iris Garden
• Kiosk Annual Display Garden – where a small space garden is planted with veggies, herbs, and annuals for pollinators.
• VA Native Garden
• Dwarf Conifer Collection at the Margaret Byrd Simpson Amphitheater
• Courtyard Gardens at the Quarters Building which shows how to use a micro-climate to grow plants slightly outside of our zone.
• Native Plant Trail
• Conifer Trail
• Ginko Grove
• Boxwood Garden
• Audio Trail – which lets you listen to an audio lesson on the plants you are viewing
• Bridle Trail – for those who want to be on their horse exploring the grounds
• Wilkins Lane Loop Drive – for those who aren’t up to walking, this drive takes you around the outermost spots of the grounds.

Blandy also has a wide range of programs, both educational and fun, for all ages.

In keeping with their history of education and research, Blandy offers educational class/activities for pre-school, elementary and secondary classes.  There is also a research community that comes to Blandy for environmental studies as Blandy supports a wide range of habitats to be discovered.

Blandy offers:

• Spring Programs
• Summer Camp
• Sketch group

And if that isn’t enough, you can also get a plot of land to grow your own in their Community Gardens!  All they ask is that you donate a portion of your produce.

 Please visit their website for much more information.  http://blandy.virginia.edu/

All in all, there is an abundance of offerings at Blandy.   I do hope you get a chance to visit one day soon.

Have you been to Blandy?  I would love for you to share your pictures and memories in the comment section below!

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Blandy experimental farm, state arboretum of virginia.

• Visitor Guidelines
• Reserve Facilities
• Teachers: Request a Field Trip
• Become a Member
• Join Our Mailing List
• Maps & Brochures
• Location and Hours
• Guidelines and Policies
• Ginkgo Brochure Translation
• Bridle Trail
• Check the Weather
• Elopements and Photography
• An Evening Under the Stars
• Upcoming Programs & Events
• Annual Events
• Birding at Blandy
• Guided tours
• Self-guided tours
• Sketch and Plein Air groups
• Photography Club
• Garden Fair 2024
• Art Sale & Festival
• Pre-Event Workshops
• Programs & Events Calendar
• 2024 Summer Camps
• Sign up for a Field Investigation
• Programs for students and teachers
• Ed Programs- Activities and Lessons
• Blandy pK-12 Recommended Reading
• PK-12 program catalogue
• Peek Into Outdoor Education
• NOAA- Frederick County Public Schools BWET Project
• CCPS NOAA- K-3 Literacy Project
• CCPS NOAA- Elementary Fourth
• CCPS NOAA- Elementary Fifth
• CCPS NOAA- Middle Sixth
• CCPS NOAA- Middle Seventh
• CCPS NOAA- High School Biology II: Ecology
• CCPS NOAA- High School IB Environmental Science
• CCPS NOAA- High School Agricultural Science
• CCPS NOAA- High School Fisheries and Wildlife Management
• FCPS 4th grade MWEE
• Ed Programs- Conference Information and Resources
• Program Awards & Recognition
• Tree Finder Tool
• Renovated Iris Garden
• What's in Bloom - April
• State Champion Trees
• 2023 Tree of the Year: Allegheny Serviceberry
• 2022 Tree of the Year: American Sycamore
• 2021 Tree of the Year Pawpaw
• 2020 Tree of the Year Sassafras
• 2019 Tree of the Year Eastern Redbud
• Memorial and Honorary Trees
• Planting Resources
• Research Overview
• Overview and Application
• Living At Blandy
• History and Anti-Racism Statement
• Research Facilities
• Research Faculty
• Publications
• Summer Seminars
• Bird Checklist
• Bee Diversity
• Blandy Weather Database
• FOSA Committees
• Nursery Discounts for Members
• Donations and Payments
• Volunteer With Us
• Sponsor a Ginkgo Tree!
• Memorial and Honorary Benches
• Annual Reports
• Blandy in the News
• Reservation Calendar
• Facilities Policies
• Facilities Description
• Job Opportunities
• Blandy History
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• T'ai Roulston
• Kyle Haynes
• Candace Lutzow-Felling
• Graduate Students

Reciprocal Admissions Program is FOSA Benefit

As the temperature warms up and things start blooming, are you itching to visit some of the beautiful gardens around your home or while you’re travelling? One of the benefits of your current FOSA membership card is the Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP), which gives you special admission privileges and discounts at 345+ participating gardens throughout North America  as part of the AHS Reciprocal Admissions Program.

Book Club To Discuss "Entangled Life"

The Blandy Book Club will meet virtually on Thursday, January 27 to discuss "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures" by Merlin Sheldrake. For more information, contact Ariel Firebaugh, our Director of Scientiic Engagement. 

2024 Summer Research Forum Success!

Each summer, undergraduate and graduate students, and university faculty gather for a program of focused study on a diversity of research projects in an environment that few other institutions can offer. At the conclusion of the summer season, students share their work at the Annual Summer Research Forum.

Undergraduates Receive 2024 Tom Callahan Research Awards

Pict ured: Caroline Speidel and Hannah Russel, 2024 Tom Callahan Research Award recipients

Caroline Speidel and Hannah Russel, students in this summer’s Undergraduate Research Program, have been recognized with Tom Callahan Undergraduate Research Awards given in memory of former FOSA Board Member and National Science Foundation (NSF) researcher Tom Callahan. The students presented their research findings at the Blandy Research Forum in August, where an anonymous panel of impartial judges selected award winners. 

Locally Sourced Plants

While the native plant trail has always featured plants that are native to Virginia at large, we’re looking forward to sharing a new interpretive space that goes one step further: the recently planted  Locally Sourced Garden.  In addition to their “native” status, all the plants are sourced from  local  wild populations. Every plant in the new garden was grown from seed collected in the mountain or piedmont areas surrounding Blandy, rather than being purchased from a nursery. Learn More! 

Visit the New Information Center

When you walk into the newly redesigned and interactive Information Center at Blandy, you’ll be greeted by a giant 3D ginkgo tree replication in its full golden glory. Beneath the tree, a few intriguing questions, with answers under movable discs, will whet your appetite for some of the engaging natural features that await you outside the center. On one wall, a huge watercolor inspired map will help you acclimate to your position at the Arboretum and plan out the rest of your visit.

Milkweed Watch: Exploring Pollinator Dynamics at Blandy

We tend to make a pretty big deal about milkweed here at Blandy Experimental Farm. During the growing season, you will likely see several posts from us featuring this group of plants and their amazing ability to support pollinators. Milkweed attracts more than just pollinators to Blandy, though. Scientists interested in milkweed ecology also flock to Blandy in the summer to take advantage of the field station for their research. One such researcher, Cameron Morris, an undergraduate from the College of William and Mary, shares their approach to the questions they hope to answer this summer.  

Hiring Now: Director of the Foundation of the State Arboretum

The University of Virginia seeks a full-time director of the Foundation of the State Arboretum (FOSA). The FOSA Director develops and implements fundraising strategies to support the mission of Blandy Experimental Farm and the State Arboretum of Virginia, while ensuring the proper administration and financial oversight of FOSA. Learn more.

The Extraordinary, Enigmatic Milkweed

Milkweed is the sole host plant for the caterpillars of the beautiful, threatened monarch butterfly and efforts to preserve this butterfly have brought this once overlooked plant into the public consciousness.

Come Explore Our New STORYWALK®

Find out about animals that snack on insects as you read  Bugs for Lunch/Insectos Para El Almuerzo  a page at a time while exploring Blandy’s Native Plant Trail.  Our STORYWALK® program is a partnership with Handley Regional Library.

News & Announcements

August 2, 2024

July 5, 2024

July 3, 2024

More Spotlights

• Start time : 06:00pm
• End time : 07:30pm

We’ve all read about the declining populations of bees and other pollinators. Find out how to protect native pollinators with an Ambassoador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Visit our website for more information and to register: https://blandy.virginia.edu/content/programs-workshops-walks

Thursday, September 26th

• Start time : 10:00am
• End time : 12:00pm

For most currentinformation and to join, visit Blandy Plein Air Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/905133831240145

• Start time : 01:00pm
• End time : 02:00pm

For more information, visit: https://blandy.virginia.edu/book-club

Tuesday, October 1st

• End time : 08:00pm

To learn more, send an email to  [email protected]

Thursday, October 3rd

• Start time : 12:30pm
• End time : 03:30pm

The Blandy Sketch Group is a dynamic group of artists who work in the visual arts and who all share a love of the natural world as inspiration for their artwork. The Blandy Sketch Group is open to any artist, beginner or professional.  This month, we will be meeting in the Blandy LibraryVisit our website for more info- https://blandysketchgroup.wordpress.com/

• Start time : 06:30pm

Talk featuring nature photographer and author Michael Sherwin. Visit our website for more information and to register: https://blandy.virginia.edu/content/programs-workshops-walks

Saturday, October 5th

• Start time : 02:00pm
• End time : 04:00pm

Learn all about fossils with a Virginia Master Naturalist, then sort through sediment from the Coastal Plain region of Virginia to search for your very own fossils to take home! Visit our website for more information and to register: https://blandy.virginia.edu/content/programs-workshops-walks

More Events

Virginia State Arboretum / Blandy Experimental Farm

• 400 Blandy Farm Lane Boyce, VA 22620
• (540) 837-1758
• blandy.virginia.edu

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Shenandoah University

Blue Ridge Institute for Environmental Studies

State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy Experimental Farm

The Virginia State Arboretum is a peaceful and pleasant place to see a wide variety of native tree, shrub, grass, and wildflower species. Visitor attractions include native plant trails, scenic forest and field driving routes, a marsh, and many locations for birdwatching.  

The Arboretum invites any and all persons to come enjoy their facility. Brochures are available at the parking lot kiosk, and public programs are offered.  

Hours:   Open daily from dawn-dusk; free admission.

Directions:

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• Natural Places
• Shenandoah Campus

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Search form

Blandy experimental farm, state arboretum of virginia.

• Visitor Guidelines
• Reserve Facilities
• Teachers: Request a Field Trip
• Become a Member
• Join Our Mailing List
• Maps & Brochures
• Location and Hours
• Guidelines and Policies
• Ginkgo Brochure Translation
• Bridle Trail
• Check the Weather
• Elopements and Photography
• Ginkgo Grove
• Upcoming Programs & Events
• Annual Events
• Birding at Blandy
• Guided tours
• Self-guided tours
• Sketch and Plein Air groups
• Photography Club
• Garden Fair 2024
• Art Sale & Festival
• Pre-Event Workshops

Programs & Events Calendar

• 2024 Summer Camps
• Sign up for a Field Investigation
• Programs for students and teachers
• Ed Programs- Activities and Lessons
• Blandy pK-12 Recommended Reading
• PK-12 program catalog
• Peek Into Outdoor Education
• NOAA- Frederick County Public Schools BWET Project
• CCPS NOAA- K-3 Literacy Project
• CCPS NOAA- Elementary Fourth
• CCPS NOAA- Elementary Fifth
• CCPS NOAA- Middle Sixth
• CCPS NOAA- Middle Seventh
• CCPS NOAA- High School Biology II: Ecology
• CCPS NOAA- High School IB Environmental Science
• CCPS NOAA- High School Agricultural Science
• CCPS NOAA- High School Fisheries and Wildlife Management
• FCPS 4th grade MWEE
• Ed Programs- Conference Information and Resources
• Program Awards & Recognition
• Renovated Iris Garden
• What's in Bloom - April
• State Champion Trees
• 2023 Tree of the Year: Allegheny Serviceberry
• 2022 Tree of the Year: American Sycamore
• 2021 Tree of the Year Pawpaw
• 2020 Tree of the Year Sassafras
• 2019 Tree of the Year Eastern Redbud
• Memorial and Honorary Trees
• Planting Resources
• Research Overview
• Overview and Application
• Living At Blandy
• History and Anti-Racism Statement
• Research Facilities
• Research Faculty
• Publications
• Summer Seminars
• Bird Checklist
• Bee Diversity
• Blandy Weather Database
• Blandy Water Table Level (USGS well)
• FOSA Committees
• Nursery Discounts for Members
• Donations and Payments
• Volunteer With Us
• Sponsor a Ginkgo Tree!
• Memorial and Honorary Benches
• Annual Reports
• Blandy in the News
• Reservation Calendar
• Facilities Policies
• Facilities Description
• Job Opportunities
• Blandy History
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• T'ai Roulston
• Kyle Haynes
• Candace Lutzow-Felling
• Graduate Students