The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens (WCBG) are campus treasures.

Read the Wellesley magazine article about celebrating WCBG's botanical treasures through art.

The Alexandra Botanic Garden has specimen trees and shrubs from around the world in a picturesque landscape. A tiny brook winds through the garden from a waterfall to Paramecium Pond. The H. H. Hunnewell Arboretum has several different habitats, including a maple swamp, meadow, and fragments of different forest types, with mostly native species. Other specialized gardens include a bog garden, a dwarf conifer garden, a butterfly garden, and our Edible Ecosystem Teaching Garden.

To explore the flora of other climates, visit the Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses to experience plant life from the deserts of Mexico and Africa to the rainforests of Malaysia and Brazil. Seasonal displays combine with permanent collections to present an ever-changing immersion in the wonderful world of plants. 

For information about tours and visiting, click "Visit" above or call the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens office at 781-283-3094. 

NEW!! Greenhouse Talks by our Student Docents
Brief talks (15-20 minutes) on some aspect of our greenhouse collection
Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm during the school semester
Drop in - no registration required. Meet in the Visitor Center.

Global Flora:
The Transformation of the Ferguson Greenhouses' Permanent Collection

We will soon be reconstructing the five major houses of the Ferguson Greenhouse complex, transforming our 1920's facility into a showcase of living beauty highlighting plant form. Global Flora will become a new node for interdisciplinary science research and teaching at the College, as well as an innovative example of sustainable design.

Follow the Global Flora project blog here.

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Discover Massachusetts' garden gems!

Photo credits:  Kristina Jones, Gail Kahn, Vivi Leavy, Becky Saunders, David Sommers, Eileen Sprague