Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum – Trees in Winter January 19, 2019

Trees in the Winter at Bellefontaine Cemetery

Winter doesn’t seem to offer much for garden aesthetics but take closer look at the trees.  From the stately sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) to the almost shrubby Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), the mottled, exfoliating, and textured bark of many trees can be a real bright spot during this dreary season.  Smaller species like paperbark maple (Acer griseum) and snakebark maples (Acer tegmentosum ‘White Tigress’) are well suited to the smaller landscape, and medium sized trees like the Missouri native river birch (Betula nigra) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) can be fast-growing shade trees when the garden affords more space.  Many garden-worthy trees like red-twig & yellow-twig dogwood (Cornus stolonifera & C. stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’) are at their best in winter, with colorful twigs popping against the snow and gray skies.

We invite you to take a tour of Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum (BCA) and see our beautiful grounds. BCA’s grounds are home to an international variety of meticulously cared-for trees and shrubs, providing a changing landscape every season. Until the mid-twentieth century, Bellefontaine Cemetery was home to a greater variety of trees than the Missouri Botanical Garden. Today, our 1,100 shrubs and over 5,000 trees represent over 200 distinct varieties.

BCA is a Level II Accredited Arboretum and is listed in the Morton Register of Arboreta. BCA is the only accredited arboretum in the city of St. Louis.

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written by: Kyle N. Cheesborough,
Director of Horticulture and Living Collections Curator

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