Main Greenhouse - Summer Display of Annuals Grounds & Gardens - Annual Plantings and Perennial Gardens surrounding Tea House and Playhouse, Daylily Collection, Specimen Trees Summer color at the Arboretum is less vibrant than the visual excitement of the rhododendrons, azaleas, and flowering bulbs in the spring. Yet summer brings accents of gold, blue, red, and silver foliage to the landscape. For instance, the north border along the MAIN LAWN is colorful with Silver Lindens, Copper Beech, Golden Elm, and Japanese Maple. Our 409 acres contain many more subtle treasures to be enjoyed at other times of the year. The new Hoffman Visitor Center located in the historic Hay Barn is now open to the public. The center features a new topographical map of the property, hands on and hi-tech educational exhibits, restroom facilities, a new horticultural library and two new state of the art classrooms. The Garden Gift Shop, formerly located in the Main Greenhouse is also located in the new visitor center. The north wing of the Hay Barn is now the permanent home of the Long Island Regional Parks Archives collection. The MAIN GREENHOUSE features summer annuals and showy hanging vines in the HIBISCUS HOUSE in addition to its year-round collections of Orchids, Cactus and Succulents, Bromeliads, Begonias, Ferns and House Plants. Before you leave the ARBORETUM CENTER, check the map to see where you want to go next. The road to the left leads to the CARSHALTON GATES, a good walk from the center. The gates guarded the formal entrance to the grounds at the time the Coe’s lived here. If hiking is your pleasure, you can explore the Carl Wedell BIRD SANCTUARY on the left. From there you can either back-track to the road or follow the Woodland Trail up over the hill and then down to the Gatehouse Trail. A right turn on this trail will lead you to the CARSHALTON GATES. Or if you prefer more formal plantings, you can enjoy the ROSE ARBOR and the magnificent trees of the WEST LAWN on the right. The HEATHER GARDEN is on the far side of the WEST LAWN. The ROSE ARBOR is bordered with an extensive display of summer blooming perennials and leads to the main ROSE GARDEN. The CHILDREN’S PLAYHOUSE is behind these beds on the left. If you continue on the center path, you will find the TEA HOUSE on the right. It overlooks the ITALIAN BLUE POOL GARDEN, which will be undergoing extensive renovations in the near future. The large limestone building you see in the distance is COE HALL, the residence of William Robertson Coe and his family during his lifetime. It has been restored with furnishings of the period and is open for guided tours April 1 to September 30 from 12:30 to 3:30 daily. The EAST LAWN is behind COE HALL. It is graced with more beautiful specimen trees and flowering shrubs. Note particularly the large European Beeches, Fagus sylvatica cultivars, the Lindens, Tilia species, the Blue Atlas Cedar, Cedrus atlantica cv. Glauca, a huge Tulip Tree, Liriodendron tulipifera, and a Golden English Elm, Ulmus procera cv. Aurea. Serious tree-lovers will find several other noteworthy specimen trees and shrubs on and around the lawn. The eastern part of the Arboretum is also home to the CONIFER WALK, the DWARF CONIFER GARDEN, and the SYNOPTIC GARDEN. The SYNOPTIC GARDEN reflects the purpose Mr. Coe had in mind when he willed this property to the state of New York: the education of both horticultural specialists and more casual gardeners. It contains a collection of the best horticultural plants that can be grown on Long Island. They are arranged in alphabetical order by scientific name, with a few exceptions made for decorative purposes and to accommodate trees and shrubs already in the area when the garden was conceived. It is worth visiting at all times of the year. Of particular note in the summer, beginning at the front of the garden on BEECH DRIVE, are: Glossy Abelia, Abelia grandiflora, with small white flushed pink, bell-shaped flowers that bloom well into September. The Butterfly Bushes, Buddleia species, with spikes of purple, lavender, rose, or white flowers that really do attract butterflies. Bluebeard, Caryopteris x clandonensis, with blue-gray foliage and delicate sprays of blue flowers. Summer Sweet, Clethra alnifolia, with fragrant flowers, either pink or white. Broom, Cytisus species, a member of the pea family, yellow flowers. Rose-of-Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus, a familiar member of the mallow family with flowers rose-purple, blue, or white. Various kinds of Hydrangeas, Hydrangea species, sometimes called Snowball Bushes, with white, blue, or pink flowers. The blue or pink color of one species, Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrangeaserrata, Hydrangea quercifolia, and Hydrangea arborescens. The Sorrel Tree, Oxydendrum arboreum, with drooping panicles of small white bells from late July through late fall. In autumn its leaves turn a deep shade of burgundy. The Chaste Tree, Vitex agnus-castus, (really a shrub that should be cut to the ground at seasons end) with dense spikes of tiny lavender to white flowers. These are only a few of the many plants to see and places to go at the Arboretum in July and August. Even in the heat of summer you can usually find a cool spot under a tree to relax and enjoy the tranquil beauty of Planting Fields. Arboretum Monthly Highlights can be found in the Visitor Center located in the Main Greenhouse.