Hershey Gardens
Encyclopedia
Hershey Gardens is a 23 acres (9.3 ha) botanical garden
and arboretum
located at 170 Hotel Road, Hershey, Pennsylvania
, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. They are set on top of pat's hill overlooking Hersheypark
. It was built as a gift from chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey
for his community and to honor his wife, Catherine.
occupying 3.5 acres (14,164 m²). On the first day more than 20,000 visitors came to see the rose garden. In 1937, 1939 and 1941 Milton Hershey added more gardens. By 1941 the gardens had been enlarged to their current size, .
In September 1938 the American Rose Society honored Milton Hershey's dedication to roses by naming a rose after him. L.B. Coddington, a prominent rose hybridiser from Murry Hill, NJ, proposed that a scarlet-crimson red (velvet black red) rose he was developing be named ‘M.S. Hershey.’
In 1942, the land to the east of the Rose Garden was deemed unfit on which to farm or build houses. At this Milton Hershey gave Erdman the orders to make another garden. He asked for no plans or cost estimates. Only telling Erdman he would tell him to stop if it got too big.
An admission fee was instituted in 1973. To increase visitation horticultural changes were made. The most significant of these changes was the creation of six theme gardens, opening for the 1979 season. However in the 1980s it was apparent that there was still a financial problem. In 1989 the Gardens became a part of the non-profit organization: The M.S. Hershey Foundation.
In 1998 the Butterfly House opened. It was constructed using a wing of an original Hershey Estates Greenhouse structure, built in 1930. In 2003, the Children's Garden opened. The Children's Garden covers 1½ acreas and features almost 30 separate gardens designed to teach about plants through ineractive, hands-on displays.
Today the gardens include an arboretum, The Children's Garden, herb garden, Japanese garden
, magnolia
grove, oak
grove, ornamental grass
collection, perennial garden, conifer collection, two substantial rose gardens, and a seasonal flower garden. The rose garden contains about 7,000 rose
bushes representing 275 varieties. The gardens also contain a butterfly
house featuring 300 butterflies of some 25 varieties.
house was added to the Hershey Gardens in 1996. The Butterfly House holds more than 300 butterflies., representing nearly 25 varieties. The Butterfly House also has nectar plants for food and host plants for egg-laying and caterpillar
feeding. The entire lifecycle of the butterfly can be viewed within the house.
The children's garden was opened in 2003. It contains 30 themed gardens, hiding spots and play areas.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
located at 170 Hotel Road, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. They are set on top of pat's hill overlooking Hersheypark
Hersheypark
Hersheypark is an amusement park located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, near the Hershey Chocolate Factory.Hersheypark was opened on April 24, 1907 as a leisure park for the employees of the Hershey Chocolate Company, an American confectionery company. Later, the company decided to open the park to the...
. It was built as a gift from chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey
Milton S. Hershey
Milton Snavely Hershey was an American confectioner, philanthropist, and founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company and the "company town" of Hershey, Pennsylvania....
for his community and to honor his wife, Catherine.
History
The Hershey Gardens first opened to the public on June 2, 1937 as a rose gardenRose garden
A Rose garden or Rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped by individual variety, colour or class in rose beds.-Origins of the rose...
occupying 3.5 acres (14,164 m²). On the first day more than 20,000 visitors came to see the rose garden. In 1937, 1939 and 1941 Milton Hershey added more gardens. By 1941 the gardens had been enlarged to their current size, .
In September 1938 the American Rose Society honored Milton Hershey's dedication to roses by naming a rose after him. L.B. Coddington, a prominent rose hybridiser from Murry Hill, NJ, proposed that a scarlet-crimson red (velvet black red) rose he was developing be named ‘M.S. Hershey.’
In 1942, the land to the east of the Rose Garden was deemed unfit on which to farm or build houses. At this Milton Hershey gave Erdman the orders to make another garden. He asked for no plans or cost estimates. Only telling Erdman he would tell him to stop if it got too big.
An admission fee was instituted in 1973. To increase visitation horticultural changes were made. The most significant of these changes was the creation of six theme gardens, opening for the 1979 season. However in the 1980s it was apparent that there was still a financial problem. In 1989 the Gardens became a part of the non-profit organization: The M.S. Hershey Foundation.
In 1998 the Butterfly House opened. It was constructed using a wing of an original Hershey Estates Greenhouse structure, built in 1930. In 2003, the Children's Garden opened. The Children's Garden covers 1½ acreas and features almost 30 separate gardens designed to teach about plants through ineractive, hands-on displays.
Today the gardens include an arboretum, The Children's Garden, herb garden, Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
, magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
grove, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
grove, ornamental grass
Ornamental grass
Ornamental grasses are grasses grown as ornamental plants. They have become increasingly popular in gardens in recent years.-Classifications:...
collection, perennial garden, conifer collection, two substantial rose gardens, and a seasonal flower garden. The rose garden contains about 7,000 rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
bushes representing 275 varieties. The gardens also contain a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
house featuring 300 butterflies of some 25 varieties.
Gardens
| Rose gardens | Flowering gardens | Other gardens |
|---|---|---|
| Hershey Rose Garden | Children's Garden | Coniferous Garden |
| Italian Rose Garden | Perennial Garden | Oak Grove |
| Mrs. Hershey's Rose Garden | Seasonal Garden | Herb Garden |
| Bill Bowman Garden | Memorial Garden | Ornamental Grasses |
| Arboretum | Japanese Garden |
The Children's Garden and Butterfly House
The butterflyButterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
house was added to the Hershey Gardens in 1996. The Butterfly House holds more than 300 butterflies., representing nearly 25 varieties. The Butterfly House also has nectar plants for food and host plants for egg-laying and caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
feeding. The entire lifecycle of the butterfly can be viewed within the house.
The children's garden was opened in 2003. It contains 30 themed gardens, hiding spots and play areas.