Bost Arboretum

The Jim & Cherry Bost Arboretum is home to nearly 150 taxa of trees and shrubs, plus many large existing specimens that were preserved during construction. Some of the newly planted trees are extremely rare and endangered, which I collected from various institutions across Texas while serving as Director of Horticulture at Tulsa Botanic Garden.

The Bost family had five tree species that were sentimental to them, so efforts were focused around these sentimental trees, and building collections related to them. Beyond the sentimental trees, I made all species and cultivar selections that went into this garden. Collections focused on were: redbuds, dogwoods, cherries, witch hazels, maples, oaks, and ginkgo.

After launching Stoll Design, I continued working on the Arboretum by designing the shrub layer. Since the canopy and understory trees were already focused on spring and fall interest, I focused on summer and winter interest for the shrubs. Many of them are important for wildlife in the winter, offering berries for food and protective cover to live. Colorful branches, dried flowers, and heavy berry crops make this shrub layer a true gem in the winter and the first area at Tulsa Botanic Garden designed specifically for winter interest.

While Jonesplan constructed the Bost Arboretum, I procured much of the plant material since a lot of it was very difficult to find. Wallace Design Collective also collaborated as part of the design team. The ribbon cutting for the Bost Arboretum was in October 2024.

Photos courtesy of Tulsa Botanic Garden.