Simmons Arboretum, Nature trails and arboretum in Madison, Mississippi.
Simmons Arboretum is a 10-acre (40,000 m2) city-owned arboretum at the eastern end of St. Augustine Drive in Madison, Mississippi. It has evolved from unimproved land into a nature walk with nearly a mile (1.6 km) of walking trails, and its plants have been identified and cataloged. Further design, planting and labeling of species are planned.
The land came as a donation from Dr. Walter Simmons and his family to the City of Madison, converting an undeveloped site into an educational nature space.
The space serves as a Blue Star Memorial dedicated to honoring military service, maintained by a local gardening community.
The arboretum is city-owned and open to the public at no charge. Its entrance lies at the eastern end of St. Augustine Drive, south of the road, at roughly 32.4493°N, 90.0744°W. Nearly a mile of walking trails runs through the grounds, and planting and labeling work is still ongoing, so some sections remain unimproved.
The arboretum holds a Blue Star Memorial designation, a tribute to the Armed Forces of America, awarded by the Northbay-Madison Garden Club, a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc. The site began as unimproved land donated by Dr. and Mrs. Walter Simmons and is still a work in progress, with further design, planting and labeling of species planned.
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