Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum

On March 26, 2007, ViburnumValley from Scott County, KY wrote:

For those interested in plants, history, architecture, and design, one could do worse than hopping off I-75 in Cincinnati at exit 6. A couple blocks away (actually highly visible from the interstate) is a 700+ acre treasure that waits quietly for your visit.

Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum was established in 1845, with the mission:

"They sought to acquire enough land to be used for funerary purposes into the indefinite future, which could be embellished with shrubbery, flowers, trees, walks, and rural ornaments."

I think they hit the mark.

Spring Grove, in addition to being a fine cemetery for this community, has come to be known as an exceptional collection of centenarian plants and national/state champions for many species. The landscape management is second to none, and it is a place I visited often since 1985 to learn about plants and endeavored to replicate the quality of care.

To answer questions like "will it grow here?", one could do worse than tour through this type institution. This is said about Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum:

"Only a place with a heart and soul could make for its dead a more magnificent park than any which exists for the living."