Welcome to Virginia Western's Community Arboretum
The Community Arboretum is a two-acre educational garden located on the campus of Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia. Eleven separate gardens and plant collections surround a centrally located amphitheater and are home to approximately 700 labeled plant taxa. The garden collections include a Children’s Garden with a plant maze and plant zoo. Our newest addition, the City Garden, includes sustainable features such as rainwater collection systems and drip irrigation. The Arboretum is also an official site for an All-America Selections Display Garden.
For more information, please contact Clark BeCraft at 540-857-6388.
The Community Arboretum is available for rent! For more info about renting, click here.
For directions, please refer to our Visit VWCC page.
2021 Plant Sales
Spring Plant Sales are back for 2021!
Perennial Sale:
March 26, 4PM – 6PM & March 27, 10AM – 1PM
Spring Plant Sale:
(Featuring bedding plants, hanging basket combos, herbs,vegetable plants and more)
April 30, 3PM – 6PM & May 1, 9AM – 1PM
Plant Sale Guidelines & Protocol:
Please visit the Arboretum Facebook page or call us at 540-857-6388 for updates on any cancellations or postponement due to weather or pandemic restrictions. Due to the COVID-19 regulations on campus, face masks will be required during the plant sales. A limited number of patrons will be allowed within the sale area at one time to allow for social distancing. Please maintain social distancing while in the wait line to shop the sale.
2021 Events
National Garden Bureau’s 2021 Year of the Plant Selections featured at the Arboretum:
Join us as we highlight the 2021 Year of Plants selections (PDF). Each plant selection will be featured on our Facebook page and on display at the Arboretum.
Four Seasons in the Arboretum events are not scheduled at this time due to the pandemic.
We hope to resume events Fall of 2021 or Winter 2022.
All-America Selections Display Garden
Visit the Arboretum this growing season to tour the All-America Selections (AAS) display garden below the City Garden Deck. This year AAS winners will be planted in all of the annual displays within the arboretum. The theme of the annual displays for 2021 is “Diversity in the Garden”, a representation of the diversity of visitors and plants associated with the Arboretum. Visit www.all-americaselections.org for more information.
The 2021 Garden Tour to The Gardens of Richmond scheduled for September 17 and 18 is currently on hold as we monitor the admissions policies of venues.
The arboretum is open to the public from sun up to sun down. Stop by this growing season to enjoy the beauty of the gardens.
Arboretum News
The Gazebo Project Campaign
Help us “raise the roof” with your purchase of commemorative pavers.
The iconic gazebo at the Community Arboretum has remained the focal point of the gardens since 1993. The structure needs repair but cannot be refurbished due to Commonwealth of Virginia construction guidelines, therefore we are raising funds to replace the existing structure with a new gazebo. This project provides you with the opportunity to gift commemorative pavers. Engraved pavers will be incorporated into the floor design and walkway around the gazebo.
Engraved pavers may be placed with the following contributions:
- $1,000, 8×8 placed in the floor under the roof of the gazebo. Includes Souvenir mini-brick and a Certificate of Authenticity.
- $500, 4×8 placed in the floor under the roof of the gazebo. Includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
- $250, 4×8 placed in the floor under the roof of the gazebo.
- $150, 4×8 placed in the walkway around the outside of the gazebo.
Reserve your commemorative paver by May of 2021 and it will be in place for the dedication of the gazebo.
CLICK HERE to donate to the Arboretum and make your contribution today, OR
You may use this form and send a check made out to the Virginia Western Educational Foundation with Gazebo Project in the memo line.
Mail to:
Virginia Western Educational Foundation
3093 Colonial Ave SW
Roanoke, VA 24015
Please include text to be placed on paver with your check (Maximum of 20 characters per line, including spaces and punctuation. Maximum 6 lines per 8×8 paver and 3 lines per 4×8 paver.)
Text will be engraved in all capital letters and will be centered on the paver.
The Community Arboretum reserves the right to review and approve all inscriptions and to deny inscriptions that are deemed to be inappropriate.
Paver Reservation Form (PDF)
Gazebo Project Update (as of March 2021)
Project budget estimate $92,000
Campaign Update:
- $53,700 received from donors and matching gift.
- $50,000 set aside in supporting funds from the Arboretum and VWCC
Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Fundraising continues as we anticipate an increase in budget projections. Additional contributions will also allow us to reduce the financial burden on existing Arboretum funds allowing us to dedicate more funds to additional renovation projects.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021 with plans for a dedication ceremony in the fall of 2021.
Commemorative pavers will be placed as a final stage of the project.
Friends of the Arboretum
Help keep our programs – and plants – alive and growing!
By supporting the Friends of the Arboretum program, you are directly supporting our day-to-day operations, projects and community outreach. You may choose to support the Annual Operating Fund, the Gazebo Project, and the Community Arboretum Endowment Fund.
Friends at the Individual and Family/Dual Level are entitled to the following benefits:
- Seasonal Newsletter
- Discounts on seminars, workshops and special events
- Garden tours to East Coast destinations at a special Friends rate
- Friends-only designated times during plant sales
- Volunteer opportunities
Friends at the Sponsor Level are entitled to the following benefits:
- All of the above, plus
- A complimentary poinsettia and a spring flowering basket from our plant sales
Friends at the Patron Level are entitled to the following benefits:
- All of the above, plus
- Friends Contributor Card allowing reciprocal privileges at over 300 participating American Horticultural Society gardens
Friends at the Benefactor Level are entitled to the following benefits:
- All of the above, plus
- A complimentary 1-hour landscape consultation from a member of the Arboretum/Horticulture staff
Give Now!
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Virginia Western Community College
All Rights Reserved