## A Garden in the City

Norman B. Leventhal Park dedicated in 1991, was conceived, financed and built by Friends of Post Office Square in cooperation with the City of Boston. The Park was designed by the Halvorson Company, Inc. Originally named Post Office Square Park, in September 1997, Mayor Thomas M. Menino renamed the Park in honor of Noramn B. Leventhal, a civic leader and philanthropist whose vision and energy led to the creation of the Park.

The Park's plantings (over 125 different kinds of plants) form a unique horticultural display. All seasons are special - from the earliest flowering witch hazels of February, through spring blossoming trees, shrubs, and bulbs to the colorful beds of herbaceous perennials and annuals of summer. When the perennials' show is over, fall color gives way to the majestic conifers and the bright berries of winter. Identifying labels and keys to the plants enable visitors to note favorite selections for use in their own landscapes. Also included in the garden are some famous plants first introduced to the American landscape by the Arnold Arboretum.

## Living Art from the Arnold Arboretum

In 1990, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Friends of Post Office Square entered into a unique partnership to bring six large specimen trees to Post Office Square on permanent loan from the Arnold Arboretum's Living Collections. These trees, some of which had grown at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain for forty years, include an Asian White Birch, a columnar Norway Spruce, a Hybrid Red Oak, two Western Arborvitae and one Eastern Arborvitae. The "loan" of these trees was part of the Arnold Arboretum's commitment to increasing public appreciation of the value of woody plants. As of today, only three of the large tree remains.

A Garden in the City

The Park's plantings (over 125 different kinds of plants) form a unique horticultural display. All seasons are special – from the earliest flowering witch hazels of February, through spring blossoming trees, shrubs, and bulbs to the colorful beds of herbaceous perennials and annuals of summer. When the perennials' show is over, fall color gives way to the majestic conifers and the bright berries of winter. Identifying labels and keys to the plants enable visitors to note favorite selections for use in their own landscapes. Also included in the garden are some famous plants first introduced to the American landscape by the Arnold Arboretum.