Upon the Arboretum's 281 acres grow 15,000 trees, shrubs and vines, each of which is scientifically documented and available for teaching or research. 

The Arboretum's story begins with two interesting partnerships. First Harvard University curates the collections and maintains the landscape, while the city, which owns the land and has leased it to the school for 1,000 years, maintains the infrastructure. The other partnership is that of Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Sprague Sargent. 

Established in 1891

Olmsted and most everyone else agreed that Jamaica Pond belonged in Boston's system of parks, and very few alterations were needed to improve upon this natural feature. 

Established in 1891

Frederick Law Olmsted said of the park area that would later bear his name: "the locality is at present very attractive, including as it does, Ward's Pond with its verdure-clad, precipitous banks, a steep wooded hill, several groves and two meadows . . ."