Harrison Allen
Correspondent
The JC Raulston Arboretum was ranked eighth in the nation of “50 Most Stunning University Gardens and Arboretums” by the website Best Masters Programs.
To determine the rankings, the website takes into account factors such as aesthetics and research potential.
In the ranking, it is noted that the Raulston Arboretum is continually evolving by being a space where students studying landscape architecture can create and design.
“The Arboretum has grown into a very contemporary public space for learning about plants, as well as for pleasure and leisurely strolls,” said Fernando Magallanes, an associate professor of landscape architecture at the NC State College of Design.Many students studying landscape architecture work on various projects and research at the Arboretum.
“[The Arboretum] has built a strong reputation for being a forum for testing and expanding the knowledge of landscape environments and the growth and exhibition of plants,” Magallanes said.
However, use of the Arboretum for educational purposes isn’t limited to only students studying landscape architecture.
“Heavily engaging the faculty and students in the departments of landscape horticulture, landscape architecture, architecture and horticultural science, the Arboretum brings design and science together,” Magallanes said.
The innovations the students in these various colleges bring to the Arboretum helps to make it unique.
Students’ work at the Arboretum also doesn’t cease when they graduate from NC State.
“Over the years, many of our graduates in landscape architecture have carried out independent studies and studio projects,” Magallanes said.
Studies and studio projects such as these are what help the Arboretum evolve and become more innovative.
“These studies have led the way to creative ideas, funding and support to create [the Arboretum’s] current status,” Magallanes said.
The various studies and projects done at the Arboretum in the past are also beneficial to landscape architects today.
“The graduates of the landscape architecture department reap the benefit of all these years of experiments and constructions by using it as a place for field study of garden spaces and plants,” Magallanes said.
However, the union of the Arboretum with the students of NC State isn’t the only reason for its esteemed ranking, according to Magallanes.
“I believe that the advancing of the JC Raulston Arboretum among the rankings of national arboretums is probably due to the dedication of JC Raulston staff, administration, undergraduate and graduate students, professors, volunteers and nurserymen,” Magallanes said.
To other NC State students, faculty and staff, the Arboretum is such a great place simply because of its beautiful plants.
“[The Arboretum] has an incredible variety of plants,” said Diane Beckman, a professor of foreign languages and literatures in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
In addition to its incredible variety of plants, Beckman also noted that the Arboretum is nice in all four seasons, making it a year-round attraction.
Patrick McLain, a senior majoring in business administration, likes the Arboretum for its variety of plants, but also basks in the experience he gets when he goes to the Arboretum.
“[The Arboretum] is kind of like a maze,” McLain said. “You can get lost in there and walk around for hours.”
With its beauty and aesthetic, as well as the many purposes it serves for the NC State academic community, it isn’t difficult to see why the JC Raulston Arboretum is ranked so highly among others.
“[The Arboretum] contributes not only to our academic community, but that of Wake County,” Magallanes said.
