Medical University of South Carolina Arboretum

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Medical University of South Carolina Arboretum

Medical University Of South Carolina Arboretum
"Healing Through Nature"
The MUSC Arboretum is always open to the public.

As part of a college and teaching hospital, our grounds are open year-round for exploration, learning, and relaxation. The MUSC Arboretum spans the entire main campus, offering a living landscape that blends nature with education and healing. With an inventory of more than 2,000 trees—from centuries-old live oaks to newly planted fruit saplings—our Arboretum reflects the rich biodiversity of the Lowcountry. Over 70% of the trees on campus are native species, supporting local ecosystems and promoting sustainability. Each tree is managed with an individualized care plan to help it thrive in our urban environment, ensuring a healthy, resilient canopy for generations to come. We are proud to be a member of TreeSC, a certified Tree Campus USA, and a recognized Bee Campus USA, reflecting our commitment to sustainability, biodiversity, and environmental stewardship.

09/22/2025

One of our native Dogwoods in The Camellia Garden confused the first day of Autumn with Spring and decided: why not bloom?

09/17/2025

Construction—always a dangerous time for trees. This abuse does not show up until the contractor is long gone. Soil compaction, bark abrasions, and restriction of resources severely limits the intake of nutrients. If we put you on a 300 calorie/day diet and restrict your blood flow there’d be repercussions and it would show quite quickly. Vigilance is the only safeguard against ignorance and apathy.

09/09/2025

Power lines, canopy trees, and right of way crews do not mix well. Have an ISA certified Arborist trim your trees BEFORE the right of way crew gets there!

08/19/2025

We often get questions about these webs on Live Oaks this time of year. No need to treat or do anything, we call them webworms and they are feeding on the lichen that grows on the bark. Nothing to worry about and usually gone within six weeks plus or minus.

08/04/2025

Live Oaks can be like a Timex, measuring time in years, decades, and centuries. Also, they take a lickin’ but keep on tickin’. Damage to this Oak was about 3 years ago. In a decade or so, the damage will be completely hidden. Trees are amazingly resilient!

07/17/2025

Urban trees have a hard life—poor soils, lack of root space, construction impacts, pollution etc. we lost this American Elm at Dental recently as it was structurally unsound by a sidewalk. It’s a hard knock life and that’s why we plant trees at The MUSC Arboretum with your generous donations.

06/29/2025

Crepe Myrtle in full flower—do not let anyone tell you that torturing them with vicious hacking—because that is NOT “pruning”—brings out more flowers. All it does is destroy the beautiful form of the tree. Make no mistake, Crepe Myrtles require pruning, but pruning that enhances is better than an indiscriminate chopping.

06/16/2025

For the Deadheads out there: ‘Althea told me, “Now cool down, boy”’. Otherwise known as Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), Althea loves the sun and the heat, blooms reliably beautiful, and is somewhat drought tolerant. Great small tree! This particular one is blooming now on the 7th Floor of SJCH.

06/09/2025

The old garden plant Chaste Tree, sometimes referred to as Southern Lilac, (Vitex agnus-castus) starting to bloom around campus!

05/20/2025

One of our new Lusterleaf Hollies planted this winter settling into its new home thanks to your donations!

05/14/2025

Good morning Black-eyed Susans, under the Water Hickory, while the frog ponders…

05/08/2025

Our procrastinating Dogwood (Cornish Florida) signaling the end of spring approaches. This particular tree also very late with fall color. It’s nice to have the flowers (really bracts) so late in the season. Sometimes it is good to be the late worm!

Address

171 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC
29425

Website

https://web.musc.edu/resources/health-and-wellness/arboretum

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Our Story

Vision: The MUSC campus will become a living museum of botanical offerings. Varied native vegetation will be an integral component of the planting scheme and will be documented and labeled to serve as a teaching tool about the trees and plants unique to the Lowcountry. The MUSC Arboretum will be recognized as a Tree Campus USA site. It will be a botanical showcase integrated into the patient care and academic culture of a venerable institution of higher learning; a place of pride and peace for faculty, students, and staff; an ultimate healing environment for patients and their families. A healthy, robust arboretum signifies a healthy campus and learning environment and will serve to recruit faculty, students and enhance patient care. The MUSC Arboretum will provide a much-needed green space in the center of the medical complex’s urban environment and will complement and interconnect the City of Charleston’s existing network of parks and street trees. This outside classroom will educate anyone interested in obtaining knowledge about the Lowcountry’s native species, as well as the healing properties of plants historically used for medicinal purposes. All legacy trees will be identified and protected and will be included in a dynamic electronic inventory that will catalogue each tree, provide the basis for its care and maintenance, and be available to the world through an interactive website. A certified arborist or landscape architect will be responsible for updating an existing campus-wide landscape plan, which is incorporated into the university’s facilities planning. The arboretum will fall under the purview of this professional, who will ensure the holistic integration of the arboretum into the overall campus facilities planning, landscape planning and maintenance efforts. While serving as a place of learning and healing, the arboretum will also serve as an example of the best in urban forestry planning and construction and educate and inspire other local communities to adopt and implement these practices. Not only will the MUSC Arboretum fully complement the learning and healing environment of the Medical University and patient care facilities, it will simply provide a respite in nature on the MUSC campus in the middle of the Charleston peninsula.