The Schedel Arboretum & Gardens offers visitors a unique experience that celebrates the natural world, from over 10,000 annual specimens of exotic trees and plants to impressively designed themed gardens such as the Japanese Garden and Tropical Garden. The well-known rose garden features over 80 varieties of traditional hybrid tea roses in an underground irrigation system, while the Trellis Gallery’s Tropical Garden is home to banana trees, elephant ears, citrus fruit, and a reflecting pool bursting with life.
Alongside this impressive collection, the Arboretum also boasts several themed garden displays throughout its grounds. These displays are designed to enhance visitors’ appreciation of nature and combine the expertise of both the original Schedel designs and those made since the foundation took over in 1989. A particular highlight is the Japanese Garden, which was constructed by the Schedels based on their many travels around the world.This garden is a stunning display of all the elements typically found in Japanese gardens, from bridges and 30′ waterfalls to Torii gates and several varieties of trees. A large pagoda located at the peripheries even houses the Schedel’s ashes, adding a personal touch to this unique landscape.
The rose garden is a popular spot with visitors, boasting over 80 varieties of hybrid tea roses, some of which have been part of the garden for decades. The underground irrigation system ensures that the leaves remain dry and healthy. The Tropical Garden near the Trellis Gallery was recently redesigned and expanded in 2010, but due to cost-saving measures, has since then been reduced in size. There are many different varieties of trees, such as banana trees and elephant ears, as well as citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and pomegranates. The reflecting pool amid the garden is home to both tropical and hardy water lilies, goldfish, koi fish, frogs, and turtles.
The Leo Pelka Bonsai Shelter proudly showcases a world-class bonsai collection, featuring 95 individual specimens, the largest in northern Ohio. With a variety of tree species and many styling methods, visitors can marvel at a majestic Juniper cultivated in 1930, a delicate Dawn Redwood forest, or a healthy and vigorous Ficus bonsai. The spacious Japanese-influenced pergola structure invites visitors to take a stroll through a peaceful environment, displaying the well-manicured bonsai specimens in perfect harmony.
The Peony Garden and Schedel Vegetable Garden
The Peony Garden is a source of pride, boasting more than 40 varieties of early summer blooms that last anywhere from one to six weeks. With some of the varieties having been hybridized by Marie Schedel, it is an impressive sight to behold. The Schedel Vegetable Garden adds to this experience with its annual display of nature’s abundance. Former director and board member Dr. Reg Noble is now a volunteer who plants and cultivates the garden, featuring a variety of vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, cabbage, long beans, sweet peppers, potatoes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Although visitors are unable to take home any of the harvested vegetables, they can still appreciate the beauty of the gardens on display.
The Schedel Arboretum & Gardens: A Harmonious Exhibit of Art and Nature
For over twenty years, the Schedel Arboretum & Gardens has been proudly displaying 25 large-scale sculptures in a variety of mediums, showing visitors the harmony between nature and art. Originally curated by the late Peggy Grant of Toledo, Ohio, this stunning exhibit features works from regional, national, and international artists such as Joseph Sheppard, Tuck Langland, Robert Garcia, Andy Sacksteder, and Emanuel Enriquez. The collection is sure to impress visitors and provide an enjoyable experience for all.
McAlear Gallery
The McAlear Gallery, located in the Brown Welcome Center, was made possible through the generosity of benefactors Pat and Marilyn McAlear. This exquisite gallery features art exhibits every year from various countries such as India, Japan, and the United States, with works from esteemed artists like Walter Chapman, Barry Woods Johnston, Robert Mazur, and Dennis Wojtkkiewicz. With its soaring high ceilings, raised wood panel architecture, and museum lighting, the space is the perfect venue to showcase these magnificent pieces. As a member of the Toledo Area Federation of Artists, Schedel Gardens continues to work diligently to bring the unique work of respected artists to life, furthering the study and appreciation of the arts.
