Dawes Arboretum Hedge Letters

Where can you find something green, leafy, and over 2,040 feet long? Look no further than Dawes Arboretum. While there are over 2,000 acres and 15,000 plants to appreciate here, the highlight might just be the massive evergreen hedge that spells out the attraction’s name in 145-foot-tall letters.

The eponymous hedge was conceived by the arboretum’s founder, Benam Dawes, and designed by Charles Jones. When the letters were first installed, only “DAWES” was spelled out in hedges. More were added later, leading to a total of 1,367 northern white cedars that spelled out “ARBORETUM.” The first plants went in the ground back in 1942 and were refreshed in the 1990s to grow into the glorious greenery you see today.

You can see the hedges as you walk by, but the arboretum has a handy observation tower that you can climb to get a bird’s-eye view of these amazing shrubberies.