Plantings – A Garden in the City

The Norman B. Leventhal Park was conceived, financed and built by Friends of Post Office Square in cooperation with the City of Boston. The park was designed by Boston’s Halvorson Design Partnership.

Over 125 different kinds of plants form a unique horticultural display. All seasons are special – from the earliest flowering witch hazels of February, through spring’s blossoming trees, shrubs, and bulbs, to the colorful beds of herbaceous perennials and bright annuals of summer. When the perennial show is over, all color gives way to the majestic conifers and the bright berries of winter. Identifying labels and keys to the plants enable visitors to note favorite selections for use in their own landscapes. Also included in the garden are some famous plants first introduced to the American landscape by the Arnold Arboretum.

Loan from Arnold Arboretum

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Friends of Post Office Square entered into a unique partnership which brought several mature specimen trees to The Norman B. Leventhal Park on a permanent loan from the Arnold Arboretum’s Living Collections. These trees, some of which had grown at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain for forty years, include a Hybrid Red Oak, an Eastern Arborvitae, and two Giant Western Arborvitae. The “loan” of these trees is part of the Arnold Arboretum’s commitment to increasing public appreciation of the value of woody plants.

View tree descriptions