
Burlington Arboretum @ Willowbrook Park
This is the master page for all things arboretum! With a project of this magnitude, there will be several sub-projects. All sub-projects will be listed at the bottom but the most current happenings will be listed at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest and support!
Please visit the City of Burlington‘s Arboretum Project Update Page and New Leaf’s Streambank Restoration Page for the latest progress!
All Photo credits: New Leaf Society and The City Of Burlington
Project Update – Fall 2022
The new Children’s Garden at The Burlington Arboretum at Willowbrook Park. It’s really a dream come true to see this area. It’s rare to drive by the Arboretum without seeing beautiful families and children taking advantage of this space.
Project Update – Summer 2022
Enjoy these photos of The Burlington Arboretum taken Summer of 2022 to showcase some updates and beautiful blooms around the park.



New Plantings and Mulching at The Commons Building – Jan 2022
New plantings and mulching were installed around the Commons Building at The Burlington Arboretum. Thanks to The City Of Burlington.
Burlington Arboretum Treehouse Project – Nov/Dec 2021




Veteran’s Overlook Plaza Dedication – November 10th, 2021
Summer 2021
The Veteran’s Overlook Plaza is completed! This Spring and Summer, The final touches were made including the new parking area along Church St., Stone Work by Eagle Hardscapes, and the unveiling of the centerpiece statue of an Eagle overlooking the Arboretum. Plaques honoring branches of the Military and inscriptions reading “For God And Country” and “To All Who Serve That We May Live” are also featured at the site. Two flag poles also stand at the site where the United States flag and State flag are flying.
Interested in purchasing a sandblasted brick to support this project>> Click here to learn more
December 2020
New turf was laid in front of the Commons building. The stonework around the Veteran’s Plaza is nearly finished. Three Persian Ironwood trees were planted to frame the new parking spaces along West Willowbrook. The wetland gardens got some more love with the addition of several hydrangeas. The compass was placed and hardscaping began on the path at the foot of Sunset Drive. New stone steps are in progress leading to the gazebo.
October/November 2020
A new sign was placed along Church St.
September 2020
Fall is here! The Commons building is nearly complete. We couldn’t be more pleased with how everything is taking shape. The sign along Church St. is under construction. Work continues on the Veterans Plaza. Once it’s complete and the statue is placed, we will be repaving the parking lot near Church St. Donated benches were also installed all along the paved walkways.
August 2020
We are excited to announce that construction is underway for the Veteran’s Plaza, which is a sub-project of The Burlington Arboretum at Willowbrook Park. Eagle Hardscapes is constructing this plaza which honors all branches of military service as well as all others who serve by putting their lives on the line for this country and mankind.
July 2020
10 large overstory trees were planted along the creek to further provide increase shading of the water. Added shade reduces algae mattes and protects both vertebrate and invertebrate animal life. The planting consisted of hackberry, bur oak, swamp white oak, overcup oak, Northern red oak, and white oak. The diversity of tree species is important to protect from both insect and disease outbreaks in the future. The Northern red oak and white oak were planted away from the creek because of their low tolerance to flooding. With this planting, we have added 82 new trees to Willowbrook Park. Prior to construction the number of trees removed due to disease, storm damage, and poor health was 22.
The new trees were sourced from various large tree nurseries located in North Carolina. We purchased trees from Worthington Farms (Greenville, NC), Panther Creek (Fuquay Varina, NC), and the latest ones from Bryan Waggoner’s Nursery (Gibsonville, NC). Trees were installed by IScapes (Ben Roney) and Complete Lawn (Ron Wrightentberry). Trees are monitored daily due to the heat and watered as needed by Jason Barnhill the Arboretum’s horticulturalists.
March 7, 2018 – The initial step with City of Burlington’s streambank restoration was approved by City Council on March 6 and they now have 120 days to being construction. To follow the restoration’s latest progress, please visit the Stream Restoration Project Page and City of Burlington‘s project page.
March 5, 2018 – Along with the excitement of this project, there has been one question that keeps popping up – What is an arboretum?”
According to Merriam-Webster, an arboretum is a place where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes.
We would like to encourage interested individuals to visit the following local Arboretums and Public Gardens:
Bicentennial Garden in Greensboro
JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh
NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill
Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham
The above links are also available from the project page: Burlington Arboretum @ Willowbrook Park
Update: January 23, 2017
On January 17, 2017, the Burlington City Council approved the arboretum design. See Times-News Article Here
After receiving feedback from neighborhood meetings and public hearings, some changes were made to the previous design plans (see photos below)
Such changes include:
- Removing the parking lot and replacing with street parking
- Widening a portion of East Willowbrook Drive into the park’s right of way o add 8 parallel parking spots
- Relocating the playground area on Church St to Front St
- Building design to be more Craftsman than Modern in order to blend in with the neighborhood
- Veteran’s Memorial Plaza & Overlook at the park’s edge & backs up to the American Legion Building
Currently, the city is working with Ecosystem, Planning & Restoration to improve the stream and flooding throughout the park.
- Master Plan – Jan 2017
- Revised Building Design – Jan 2017
- Master Plan – Jan 2017
- Master Plan – Jan 2017
Original Project Overview – 2015:
This project is a partnership with the City of Burlington to create a botanical garden and arboretum at Willowbrook Park in Burlington. Willowbrook Park is approximately 17 acres that follows a small creek from South Church Street to Front Street. A parking lot would be placed at South Church Street and Fountain Place with the current playground equipment moved up some and upgraded. Then a pathway of some sort would snake its away along the creek surrounded by gardens, plant collections and gazebos.
Photos Courtesy of Josh Drye
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Sub Projects