Polly Hill (horticulturist)
Encyclopedia
Mary Louise Butcher "Polly" Hill (January 30, 1907 – April 25, 2007) was an American
horticulturist best known for testing how well plants could survive in cold climates. She founded the Polly Hill Arboretum
on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts
.
Born in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
, she graduated in 1928 from Vassar College
. She went to Japan to teach English and learned about flower arrangement there. After returning to the United States, she studied botany and horticulture at the University of Maryland
. She began her work in 1958 after inheriting what is now the arboretum from her parents.
Hill died in Hockessin, Delaware
at age 100.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
horticulturist best known for testing how well plants could survive in cold climates. She founded the Polly Hill Arboretum
Polly Hill Arboretum
The Polly Hill Arboretum includes 8 ha under cultivation, with an additional 16 ha of native woodland, located on Martha's Vineyard at 809 State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts, USA...
on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Born in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore, Pennsylvania
Ardmore is a census-designated place in Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census...
, she graduated in 1928 from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
. She went to Japan to teach English and learned about flower arrangement there. After returning to the United States, she studied botany and horticulture at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. She began her work in 1958 after inheriting what is now the arboretum from her parents.
Hill died in Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...
at age 100.