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How philanthropy helps Auburn's Davis Arboretum flourish
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum's azaleas are one of the core collections alongside its collection of Alabama's native oaks.
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum features three main water features, including a pond, a winding natural stream and a rocky waterfall.
Just steps away from the busy College Street corridor on the edge of campus, Auburn University’s Donald E. Davis Arboretum can feel like a portal to a world far from the noisy road.
As visitors walk into the 16-acre botanic garden, the whoosh of passing cars is slowly replaced with birdsong and the trilling of insects.
On a recent day, children and their parents excitedly walked the winding paths connecting native plant exhibits while Auburn students busied themselves studying local bee populations. Oblivious to it all, a turtle sunned itself on a rock just below the arboretum’s waterfall.
As the oldest collegiate botanical garden in the Southeastern Conference, the Davis Arboretum is not only a valuable educational resource on Alabama’s native plant species and biodiversity but a serene escape for its over 80,000 annual visitors.
“This place allows people to experience nature on their own terms,” said Morgan Pendergrass, arboretum director. “Not everyone wants to forge their own path into the woods with a machete. Visitors can come out here and listen to the birds or take a walk while listening to a podcast.”
The arboretum’s backbone is the collections of oaks and native azaleas, both of which are nationally accredited. Located in a state known for its diversity of oaks, the Davis Arboretum boasts an impressive 39 of Alabama’s 40 native oak species (the bottomland post oak remains elusive).
While preservation, conservation and display of Alabama’s native plant species is a cornerstone of the arboretum’s mission, it also serves as a living classroom for Auburn students. It’s one of the most widely used academic resources on Auburn’s campus after the Draughon Library.
“There are 16 departments at Auburn that regularly have classes here at the arboretum,” Pendergrass said. “There’s a big presence from horticulture and the sciences, of course, but we also support the humanities, education and human development and family science.”
As part of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, the arboretum receives a healthy budget earmarked by the college, which is supplemented through facility rentals and other means of revenue.
"The arboretum couldn’t exist to this level without the generosity of donors."
Morgan Pendergrass, arboretum director
The philanthropy of Auburn alumni and friends also goes a long way in ensuring the Davis Arboretum remains the renowned public space it is today.
“The arboretum couldn’t exist to this level without the generosity of donors,” Pendergrass said.
The John Taylor Sr. Fund for Excellence has been a particularly impactful gift for the arboretum. It was established through a charitable remainder unitrust from the late John Taylor, a 1940 Auburn graduate in agricultural science.
The fund provides much-needed money for maintenance, including refreshing pine straw annually, replacing gravel that is washed away in heavy rain and purchasing new tools or equipment.
“These are funds that we desperately count on each year,” Pendergrass said. “This place is alive, and we always need to keep investing in it.”
Every shaded path, every rare plant and every moment of quiet reflection at the arboretum is a little oasis made possible by the generosity of the Auburn Family.
Learn more about estate and planned gifts at auburngiving.org/estate or by emailing plannedgiving@auburn.edu or calling 334-844-7375.
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A charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) can create a stream of income for you while making a huge impact at Auburn University. It’s a great charitable tool for those concerned about the high cost of capital gains tax after selling an appreciated asset.
