Tour of Lexington Cemetery collection of conifers

Tour the conifer collection of the Lexington Cemetery with Rob Paratley, botanist and recently retired University of Kentucky instructor. The Lexington Cemetery has a diverse collection of conifers, including some not commonly seen in our parks and on our streets. We will discover Oriental spruce, red spruce, Nordmann fir, Chinese juniper, Hinoki-cypress, Douglas-fir, European larch, Oriental arbor-vitae, Japanese-cedar, bald-cypress and pond-cypress, dawn-redwood, and many others.

Conifers are an ancient group of seed plants. We will learn about conifer geography, natural history and human uses, as well as their relationships to each other and their evolution. We will also key in on identification tips by looking at their growth form and bark, their foliage, and their cones. To cover the conifer collection and see some of the less common specimens, we will walk a good portion of the Cemetery, one of the most beautiful treescapes in our region.

The Lexington Cemetery asks that we park on a road just north of the Henry Clay monument, between the monument and Section F. It is just north and west of the Cemetery office. The Cemetery map is on-line and can be downloaded. There is also a posted map just after entering the cemetery.