The Lied Greenhouse at Arbor Day Farm

The Lied Greenhouse sits just north of the pavilion and provides a behind-the-scenes look at how trees are grown and harvested.

A computer-controlled environment waters on schedule and carefully monitors all atmospheric conditions.

Step into our state-of-the-art Lied Greenhouse and step into a forest in the making. Our guests are greeted by the beautiful green splendor of over 100,000 seedlings of seven tree species growing in the greenhouse. These trees are destined to travel and reside all over the continental United States of America. Trees grown at Lied Greenhouse are for the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Gift Tree program as well as for visitors to take home after experiencing Arbor Day Farm’s Tree Adventure. Coast Redwood, Eldarica Pine and Longleaf Pine are grown for the coastal and southern States, Colorado Blue Spruce is grown for all other States and Eastern White Pine is grown to give with admission to Arbor Day Farm’s Tree Adventure. Also growing are hazel nuts from the Arbor Day Farm Hazel Research Field, destined for test planting with the Arbor Day Foundation’s membership. All trees are grown as plug or “tubeling” trees and will have peat moss protecting their roots when they are shipped. In the reforestation industry, tubeling trees have shown to transplant easier and take less follow-up care than the traditional bare root trees.

The greenhouse also serves as a facility that educates. Visitors learn how manipulating the greenhouse environment enables the greenhouse staff to grow a conifer tree in six months that would be equivalent to at least a five-year old tree in the forest. They also learn about the importance of trees in our world and our environment as they tour both the greenhouse and shade house. During the next two decades, the Farm’s goal is to educate an estimated 2 million guests while producing hundreds of thousands of trees each year, trees that touch all that see them with their message of hope for a greener tomorrow.

Visitors to the Lied Greenhouse take home a living souvenir of their visit to Arbor Day Farm. These trees, and the people who plant them in their own backyards, gardens and fields, make vital contributions to conservation planting projects and protecting our environment throughout America, for many years to come.