Click on this photo to see it in the KHS photo note cards/prints gallery.Some landscapes enthrall visitors season after season. Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard is among them. I’ve featured gems from the 20-acre cultivated grounds before. Remember the robust outdoor fireplace?
 
During my most recent visit, I rediscovered the leathery, peeling bark of the Stewartia. The eye-catching bark is but one highlight of this stunning specie which offers mid-summer blossoms and colorful leaves come fall. Polly Hill Arboretum boasts twenty Stewartia varieties, clustered in groves and featured as specimens. 

Visit the Arboretum any day between sunrise and sunset to take in the breadth and beauty this Island respite offers. The Visitor Center is open Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, and informative daily tours are available between those dates. Mark you calendars.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast