Polly Hill, who died in April at 100, will long be remembered for her many plant introductions, especially her North Tisbury azaleas.
by Gwyn McAllister
Teaser
The island lost some of its most treasured nationally and locally recognized personalities in 2007. For the next few weeks Plum will memorialize some of the Vineyard's own who we will truly miss. Polly Hill, renowned horticulturalist who introduced over 100 new species, leaves behind a beautiful arboretum which has been enjoyed by generations of Vineyarders.
Polly Hill was an internationally respected horticulturalist whose pioneering work disproved the tenets of zonal gardening by successfully introducing species from more temperate climates to the northeast.
Like one of her plant introductions, a rhododendrum that took 29 years to produce flowers (a testament to her skill and tenacity) Polly came into her own late in life. She was in her fifties when she first began experimenting with seeds on a former sheep farm she owned with her chemist husband. Born in 1907 in Ardmore, PA, Ms. Hill graduated from Vassar in 1928 where majored in music. Switching gears, she then moved to Japan where she taught English for many years before returning to the US to study botany and horticulture at the University of Maryland.
Polly inherited the 60 acre North Tisbury farm in 1958 and settled on the island while settling into her life's work. From seeds she obtained from as far away as Japan, she began a process of experimentation and genetic selection that produced hardier strains of many flowering trees and shrubs. Polly eventually introduced over 100 species, many of which are named after her three children and five grandchildren (she also leaves behind three great-grandchildren)
In 1997, the Vineyard Conservation Society purchased the property, creating the non-profit Polly Hill Arboretum, Inc. For the last ten years, thousands have visited the beautiful grounds and attended lectures and classes by staff members and visiting botanists.
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