The Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a 155 acre site that began as the dream of landscape architect William Lincoln Taylor. In 1910, the land was established as the Rockford Nursery, many of the trees on the property are the result of experiments in planting done by William Taylor. The Klehm family bought the property in 1968, maintained it until 1985, at which time the family donated the land to the Winnebago County Forest Reserve District.
The site was originally supposed to be maintained as an arboretum, however botanists did an inventory in the early 1990's, and garden plantings began in 1994. The arboretum includes Bur Oaks, with the largest one being an estimated 300 years old, and over 50 different species of conifers representing North America, Europe and Asia. The birch collection includes six species including; the Paper Birch, Yellow Birch, Sweet Birch, Downy Birch, River Birch and the New England Gray Birch. The European collection includes the Norway maple, English Elm, Mountain Pine and many other European species. The Asian collection includes corks, imitation cypress, katsura, honeysuckle, and Japanese red and white magnolia. The North American collection has Yellow Buckeye, Ponderosa Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce and several other varieties. Other trees that can be found at the arboretum are the basswood, Red Buckeye, White Oak, Scarlet Oak, redbud, Carolina Silverbell and several others.
The Klehm Arboretum has several gardens which provide a beautiful setting for people to visit. The garden area was first established in 1994 and has grown larger and continues to expand every year. Now included are a Butterfly Garden, Daylily Garden, Fountain Garden, Demonstration Garden, Hosta Garden, Fountain Garden and the Nancy Olsen Children's Garden. The most unique garden area featured is the Prehistoric Garden which contains cycads, Ginko trees, liverworts, bristlecone pine, Dawn Redwood, horsetail trees and ferns.
The grounds of the Arboretum contain several buildings which serve visitors and provide a wide variety of activities. The Visitor Center has an exhibition gallery, library, information center, classroom, and a gift shop and rental facility. The CLARCOR Pavilion is located in the Demonstration Garden and was founded to promote the art, science and educational knowledge about plants and trees. The Covert Gazebo is in the Fountain Garden, the gazebo is open during the months of May through October and is a popular location for wedding ceremonies and photographs.
The trees of the Klehm Arboretum represent all the major regions of the Northern Hemisphere in one location. The collection also includes fine examples of the trees found in Europe, East and Central Asia, as well as East and Western North America. There are rare trees that are native to central and southern Illinois such as the mockernut hickory, Ohio buckeye, redbud and Scarlet oaks. The collection of plants and trees at the Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden, comprise a growing museum devoted to educating the public about the beautiful and rich assortment of plants that grow on earth.
