A little more than five miles down Highland Road from the University, there sits a tranquil retreat that has served as a sanctuary and open-air laboratory for decades. Hilltop Arboretum may not be well known among the general population of students, but it does serve a unique purpose to the University.
Hilltop Arboretum will host its annual symposium Saturday to celebrate the unique heritage of the arboretum and the native flora of Louisiana. Guest speakers will give presentations and guide attendees through the stories of naturalists who visited the state more than two centuries ago.  
Peggy Davis Coates, executive director of Hilltop Arboretum, said the symposium focuses on the history of John and William Bartram, father and son naturalists from Pennsylvania who traveled through South Louisiana and collected seeds and plants that were eventually sold across the Atlantic to British gardeners.
“Essentially English gardens were transformed from formal Italian or French gardens to a more naturalistic landscape like what we have here,” Coates said, referencing the hydrangeas, beautyberries and Magnolia trees that are native to the area. “The British really loved the color these plants brought to their landscape, and it inspired their garden designs. It is amazing that our native plants are part of such a legacy.”
Coates said the arboretum is a special part of the University, and the symposium is set up to honor that heritage.
“The arboretum has brought so many people and plants together from all over,” Coates said. “What we really want to do this year is tell part of that story.”
Coates said the symposium also serves as a yearly reminder to the community of the importance of the arboretum itself.
“The arboretum is an outdoor classroom, it has a unique collection of plants and trees seen nowhere else in the state,” Coates said. “Generations of students from the School of Landscape Architecture have passed through it as a part of their education, It is an intricate part to the University.”
Coates said she hopes those who attend will walk away with a better sense for the history of plants and people in Louisiana and the legacy they share.
“The stories of plants and people are just so fascinating and I want them to be told,” Coates said. “The arboretum is all about giving people a place to enjoy nature, and each year this symposium helps us reach out to the community and share that with all those who are interested.”