Polly Hill Aboretum
Polly Hill Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public botanical garden on Martha's Vineyard operating 72 acres of rare plant collections, an accredited herbarium, and digital research tools, serving members, schools, visitors, and researchers through memberships, admissions, plant sales, donations, and education programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersWest Tisbury, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Polly Hill Aboretum does
Polly Hill Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public botanical garden located on 72 acres in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard. The institution originated from horticulturist Polly Hill's 1958 experiment of sowing a seed and was formally incorporated as a nonprofit in 1998 to preserve her legacy of more than 80 plant introductions, including the North Tisbury azalea series, Magnolia macrophylla 'Julian Hill', and yellow-fruited Ilex opaca 'Villanova'. Today the Arboretum manages roughly 20 acres under cultivation with the remainder preserved as native woodland, holding the national Stewartia collection (70+ trees across 17 stewartia types) and serving as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Stewartia.
The Arboretum runs a portfolio of digital research and visitor tools including the Arboretum Explorer interactive collection mapping platform, the Stewartia StoryMap (ArcGIS), the Martha's Vineyard Plant Selection Guide, and the Flora of Dukes County digital database. The 4,000-specimen herbarium (member code PHARB) is officially recognized by Index Herbariorum. A team of 12 staff supported by volunteers and docents operates the grounds, visitor center, herbarium, education center and botany lab, greenhouse, and plant propagation facilities.
Revenue is generated through seven membership tiers ranging from $50 (Individual) to $1,000 (Polly Hill Circle) plus a $150 photography membership, tiered adult admissions ($10 in summer, $5 in winter, free for members and children under 12), in-person and online plant sales (MV Wildtype native plugs at $15.99 per three-plug set), donations and planned giving, fee-based workshops and on-demand webinars, and American Horticultural Society reciprocal admission benefits. Customers include Martha's Vineyard residents and schools (free STEM-aligned field trips), horticulturists, island visitors and tourists, and professional botanists and conservation researchers.
Polly Hill Aboretum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Polly Hill Aboretum
- Legal name
- The Polly Hill Arboretum Inc.
- Website
- https://pollyhillarboretum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Polly Hill Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public botanical garden on Martha's Vineyard operating 72 acres of rare plant collections, an accredited herbarium, and digital research tools, serving members, schools, visitors, and researchers through memberships, admissions, plant sales, donations, and education programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Polly Hill Aboretum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Botanical Garden and Horticultural Education Services
- NAICS
- Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142), Nursery and Tree Production (111421), Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services (BPABADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB), Forest Seed Orchards & Breeding Programs (AFAMADAB)
Keywords
Where Polly Hill Aboretum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Tisbury
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Polly Hill Aboretum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership contributions at multiple tiers ranging from $50 (Individual) to $1,000 (Polly Hill Circle). Provides recurring revenue, free/discounted admission, and other benefits.
- Visitor Admission: Admission fees: $10 for adults (May-October), $5 (November-April). Children under 12 and members free. Generates revenue from on-island visitors and tourists.
- Plant Sales: In-person plant sales at Visitor Center (May-October) featuring wildflowers, trees, shrubs, perennials including Polly Hill introductions and island natives. Online MV Wildtype native plant plug sales. Members receive 10% discount.
- Donations and Planned Giving: Tax-deductible donations, annual appeals, and planned giving program. Major gifts from Dr. David H. Smith and others initially funded the nonprofit transition.
- Education Programs and Workshops: Fee-based workshops, on-demand webinar programs (e.g., Redbuds, Yellow Magnolias, Mountain Camellia), and specialized tour fees for large groups.
- Photography Membership: $150/year membership allowing professional photography sessions on grounds with scheduling and policy requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual membership for single adult |
| Subscription | Annual | Household membership for two adults and children |
| Subscription | Annual | Friend tier with guest privileges |
| Subscription | Annual | Sponsor tier with special event invitations |
| Subscription | Annual | Benefactor tier with behind-the-scenes tour |
| Subscription | Annual | Top-tier circle with Executive Director tour |
| Subscription | Annual | Photography membership for professional shoots |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Adult admission (non-member) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Native plant plugs |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Youth education programs for schools |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Polly Hill Aboretum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Polly Hill Arboretum is a public botanical garden and nonprofit plant research institution that stewards horticultural collections, propagates and sells locally grown trees and shrubs, delivers formal and informal educational programming, and operates as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Stewartia. Its offerings serve general visitors, members, school groups, adult learners, and horticultural researchers, anchored by a National Historic Landmark collection on Martha's Vineyard.
Product overview
Polly Hill Arboretum is a 72-acre public botanical garden on Martha's Vineyard offering a portfolio of digital tools and visitor programs. Its core digital products include the Arboretum Explorer (interactive plant collection mapping tool), Stewartia StoryMap (ArcGIS-based collection showcase), Martha's Vineyard Plant Selection Guide (searchable plant database), and the Flora of Dukes County (comprehensive vascular plant database). Physical offerings include daily plant sales with Polly Hill introductions and MV Wildtype native plant program, educational programming including on-demand webinars, and access to specialty plant collections including the national Stewartia collection and magnolia collection. The institution also operates a scientific herbarium (PHARB) and offers tiered membership programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- General Garden Admission Daily public access to the arboretum grounds and plant collections for individual visitors, families, and tourists visiting Martha's Vineyard.
Quantifiable outcome
- Level IV ArbNet Accreditation received twice
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Polly Hill Aboretum
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Polly Hill Aboretum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Polly Hill Aboretum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- American Public Gardens Association (APGA)coreProud member of APGA, the primary professional organization for public gardens in North America. Provides networking, best practices, and credibility within the public horticulture industry.
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)coreMember of BGCI, an international organization with 700+ member institutions in 118 countries focused on plant conservation. BGCI supports implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.
- Martha's Vineyard CommissioncoreProvided support for development of the Martha's Vineyard Plant Selection Guide, a searchable resource helping island residents make smart plant choices for local conditions.
- Harvard ForestcoreDr. David Foster, Director of Harvard Forest, conducts research on oak mortality in Arboretum woodlands and Frances Newhall Woods Preserve. Study explores forest recovery patterns.
- Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species ProgramminorPHA works with the state program to document and preserve the area's rare native plants as part of the Flora of Dukes County project.
- American Horticultural SocietycorePHA members receive reciprocal admission benefits at over 300 gardens through the AHS Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP).
- Martha's Vineyard LandbankcoreConservation partner permitting documentation of plants on Land Bank properties and part of the Martha's Vineyard Floristic Study Group.
- The Nature Conservancy - Cape and Islands DivisioncoreConservation partner; Melissa Cullina joined as research associate with focus on aquatic plant diversity in ponds and watersheds.
- Sheriff's Meadow FoundationcoreConservation partner permitting plant documentation on properties and part of collaborative flora documentation efforts.
- Michael Van Valkenburgh AssociatesminorAward-winning landscape architect and Martha's Vineyard resident who developed the master plan including design and layout of parking area.
- Maryann Thompson ArchitectsminorAward-winning architectural firm of Cambridge, MA that designed the Visitor Center consisting of two post-and-beam buildings opened in 1998.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Polly Hill Aboretum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tower Hill Botanic Garden: New England's oldest public horticultural garden in Boylston, MA. Closest direct comparably sized public botanical garden in Massachusetts with plant sales, educational programs, and membership tiers analogous to PHA.
- Wave Hill: 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx, NY. Similar mid-sized public garden with curated plant collections, education programs, and tiered membership model anchored to a historic landscape.
- Berkshire Botanical Garden: Small public botanical garden in Stockbridge, MA with roughly comparable scale, membership model, educational programming, and plant sale operations. Most direct regional peer for PHA's operating model.
Broad incumbents
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden: 52-acre public botanical garden in Brooklyn, NY with extensive plant collections, education programs, and herbarium. Comparable in plant collection focus and nonprofit membership model.
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University: Harvard's 281-acre research arboretum in Boston, MA. Directly comparable as a major New England public arboretum/botanical institution with a focus on plant collection, research, and public education; PHA's first ED Stephen Spongberg previously worked there.
- Longwood Gardens: 1,100-acre display garden and conservatory in Kennett Square, PA. Comparable as a leading public garden with plant collections, educational programming, and significant ICRA authority for select genera.
- Morton Arboretum: 1,700-acre public garden and tree research center in Lisle, IL. Co-administers ArbNet accreditation (of which PHA holds Level IV) and shares the same funding/co-granting relationship with the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program.
- New York Botanical Garden: 250-acre research botanical garden in the Bronx. Comparable as a chartered botanical institution with herbarium, plant research, educational programs, and ICRA designations for various plant genera.
Others
- Trustees of Reservations: Massachusetts-based conservation nonprofit that, like PHA, operates historic properties with conservation restrictions and public access for educational/recreational purposes. Adjacent ecosystem partner with overlapping conservation mission.
Regional players
- Sheriff's Meadow Foundation: Martha's Vineyard land conservation nonprofit that partners with PHA on plant documentation efforts. Adjacent regional conservation peer operating on the same island with overlapping flora/mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Polly Hill Aboretum social profiles
Digital presencePolly Hill Aboretum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Polly Hill Aboretum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Polly Hill Aboretum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Polly Hill Aboretum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Polly Hill Aboretum
What does Polly Hill Aboretum do?
Polly Hill Arboretum is a public botanical garden and nonprofit plant research institution that stewards horticultural collections, propagates and sells locally grown trees and shrubs, delivers formal and informal educational programming, and operates as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for the genus Stewartia. Its offerings serve general visitors, members, school groups, adult learners, and horticultural researchers, anchored by a National Historic Landmark collection on Martha's Vineyard.
Is Polly Hill Aboretum a public or private company?
Polly Hill Aboretum is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Polly Hill Aboretum founded?
Polly Hill Aboretum was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Polly Hill Aboretum based?
Polly Hill Aboretum is headquartered in West Tisbury, United States, in the North America region.
How does Polly Hill Aboretum make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are visitor Admission, plant Sales, donations and Planned Giving, education Programs and Workshops and photography Membership.
Who are Polly Hill Aboretum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Wave Hill and Berkshire Botanical Garden. Broad incumbents are Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Longwood Gardens, Morton Arboretum and New York Botanical Garden. Trustees of Reservations is listed as an others. Sheriff's Meadow Foundation is listed as a regional player.
Does Polly Hill Aboretum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Polly Hill Aboretum.
What industry is Polly Hill Aboretum in?
Polly Hill Aboretum's product category is Public Botanical Garden and Horticultural Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABADAL, Seasonal Color, Planting & Horticultural Services, with a secondary code of CRAIAIAB, Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers). Its NAICS code is 71213 and its SIC code is 800.