Before I begin, let me set the record straight: Sarah Lawrence College is really in Yonkers, not Bronxville, and so are all of its great trees.
Like Yonkers Ledger official Tree Man Phil Zisman, I am always on the lookout for great trees, and like Phil, I’m starting in my backyard, which happens to be Sarah Lawrence. I am thrilled to be a guest writer for the A Tree Grows in Yonkers series and join the quest for 100 interesting trees in the city. A Sarah Lawrence student myself, I know some of my favorite tree spots on campus, and I’ll guide you to them.
Wisteria at the Center of Sarah Lawrence
At the center of the campus, in front of the silhouette of our main building, Westlands, sits a lacy, overgrown wisteria arbor, a defining landmark of campus. I’ve heard many students say this alluring little walkway was a reason they chose the school. It was planted before 1926 and is still thriving today.
Whether this wisteria is a tree or a bush, I’ve never been able to fully figure out. The plant’s many trunk stems seem to suggest it can’t be a tree, but it’s much too elegant and far off the ground to be a bush. Google would say it’s neither; technically a climbing vine, but I’d argue it deserves the respect of a proper tree.
Constructed in the early 1900s, this arbor is a sign of hope for students, with the tree’s flowers always blooming each year in harmony with the college commencement ceremony. A lovely shade of lavender, the wisteria blossoms droop like little waterfalls, inviting bees, birds, and butterflies alike.
Viewed from Afar
Although perfectly poised in the center of the campus, this quaint arbor walkway gets surprisingly little foot traffic. I often wonder why no one dares to take the scenic route beneath the wisteria. In my years at Sarah Lawrence, I’ve seen maybe a total of six students actually take the time to walk beneath it. Perhaps it feels almost too fairy-tale-esque to disturb, or when blooming, the pollen makes them sneeze; wisteria is, after all, highly allergenic.
For some, it’s the looming association with our yearly commencement ceremony.
“I always think about its connection to graduation; it feels ceremonial,” said Sylvie Neve (‘28). It’s like the wisteria is an honor to be earned, a taunting vine whispering: “you must take at least three obscure poetry classes before you can walk beneath me.”
The tree is quite welcoming, actually, and walking beneath its sprawl has a magical feeling.
Other students think it’s simply out of the way. Despite its accessible location, it doesn’t lead to anything. It requires a slight detour from the main walking path.
“It’s just not direct. It doesn’t connect one part of campus to another,” said Bay Ross (‘28), “but I want to be more intentional and walk under it.”
Most wisteria can live over 100 years. While the wood arbor upholding the wisteria was refurbished in 2023, the plant itself was almost entirely preserved. This revamping took place before my time here, but I’ve heard horror stories of how desolate things looked for the wisteria then. Each branch was spread out hopelessly on the ground, making up piles that looked more like kindling for a fire than parts of a tree.
We have campus floral landscaper Ani Adishian to thank for the tree’s survival. I like to think of her as the tree’s big sister, carefully twisting and fusing each strand back together like a little girl’s hair. Thanks to her effort, miraculously, the vines recovered! They didn’t survive 100 years just to be taken out by a temporary displacement. There’s a reason the branches have outlasted the original wood arcade: wisteria is persistent!
So, if you need an excuse to visit Sarah Lawrence College, this May check out this enchanting wisteria. It’s not in Siberia, but firmly planted in the City of Yonkers.
