The Property

Second Wind Arboretum, a 2.7 acre property located in the Ocean Drive neighborhood of Newport, Rhode Island, includes a beautiful home, guest house, and gardens. The property was purchased by Ted and Cheryl Huffman in 1999, and they designed and built the house in 2000.

The Collections

The Huffman family are active in their pursuit of interesting trees. A specimen tree has been carefully chosen and planted after the birth of each child, often inspired by favorite trees admired along historic Bellevue Avenue in Newport. A Fernleaf Beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Asplenifolia’, was planted shortly after the Huffman’s oldest son, Ben, was born. When transplanted, the rootball dug for transport was massive, nearly the full diameter of the mulch circle you see at the base of the tree today. Planted for Nicholas, the native American Beech, Fagus grandifolia, is found in Rhode Island’s hardwood forests. The American Yellowwood, Cladrastris kentukea, has fantastic pendulous white flower panicles, but is known for late maturity, sometimes not flowering for 10-15 years and only blooming every 2-3 years. It flowered for the first time on their son Andrew’s 12th birthday. The Persian Ironwood, Parrotia persica, was planted for Jane. As the bark ages on the trunk of this tree it begins to exfoliate, exposing mosaic hues of gray, green, white, and brown.

Second Wind Plant Inventory

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Second Wind Tree Map - Google Maps

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The Mission

The mission of Second Wind Arboretum is to explore the ways in which a private property can contribute to conservation, education and their community in a meaningful way.

Special Features

BACKYARD BEES

The Huffmans enjoy the sweet rewards of rearing honeybees in their backyard. Three brightly painted beehive boxes in the northwest corner of the property provide the Huffman family with their own honey.

DOGWOOD CROCQUET COURT

The croquet court, a turf field for playing croquet and other outdoor games, is bordered by Kousa dogwoods and blue hydrangeas. This turf is allowed to grow longer than a traditional croquet court in order to make the management of the area more sustainable: fewer herbicides, less watering, and less mowing.

GINKGO PLAYGROUND

The “Ginkgo Playground” boasts a charming design highlighting colorful hammocks and a large wooden playset. These young ginkgo plantings replace a previous stand of very old native Amelanchier that were damaged in hurricane Sandy.

FORESTED WETLAND

The property also includes a portion of a forested wetland area (once part of a 9-hole golf course called “Ocean Links”). This type of wetland is the least protected wetland type in Rhode Island; the uncultivated swampy area has native Acer rubrum growing along with other native shrubs such as Amelanchier canadensis.