The Scott Arboretum, situated on the 300 plus-acre campus of Swarthmore College exhibits over 4,000 kinds of ornamental plants, and displays the best trees, shrubs, vines and perennials for the region. Established in 1929 as a living memorial to Arthur Hoyt Scott through a gift from Mr. Scott's family, the mission of the Arboretum is to display plants suited for home gardens and to educate the public.

The Arboretum's gardens and areas of special interest include the  Scott Entrance Garden, The Terry Shane Teaching Garden, Biostream, Isabelle Cosby Courtyard, Dean Bond Rose Garden, Harry Wood Courtyard Garden, Metasequoia Allee, Nason Garden emphasizing plant textures, Pollinator's Garden, Scott Outdoor Amphitheater, and  the Cherry Border.  The Arboretum's prominent collections include flowering cherries, conifers, corylopsis, hollies, hydrangeas, lilacs, maples, magnolias, oaks, rhododendrons, roses, tree peonies, vines and witch-hazels. The Arboretum also features a collection of mature trees, including several state champions and notable specimens, such as a grove of paper-bark maples and mature cedars and an avenue of swamp white oaks.