A one-of-a-kind tree is about to be revealed at Planting Fields in Oyster Bay in what's considered a work of art, a botanical marvel, and a piece of Long Island history! The creator and artist Sam Van Aken, famous for creating the Tree of 40 fruit, will be revealing his latest works as part of Catalyst 2025: The Planting Fields Stand. Van Aken is a contemporary artist and Syracuse University professor known internationally for merging agriculture, science, and art in his living installations.

Sam Van Aken is known for his Tree of 40 Fruit, a tree literally grafted with up to 40 different types of fruit. His first and largest work is located at Syracuse University. Van Aken has brought these living and edible works of art to The Open Orchard on Governors Island, and now he brings his latest project to Planting Fields.

Here at Planting Fields, four of Sam Van Aken's one-of-a-kind trees will be revealed during a ceremony and remain a permanent part of the ground at The Planting Fields Stand, right between the Greenhouse and the Dahlia Garden.

The trees, consisting of apples, cherries, plums, peaches (just to name a few!), will serve as a living record of the Planting Fields site, grafted with rare and historic fruit varieties native to Long Island. The trees will contain fruit varieties once cultivated by the Matinecock people. Some of these varieties were nearly lost to time. After careful research, varieties of pears noted in the Coe Family's planting records were identified in the family archives and are also used for the project.

Planting Fields will present Creative Spirits: An Evening with 2025 Catalyst Artist Sam Van Aken. This is a ticketed event ($35 per person) includes a lecture by Sam Van Aken, access to a second‑floor exhibition showing Van Aken's cyanotypes and herbarium specimens, complimentary cocktail or mocktail, and an after‑hours visit to the historic Main House. Registration is required: plantingfields.org

Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., there will be a free outdoor exhibition opening of The Planting Fields Stand. The event will take place outside the Main Greenhouse’s rear entrance near the Dahlia garden. The opening includes refreshments, local crafts, a panel discussion with Van Aken and Planting Fields staff, a rare opportunity to view the Coe Family's archival materials, and a chance to explore his companion exhibition inside the Main House. Although the event is free, registration is required: plantingfields.org

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