Daily Archives: April 26, 2010

The New England Wild Flower Society has scheduled a tour of two gardens,  led by Pam Durrant and Jessie Panek, on Wednesday, May 26, from 10 – 1, in Harvard, Massachusetts.

A 1915 English Tudor style house in Harvard is the setting for the Panek garden, where a continuous sequence of flowers in bloom is enhanced with carefully chosen textures of leaves, fruits and bark. A formal yew hedge encloses a sunny English style border, facing a pool. Additional mixed borders are anchored by mature 15’ tall native azaleas, mountain laurel, rhododendron, dogwood, and magnolias. A wide variety of unusual small trees and shrubs form a naturalistic transition to the surrounding woods.  Other features include a butterfly garden, a meadow, a recently discovered ‘secret’ garden, woodland paths, and a vegetable garden.

You then tour the Croyle garden, situated around a dramatic contemporary home with a collection of outdoor sculpture.   This garden began as a woodland garden designed by Neil Jorgensen and has continued to evolve over the years.   A series of winding gravel paths travel through the garden, crossing seasonal streams via stone bridges.  A river of Primula japonica flowing through the garden is especially colorful in May. A wide variety of trees and shrubs provide the setting for an extensive collection of perennials including trilliums and epimediums. Specimen Japanese maples,  yellowwood,  American and Chinese fringetrees, sweet gum, tri-color and weeping purple beech are just a few of the mature specimens that have recently been added to the garden to enhance interest. In contrast to the woodland garden, the entry terrace is treated in a contemporary design vernacular with a sculpture court, mature paperbark maples and concolor firs.

$30 for NEWFS members, $36 for nonmembers, and you may register on line at www.newfs.org, or by calling 508-877-7630.  Directions will be provided.

The New England Wild Flower Society and Roland “Boot” Boutwell will once again take you on an adventure, this time in Saco, Maine, on Saturday, May 22, from 10 – 2.  This outstanding botanical site is perhaps the southernmost example of a raised bog in North America, dating back 12,000 years when glacial activity created adjacent water-filled kettle holes. Saco Heath formed when these ponds filled with decaying plant matter called peat. With each year’s plant growth adding to the peat accumulation, the two peatlands eventually grew together above the water table to form a raised, coalesced bog. The Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) should be in glorious bloom. The flora we should encounter includes, tamarack, black gum, labrador tea, leatherleaf, pitcher plant, cotton grass, and Atlantic white cedar.  Bring lunch and a hand lens if you have one.  $32 for NEWFS members, $36 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.