Go on the road with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture on Wednesday, June 23, leaving the Gray Lot with a car pool at 7:30 am, returning at approximately 7:00 pm. Rain or shine you will drive to Newbury, New Hampshire, to begin the day in the Lake Sunapee region with a visit to the grounds of The Fells, one of New England’s finest examples of an early 20th century summer estate (see picture below). At The Fells your guide is Thelma Hewitt, horticulturist with a specialty in native plants and wildflowers. The estate grounds feature a 100 foot perennial border, the Old Garden hidden behind masses of rhododendrons, a formal Rose Terrace, and a world class Rock Garden.
From the Fells, drive just up the road to the Hewitt’s for a garden tour and lunch. The next stop is the Community Garden at Tracy Library in the center of New London. Working with the Olmsted Brothers firm’s 1926 original plans and plant lists, the garden was recreated and replanted in 2002 by local volunteers, one of whom will be your next hostess, Carolyn Hager. Traveling to her garden near Pleasant Lake, you will find an unexpected surprise in a woodland setting.
You’ll end the day with a visit to the garden of Ann Loeffler in Elkins, at the far end of Pleasant Lake. Ann is a volunteer at The Fells, who says perennials are her ongoing great love, and her current craze is dwarf conifers. WCFH members $48, non members $60, includes lunch and snacks and garden admissions. To register, call 781-283-3094, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.
