In 1982, the courtyard in the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library on Boyston Street was in need of maintenance and enhancement. The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s then-President, the late Patsy Boyce, designed the garden, worked with Robert Van Gelder of Capizzi & Co. to arrange for the installation. The quoted prices from the contractor will be of interest to those of you who have worked with landscapers recently:
Fertilize pachysandra beds (already existing) and provide three sprays of linseed oil – $320
Prepare all planting beds, weed and rake paths, level soil where needed and fertilize with aged bovine manure – $582
Mulch planting beds with pine bark mulch – $535
Pick up plants, deliver and install – $913
Plant material (2 Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’ – 2 more were already in place, 1 Acer palmatum- 3 other already in place, 5 Azalea poukhanense for each parterre, 4 Cotoneaster apiculata, privet ligustrum obtusifolium, and pink, salmon and white impatiens) – $1,647
Total – $3,997
At that period, the Garden Club assets totaled approximately $4,700, so this was a major expenditure for us. Although subsequent Library renovations recreated the garden in a manner thought to be more historically accurate, the shady, flower filled garden provided much enjoyment to Library patrons for over 20 years.
