Daily Archives: May 31, 2020


Tuesdays – Fridays through June 19, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Family Planting Days

Join Peabody Essex Museum’s Head Gardener Robin Pydynkowski for a unique hands-on gardening experience. With over an acre of land for safe social distancing, the Ropes Mansion Garden provides an opportunity to connect with nature, learn about planting, and help beautify one of Salem’s historic outdoor spots. Participating families will be assigned a section of an annual bed to plant with the freedom to create their own design, all while learning the basics of gardening!

To ensure safe distancing, each two-hour planting session is limited to two families (with a maximum of four individuals per group) and face masks are required. No experience or tools are necessary, just bring a willingness to dig in and get your hands dirty. Everyone is welcome back this summer to visit the garden to see and savor the flowers of their labors.

In this unique outdoor classroom experience, students will:

  • Use their senses to explore and investigate the world around them.
  • Learn about parts of plants and their functions: roots, seeds, leaves, stems and flowers.
  • Discover tips for proper spacing and how to “place and face” the plants for the best presentation as to how they will be viewed.

Location: Ropes Mansion Garden, 318 Essex St., Salem
Free for all; Recommended for ages 5 and up
Limited number of spaces available
To register or if you have questions, please email ticketing@pem.org or call 978-238-0410. Please include your preference of date and time in your email.


Thursday, June 4, 4:00 pm – Introduction to Invasive Plants Webinar

What makes a plant “invasive”? What invasive plants should we be concerned about? Join North County Land Trust’s Executive Director, Anna Wilkins, on June 4 online at 4 pm Eastern as she shares her knowledge and experience in managing invasive plant species in woodland and field habitats. This presentation will cover the basics about invasive plants and how to ID some of our most common “offenders”. Basic control techniques and informational resources will also be shared.
For more information and to register please visit https://northcountylandtrust.org/events/invasiveswebinar