While many New Yorkers take their waterfront parks for granted these days, it wasn’t too long ago that all of them were once used for anything but a public green space. So what led New York’s waterfront properties to transform from military fortifications, industrial sites, and harbors to beautiful parks for recreation? And how do these new waterfront parks serve the community, while also paying homage to their historical roots? It’s time to explore some of the most incredibly unique waterfront parks that New York City has to offer.
Join New York Adventure Club online on July 7 at 1 pm Eastern as we explore some of New York City’s most prominent waterfront parks, which have been repurposed over the decades from sites of industry to beautiful and innovative public green spaces.
Led by Sylvia Laudien-Meo — art historian, museum educator, and NYC tour guide — this virtual journey surrounding New York’s past, present, and future of waterfront parks will include:
The history of New York’s waterfronts, including Governors Island’s military past and Brooklyn’s many industrial sites
An overview of some of the most notable waterfront parks around NYC’s five boroughs
A discussion of these parks’ cutting edge landscape design that reclaim, restore, and protect the natural waterfronts
The push to make waterfront parks functional for the community, including Brooklyn Bridge Park’s state-of-the-art sports facilities
A look at parks being used to showcase permanent and temporary art installations, such as Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens (photo below)
A sneak peek at new waterfront parks slated to open in the coming years, along with ones that never got off the drawing board
Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Sylvia — any and all questions about New York’s waterfront parks are welcomed and encouraged!
Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week. $10 fee.
How do you design a fabulous garden around a signature plant? That’s the question that Heritage Museums & Garden’s Director of Horticulture, Les Lutz, will tackle in this second of three virtual webinars centered on garden design. Heritage is known for its amazing display of hydrangeas in July, and now you can learn how to achieve similar results at home!
In this webinar, Les will cover the basics of how to care for these woody ornamentals – including best practices for pruning, plant siting, watering, and fertilizing – before giving program participants the building blocks for designing their home garden around these lovely perennial shrubs.
Learn how color, texture, size, and shape influence the aesthetic appeal and health of the plants in your garden, along with which types of plants make the perfect companions for your hydrangeas. Armed with this information, you just might achieve a prize-worthy oasis in your own backyard!
The live webinar will include time for questions, as well as a PDF of the slides for your reference. All program registrants will receive a link to the video recording, available for 72 hours after the event. Advance registration is required. $17 for Heritage members, $27 for nonmembers. Register HERE.
We are very happy to announce that the Gibson House Museum will hold its Annual Benefit—IN PERSON!—on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at Boston’s St. Botolph Club. The honoree will be the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, which has worked tirelessly for over 65 years to preserve Back Bay’s architectural beauty and residential character. We had hoped to honor the association at last year’s canceled Benefit, and look forward to doing so this year.
The Benefit is our major fundraising event, and this year we will celebrate with a “Roaring Twenties” theme. The party will feature drinks, food, trivia, and music and dancing from the 1920s. We’ll also offer fun ’20s-themed raffle items for you to take a chance on.
What is a native plant? How do I decide what is best for my garden and for the environment? This Native Plant Trust session at Garden in the Woods on July 16 from 1 – 3 with Uli Lorimer, will help you answer these frequently asked questions. You will learn about the nuances that distinguish cultivars from native plant selections and the implications for the garden and beyond. $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/
The Garden Conservancy will feature two South Dartmouth gardens on July 24 as part of this year’s Open Days program, along with a Digging Deeper session with Nan Sinton from 10:30 – 12:30. The Digging Deeper sessions sell out quickly so we are publicizing this early. Learn more and sign up at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/open-days/open-days-schedule/bristol-county-ma-open-day-2
The first garden, Stoney Ground, is a former goat pasture. A ground cover of poison ivy and a path through oak woods to a winding stream intrigued garden designer Nan Sinton and her Midwest-based colleague David Michener. In 2015 Nan built a new farmhouse and barn in historic Russells Mills Village and the new garden began. The goats were the clue: this was not rich farmland but it was endowed with layers of stones that the glaciers left for New England farmers.
Now restored stone walls and a long border planted for pollinators connect a private courtyard of Mediterranean-inspired planting to the woods. A raised-bed vegetable and cutting garden, a dry-soils shrub collection, a young magnolia glade, and experiments with matrix planting using natives and complementary non-invasive plants create an intriguing mix of intentional plant combinations that are all connected along a path interweaving sun and shade. The walks through the native oak, beech, and holly woods to the rock bluff overlooking the Paskamansett River are being developed.
The second property is the Gulf Road Homestead. In 1987 a historic New Bedford house, once slated for demolition, was moved and reconstructed with great attention to historical detail in open meadows bordered by woods near Apponagansett Bay. Fast forward 25 years and the much-traveled owner, inspired by trips to the Orient, sought to infuse the adventurous spirit of the house’s early whaling inhabitants into the landscape. She invited Sinton & Michener Associates to propose new ideas to enliven the open spaces, integrating play, exploration and discovery, and enhancing a growing collection of contemporary sculpture. High on the priority list was the concept of “oasis,” a place to relax and separate from the everyday world.
Sinton & Michener devised a “ramble,” planting trees to blend the backdrop of the woods with and around the existing lawns so that the sculptures are rediscovered from new prospects. Hidden in plain sight, they designed a modern labyrinth of hornbeam that were installed as two-foot tall saplings (be certain to discover what’s in the middle!) An old tree house was re-imagined as a place for contemplation and moon viewing, complemented by the Asian-themed handrails designed by the owner. Another re-purposing is “the Holloway” on the very sandy site of the former drainage field. As the plants mature and create shade, garden visitors will traverse the way of giant stepping stones while strolling through a flowery dell that is its own space apart from all others. Recently the pastoral setting has seen the owner and her family welcome cows to graze in a newly fenced meadow as the experiments in separating from the world and discovering the realms of whimsy and art continues.
The Gulf Road Homestead is the venue for the Digging Deeper session ($30 for Garden Conservancy members, $40 general admission). Join garden designer Nan Sinton to explore how she and her client work with this evolving landscape to celebrate both worldly adventure and peaceful retreat. Beginning with a flat, open site, Nan’s ideas for the present-day garden, her concept of “shaping space,” emerged when she saw it from an existing tree house. Her built and planted forms shape space as well as light and shadow, time and mood, scale and pattern. Inspired by the owner’s extensive travel, the adventurous spirit of the region’s early seafaring residents, and the importance of home in such peripatetic existences, the result is a carefully shaped sequence of experiences, spaces of surprise and active discovery as well as spaces to relax and separate from the everyday world. For more information, please contact the Garden Conservancy by telephone 845.424.6500, M-F, 9-5 Eastern, or email events@gardenconservancy.org.
Heritage Museums & Gardens and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society are pleased to present the sixth edition of our annual Hydrangea University – the premier opening event of the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. Through an online webinar format, presenters will inspire and entertain while increasing participants’ knowledge of hydrangeas. $45 for Heritage members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org. The date is July 9 between 8:30 – 12:30. Speakers will include:
Tim Wood, Product Development Manager at Proven Winners/Spring Meadow Nurseries; Advances in Hydrangea Breeding From old plants to brand new, we will examine the evolution of hydrangea breeding and get to know the stories and the breeders behind the plants. In addition, Tim will share a behind the scenes look into Spring Meadow Nursery’s hydrangea breeding program, the various species and goals they are working on, and the trailing processes used to determine if they make it into the Proven Winners plant brand.
Nita-Jo Rountree, Garden Designer and Author Perfect Partners Everyone knows that hydrangeas are a spectacular addition to any garden, but how can you create picture-perfect planting combinations with companion plants? Nita-Jo will show beautiful photos to illustrate that by following some of the rules of landscape design, your combinations can be worthy of the cover of a garden magazine.
Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas at Heritage Museums & Gardens The North American Hydrangea Test Garden at Heritage: A Plant Performance Summary The North American Hydrangea Test Garden at Heritage was initially planted en masse in the spring of 2016. This year is the sixth growing season for these original plantings. Mal will share specific performance details and his key take-aways from this data regarding the hydrangea species macrophylla, arborescens, and paniculata.
As an added bonus with this virtual program, your registration entitles you to free admission to all of Heritage Museums & Gardens, including the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Display Garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden, on any day during the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival (July 9-18).
The live webinar will include time for questions, as well as a PDF of the slides for your reference. All program registrants will receive a link to the video recording, available for one week after the event. Advance registration is required.
Assist Emerald Necklace staff and volunteer leaders with park maintenance, ecological restoration and invasive species management work! Tasks can range from trash cleanups to invasive plant species removal to plantings. We will work throughout the Emerald Necklace (from Charlesgate to Franklin Park) on various restoration and maintenance projects throughout the year. Bring long pants, closed toe shoes, hat, all weather clothing, snack, sunscreen and a water bottle. All necessary tools, gloves, and instruction will be provided. Projects are weather dependent. Questions – Contact us at volunteer@emeraldnecklace.org for more information.
For Greater Boston residents and visitors, the Esplanade was essential in 2020, providing a tranquil place to reflect and escape the uncertainty we faced when COVID-19 transformed our lives last year. Despite the pandemic, the Esplanade Association had an incredibly successful year in 2020, from planting 50 trees as part of our L.E.A.F. initiative to restoring the Stoneman Playground, and so much more. We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of the achievements shared in our 2020 Annual Report without the support from our donors, partners, volunteers, and members, especially during this unprecedented year. We hope you enjoy reading through the 2020 Annual Report linked below!
In 2021, custom Lego sculptures created by brick artist Cody Wells, a.k.a. C3Brix, will be returning to populate the grounds and gardens at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. Ranging in size from the hand-held to the head-high, these sculptures depict a mix of common and no-so-common insects and native to Cape Cod and often found here at Heritage. Visitors will see returning favorites such as a Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly, resting on a lily pad near the Flume Fountain, a Bumble Bee among the pollinator plantings in the McInnes Garden, or a grouping of song birds in the pine woods along Heritage’s main trails. Cody is an award-winning custom brick artist, winning the 2013 BRICKIE at Brickfair for his Star Trek Enterprise. His custom 3-D creations have been shown by the NY & NJ Port Authority, the New York Hall of Science, the Concord Museum, and many private collections in the United States. For more information, a site map, and hours of operation, visit https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/museums/bugs-birds-and-bricks/
The Garden Conservancy has scheduled an Open Day in Martha’s Vineyard on July 10, which will include the garden of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s own Judith Tankard, in Edgartown.
The Holmes Coffin Garden is a small garden in the historic village of Edgartown. The house was built in 1829. When the owners bought the house 23 years ago, much of the garden was already in place. The rose of Sharon at the back is about 160 years old. The gardener, Teresa Yuan, plants the border of impatiens annually, as well as all the window boxes and flower pots. Through the years, she has added to the irises and day lilies in the various beds, which bloom at different times for color throughout the season. Hydrangeas are a fixture on Martha’s Vineyard, as are rhododendron. The trumpet vine over the double driveway gate blooms a bright orange. The owners recently replaced overgrown arborvitae along the edge of the property with holly trees.
85 South Water Street is also the venue for a separately ticketed Digging Deeper program from 9:30 – 11:30 with Nan Sinton. In 1950 a sunken geometric garden in the form of a Union Jack flag was laid out to complement the historic eighteenth-century house. It was designed by Frances Louise Meikleham and her mother, a founding member of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club. The present owners, from London, are knowledgeable, hands-on gardeners who have collaborated with garden designer Nan Sinton since 1997. Their focus is to enhance the property, including the sunken garden, selecting interesting, salt-tolerant plantings for the seaside setting. This is a summer garden, planned to look at its most attractive from late June through September with a peak season in July and August. Presently it is carefully maintained by Edgar Avalino and his team.
Finally, John and Judith Tankard offer up their summer garden. This is a new garden planted in 2006 to complement the historic house built around 1730 and fully renovated by the owners: an architect and a garden writer. The garden was designed by Nan Blake Sinton and is composed mainly of hardy shrubs and ornamental trees. Pale pink ‘New Dawn’ roses climb on the fence surrounding the garden and the roof of the garden shed is covered in ‘White Eden’ and ‘Abraham Darby’ roses as well as a Clematismontana ‘Rubens’.
There are two crabapples (Malus ‘Donald Wyman’) and a large Viburnum sieboldii in the main garden. An espalier created from Viburnum plicatum ‘Mariesii’ on the wall of the house and a hedge of clipped Philadelphus coronarius in the parking area provide a bit of formality. There are small flower beds with astilbes, lavender, Nepeta, Salvia, and other perennials. A small brick patio is planted with lace cap hydrangeas and Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Enziadom’. At the front of the house, there are American hollies, English boxwood, Ilex glabra ‘Nigra’, and a large viburnum. One of the outstanding features of the garden is a large, old sycamore maple on the lane at the corner of the property, a survivor from earlier days.
