This Native Plants Trust program investigates the chemicals that plants make and why plants make them. Beginning with an overview of basic chemistry, we will use hands-on experiments to explore how and why plants create and use a range of chemicals. Instructions will be sent on registration. $60 NPT members, $72 nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/chemistry-plants/
The Garden Conservancy will feature the Groton, Massachusetts garden of Pepe and John Maynard on June 12, between the hours of 10 – 4. To reserve tickets online, visit www.gardenconservancy.org. Here is the description provided by the garden owners:
Our place, currently about 25 acres, was originally part of a much larger property, most of which was placed under conservation in 2006. We were attracted to it by the sweeping views to the west and the protection offered by hundreds of acres of surrounding fields and woodland, all protected from development. Starting in the 19th century, successive large country houses had been built on the site, surrounded by the formal, high maintenance gardens of the day. The last of these rather grand houses was demolished in the 1960s. The succeeding generation of the previous owning family was more interested in breeding black Angus cattle than in horticulture. As a result, the formal gardens had succumbed to neglect, bittersweet, and browsing deer by the time we purchased the property in 2007.
We had no interest in restoring formal gardens. Our first steps were to plant an allée of small sugar maples along the lane leading to our barn, and to fence a small nursery area where we could stockpile plants and grow them on safe from deer. We dithered about building a deer fence around more of the property, fearing it would interfere with the view, but finally fenced about 15 acres. The fence enabled us to begin planting to create informal, naturalistic grounds using native plant material as much as possible. While the nursery is now empty and the maples in the allée have now reached eight inches in diameter, all of the plantings are still young and have only begun to mature.
Nonetheless, we believe the grounds have grown in enough to reward unhurried exploration with a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and, in the spring, extensive plantings of daffodils and other bulbs. The surrounding areas under conservation are open for walks and a few remaining black angus add interest to the landscape.
