Join Dr. Beronda Montgomery and the Native Plant Trust on September 8 at 6 pm Eastern for an engaging virtual discussion about her recent, acclaimed book, Lesson from Plants. Lessons from Plants enters into the depth of botanic experience and shows how we might improve human society by better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes. What would it mean to learn from these organisms, to become more aware of our environments and to adapt to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness? Montgomery’s meditative study puts before us a question with the power to reframe the way we live: What would a plant do? $15 for Native Plant Trust members, $18 for nonmembers.
The Garden Conservancy’s Open Day program returns to Essex County on September 4 with two beautiful gardens, The Stevens-Coolidge House and Garden in North Andover, and The Sedgwick Gardens at Long Hill in Beverly. Register HERE.
In North Andover, enter a world of a former farm that became an early-20th-century estate, where a newly expanded array of bountiful gardens and plantings complements a gracious and refined home. Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens was the summer home of Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband, John Gardner Coolidge – a diplomat descended from Thomas Jefferson and a nephew to Isabella Stewart Gardner – from 1914 to 1962.
Long Hill was owned and cared for by the Sedgwick family from 1916 to 1979, their beloved summer home that, in the 1950s, became their year-round haven. Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished gardener and author of The Garden Month by Month, and her husband, Ellery Sedgwick, noted author and editor of The Atlantic Monthly, summered here until Mabel passed in 1937. After Mabel’s death, Ellery married Marjorie Russell Sedgwick, a rare plants specialist. The combined creative vision of these two women led to the design of Long Hill’s enchanting gardens, surrounded by more than 100 acres of woodland.
Today, visitors delight in the beauty of Long Hill’s structured and naturalistic gardens as well as a network of woodland trails. A diverse collection of trees, shrubs, and distinctive perennial plants provide color during the growing season, peaking in May and June and providing structure and beauty throughout the year. With an ever-growing calendar of public events and festivities, you’ll find ample reason for frequent returns.
Pre-registration is REQUIRED for each garden. Pre-register for each on this website, except where specifically indicated otherwise. Children under 12 are free and do not need to be pre-registered if accompanied by pre-registered adult.
Capacity is limited. Sorry, no walk-ins allowed; no paper tickets or cash payments will be accepted on-site.
Masks are required, at the discretion of the garden owners, and social distancing is encouraged at all in-person events.
On Saturday, September 17 from 10 – 4, The Garden Conservancy will host a Middlesex County Open Day event at The Gardens at Clock Barn, the home of Maureen and Mike Ruettgers, 453 Bedford Road in Carlisle.
Passionate gardeners Maureen and Mike Ruettgers invite visitors of all ages to share a day of adventure and inspiration in their extraordinary Gardens at Clock Barn. From a stylish design full of the choicest plants to an inventive children’s garden, this is a veritable wonderland designed to ignite curiosity and delight in all gardeners, from toddlers on up. Explore the walled garden, greenhouse, woodland garden, and secret garden, as well as the pizza garden, pumpkin patch, fairy garden, and tee pee. Investigate fragrant plants used in potpourri.
Entering the gardens through an arched gate, explore the old barn with trays full of herbs and flowers from the adjacent cutting garden. These trays were built as a 1930s WPA Project for drying digitalis leaves used medicinally. East of the barn are beds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs that are rotated throughout the season. An adjacent Belgian fence espalier encloses a garden room displaying calendulas, Verbena bonariensis, other herbs, and ornamental vegetables. Beyond the cordon of pears is the new fall border featuring Salvia madrensis, tithonia, Abyssinian banana, and many dahlias. Near the center of the property, a grape arbor leads to a walled garden with four quadrants anchored by antique roses. Mixed borders there feature sweeps of nasturtiums, ‘Amistad’ & ‘Indigo Spires’ salvia, ‘Prairie Sun’ rudbeckia, heleniums, and edible herbs. A second tier is flanked by two reflecting pools ringed by Allium lusitanicum and herbal tapestries. The greenhouse and potting area is filled with scented geraniums, succulents, gingers, bay, and rosemary varietals. Beyond, a canopy of 100-year-old oaks shades woodland gardens. Favorite woodland plantings include Paeonia japonica and P. obovata, anemones, epimediums, Kirengeshoma palmata, and hosta from the garden of Francis Williams. Look for the new tree fort, a koi pond, sculptures, and choice specimens of dogwood, magnolia, and maple. Pass through a hornbeam arch to the Clock Barn. Up on the patio at the house, investigate a collection of Italian pots and troughs filled with favorite specimens, then go around the corner to discover the secret garden.
Garden Extras: Dig for Victory: Victory Gardens Now and Then. Gardens have provided not only a balm for the soul but also a joyful point of light during times of uncertainty. This reflective exhibit explores the connections between the Victory Gardens of WW2 and the COVID-19 pandemic, two events that brought about a resurgence of interest not only in gardening but also in other important gardening traditions such as food preservation and canning. Enjoy a display of historic artifacts that connects gardeners of the present to the gardens and gardeners of the past. This Garden Extra made possible with the assistance of the Carlisle Garden Club and Historical Society. Garden is partially accessible.
Admission to this garden is $10 per person and children 12 and under are free. Registration required. For directions and complete information visit www.gardenconservancy.org
Connecticut Horticultural Society and New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill are thrilled to be co-sponsoring David Culp, who will present “A Bountiful Year: Six Seasons of Beauty from Brandywine Cottage,” on September 15 at 7:30pm on Zoom. A Q&A follows the talk.
David Culp blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living through his celebrated garden, Brandywine Cottage. In his talk, based on his most recent book of the same name, he offers recipes, a garden to-do list and tips on flower arrangements. He provides his favorite mail order sources and cover gardening for biodiversity and wildlife habitat, and discusses the creation of the meadow at Brandywine Cottage, plants for dry places. He even mentions some of his favorite weeds!
David Culp is the creator of the gardens at Brandywine Cottage in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. He has been lecturing about gardens nationwide for more than 15 years. His articles have appeared in Martha Stewart Living, Country Living, Fine Gardening, Green Scene, and many other publications. He is a former contributing editor to Horticulture magazine and served as chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Hardy Plant Society. He is an herbaceous perennials instructor at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.
David has developed the Brandywine Hybrid strain of hellebores, and was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal for his expertise on snowdrops. Brandywine Cottage is listed in the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Gardens. His best-selling 2013 book, The Layered Garden, was selected by Garden Writers Association as the 2013 Best Overall Book. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Garden Award from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society 1997 and 2016, and has also been awarded the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Award of Merit.
In late August the Full Sturgeon Moon causes a flood tide which drowns the larval pupae of dreaded Greenhead Flies …a cyclical phenomenon known locally as the Kill Tide. On August 27 and 28, at Drummer Boy Park, 773 Main Street, Route 6A in Brewster, come to a free event celebrating the Kill Tide. Over 100 Juried Artisans will display and sell their American made arts and crafts; including Photography, Tile, Fine Art, Silver Jewelry, Hair Accessories, Quilts, Personal Care, Soy Candles, Trivets, Flags, Painted Doormats, Pottery, Doll Clothes, Adult Apparel, Pet Gifts, Pillows, Fiber Art, Wreaths, Stained Glass, Children’s Clothing, Wire Wrapped Jewelry, Tole, Shell Crafts, Baskets, Ornaments, Photo-art, Leather, Metal Garden Sculpture, Sea Glass Jewelry, Mosaic, Paper Crafts, Stoneware, Original Painting, Growth Chart, Nautical Home Décor, Folk Art, Furniture, Metal Signs, Up-cycled Fiber Art, Rail Road Spike Art and much more. For complete information visit https://castleberryfairs.com/kill-tide-arts-and-craft-festival-2022/
Calling all dogs (and their humans)! Come join National Park Ranger Amanda on August 26 to learn about our BARK Ranger Program, what the acronym BARK means, and why it is important to you and your park. Animal attendees—all pets are welcome—will receive complimentary water and a treat. Upon taking the BARK pledge humans will receive a Boston National Historical Park Dog Tag for their canine partners. Please stop by anytime from 6-7pm to become a BARK Ranger! Meeting Location: Charlestown Navy Yard Flag Pole No reservations or registration required.
Explore three beautiful meadows at Helia Native Nursery, 95 East Road in beautiful Alford, Massachusetts in the Berkshires, on September 9. Learn about the importance of a meadow ecosystem, different methods for meadow building and how to maintain existing meadows to maximize wildlife benefits. Helia Native Nursery is situated on Sky Meadow Farm, a beautiful 109-acre farm. Its mission is to preserve native genotypes through creating seed banks on the farm and propagating native plants in our nursery.
Helia’s land stewardship on the farm focuses on restoring wildflower meadows for pollinators. Planted 4 and 5 years ago, this tour will feature three mature meadows that demonstrate a variety of planting techniques, seeding and planting, and different maintenance strategies. There will be discussion of invasive species control, meadow mowing regimens, and meadow disturbance opportunities.
All of the meadows display rich color palettes, showing what can be achieved using native plants. The meadows are all designed with four season interest – a feature that invites frequent visits to experience the changing views.
An important feature of well-designed meadows is the opportunity for habitat restoration. Plant selections consider the various stages of pollinator life cycles and provide appropriate plants for each. Join tour guide, Bridghe McCracken to learn more. This Ecological Landscape Alliance tour is $33, and members of ELA will receive a discount. Register and learn more at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tour-exploring-the-meadows-at-sky-meadow-farm/
Tree Mobs™ are interactions with scientists or other specialists at the Arnold Arboretum that provide another pathway to enjoy and learn in the landscape. Next Tuesday, August 23, we’ll hold our first ever hybrid Tree Mob in our landscape and live via Zoom. Join us at 3:30 pm.
The solar array meadow at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research and Administration Building is now teaming with plant life and buzzing with pollinators. Join Arboretum Horticulturist Brendan Keegan to learn about the solar array and the native, wild-collected plants growing around it. To register for the Zoom, click here. This event will also be presented in-person at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research Building at 1300 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131. To sign up for the in-person event, click here.
Working independently, award-winning nature photographer Stephen Gorman and beloved New Yorker artist Edward Koren respond to the consequences of destabilizing our natural environment and speak to their alarm about the global climate crisis. The artists have come together to express their two very different — but mutually reinforcing — visions. The exhibition centers on the uncanny synergy between Gorman’s wildlife and landscape photographs, and Koren’s drawings, lithographs, and etchings.
Gorman’s photographs in this exhibit were created in Kaktovik, Alaska – an Inupiat village in the embattled Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, sitting directly in the political, cultural, and environmental crosshairs of the Anthropocene. The polar bears in Gorman’s images are climate refugees facing extinction as the arctic sea ice they depend on for survival retreats at a rapid rate.
In creating the works in this Peabody Essex Museum exhibition, on view through February 5, Koren has described himself as a dramatist of the Anthropocene. His bemused and bewildered creatures, caught between fear and acceptance, occupy landscapes in which human culture has been fragmented and reduced to ruins. His hapless creatures suggest a profound realization of what is unraveling at their feet and speak to the folly of not caring for the environment that sustains us all. For complete details visit www.pem.orgDown to the Bone: Edward Koren and Stephen Gorman is presented as part of PEM’s Climate + Environment Initiative and is made possible by the generosity of Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. Additional support was provided by the Creighton family, Susan and Appy Chandler, Peter and Sandra Lawrence and individuals who support the Exhibition Incubation Fund: Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard, James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Kate and Ford O’Neil, and Henry and Callie Brauer. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.
