Charles Sprague Sargent

Thursday, October 18, 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Massachusetts Horticultural Society Honorary Medals Dinner

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The Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s 118th Honorary Medals Dinner will take place Thursday, October 18 from 5:30 – 9 in the Hunnewell Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.

Margaret Roach (pictured below) is the 2018 nominee for the George Robert White Medal of Honor, the highest honor given by the Society. Ms. Roach will be honored for her distinguished career in horticulture as a garden writer for publications, such as Newsday and Martha Stewart Living, where she was able to reach millions of people as she shared her knowledge of gardening. The author of three books, A Way to Garden, And I Shall Have Some Peace There, and The Backyard Parables and her web site, A Way to Garden. She also hosts a public-radio show and podcast which all continue to make meaningful connections between people, plants, and their beloved gardens.

The George Robert White Medal of Honor was established in 1909 and is among the most distinguished horticultural awards in the United States. The first honoree was Charles Sprague Sargent, Director of the Arnold Arboretum. Other recipients have included Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, The Royal Horticultural Society, Massachusetts General Hospital and Tasha Tudor.

Dale Deppe of Spring Meadow Nursery is the 2018 nominee for the Jackson Dawson Memorial Award. This award is given for exceptional skill in the science or practice of hybridization or propagation of hardy, woody plants.

William Cannon is the nominee for the Thomas Roland Medal, which honors men and women who have shown exceptional horticultural skill. Mr. Cannon is honored for his expertise of holly and his garden in Brewster, MA.

Betsy Ridge Madsen will receive a Gold Medal for her leadership as Chair of Massachusetts Horticultural Society and her dedication to help continue the Society’s legacy. Betsy’s volunteerism at the Flower Show as a judge, clerk, and many other positions helps continue Mass Hort’s tradition of promoting Amateur Competitions for passionate designers and plants people. As a floral designer, gardener, horticulturist and spokesperson, Ms. Ridge Madsen has advanced the art and science of horticulture by example and her willingness to share her expertise with others.

Carol Stocker will receive a Gold Medal in recognition of her work as a garden writer for the Boston Globe and other publications which has promoted the art and science of horticulture to thousands of readers.

Karen Perkins is nominated for the Silver Medal for her efforts in the propagation and promotion of Epimediums. She is the owner of Garden Vision Epimediums, and has demonstrated her dedication to the science of horticulture and promoting plants for people to enjoy in their gardens.

Trish Wesley Umbrell is nominated for the Silver Medal for her extraordinary skill as a garden educator, both formerly with Mass Hort and currently with the Natick Community Organic Farm.

Reservations are required ($125 per person).  Visit https://masshort.org/education-events/honorary-medals-dinner/

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Friday, March 17 – Deadline to Acquire Arnold Arboretum 2017 Arbor Day Seedling

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Grow a part of the Arnold Arboretum in your own landscape. As a part of its mission to promote horticulture and the cultivation of exceptional woody plants in our region, the Arnold Arboretum distributes exceptional plant material to other botanical institutions and to members of the Arboretum community. It continues to honor and build upon this legacy through the Arbor Day Seedling Program, which makes a seedling of a tree, shrub, or vine available in early spring to members of The Friends of the Arnold Arboretum as a benefit at the Sustaining ($100) level and above. Inaugurated in 1970 as the Spring Plant Dividend, the Arbor Day Seedling Program invites our members to cultivate a living part of the renowned collections in their own landscapes. Members may elect to receive the plant by having it shipped to their preferred address or by picking it up in person on the designated pick up day.

If you are not currently a qualifying member, join at the Sustaining level or upgrade your membership by March 17 to receive the 2017 Arbor Day Seedling. To join visit https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/support/membership/ or call 617-384-5767.

The 2017 Arbor Day Seedling is Chinese dogwood (Cornus Kousa var. chinensis). This form of kousa dogwood was discovered by Arboretum plant explorer Ernest Henry Wilson on his 1907-09 Expedition in China and was introduced by the Arboretum in 1907. C. kousa var. chinensis offers spectacular ornamental qualities in all seasons. Foliage emerges dark green, morphing to reddish-purple or matte scarlet in autumn. The true flowers, borne in June, are small rounded umbels, but the four creamy-white bracts surrounding each flower provide the real show. Produced in abundance, these large tapered bracts persist for over six weeks. Bracts of Chinese kousa dogwood are larger at up to 2½ inches long, compared to the straight species. Fruits set in August, and the pinkish-red to red edible aggregates provide for a striking effect suspended among fall foliage. The tree’s exfoliating bark reveals an exquisite mosaic of gray, tan, and rich brown, best admired following leaf drop. A lovely small tree, it grows up to 15-30 feet with an overall vase shape and strong horizontal branching. It performs best in moist, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. Arboretum Founding Director Charles Sprague Sargent described this noteworthy tree as one of the greatest gifts to North American gardens. An outstanding individual growing near the Bussey Street Gate on Hemlock Hill Road was collected as seed during the NACPEC (North American China Plant Exploration Consortium) Shaanxi 1996 Expedition, and offers an excellent example of its fine qualities as a specimen tree.

Saturday, May 9, 7:00 am – 9:00 am – Walnut Hills Cemetery Bird Walk

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Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with a National Park Service bird walk suitable for beginners and novices at Brookline’s Walnut Hills Cemetery. This public cemetery is also the burial place of architect H.H. Richardson, landscape architect John Charles Olmsted, and Arnold Arboretum founding director Charles Sprague Sargent. Time permitting, we will try and visit these grave sites as well as a burial plot that was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted’s firm. Bring binoculars and a field guide and be prepared for occasional uneven terrain. Meets inside the cemetery entrance, 96 Grove Street, Brookline. (Co-sponsored by the Brookline Bird Club)  For more information visit http://www.nps.gov/frla/planyourvisit/walks-and-talks.htm.

Thursday, July 8, 4:00 pm – Beatrix Farrand, Private Gardens, Public Landscapes

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Judith Tankard continues her book tour with a stop at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in West Stockbridge,  on Thursday, July 8 at 4 pm. Beatrix Farrand (below) was one of the foremost landscape architects of the early 1900s and one of the earliest women to take up the profession. She studied privately under the renowned horticulturist Charles Sprague Sargent and learned about garden design through extensive travel abroad. Many of her clients were members of high society, with estates in Newport, the Berkshires, and Maine. Learn about this remarkable woman and her lasting influence on the field of landscape design.  $20.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

Judith B. Tankard is an art historian specializing in landscape history. She is the author of seven books and has taught for over twenty years at the Landscape Institute of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University.

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