Boston Flora

Tag: John Trexler

  • Wednesday, September 20, 10:00 am – Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years

    Wednesday, September 20, 10:00 am – Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years

    On Wednesday, September 20, at 10:00 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, John Trexler, Worcester County Horticultural Society Director Emeritus and Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will discuss how Tower Hill evolved from a beautiful farm on a hill to an acclaimed public garden. He will also sign copies of his new book, Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years: Selective Memories of a Benign Dictator.

    John Wheaton Trexler holds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Delaware Valley University. He developed his extraordinary knowledge of plants and garden design from his seven-year experience at Skylands Farm in Ringwood, New Jersey, the former estate of Clarence McKenzie Lewis. Additionally, John spent six years at the Morris County Park Commission restoring Bamboo Brook, the residential garden of landscape architect Martha Brookes Hutcheson.

    This meeting will be the kick-off of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2017-2018 season, and will be followed on Thursday, October 19 by a field trip to Boylston, Massachusetts, to view Tower Hill in all its autumn glory. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive separate notice of this meeting. If you are not a member but are interested in attending, please email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Wednesday, June 7, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years: Selective Memories of a Benign Dictator

    On Wednesday, June 7 from 7 – 8 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Worcester, John Trexler, Worcester County Horticultural Society Director Emeritus and Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will discuss how Tower Hill evolved from a beautiful farm on a hill to an acclaimed public Garden. He will also sign copies of his new book, Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years: Selective Memories of a Benign Dictator.  Free with admission to the garden. Image from www.telegram.com.

  • Friday, April 29, 1:00 pm – Arbor Day Tree Walk

    Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden Director Emeritus John Trexler for an Arbor Day Tree Walk at Tower Hill on Friday, April 29 at 1 pm.  Discover the great diversity of habitats at Tower Hill and the tree species they support.  Free with admission to the garden.  Pre-register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Fridays, October 2, 9 & 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – History of Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    Join John Trexler, Executive Director Emeritus of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, on a 3 session walking history of the Gardens. Learn the agony and ecstasy of how Tower Hill evolved from a simple eighteenth century farm to a nationally renowned public garden. Come dressed for the weather, rain or shine. Dates are October 2, 9 and 16 from 10 – 12. Tower Hill members $100, nonmembers $150. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Sunday, April 19, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Gardens Lost and Found: From Hadrian’s Villa to Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    Hadrian’s Villa, 20 miles northeast of Rome, is considered an outstanding Classical Era estate. It was maintained for a hundred years before falling into ruin, and not rediscovered and renovated until the Renaissance. This lecture by John W. Trexler, Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden and now Director Emeritus, will begin with Hadrian’s preferred villa then review gardens inspired by his genius. Many of the gardens discussed will have had a period of magnificence followed by decline or even ruin, and most have had an eventual restoration. The Sunday, April 19 lecture will be held at Tower Hill from 2 – 3:30, followed by a reception. This is the third in a series of lectures presented by Lost Gardens of Worcester County, a joint project of the Worcester Garden Club, Preservation Worcester and Tower Hill. Free with admission; registration recommended. For additional information please contact Kathy Bell (508-869-6111 x116) or kbell@towerhillbg.org. Image from www.virginia.edu.

  • Thursday, May 22, 7:30 am – 6:30 pm – Down and Dirty in Rhode Island

    Join the Berkshire Botanical Garden staff on Thursday May 22 for a day-long adventure to the southeast coast of Rhode Island to explore an extraordinary garden, nurseries and more. Sakonnet Garden, in Little Compton, RI, will be the featured visit of the day. This “exceptional American garden” (as quoted by Marco Polo Stufano, former Director of Wave Hill, and John Trexler, former Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden) is a garden full of inspiration. Sakonnet is a secret garden embedded within a native coastal fields landscape. At the diminutive scale of a cottage garden, it is conceived of as an intimate place to explore, with multiple paths leading one onward to unexpected experiences.

    Owners John Gywnne and Mikal Folcarelli will lead a tour of their property. First, consider a restored meadow managed for endangered bobolinks. Learn about the ecological theory behind the meadow’s management and hopefully spot one of these wonderful upland meadow birds. Then, explore the small walled garden, designed as a series of small garden rooms. Following the tour, Ed Bowen from Opus Nursery of Little Compton, RI, will be on hand to sell some of his great Zone 5 plants.

    Enjoy a picnic lunch on the lawn—or wait—for the next stop! As we leave the coast, we will stop at the head of the Sakonnet River for a take-out order of fish ‘n’ chips (optional, of course). Enjoy this Rhode Island tradition at well known Evelyn’s Clam Shack (as seen on the Food Channel: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri). The coastal scenery, including boats in the harbor, will be a special treat for us upland creatures. On the return trip we will detour into western Connecticut for a tour of the fabled greenhouses of Logee’s. In business since 1892, this series of five connected greenhouses holds an extensive collection of tropical, semi-tropical and tender perennial plants, as well as orchids, begonias, scented geraniums, citrus and so much more. The staff of Logee’s will give an introduction to the group, and participants can roam the greenhouses and purchase special plants to take home. Enjoy the hosting skills of the BBG staff, including a mid-morning snack and afternoon wine and cheese.

    Dress for the weather, bring a bag lunch and wear comfortable, sturdy footwear. Those wishing to order the take-out meal of fish ‘n’ chips will be charged an additional $20. Coach bus leaves Berkshire Botanical Garden promptly at 7:30 am. If you wish to join the group in Rhode Island, call Elisabeth Cary at 413-298-3926, x 15. BBG members $100, nonmembers $120. Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

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  • Thursday, September 27, 7:00 pm – 2012 Massachusetts Horticultural Society Honorary Medals Dinner

    The Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society invites you to the 2012 Honorary Medals Dinner beginning at 7 pm on Thursday, September 27 in the Hunnewell Building Carriage House, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  Proceeds from this special event benefit excellence in horticulture at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.  Honorees for 2012 include John W. Trexler, Previous Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, who will receive the George Robert White Medal of Honor, and writer Sydney Eddison, who will receive the Thomas Roland Medal.  Individual tickets are $113, and tickets will be held at the door.  To reserve by telephone, call 617-933-4945.  Business attire is suggested.

  • John Trexler to Retire as Executive Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s Executive Director, John Wheaton Trexler, has announced that he plans to retire March 15, 2012, following nearly 28 years as Executive Director of the Worcester County Horticultural Society [WCHS]. Mr. Trexler will be named Executive Director Emeritus at his retirement.

    The Worcester County Horticultural Society, which owns and operates Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will launch a national search for Trexler’s successor. WCHS Board President Christopher Reece announced that a search committee would be named shortly. Trexler is leaving the Horticultural Society after successfully completing four capital projects/campaigns totaling more than $30 million. These projects include the construction of more than 50,000 square feet of buildings, 30 acres of garden, and four miles of trails. The most recently completed projects are the Limonaia (a display greenhouse) and the Winter Garden. Mr. Reece said, “John has been extraordinarily successful in working with the Board of Trustees and with major donors to see that the Board’s vision became reality.”

    When Trexler joined WCHS in 1984, the Board had decided to move from its downtown Worcester property to acquire at least 50 acres of land and to develop a public garden. On April 1, 1986, after researching 25 different sites, the Society purchased Tower Hill Farm in Boylston. Today, Tower Hill Botanic Garden comprises year-round displays of the finest plants available for cultivation in central New England, showcased within remarkably diverse landscapes. Elegant statuary, rustic and classical structures, fine stone walls, and miles of woodland trails enhance the natural features of this beautiful 133-acre property.

    Trexler oversaw the development of Tower Hill during the first 25 years of the Society’s 50 year Master Plan. The result of that effort includes a magnificent complex of buildings and 21 diverse gardens and natural landscapes. Trexler is particularly proud of his oversight of the WCHS library, which holds over 6000 books and periodicals spanning seven centuries.

    “The Staff and Board will miss John’s focused and passionate dedication to the grand vision of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, but we are committed to maintaining the excellence that John has established for Tower Hill during his long and successful tenure,” said Mr. Reece.

    Founded in 1842, the Worcester County Horticultural Society is the third oldest active horticultural society in the United States, and is a nonprofit “educational organization for the purpose of advancing the science and encouraging and improving the practice of horticulture.” With more than 5000 active memberships and over 80,000 visitors to the property annually, Tower Hill Botanic Garden is the first and only comprehensive botanic garden in New England.  Photo below courtesy of Worcestermag.

  • Monday, January 16, 1:00 pm – Plants of Winter Interest

    Winter in New England need not be a long dreary affair for gardeners. With some thoughtful planning and good plant choices your garden can take on a whole new life during the off season. Many hardy plants provide form, structure and even glorious color during the long dormant season. Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden Executive Director John Trexler for a tour of Tower Hill’s gardens for some first-hand examples of planting for year-round interest. The walk begins at 1:00 pm, and is free with admission. For more information and directions, visit www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Sunday, January 2, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Plants of Winter Interest

    Winter in New England need not be a long dreary affair for gardeners. With some thoughtful planning and good plant choices your garden can take on a whole new life during the off season. Many hardy plants provide form, structure and even glorious color during the long dormant season. Join Executive Director John Trexler on Sunday, January 2, from 11 – 1, for a tour of Tower Hill’s new Winter Garden for some first-hand examples of planting for year-round interest.
    For more information, e-mail registrar@towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111×124. Mahonia image below from www.seasonalwisdom.com.