Boston Flora

Tag: Maple Grove

  • Sunday, September 20, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Fall Harvest Festival Dinner

    Come and celebrate all that is local and abundant! Join us for an evening celebrating the fall harvest and building community in the Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Showcasing the best of local agriculture and seasonal heirloom foods, come share a place at our tables enjoying fine open-air dining, hand-crafted beverages, and music and dancing under the goddesses in the Maple Grove. Twilight tours of the gardens will lead to us to gather together for a festive seated dinner culminating in a magical illuminated candle labyrinth.

    This event supports the Garden to Table program strives to build strong local food systems from the seeds planted to the food grown and harvested and shared within the community. We work to offer high caliber education in horticulture, nutrition, and food production and preparation both in schools and in the Seed to Table and Garden to Table education spaces in the Gardens at Elm Bank. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society also works to raise awareness of food accessibility issues within local, greater Boston, and regional communities.

    Register at http://goo.gl/9NtP7a

    $65 for Mass Hort Members, $75 for Non-members

  • Thursday, July 23, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Arts on the Green

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank on Thursday, July 23, from 6 – 8:30 pm, for our summer music and arts series, sponsored by Wellesley Bank Charitable Foundation. This evening will feature an Art Walk of artists showcasing their work throughout the gardens. It is a chance for the community to buy original art from the artists who make it. Enjoy live music in the Maple Grove, bring a picnic, and wander the gardens. We will also have family art projects for kids. Free to all!

    If you are interested in being one of our showcased artists on our Art Walk, please complete the Artist Application to be found at www.masshort.org and return it as soon as possible to reserve your space. If you have any questions, please email Amy Rodrigues at amyrodrigues2@aol.com.

  • Sunday, June 1, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Worcester Area Open Day

    The Garden Conservancy Open Days schedule has been published, and the Worcester area is featured on Sunday, June 1 from 10 – 4.  Admission to each garden is $5.

    Brigham Hill Farm is located at 128 Brigham Hill Road in North Grafton. This 225-year-old colonial house and barn were purchased in 1975 by the present owners. Mature sugar maple and tulip trees encircle the house. The first thirteen years were spent in dealing with the ailments of an old house and in the rebuilding of old stone walls on the property. After all this work was finished, the gardens were planned and planted one by one. The herb garden was planted in 1996 off the south side of the kitchen wing. In 1997 a woodland water garden was started on the hillside to the west of the barn…this has become an ongoing project! In the fall of 1998, the perennial bed by the swimming pool was redesigned using most of the original granite and perennials. In 2007 and 2008, off the north side of the house, a large bluestone terrace was installed for entertaining with many large container pots for plantings. Down the broad steps from this area is a high-walled vegetable garden with a rill and granite-raised beds. Warren Leach of Massachusetts designed and planted all the above gardens. There is another large vegetable bed to the north of the barn which holds raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, cutting gardens, and various slow-growing annual vegetables. Eight chickens occupy a hen house there with a roof planted with “hens and chicks.” We just finished a new arboretum of one and one half acres. It has been planted mainly with native trees and shrubs from New England. Allow forty-five minutes to one hour for your visit.

    Directions: From Route 90/Massachusetts Turnpike take Exit 11/Route 122 and turn right onto Route 122 South. Go about 2.1 miles and turn right onto Brigham Hill Road. Brigham Hill Farm is 1.4 miles on right.

    Maple Grove is at 16 School Street in Boylston. Designed around a late-eighteenth-century Cape Cod-style house, Maple Grove is framed by mature sugar maples. Located within the historic district of Boylston, the garden is adjacent to an eighteenth-century cemetery, giving it charming borrowed scenery. A true collector’s garden, Maple Grove has a wide assortment of choice woody and herbaceous plants in a connected series of borders, beds, and islands, with sculpture and water features. (Photo below by Rob Zeleniak)

    Directions: From I-290, take Exit 23A/Route 140 North. Go 1.8 miles to first traffic light and turn right onto Route 70. Go 1 mile to historic Boylston Center. Make sharp right, circling around old cemetery, and turn onto School Street.

    From I-290 West from Boston, take Exit 24. Turn right at end of exit ramp and go to blinking traffic light. Turn left onto Route 70. Travel 0.25 mile to center of Boylston (gazebo on left). At fork in road, bear left at cemetery. Go to first house on right. Please park along street.

    The Glenluce Garden is located at 18 Marlboro Road in Stow. Glenluce Garden is a small, personal, and romantic garden. Entering by the western gate, you will find yourself on a mound with green paths beckoning in seven directions. Explore these paths to discover a grove of paperbark maples, an island of tree peonies, or a border of fragrant native azaleas. A pergola covered by climbing roses leads to a frog pond shaded by heptacodium and a courtyard with raised vegetable beds. Glenluce Garden is the home of at least twenty-two magnolias, eighty-eight rhododendrons, about a hundred peonies, and more than a hundred old garden roses.

    Directions: From I-495, take Exit 26 to Route 62 East. Go 4.4 miles and turn right onto Old Marlboro Road at traffic island that contains “Little Hello Garden of Rock Bottom.” Glenluce is second house on left, small honey-colored Victorian with iron picket fence. Entrance to garden is just beyond house.

    From east, take Route 2 West. Turn left onto Route 62 West; go through West Concord and Maynard. After Route 62 turns left at traffic light in Stow, go 2.5 miles to left onto Old Marlboro Road at traffic island that contains “Little Hello Garden of Rock Bottom.” Proceed as directed above.

    Rock Bottom Garden is designed by Rosemary Monahan and Stefan Cover. This one-acre garden has been shaped by two decades of collaboration between a woody plant zealot and a perennial gardener. From the 1840s house situated on the top of a dry knoll, one can enjoy sweeping vistas of the gardens below. These include mixed borders, a woodland garden, an herb garden, a bog garden, cactus garden, and rock garden. The gardens feature numerous unusual woody plants including many rare magnolias. On June 1, some of the big-leaf magnolias may be in bloom, with their dinner-plate sized white flowers!

    Directions: At the request of the Garden Host, directions to this garden are provided through the Open Days Directory, at additional gardens open on this date, or by calling the Garden Conservancy office toll-free weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 1-888-842-2442.

    The final garden on the tour is, naturally, Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 11 French Drive in Boylston. You may read all about Tower Hill at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, July 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Worcester County Open Day

    Five gardens will be featured in the The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program on Saturday, July 20, from 10 – 4.

    Rock Bottom Garden, owned by Rosemary Monahan and Stefan Cover, is a one-acre garden shaped by two decades of collaboration between a woody plant zealot and a perennial gardener.  From the 1840’s house situated on top of a dry knoll, one can enjoy sweeping vistas of the gardens below. These include mixed borders, a woodland garden, an herb garden, a bog garden, cactus garden, and rock garden.  The gardens feature numerous unusual woody plants including many rare magnolias. Damage to the trees from the 2011 “Halloween storm” has allowed the perennials to flourish now that they have sunlight again, although this is a temporary situation since the woody plant zealot has been hard at work planting more trees.

    Glenluce Garden, 18 Marlboro Road, Stow, (below) is a small, person, and romantic garden.  Entering by the western gate, you will find yourself on a mound with green paths beckoning in seven directions.  Explore these paths to discover a grove of paperbark maples, an island of tree peonies, or a border of fragrant native azaleas.  A pergola covered by climbing roses leads to a frog pond shaded by heptacodium and a courtyard with raised vegetable beds.  Glenluce Garden is the home of at least twenty-two magnolias, eighty-eight rhododendrons, 100 peonies, and more than 150 old-fashioned roses.

    A Secret Garden is sheltered by tall maples that grew from old stone walls.  This garden leads you from sun-washed beds through a picket fence into a quiet place apart.  The surrounding trees and shrubs, both native and exotic, buffer against the outside world and provide year-round interest.  Ferns, shade-loving wildflowers and herbaceous plants soften the understory.  Stone stairs at the front of the mid-nineteenth century house lead to an intimate patio, screened by a variety of shrubs and trees.

    Brigham Hill Farm is located at 128 Brigham Hill Road in North Grafton. This 225-year-old colonial house and barn were purchased in 1975 by the present owners. Mature sugar maple and tulip trees encircle the house. The first thirteen years were spent in dealing with the ailments of an old house and in the rebuilding of old stone walls on the property. After all this work was finished, the gardens were planned and planted one by one. The herb garden was planted in 1996 off the south side of the kitchen wing. In 1997 a woodland water garden was started on the hillside to the west of the barn…this has become an ongoing project! In the fall of 1998 the perennial bed by the swimming pool was redesigned using most of the original granite and perennials. In 2007 and 2008 off the north side of the house, a large bluestone terrace was installed for entertaining with many large container pots for plantings. Down the broad steps from this area is a high-walled vegetable garden with a rill and granite-raised beds. Warren Leach of Massachusetts designed and planted all the above gardens. There is another large vegetable bed to the north of the barn which holds raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, cutting gardens, and various slow growing annual vegetables. Eight chickens occupy a hen house there with a roof planted with “hens and chicks”. Allow forty-five minutes to one hour for your visit.

    Maple Grove can be found at 16 School Street in Boylston. Designed around a late-eighteenth-century Cape Cod-style house, Maple Grove is framed by mature sugar maples. Located within the historic district of Boylston, the garden is adjacent to an eighteenth-century cemetery, giving it charming borrowed scenery. A true collector’s garden, Maple Grove has a wide assortment of choice woody and herbaceous plants in a connected series of borders, beds, and islands, with sculpture and water features.

    For complete information, directions, and ticketing, visit www.gardenconservancy.org.

    http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1303/4699208423_a7c01a65f3_z.jpg

  • Saturday, June 6, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. – Garden Conservancy Open Day in Worcester County

    Glenluce Garden 18 Marlboro Road,Stow, Massachusetts

    Glenluce Garden is a small, personal, and romantic garden. Entering by the western gate, you will find yourself on a mound with green paths beckoning in seven directions. Explore these paths to discover a grove of paperbark maples, an island of tree peonies, or a border of fragrant native azaleas. A pergola covered by climbing roses leads to a frog pond shaded by heptacodium and a courtyard with raised vegetable beds. Glenluce Garden is the home of at least twenty-two magnolias, eighty-eight rhododendrons, about 100 peonies, and more than 150 old-fashioned roses.

    Rock Bottom Garden, Stow, Massachusetts

    This one-acre garden has been shaped by sixteen years of collaboration between a woody plant zealot and a perennial gardener. From the 1840s house situated on a dry knoll, one can enjoy sweeping vistas of the gardens below—these include mixed borders, a woodland garden, an herb garden, a bog garden, two rock gardens, and a sizable propagation area. The gardens feature numerous unusual woody plants including many rare magnolias. With any luck, the bigleaf magnolias will be in bloom. Their dinner plate-sized flowers are a striking garden feature in early June.

    Maple Grove, 16 School Street, Boylston, Massachusetts

    Designed around a late-eighteenth-century Cape Cod-style house, Maple Grove is framed by mature sugar maples. Located within the historic district of Boylston, the garden is adjacent to an eighteenth-century cemetery, giving it charming borrowed scenery. A true collector’s garden, Maple Grove has a wide assortment of choice woody and herbaceous plants in a connected series of borders, beds, and islands, with sculpture and water features.

    The Garden of John D. Mapel and Stephen J. Libuda, 95 Brigham Hill Road, Grafton, Massachusetts

    After two decades of gardening at this location, original plantings have begun to mature. Visit Brigham Hill Farm’s horticulturist’s garden whose philosophy is to gently guide nature to take its own course. Perennial borders have given way to lower maintenance shrub borders and container plantings that keep in tune with the naturalistic surroundings. A water garden, meadow, terraced spaces, and walking paths encompass the two-acre property. A passion for plants has developed into a retail nursery and greenhouse space with a unique selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, and vegetables. There is something for everyone at this one-of-a-kind plant collector’s garden.

    Brigham Hill Farm, 128 Brigham Hill Road, North Grafton, Massachusetts

    This 200-year-old colonial house and barn were purchased in 1975 by the present owners. The first thirteen years were spent in dealing with the ailments of an old house and in the rebuilding of old stone walls on the property. After all this work was finished, the gardens were planned and planted one by one. The herb garden was planted in 1996 off the south side of the kitchen wing. In 1997 a woodland water garden was started on the hillside to the west of the barn…this has become an ongoing project! In the fall of 1998 the perennial bed by the swimming pool was redesigned using most of the original granite and perennials. In 2007 and 2008 off the north side of the house, a large bluestone terrace was installed for entertaining with many large container pots for plantings. Down the broad steps from this area is a high-walled vegetable garden with a rill and granite-raised beds. Warren Leach of Massachusetts designed and planted all the above gardens. There is another large vegetable bed to the north of the barn which holds raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, cutting gardens, and various slow growing annual vegetables. Eight chickens occupy a hen house there with a roof planted with “hens and chicks”. Allow forty-five minutes to one hour for your visit.

    To register, link to www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays.