The garden gates open in Boston’s South End for the annual South End Tour. This always-popular neighborhood event provides an opportunity to explore some of the South End’s most spectacular private outdoor spaces. Thread through alleys and walkways for a self-guided, behind-the-scenes look at gardens ranging from intimate, informal, and even quirky spaces designed by resident gardeners, to the work of noted landscape designers — many of which are open to the public only on the day of this tour. The tour rotates through the neighborhood opening new gardens every year. All proceeds support our gardens and educational programming throughout Boston’s gardens.
New this year, tour tickets will be advance purchase only for timed entry in order to avoid crowding within the tour sites. Trustees of Reservations members $28, nonmembers $35. Register HERE. For more information call 617-869-6720.
Tomatoes are the diva/divo of the garden – they demand tons of attention, but it’s not a party without them! Join Boston Community Gardens and the Trustees on Zoom on May 18 at 6 pm for a deep dive into choosing and growing the most delicious tomato varieties. We’ll share some of our favorite varieties–from tasty heirlooms to compact patio tomatoes to disease resistant hybrids–and discuss planting, trellising, diseases, pests, and harvesting.
This workshop, like many others this season, is supported by TD Bank’s Ready Commitment. Free, but please consider supporting our educational programming through the optional program fee when you register. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/71779/
Purchase Trustees Grown certified organic vegetables and pastured meat and poultry. In addition to being the largest private owner of farmland in Massachusetts, the Trustees operate multiple production farms where visitors can learn about the land and the natural cycles we depend on, share experiences, and enjoy farm fresh products. Partial payment options are available. Please Note: Our CSAs are only open to Trustees members. If you are not yet a member sign-up here. There are options from Appleton Farms in Ipswich, including a fruit CSA share, Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough, Powisset Farm in Dover, Weir River Farm in Hingham, and more. Read all about it at https://shopthetrustees.org/pages/trustees-farms
Those of us who have been around a while fondly remember the knowledgeable but sometimes cantankerous Allen Haskell in New Bedford, whose nursery was a treasure trove of out of the ordinary plants. His legacy continues under the management of The Trustees, and you have a rare opportunity to order online now, with pickup at the garden on Saturday, May 21, from 10 – 2. There are kits for pre-order, expertly curated by the Haskell Public Gardens horticultural team. All purchases directly benefit the Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens and The Trustees. Order now at www.shopthetrustees.org The Native New England Pollinator Kit and Shade Woodland Northeast Natives Kits are already sold out!
The Trustees of Reservations has renamed Agassiz Rock “The Monoliths” due to Louis Agassiz’s racist teachings being incompatible with The Trustees’ mission of inclusion.
The Trustees’ mission is to protect and share Massachusetts’ iconic places for the simple reason that nature and culture soothes the soul and improves the lives of everyone, not just some of us. While that mission never changes, The Trustees is always seeking to learn and grow to find new ways to live up to it.
It is with this commitment in mind that The Trustees announced its Agassiz Rock property in Manchester-by-the-Sea has been renamed “The Monoliths”—a nod to the site’s two massive, granite boulders. The change comes after more than a year of reflection and deliberation regarding the complex legacy of Louis Agassiz, the 19th century biologist who published works that proposed that non-white human groups are inherently inferior.
After 65 years with the same name, people will want to know why The Trustees’ changed it now and what it hopes to accomplish.
There is no doubt that Agassiz’s theories about the rocks dotting New England’s landscape being shaped and deposited by glaciers and not the biblical flood that floated Noah’s Ark, as believed at the time, were groundbreaking. However, Agassiz also vehemently promoted the theory of polygenism—the view that humans of varying skin color are of different origins and non-white races are inherently inferior—to a degree that was considered extreme even for his time.
After receiving several letters from people in the community who questioned the appropriateness of honoring Agassiz despite his work that denied the humanity of African enslaved people, The Trustees embarked on a journey to research Agassiz the man and Agassiz the property, and to determine how tributes like this one align with its overall mission of inclusivity across its portfolio of 123 properties.
After creating an internal review process and speaking to internal and external stakeholders as well as staff and local historians, The Trustees decided to change the name—the first time that’s happened in its 130-year history. The name change is official on the website, trail maps, and the main sign on-site. In time, interpretive signage will be installed on the property that puts Agassiz’s scientific contributions in perspective while explaining why the name was ultimately changed. The goal is not an erasure of history; it’s a chronicling of change and taking an opportunity to learn and grow.
Join long time guide of Naumkeag, Mission House and the Ashley House, Kendra Knisley, on March 12 at 5:30 pm for an online lecture about the life and legacy of Elizabeth Freeman. This lecture will feature stories on her enslavement with Colonel Ashley in what is now known as the Ashley House in Sheffield and her fight for freedom which led to her settling down in her own home in Stockbridge where she lived her life as a free woman working closely with the Sedgewick family. In honor of her life and in celebration of Black History Month and Woman’s history month, join The Trustees for an hour long lecture hosted via Zoom.
Salt marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, and these beautiful landscapes also protect our shorelines, provide habitat, and help preserve water quality. But salt marshes depend on their ability to migrate with rising sea levels. Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands have nearly 1,800 acres of marsh that sea level rise threatens to outpace, the second annual State of the Coast report finds. Some marshes may have a chance to migrate landward and survive where the absence of built barriers and natural topography allow. In this webinar sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations on February 23 at noon, we discuss options for restoring salt marsh, and models for managed retreat to protect these natural systems, which, if healthy, can serve as natural buffers to storm surge and sea level rise. Free, but registration required at www.thetrustees.org
Speakers include Liz Durkee, Martha’s Vineyard Commission Climate Change Planner, Cynthia Dittbrenner, Director of Coast and Natural Resources at The Trustees, and Russell Hopping, Lead Coastal Ecologist.
This fall two new properties have come into the care of The Trustees. Armstrong-Kelley Park, in Cape Cod, has become The Trustees’ twelfth public garden, and Becket Quarry and Historic Forest, in the Berkshires, joins their many woodland properties.
A recent merger between The Trustees and the Cape Cod Horticultural Society (CCHS), officially brought Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville under The Trustees’ umbrella. The 8.5-acre Osterville Village property is Cape Cod’s oldest and largest privately-owned park, featuring an arboretum, central green, garden rooms, a boardwalk, trails, and beloved features such as Liam’s Train and the John Folk Water Garden.
A recent partnership between The Trustees and the Becket Land Trust has brought the Becket Quarry and Historic Forest property into care, ensuring a place for this unique natural and cultural landscape.
This 300-acre property is the former site of the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry. It was acquired by the Becket Land Trust more than 20 years ago, when the quarry was proposed to be re-activated to provide crushed stone for use in the Big Dig project. Visited by more than 14,000 people in the last year, Becket Quarry’s popularity and stewardship challenges led the Land Trust to seek a partner entity to take over the management of the property.
After more than 100 years of operation, the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry ceased full operation in the late 1940s, and a variety of vehicles and industrial equipment were abandoned. These artifacts from a bygone age are still there, and slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Planned improvements to Becket Quarry under Trustees stewardship include work on the extensive trail system which laces the interior of the property, signage updates, and upgrades to the main access trail (the former rail bed for the quarry railroad). An unofficial opening will be planned for 2022. For more information on both these properties, visit http://thetrustees.org
The Trustees are celebrating the Winter Solstice on December 17, 18, and 19 at a number of different venues. Appleton Farms in Hamilton and Ipswich is the site of a Winter Solstice Family Fun, and Fruitlands Solstice Stroll in Harvard features a candlelit walk followed by hot chocolate and s’mores around the outdoor firepit. The deCordova Museum presents a solstice clay candle lanterns workshop. Castle Hill on the Crane Estate in Ipswich is where you’ll get to participate in a Winter Solstice Hike. Powisset Farm in Dover will hold a Winter Solstice Supper, and for those near Governor Hutchinson’s Field in Milton, enjoy a fire dance performance at Solstice Illumination Night. Chestnut Hill Farm in Southborough holds a Solstice Celebration. This is just a sampling, Fees and times vary, so to check them all out visit www.thetrustees.org for details.
Join The Trustees in the heated greenhouse at the City Natives plant nursery in Mattapan on December 18 from 10:30 – noon for a hands-on herbalism class, learning how to make your own aromatherapy heat pad. Charline Xu, a local herbalist, grower, and educator will walk through the sensory benefits of different herbs and essential oils, and how to best incorporate them into your heat pad. All of the materials for making your heat pad will be provided – you only need to microwave at home for therapeutic use! Homemade heat pads, or the class it self make a great holiday gift.
Candles, tea blends, salves and other products from Charline’s mobile apothecary, @rootsaboveground will be available for sale onsite. Participants will be invited to explore the grounds of City Natives with a cup of hot herbal tea.
Masks will be required inside the greenhouse and proof of vaccination is required for all attendees over age 12. $28 for Trustees members, $35 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/70341/
