New England Botanic Garden Explained

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a 200-acre four season botanic gardenlocated in Boylston, Massachusetts, approximately 10miles north of centralWorcester in Worcester County, Massachusetts.^[1] The Garden features 18 distinct garden spaces, preserved woodlands, and miles of walkingtrails. More than 200,000 thousand people visit New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill eachyear to explore gardens and conservatories that showcase diverse collections of native,ornamental, tropical, rare, and edible plants.^{[2] [3]}

History

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, formerly known as Tower Hill Botanic Garden, wasfounded in 1986 on the former Tower Hill Farm by the Worcester County Horticultural Society(WCHS), the third oldest active horticultural society in the U.S. Established in 1842, WCHS grewto be a cornerstone institution in the central Massachusetts region. For decades, from itsdowntown Worcester headquarters, the society held exhibitions that celebrated WorcesterCounty’s thriving agricultural community. By the 1940s, however, the large country estates thathad supported such shows began to diminish and exhibition entries declined. In response,WCHS set out to cultivate its own permanent botanic garden for the public to enjoy.^[4]

Features

The Stoddard Education and Visitors Center is the hub for visitor activities at New EnglandBotanic Garden at Tower Hill. The complex houses the Farmer & The Fork café ^[5] and GardenShop, as well as space for special events, art exhibitions, educational classes and workshops,concerts, and private event rentals that include weddings, corporate events, celebrations of life,and more. From the café terrace and the Reservoir Room, visitors enjoy spectacular views ofMount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir.^[6]

Gardens and Grounds

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill features a variety of themed specialty gardens andfocused plant collections. Highlights include:

• The Ramble – This whimsical woodland garden opened in 2022. Designed for families, it includes interactive play features and is landscaped with hundreds of perennials, shrubs, trees, and a pond of seasonal aquatic plants.^[7]
• The Court: A Garden Within Reach – This universally accessible garden features raised beds, living walls, and plants selected for their multisensory appeal.^[8]
• The Lawn Garden – A wide variety of different species and cultivars of trees and shrubs, along with thousands of spring bulbs and summer blooming perennials, make this garden space an attraction year-round.^[9]
• Inner Park – This 5-acre garden space is New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s premier native plant garden. It offers visitors examples of how to create naturalistic gardens with a focus on an everblooming display that has interest in all seasons.^[10]
• Vegetable Garden – The oldest garden at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, this space features sustainably grown heirloom vegetables and herbs planted in designs to inspire the home gardener.^[11]
• Orangerie and Limonaia – These subtropical conservatories house collections of non-hardy plants such as citrus, palms, agave, camellias, orchids, and more.^{[12] [13]}
• Frank L. Harrington Sr. Apple Orchard – The orchard displays the Davenport Collection of heirloom apples, 250 apple trees representing 119 pre-20th century heritage apple varieties. In 2018, New England Botanic Garden began a restoration project to replace the trees in this collection, which had reached the end of their intended lifespans and were facing increased disease pressure. Using scionwood collected from trees in the Davenport Collection, Fedco Trees in Maine helped propagate new saplings which were planted at the Garden in the spring of 2021.^[14]
• Field of Daffodils – This expansive garden space attracts visitors from around the region each spring. It features more than 25,000 daffodil bulbs that, depending on the weather, reach “peak bloom” around the third week of April.^[15]

Today

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has grown dramatically in the decades since itsestablishment. Just between 2017 and 2023, the organization expanded its footprint by morethan 50 acres, increased accessibility of its spaces through a universal design entry way, addedmore accessible, ADA-compliant pathways throughout formal garden spaces, and expandededucational offerings. Roughly 15,000 adults, youth, and children attend a class or workshop atNew England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill each year. More than 250 people support theGarden as volunteers.^{[16] [17] [18]} In 2022, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill became the first botanic garden in the U.S.to be certified a Green Zone by the American Green Zone Alliance for the organization’scommitment to sustainability and its ongoing efforts to decarbonize its horticulture operations.^[19] In 2023, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill was voted “Top BotanicGarden in the U.S.” by TravelAwaits.^[20]

See also

• • List of botanical gardens in the United States

External links

• • Cary Award website

42.3619°N -71.7267°W

Notes and References

1. https://www.nebg.org/plan-your-visit/ NEBG.org: Plan Your Visit "Directions and Parking"
2. https://www.nebg.org/about-the-gardens/ NEBG.org: About the Gardens
3. https://www.nebg.org/about-us/ NEBG.org: About Us
4. http://www.nebg.org/history-and-mission/ THBG.org: Tower Hill Botanic Garden history & mission
5. https://www.nebg.org/farmer-and-the-fork/ NEBG.org: Farmer and the Fork
6. https://www.nebg.org/plan-your-visit/ NEBG.org: Plan Your Visit
7. https://www.nebg.org/the-ramble/ NEBG.org: The Ramble
8. https://www.nebg.org/the-court-garden-within-reach/ NEBG.org: The Court: A Garden Within Reach
9. https://www.nebg.org/the-lawn-garden/ NEBG.org: The Lawn Garden
10. https://www.nebg.org/the-inner-park/ NEBG.org: The Inner Park
11. https://www.nebg.org/the-vegetable-garden/ NEBG.org: The Vegetable Garden
12. https://www.nebg.org/the-orangerie/ NEBG.org: The Orangerie
13. https://www.nebg.org/the-limonaia/ NEBG.org: The Limonaia
14. https://www.nebg.org/orchard/ NEBG.org: Orchard
15. https://www.nebg.org/the-field-of-daffodils/ NEBG.org: The Field of Daffodils
16. https://www.nebg.org/accessibility-at-the-garden/ NEBG.org: Accessibility at the Garden
17. https://nebg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Press- Release_Botanic-Garden-Expansion_January-2024.pdf NEBG.org: Botanic Garden Expansion Press Release
18. https://nebg.org/2023/12/22/reflections-looking-back-growing-garden/ NEBG.org: Reflections: Looking Back on Our Growing Garden
19. https://www.nebg.org/agza-green-zone-certification/ NEBG.org: AGZA Green Zone Certification
20. https://www.travelawaits.com/2890274/best-us- botanical-gardens/ TravelAwaits "10 Best Botanical Gardens in the U.S."