Woodland sanctuary

Flower & Garden Magazine, Nov-Dec, 1998 by Dorothy J. Pellett

One man's dream came to life and is now giving thousands of people each year a glimpse of both the grandeur and the details of nature's gifts. Garden in the Woods, the botanic garden of the New England Wild Flower Society, has been described as a living museum. The society focuses on education and is particularly dedicated to stimulating young peoples curiosity about plants, soil, birds, insects and ecology.

Although some botanic gardens display plants in rows or groups by family or genus, this format was completely foreign to the garden's founder, Will C. Curtis. He was a landscape designer who espoused naturalistic plantings using the curves and contours of the land.

By the time he was 10 years old, he had gathered and planted native plants -- such as bloodroot and maidenhair fern -- from the woods near his home in Saratoga, N.Y. Taught by his mother and grandfather to observe the diversity and beauty of nature, Curtis dreamed of growing a garden of native plants from all over the United States.

In 1931 he purchased the future site of Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass. It contained naturally diverse vegetation and soil types, watered by springs and a brook. Hillsides, deep valleys, a pond and a bog provided a place for him to begin a wildflower Sanctuary. He hoped that eventually it would contain of the native plants that could be grown there.

Activities it the garden today are connected in their purpose but varied in their scope. Curtis' ambition was to discover propagation methods for natives and to make his discoveries available to all. The plant sanctuary has evolved into a pleasant destination for visitors while at the same time becoming an inspiring site for the work and classes that carry out his goals.

A garden of plants from Western desert plateaus may not be what you expect as you follow the trail upward from the bog garden. But here it has been create by replacing some of the soil with old bricks, marble chips and sand for drainage, and adding a variety of Western natives including cacti. Each separate garden is well-defined yet there is a feeling of coherence, as though each belongs exactly where it is located. In addition to the desert and woodland gardens, visitors discover a sunny bog garden, meadow garden, lily pond, mountain laurel path, pine barrens and the new garden of rare and endangered plants. They comprise the largest landscape collection of wildflowers in the Northeast.

Identification signs list the Latin name, the common name and family of the specified plant. Individual plants are not all marked, but several examples of each are labeled throughout the garden. Other signs describe each area for visitors.

In mid-June, I sat on a rock by the path through the woodland garden and surveyed the variety of wildflowers that were visible from that one point. Even though spring flowers were no longer at their peak, I easily counted at least 24 distinct species. They included a 2-foot-tall Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum); merrybells (Uvularia grandiflora); foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia); wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) and its white-flowered form, twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla); blue phlox (Phlox divaricata); numerous ferns; azaleas; lady's slippers; trilliums; and several other flowers.

The assortment of plants growing together illustrates the fact that Garden in the Woods is a naturalistic landscape, not a natural one. More plants are close together than be present in a natural they are supported by compost and additional water. Plants, both common and rare, are grown in naturally designed habitats.

Garden in the Woods has been developed with a steady perspective, becoming a place for finding peace among stately pines and for lifelong learning or volunteering. Trained volunteers lead tours, help with propagation, collect and clean seed, work in the garden, donate plants for the annual sale, and soon become dedicated to their work.

Oftentimes volunteers first become acquainted with the garden through one of the 200 courses, workshops and field trips that are offered by the staff each year. The classes appeal to diverse interests: photography, propagation, mosses, fungi, birds, wetlands, botanical names, seaside ecology, conservation issues, sketching and almost any related subject the imagination can suggest. Twice a year, the New England Wild Flower Society published a catalog of courses and events for children and adults. Members and non-members alike may participate, at costs ranging from a dollar children's programs to about $250 for a botany course for adults. Classes are not designed for profit; they serve the purpose of encouraging interest in the natural world.

As children arrive for the class "Bug Eaters of the Bog," a well-lit, well-equipped room combines with their genuine interest in the subject. They are ready to answer teacher Bonnie Drexler's pre-class questions and ask some of their own. Before the class is over, they will have seen pitcher plants and Venus's-flytraps. The children will have made a book about bug-eating plants, created a game and thought about what it's like to wait for food to come to them as some plants do.