[PCA] 2010 Season at New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods

Thu Feb 25 14:10:44 CST 2010

Olivia Kwong

, 

Dear Olivia,

New England Wild Flower Society owns and operates Garden in the Woods, a living museum in Framingham, MA. This botanic garden is devoted to New England native plant species and showcases the largest collection of native plants in the Northeast with over 1,000 species featured in naturalistic garden displays and habitats. 

Opening Day for 2010 is April 15. There are several exciting events planned in the first couple of months of the season. That is also the bloom time of the prized emphemeral collection of the Garden. 

We hope you will join us in letting as many people as possible know about the plans and plants of New England Wild Flower Society's Garden in the Woods for 2010. Thanks. 

Cordially,

Steven Ziglar

Director of Communications

New England Wild Flower Society

sziglar at newenglandwild.org

508-877-7630, ext 3503

Contact: 

Steven Ziglar, Marketing and Public Relations

508-877-7630 x 3503 sziglar at newenglandWILD.org

Images are available

February 25, 2010

News for Immediate Release

2010 Season at Garden in the Woods

Framingham, MA - New England Wild Flower Society announced today the 2010 season opening date is April 15 for the Society's 45-acre botanic museum Garden in the Woods. The closing date for the season is October 31. In 2010, the theme for activities and education at Garden in the Woods is "Growing Communities: Native Plants and People." The Garden serves as a living laboratory for conservation, horticulture, and education. Growing "communities" speaks to the heart of all three. The Society's conservation efforts strive to preserve individual native plant species and build communities of these plants in healthy habitats. Horticultural efforts seek to create sustainable communities of plants or "gardens", using fewer resources to keep gardens beautiful and thriving. Education programs serve communities of learners of all ages, providing awareness and appreciation of native plants. 

People are key to the successful growing of any community, including native plants. People come to Garden in the Woods for many reasons . . . a relaxing walk in the woods, a glimpse of the many blooming plants every colorful season, an educational experience in conservation or horticulture, a check for what is missing in one's home garden, or to de-stress after a heavy work week. In 2010, visitors have opportunities to learn about New England's native plants through daily, guided walking tours at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and at 2 p.m. weekends; new audio tours which can be downloaded from the Society's website and brought to the Garden or studied at home; stronger interpretive signage; and cart tours for visitors needing mobility assistance. The Society will also have the first sections of its "Go Botany" project online at the "Tree-ask", where students of all ages can develop skills in identifying trees. Answering a series of questions, the "student" narrows the search and finds the answer to "what tree is this?" 

New Garden signage interprets each garden area for both design and the underlying conservation principles. The Idea Garden provides an exploration of container gardening, green roofs, lawn alternatives, edible native species, and more. Throughout Garden in the Woods, native plant species have their own signage which indicates whether they are rare and endangered. The New England Garden of Rare and Endangered Plants offers a collection of rarely seen native plant species and an Invasive Plant Jail. Invasive plants threaten the integrity of both home and natural environments. Japanese barberry, burning bush, yellow flag iris, oriental bittersweet, and others have invaded New England with few natural controls like predatory insects to hold them in check. Learn about native alternatives to these invasive plant "bullies."

Educational programs serve pre-schoolers through retirees. Come for a tour, a class, or a workshop on topics ranging from container gardening with native plants to wetland delineation. Visit newenglandwild.org/learn for a full listing and a downloadable catalog. 

Explore the Garden Shop at Garden in the Woods. Discover the largest selection of native plants in New England. Purchase user-friendly tools, eco-friendly clothing and gifts. The Society encourages you to get out into your garden, be it large or small. 

Special Events

Garden in the Woods offers special events each season. Earth Day, Saturday, April 24, 2010 with free admission, is full of fun family activities including 

*	a scavenger hunt

*	face painting

*	garden tours on the half-hour

*	storytelling

*	free tree saplings (one per household) while they last

*	wildflower seed planting in pots to take home 

This year we honor trees for the role they play in our ecosystems. Special tree-themed events are scheduled between noon and 4 p.m.

The Society celebrates "Hiawatha Day" in collaboration with Longfellow's Wayside Inn and the BIG READ program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, with special events at Garden in the Woods, Sunday, May 2, 2010, between 1 and 4 p.m., including

*	Native American flute music on the Woodland Stage with readings from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha"

*	Guided tours for adults, focusing on native plants useful to Native Americans for food and medicines 

*	Scavenger hunts for children to find "Hiawatha's Friends" (woodland plants and animals)

*	Birch bark crafts - using bark rubbings to create "birch bark" for small boxes, sunglasses and toy canoes

Regular admission fees apply for this event.

Other special celebrations at Garden in the Woods include National Public Gardens Day, Mother's Day, Conservation Day, and more. Check newenglandwild.org/calendar for updates throughout the season. Every day at Garden in the Woods is special and different since there is a constant change of plants blooming throughout the growing season. 

Garden founders Will Curtis and Dick Stiles created Garden in the Woods in the early 1930s and maintained it to the mid-1960s as a showcase for native plants. By the early 1960s, the Garden had become an impressive showplace of naturalistic design. At the same time, the suburban housing boom was rapidly encircling the property. To secure the future of the Garden, Will Curtis deeded the property to New England Wild Flower Society in 1965. In 1968, the Society moved its headquarters to this beautiful garden in Framingham, MA.

Founded in 1900, New England Wild Flower Society, the nation's oldest native plant conservation organization, promotes the conservation of temperate North American flora through education, habitat preservation, horticulture, research, and advocacy. The Society was founded by a group of women who wished to stop the over-collection of native plants from their natural habitats. Plant poachers were threatening the survival of many beloved native plants in the wild, including Massachusetts' state flower, the trailing arbutus or mayflower. The Society currently owns and operates Garden in the Woods, the 45-acre public botanic garden in Framingham, MA; and Nasami Farm, the 75-acre native plant nursery and sanctuary in Whately, MA, as well as eight other sanctuaries located in New England. The Society's vision is a future where vigorous native plant populations live in healthy, balanced, natural ecosystems-protected, enjoyed, and beneficial to all life. For more information, visit www.newenglandwild.org.

Standing Information

Framingham, MA - Garden in the Woods, New England Wild Flower Society's 45-acre botanical museum with over 1,000 native plant species and the unique New England Rare and Endangered Plant Garden, is open to the public from April 15 to October 31, 2010. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday plus holiday Mondays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Extended hours are scheduled Thursday and Friday evenings until 7 p.m. April 15 through July 4. Admission fees for adults $8; seniors (65+) $6; students (with student ID) $6; youths (3-18) $4; children under 3 free. Members admitted free. Informal guided walking tours for individuals are included in Garden admission fees and are conducted Tuesdays through Fridays and holiday Mondays at 10 a.m. and on weekends at 2 p.m. Special tours for adult groups are available by reservation only. Special tours for children's groups can be arranged for school and scout groups and scheduled Tuesday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our tours visit the natural woodland, several habitats, a meadow, brook areas, and a vernal pool. The main buildings, entry gardens, and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Golf cart tours for visitors needing mobility assistance at the Garden can be arranged for visits, scheduled Tuesday through Friday afternoons. For more information and reservations for adult tours, children's group tours, and golf cart tours, contact Bonnie Drexler, bdrexler at newenglandwild.org, or call (508) 877-7630, ext. 3302. TTY: (508) 877-6553.

-END-

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