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Save the date: Natick Art in Bloom will be Sat., April 17th

April 7, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick Art in Bloom

Natick Garden Club members will design floral arrangements inspired by the public art in Natick. There are many fantastic public art pieces to choose from like The Unconventional Garden, Wings of the Butterfly, various electrical boxes, the bus stop mural, and mosaics.

The event will take place on Adams and Court Street and will allow visitors to walk through and view these works of art with the corresponding floral arrangements.  Other works of art that are not in the immediate area will be set on tables with a photo of the art next to the arrangement.

Natick’s Art in Bloom will be taking place during the Natick Center sidewalk sale. The Natick Garden Club will also have an information table and some sidewalk sale items, including wildflower seed packets, DIY sunflower seed pots, and notecards.

This will be an outdoor event and all social distancing protocols will be in place requiring masks and 6 feet of distance between groups.

MORE:

Beyond Natick: a visit to  see the Monet exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Filed Under: Art, Gardens



Natick represents at Mass Hort Festival of Trees

December 11, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

You’ve got through Sunday, December 20 to check out the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees, an annual holiday event that has been kept going this year due to the tireless efforts of masked-up volunteers and loyal supporters. They’ve moved heaven and earth to ensure that there are plenty of decorated trees to see (about 70); the always-popular snow village model train exhibit; and more. Outside there are decorations in The Gardens at Elm Bank, and visitors can keep warm and cozy melting s’mores at the fire pit.

Mass Hort, Festival of Trees

Try your luck at the raffle and maybe you’ll win one of the trees, decorations on it, presents under it, and all. The raffle takes place on the last day of the Festival, and you will be contacted if you’re a winner.

When I stopped by to enjoy the display, volunteer Elaine Lawrence told me, “The Festival is a little smaller this year, but we are keeping everything very safe for everyone.” That means, in part, that timed-entry tickets must be purchased in advance.

In strict observance of all COVID protocols, visitors will be escorted through the Festival in small groups. You can get all the latest info on their website. Both the Festival of Trees display in the Hunnewell building and the Snow Village are accessible.

Here’s a look at a few of the decked-out trees:

Mass Hort, Festival of Trees
Mass Hort, Festival of Trees
Mass Hort, Festival of Trees
Mass Hort, Festival of Trees

Natick was well-represented at the event, with residents and business contributing their time and talents to the Festival by donating decorated trees:

Berkshire Hathaway; Catherine Clifford, Elizabeth Carol and Kate Grzesink; Friends of the Bacon Free Library; Monica Carlsson Foley; Natick Garden Club; Occasional Magic; and Tom and Christine Bolsvert.

Plan your visit:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Entertainment, Gardens, Holidays, Volunteering

Phil the Philodendron has gone into a pout

November 23, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Phil the Philodendron’s adventures continue. For those not in the loop on my rescue plant’s progress as he moved from his summertime front-step happy place to my office, find out how the big lug has caused me worry lately. Sometimes it seems I just can’t do enough for that prima donna—a sunny window with a view of a vibrant street scene, classical music piped in on the daily, water (but not too much of it) — Phil’s got it all.

Phil the Philodendron

And yet, he will indulge in the occasional tantrum.

More on that here.

A little background on Phil…

Natick Report editor’s rescue philodendron thrives

Phil the Philodendron, an update

Filed Under: Gardens

This South Natick, Massachusetts garden brings on the drama

October 15, 2020 by Deborah Brown 4 Comments

“When you love something, you don’t look at your watch or the clock. You don’t think about the time. When you love something you just do it,” said Karen Coffman as we looked out at her South Natick garden all dressed up for fall in purples, yellows, oranges, reds, and browns. “I put in the time in the garden, and I love it. I also have really good help. My husband is strong, built like an offensive lineman, and is willing. We’ve lived here since 1995, and I’ve been gardening the whole time.”

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

Karen hasn’t always had her dream garden. For 11 years before she landed in South Natick, she and her husband called Wellesley home. She liked the town, but found the gardening an exercise in frustration. “There were just too many trees shading my property,” she said. “I couldn’t get the six hours of sun per day that I needed without chopping down my neighbor’s trees. I told Lonnie I needed more sun for a garden.”

She found the perfect property that abutted acres and acres of apple orchards and, most importantly, it was a place where she could get direct sun for the necessary 6 – 8 hours per day. Still, the 1⅓-acre space wasn’t exactly ready for its close-up. “When we got here we cut down 37 swamp maples,” Karen said.

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

With the shade eliminated, the sun poured onto the lot. That was one box checked.

Next, there was the matter of the lack of organic matter. “You know how they say in real estate it’s all about location, location, location?” Karen asked. “Well, in gardening it’s all about the soil, the soil, the soil. The soil was so poor here I knew nothing would grow.”

So she had truckloads of the offending dirt hauled away. “Then I ordered the best loam and filled the yard back in. My budget was 75% spent and I hadn’t bought a single plant. But I had to do it. The land tells you what to do if you pay attention.”

Once the dirt deed was done, another box was checked off. Karen was just a couple more steps away from realizing her dream.

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

Soil and sun are all very well and good, but a garden can’t grow without water. Since, as you can probably tell by now, Karen goes big or goes home, she had an 850-foot well drilled. “With the kind of investment I was making in this garden, I wasn’t willing to just let everything go during periods of drought.”

With the infrastructure in place, it was time to have fun and bring on the drama. Not a problem for someone who trained as an opera singer for 12 years. In fact, both Karen and her husband Lonnie trained at Indiana University. After graduation, they went to New York City and tried to break into the business.

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

“I did the starving artist bit for three years. Then I came to a fork in the road and made a decision to go into the tech  industry, I went into business and entered the sales side of things. I had sold pianos before, and had been good at it then. I found I was still good at sales and that’s what I built my career around.”

But she never lost her love of all things theatrical, and compares the topography of her garden to a raked stage. That’s a set that slopes upward, away from the audience, giving those at the back a better view than if all the seats were at the same level, which explains why so much of the garden is visible from no matter where you stand. As I looked out from the back deck, I could see how the garden layout moved from orchestra pit to mezzanine to balcony.

Unsurprisingly, this was not by accident. Karen considers herself a student of gardening, but says, “I’m not a designer. Never claimed to be one. So I got help from someone who knew what he was doing.”

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

Enter landscape architect Thomas Wirth who fit in 40 specimen trees to replace the felled maples; added a koi pond; used the existing gazebo as an architectural element; and created flow and balance throughout.

Although the garden was professionally designed, it’s continually evolving. Karen adds here and subtracts there as the muse dictates and aesthetics allow. “My major considerations when planning and working in the garden are height, texture, bloom time, and maintenance,” she says. “It’s an experiment, number one. It’s a puzzle, number 2. If something doesn’t work, if it’s only pretty for a brief bloom time and then ugly for the rest of the year, out it goes.”

As you can see, she’s ruthless. Karen says it’s the only way and cites her decades in executive recruiting as good preparation for ripping out uncooperative plants. “Now that was a ruthless business,” she says.

Natick garden, Karen Coffman

My tour over, Karen sends me off with a red Solo cup full of dahlias and other autumn gems that she clipped with her number 2 Felcos as we strolled the grounds.

“Don’t forget to let me know which plants you want divisions from,” she calls out as I leave.

Oh, don’t worry, Karen. That’s an offer nobody could refuse.


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MORE PICTURES:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Art, Gardens, Outdoors

Just beyond Natick: a visit to The Gardens at Elm Bank

September 29, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

I was recently lucky enough to be invited along to tour  The Gardens at Elm Bank at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Wellesley headquarters, located at 900 Washington St. in Wellesley (a major part of the site is located in Dover). It had been a long time since I’d wandered the 36-acre property, listed since 1987 on the National Register of Historic Places, so I jumped at the chance. The Gardens at Elm Bank are leased from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which maintains the 175 acres that include the Gardens, the woodland along the Charles River, and fields.

Tour highlights included a turn around Mass Hort’s Trial Garden; the Goddesses Garden; the kid-friendly Weezie’s Garden; the Italianate Garden; and the Bressingham Garden, created by British design powerhouse Adrian Bloom in 2007.

Here are some pics:

Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley

Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley

Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley

 

Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley
Elm Bank Reservation, Wellesley

 

Elm Bank can always use volunteers looking for a meaningful and rewarding experience. They need help with everything from weeding and mulching to helping out in the library and the office. You don’t need a green thumb — the staff trains and guides volunteers.


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Filed Under: Beyond Natick, Gardens, Volunteering

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Events calendar

  1. Scoopapalooza all-you-can-eat ice cream feast

    June 25 @ 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
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    June 26 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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