Many members of the Driftwood Garden Club traveled to Wellesley, MA, for a field trip to the Garden at Elm Bank. Operated by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the 36-acre public garden features a mix of historic and modern landscapes, including the Olmsted Italianate Garden, Rhododendron Garden, Trial Garden, Pollinator Meadow, and Weezie’s Garden for Children.
We started the event with a boxed-lunch picnic in the Jim Crockett Memorial Garden dedicated in honor of Jim of PBS’s ‘The Victory Garden” show. Then we met our informative (and hilarious) guide, Melissa. Our guide informed us about the many garden ’rooms’ and their focus as we walked along the property.
The Trial Garden is one of three trial gardens in New England, and tests new and unreleased varieties of annuals and perennials, as well as heirloom vegetables.
Driftwood members were awed by the Goddess Garden statues. The statues of the Roman goddesses Flora, Ceres, and Pomona were originally installed on the façade of the 2nd Horticultural Hall building in Boston. Later moved and abandoned, the statues were found, restored, and returned to a place of honor at Elm Bank.
The Olmsted Italianate Garden was designed by Percival Gallagher of the Olmsted Firm and functioned as a summer room of the Manor House with its tall, hedged walls. The fountain is a 14th century baptismal font purchased by Alice Cheney-Baltzell on her honeymoon.
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s mission looks both backward and forward, preserving historic collections and expanding education and engagement. The beloved Garden at Elm Bank transforms with the weather, time of day, and seasons. It is a magical place that deserves many more visits!
Driftwood Garden Club 