The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Beyond Wellesley: the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill Tour

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The members of the Beacon Hill Garden Club (BHGC) must have an in with Mother Nature. On the day of the 91st annual rain-or-shine Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill fundraiser, the weather came down decisively on the side of shine. How the 60-member club managed to find that one beautiful day in what has been a world of wet is a mystery. Spring 2019 has gotten itself quite a reputation for its bad attitude, and seems not to care. For every complaint we’ve raised, Spring 2019 has simply doubled down, claiming with authority  that all that rain is absolutely required for May flowers, yes, straight into May itself. Somehow, someone in the BHGC convinced Spring 2019 to be cooperative, just for the day of the tour.

Whatever was said to Spring, it worked. On tour day, the skies were sunny which made for general good cheer, and the temperatures stayed steady in the high 60s, so no wilted gardens. The 2,000+ visitors appreciated the conditions, too, as they climbed from the very flat of the Hill on Mt. Vernon Street on up to the nosebleed section of Myrtle Street. I was one of the many, and I brought back pictures from gardens both sweet and dramatic, all with one thing in common  — space and sunlight challenges. Take a look at how the gardeners of Beacon Hill laugh at such hardships.

Acorn St, Beacon Hill
Just to give you a feel for Beacon Hill, let’s start out with this iconic Acorn Street pic. Known as the most photographed street in Boston, BHCG club members were on hand to make sure that visitors didn’t wander right by one of the area’s historic treasures, unaware.
Acorn Street, Beacon Hill
Bet you can’t guess what the focal point is in this narrow, brick paved, Acorn Street garden. The massive urn is a replica of one commissioned by a family member in 1914. The original weighed 14,000 pounds and was the centerpiece at a recent New York Antiques Show sale. The Manship Trustees gave the owners permission to make a replica made out of a lighter weight composite. In the foreground you can see variegated Solomon’s Seal, fern, and other shade-loving plants.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
To be a member of the Beacon Hill Garden Club you must live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. That’s the easy part. You also must agree to open your own garden to the tour every few years. Yes, that means club members’ gardens must be presentable enough to withstand the scrutiny of 2,000+ gawkers who expect to see something special.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
This Chestnut Street stop was very special. Not only were visitors allowed to see the beautiful green and white garden of Boston ivy, ferns, moss, and climbing hydrangea, we were invited to walk through and admire the first floor of the home. The breakfast room, kitchen family room, formal dining room, and front hall were decorated with an English flair. Lots of pattern, color, and decorative odds and ends made it feel like a cozy, elegant, and lived in family hub. The homeowner was on hand to answer questions about the garden and the historic structure, a Late Federal Style row house that was built in the 1820s.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
This Beaver Place garden is located on the flat of Beacon Hill, with busy Storrow Drive behind it. The owner wanted a private garden that was visually accessible to the community. The urban bee hive sits under a white flowering redbud tree. Boxwood hedges give privacy and year-round greenery.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A wider view of the Beaver Place garden.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A riot of million bells, ivy, and aspargus fern spill out of a windowbox in a Lime Street garden. Above, climbing hydrangea softens the top of the wooden fence. The home attached to this garden was build in 1869 and was the birthplace and lifelong residence of renowned Harvard historian Samuel Eliot Morison. His statue stands on the Commonwealth Avenue mall.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
One of the secrets of a striking Beacon Hill garden is the judicious use of hardscaping, statuary, and irrigation. There were no urban homesteaders on the tour, no raised vegetable beds or complicated succession plantings of high-maintenance perennials. Let’s be serious here, people, these gardeners are not sticking around in the hot, sticky city all summer long. If they’re not off to their retreat on the Cape or Lake Wherever, they’re traveling the world. BHGC members’ outdoor spaces are meant to serve as a thing of beauty in the middle of a hectic city life.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
A freshly planted tree pit on Mt. Vernon St. Although this one is not maintained by the BHGC, the club cleans and plants over 72 tree pits on Beacon Hill streets. They partner with the Beacon Hill Civic Association to regularly water the trees and keep the areas around them tidy. Another 30 organizations received grants last year from the BHGC including Friends of the Boston Public Garden; Emerald Necklace Conservancy; New England Wildflower Society; Old North Church garden; and the Garden Club of America Scholarship Fund. I was asked not to reveal how much the tour rakes in, but it’s enough to say that it’s many thousands of dollars, all of which gets doled out to community initiatives.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Some of the gardens were as simple as this comfortable outdoor grilling area. In addition to the ten gardens on tour there were several “ribbon gardens,” meaning they weren’t open for guests to walk through. Instead,  the gates were thrown open for viewing, a simple ribbon strung across the opening to signal that this was a look but don’t storm the castle situation.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Nelly Moser clematis welcomes visitors as an old brick path gives way to smooth flagstones.
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Yes, that’s a real swimming pool at this Joy Street garden. The garden was originally designed in 1928 by landscape architect Robert N. Cram. In addition to the pool, there’s also a dolphin fountain and a pergola, all of which date from that time. The space is documented in the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution.
Beacon Hill Garden Tour
Introducing Myrtle the Turtle, the newest addition to the Myrtle Street playground. Last year in celebration of the BHGC’s 90th anniversary, club members decided to provide a special gift to the playground. The Club commissioned Make Way for Ducklings sculptor Nancy Schön to create Myrtle the Turtle. Just like the ducklings installation in the Boston Public Garden, Myrtle is available for photo-ops, and is meant to be climbed on and included in games.

A big thank you to the Beacon Hill Garden Club member Amy Wilson for giving me the VIP tour treatment. You know when you’re taking a ski lesson and how great it feels to cut the lift line with your instructor? That’s how it felt to tour the Beacon Hill gardens with Amy. I stuck close to her and the throngs of people parted like the Red Sea for us. Thanks Amy, and congrats to the whole club for a successful tour.

MORE:

Beyond Wellesley: The Magnolia Trees of Back Bay

Beyond Wellesley: A visit to Spring at the Boston Flower Show

Beyond Wellesley: Kennebunk, Maine gardens

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