The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Gardening

140th Fall Flower Show at MassHort unites floral enthusiasts across New England

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The 140th New England Fall flower show took place at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s (MHS) garden at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from Sept. 18-20. 

According to MHS admissions coordinator Caitlin Cunic, the event originally started in Boston with a spring flower show downtown. Around the early 2000s they stopped doing them, then they were held by another company and those stopped entirely when Fidelity bought the convention center.  

MHS wanted to bring it back and three years ago it was viable to hold it at Elm Bank. Every year it’s grown in size with the vendors, food trucks, and the exhibitions.

New England Fall Flower Show
All photos by Iris Zhan

 
“It’s a tradition that we are very happy to bring back and kind of draw back that crowd that had been going for so many years as well as new families,” Cunic commented.

The main stage included Ikebana flower demonstrations and a floral performance from the Philippine dance and culture organization. 

New England Fall Flower Show

Exhibitions included award-winners in amateur and junior horticulture, floral design, botanical art, and photography.

New England Fall Flower Show

Three women from Cape Cod shared with The Swellesley Report about why they came to the event and what they’ve enjoyed. 

Michelle, Esther, and Linda are gardeners who “found beauty in everything we look at including the people we meet.”

The event gave them creative ideas for their gardens, and they enjoyed being in nature with perfect weather. 

Some of the flower related vendors include botanical artists such as Tabitha Gilligan and Ivana D. George.

New England Fall Flower Show

New England Fall Flower Show

Alongside many vendors selling fresh flowers and plants, Preserved Botanicals sold flowers preserved with glycerin. According to Maureen, the owner of the business, they are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic flowers that can last longer than buying fresh flowers.

New England Fall Flower Show

Aside from the flower powered programming, the event was a great opportunity for visitors to appreciate the beauty of the flowers themselves at Elm Bank.

New England Fall Flower Show

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

     

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Wellesley Conservation Land Trust annual cider & donuts at Cronk’s Rocky Woodland

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DATE: Sunday, October 19th
TIME: 3:30-5pm (rain or shine)
LOCATION: 20 Crown Ridge Rd, Wellesley

Cronk's Rocky Woodland, Wellesley
Cronk’s Rocky Woodland

DESCRIPTION: The Wellesley Conservation Land Trust invites you to an afternoon at Cronk’s Rocky Woodland for hot cider and donuts (courtesy of Wellesley Whole Foods).

Explore the Hansel and Gretel cottage, say hello to your College Heights and Wellesley neighbors, learn about the family that donated this property to the Land Trust for preservation in perpetuity, explore the rocks of the Rocky Woodland, and participate in the future of the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust—your trusted voice for protection of natural space in Wellesley.

The WCLT has begun a multi-phase restoration of platings at Cronk’s. Come join us as we work to restore this beautiful neighborhood treasure.

Wellesley Symphony Orchestra
Wellesley Marketplace 2026

Elizabeth Seton’s seniors flourish outdoors thanks to gardening grant from Juniors

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Elizabeth Seton residents can now enjoy increased active outdoors time thanks to a grant of $2,300 from the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) in support of an Adaptive Gardening Initiative. This wheelchair accessible program allows residents of the skilled nursing and rehabilitation center to engage in gardening opportunities and the enjoyment of home-grown vegetables and flowers.

Elizabeth Seton, Wellesley
The Elizabeth Seton Residence Gardening Initiative is underway. Residents have new raised garden beds to plant vegetables and flowers, and the wheelchair accessibility allows everyone to participate.

Gardeners of all ages and fitness levels get it—sometimes those flowers we want to plant, those weeds that need pulling,  just seen so very, very far away. Maybe, on a good day, we can get down there on ground level to commune with the nature. But will we ever get up? Knees, hips, back all have a say, and the answer isn’t always favorable.

So instead of the gardener going to the ground, why not bring the ground to the gardener? With raised beds purchased with the grant money, that’s exactly what the Elizabeth Seton staff did. Seniors now have another avenue through which they can remain active, connected, and productive while also achieving a sense of achievement, purpose, and tranquility.

“Nurturing plants helps maintain existing skills that provide pleasure and confidence at a time when memory loss or physical decline can affect people’s self-esteem,” Executive Director & CEO Lori Ferrante said. “Gardening has emerged as a powerful therapeutic tool that promotes socialization, physical exercise, and activity engagement while enhancing mood and stimulating multiple senses.”

Elizabeth Seton, Wellesley

Past grants to Elizabeth Seton Residence from the WHJWC include funding an accessible games table, patio furniture for residents’ comfort and safety, big-screen television sets for the resident living rooms, and a digital wireless sound system.  Ferrante adds, “We are most grateful for the Juniors’ generosity and commitment to Elizabeth Seton Residence. They are an amazing group of women whose support enhances the enjoyment our residents glean from everyday activities that benefit the body, mind and spirit.”

 About the Elizabeth Seton Residence

[Read more…]

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Rare corpse flower blooms at Wellesley’s Elm Bank Reservation

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By Erica Noonan

Corpse Flower at Elm Bank
Eliza blooms (photo by Erica Noonan)

 

Eliza corpse flower at Elm Bank
Close-up (photo by Michael Tobin)

 
Eliza, a rare Indonesian corpse flower, began her dramatic and very short bloom cycle Sunday night at The Garden at Elm Bank. 

Local plant enthusiasts wasted no time in getting to Wellesley, and by the time gates opened for the first set of timed tickets at 8 p.m., nearly 100 people were in line, including some from as far away as Worcester. 

Lining up for Eliza at Elm Bank
Lining up for Eliza at Elm Bank (photo by Michael Tobin)

 
Eliza-watch had been ongoing for days, with a livecam on the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s website, where she is visiting from her permanent residence at Wheaton College in Norton. 

Her bloom is estimated to last just 24-32 hours, and the decision was made to move her to Elm Bank which had more capacity for public visitation during the summer months, said Amanda Bettle, Wheaton’s Greenhouse Manager. 

Eliza had bloomed before, but only partially, about two years ago, Bettle said. 

But Sunday night’s opening was the real deal, she said. Beetles and flies were already crawling on her partially opened leaves, which true to Titan Arum (Amorphophallus Titanum) form smelled like garbage and rotting meat.   

Because its eager pollinators won’t easily find another corpse flower in Swellesley, Elm Bank managers got pollen from a handful of the other rare corpse blooms in the U.S. shipped in to try to help the bugs complete their mission.   

Tickets to see Eliza at The Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St. can be found here. Tickets are $14 for adults, $5 for children, MHS members may enter free of charge. 

Eliza and friend
A “before” photo of Eliza, with friend (courtesy photo)

 

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How to get in on Natural Resources Commission’s free spring 2025 tree program

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The Natural Resources Commission is accepting requests from homeowners who would like to have a tree planted on their property this spring, for free.  Many types of trees are still available (such as red maple; sugar maple; downy serviceberry; sweetgum; white spruce; pin oak; and American Elm).

Trees are planted by the Department of Public Works and cared for by homeowners. Email the NRC to be considered for this program.

Help expand and protect Wellesley’s Tree Canopy and replace trees lost due to construction or natural causes.

Wellesley NRC, tree program
Photo by NRC.

Bartlett Tree Experts—trusted to care for European Beech Trees at MassHort

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SPONSORED POST:  Bartlett Tree Experts always look forward to spring, especially when their arborists are asked to provide species-specific scientific tree care for the much-loved European Beeches at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden at Elm Bank in Wellesley.

Bartlett Arborist Representative Harrison Shaw and a team of his fellow Bartlett arborists recently pruned the spectacular
hardwood hedge that surrounds Elm Bank’s beautiful Italianate Garden. The pruning was completed by trained Bartlett experts who meticulously used hand tools for precision. In addition, the team provided soil care and treatments to the trees, to keep them in optimum health.

Such diligent care is essential to help ward off beech leaf disease, which can be lethal to both American and European beech trees. In the years since its discovery, beech leaf disease has spread to 15 states, affecting beeches throughout New England, and further north including Ontario, Canada, to as far south as Virginia.

Bartlett Tree Experts
Harrison Shaw beside the European Beeches at Elm Bank.

Shaw, who grew up in Grafton and makes his home in Wellesley, works closely with MassHort to provide scientific tree and shrub care to ensure the health and beauty of the organization’s wide collections of trees and woody plants.

Founded in 1907, Bartlett Tree Experts is the world’s leading scientific tree and shrub care company.

Let Bartlett care for your trees

The best approach to caring for beech trees is multi-dimensional with a focus on improving overall tree health and vigor. Research scientists at the Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories continue to develop groundbreaking treatment strategies that have proven to be highly effective.

If you have beech trees on your property, contact your local Bartlett arborist to discuss treatment options and scientific tree care solutions to ensure the health and vitality of these beautiful trees.

Learn more about beech and beech leaf disease at the video linked here, European Beech (Fagus sylvatica)

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