Take the Wellesley Open Space & Recreation Plan Community Survey 2021

September 6, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission invites you to take a 7-minute online survey to help direct the future of Wellesley’s open space and recreational resources.

The purpose of the survey is to help the town as it updates the 2015 Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP).

The OSRP inventories current open space and recreation resources, identifies community needs, and outlines an action plan to meet those needs. It is updated every seven years to keep it current on existing conditions in Wellesley and ensures the Town remains eligible for grants available through the Commonwealth. The goals and objectives in this survey were developed through the previous Open Space Plan, and through the 2019 Unified Plan. Your input will help create action steps, and enable the numerous boards, departments and various stakeholders to confirm, adapt and prioritize their efforts on these objectives.

You can access the survey at this link.

Questions? Please contact [email protected]

An hour in my Wellesley garden—Rack and Ruin Garden still racked, ruined

August 31, 2021 by Deborah Brown 3 Comments

“We’re booking into June,” he warned. That was back in March. Almost six months later and my landscaping project is no closer to completion than it was when I made that first phone call.

“June would be great,” I said, too eagerly I now know. Mistake number 1.

He played a good game of stringing me along. Asked for pictures, which I sent immediately. That was mistake number 2. Never send pictures. If they’re interested, they’ll make the effort to come and see the project. After he saw the pics, he sent along a reasonable estimate, making me certain that I had found The One. I looked no further. That was mistake number 3. Never believe you’ve found The One until they prove they’re The One.

Honestly, you’d think I’d never dated.

Rack and Ruin Garden, Wellesley — The Rack and Ruin Garden is overrun with very prickly thistles. Ever try to pull those out? My advice: don’t ever let them get started in your yard.

After sending the pictures (Oh, how I regret sending those pictures. They’re probably all over the internet by now.), I insisted that someone come over and take an in-person look at the job. The project is nuanced, I explained. After I dropped the word “nuanced,” the landscaper ceased all contact. Eventually, I broke up with him over email, a formality given that I was clearly the dumped one. But I wanted this unfortunate chapter officially over because him and me, we’ve got history. This relationship is not over for good. Mark my words, he’ll be back in the spring just like he has been for the past 20 years, faithfully delivering 3 yards of dark pine mulch.

And I’ll be waiting, grateful to get that 3 yards of dark pine mulch. Since mulch is what he can give, that’s what I’ll take. It’s not nothing. If I call on a Tuesday that mulch is dropped off in a tidy pile by Wednesday, provided I leave an overturned trash can in the desired delivery spot and a check in an envelope on the front door. Every year he takes the check out of the envelope and then pushes the empty envelope through the mail slot. In this way, the landscaper makes it crystal clear that our transaction is absolutely, positively done. He doesn’t want so much as an empty envelope to remember me by.

I’ve come to accept that I’m just a spring fling for him. Wham, bam, here’s your mulch, ma’m. Because he delivers good product, I choose to accept this bark-with-no-benefits relationship. I had hoped to take things to to the next level, but it turns out he’s just not that into my yard. Ah well, not every landscaper can fulfill my every need.

The next guy I called had done a job for me about 15 years ago. Since then he’s begged me to come back, sending marketing love-note materials every spring. I gave a call, careful to keep things casual and light. We set a date. He was supposed to show up Friday at 3. He did not show up Friday at 3. Not at my yard, anyway. Maybe he showed up Friday at 3 somewhere on the Cape, and Friday by 4 he had a beer in hand. My call went directly to voicemail. I left a message, which was not a casual, cool-girl message at all. I talked too fast. My voice cracked. “Hey, what’s up. I thought we had plans. I’m here. Call me!” He never called back.

This was annoying. I’m not the one who chased him around for 15 years. He’s the one who’s been direct-mail stalking me for 15 years. I feel spurned and have cut this weed-tease out of my gardener’s heart. If I receive marketing love-note materials from him next spring I shall scrawl “please take me off your mailing list” in red lipstick, or blood. Then I’ll send his trashy, glossy garden porn mailer—the one he sends to all the gardeners—straight back to him.

Next, I took the subtle approach. I hunted my prey close to home. While pretending to garden, I waited until the friendly neighborhood landscaper drove around the corner. Then I emerged from the garage border and pounced. I tried to stay cool, like I really didn’t care. “Hey, I’ve got a thing that might-maybe need doing in the yard. Can you come over sometime and take a look?” I asked.

“I can come over right now,” he said.

My heart skipped a beat but I knew by now to hide my excitement that one of the cool landscaper guys was not only in-person talking to me, but was actually coming over to the yard. As we walked down the street, I hoped the neighbors were watching.

I slouched ever-so-casually across the yard, over to the Rack and Ruin Garden. He took one look. “Nah. We don’t have heavy equipment. We just keep it simple. You need a bobcat in here,” he said.

And with that, this Wellesley cougar was placed into the high maintenance category and dismissed. I slouched again, this time in defeat. Later I looked back at the encounter and remembered how I stood on the street corner and flagged him down, and I felt common, and cheap.

Mr. Swellesley is in a panic because he can tell I’ve reached the “pay any price” stage of project desperation. During a backyard party I spied him and one of our practical-minded friends deep in conversation over by the Rack and Ruin Garden. Their ideas seemed to hang on putting our sons’ friends to work. Thankfully, the young men are all back at college. I happen to like having those young men around when they’re in town and don’t want to chase them off by putting them to hard labor.

Meanwhile, I’m so annoyed with the Rack and Ruin Garden for putting on a show while guests were here. Here’s a cropped shot of the Rack and Ruin Garden showing off. The strong phlox showing is an obvious pitch by the Rack and Ruin Garden to be allowed to remain. But the garden is too big, and it’s gotten away from me, and I just can’t manage it anymore.

And here’s the truth about the Rack and Ruin Garden:

Here’s what the Rack and Ruin Garden looked like when we were all ten years younger:

Wellesley Rack and Ruin garden — Date night, circa 2011. According to my Facebook post, Mr. Swellesley organized and executed the outing, but neither of us can remember where we went. Not pictured: immovable rocks.Photo credit: Duncan Brown, at age 11.

Over the past decade the trees have grown, as trees do, and put the Rack and Ruin Garden in the shade. On a slow path to degradation, first the bee balm got powdered mildew. Next the rudbeckia got black spot. Then the coreopsis stopped blooming. They have all cited a lack of sun and a high dew point as reasons for their demise. And neglect. There was a lot of neglect.

It’s gotten to the point where, just to have a guaranteed successful exterior project under my belt, I’m seriously thinking about getting the house re-roofed. We had that job done two years ago, and it was the most lovely, drama-free experience. The Connell Roofing crew was very vini, vidi, vici about it all, then they moved on with their lives. And let me get on with mine. So it wouldn’t be crazy to re-roof a house that doesn’t need re-roofing, just to get some project momentum going. Right?

The truth about the Rack and Ruin Garden

Beyond Wellesley: The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill tour

Beyond Wellesley: This South Natick, Massachusetts garden brings on the drama

Summer 2021, Morses Pond in Wellesley—6K-plus visitors came to “the beach within reach”

August 25, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

For the second consecutive summer, the fun at Morses Pond was somewhat reined in by restrictions put in place due to COVID-19. Between a lifeguard shortage, an events calendar that remained empty, and multiple days of rain, Summer 2021 at MOPO was a quieter than usual affair for the 6,000-plus visitors who booked their beach time.

The last official day of the Morses Pond season was August 15, but the yellow gate at the bottom of Turner Road will be open through September 6, 8am – dusk. The official closing of the pond means that there is no staff on hand, so no reservations are needed to use the beach area.

Not that there was much staff around all summer. When only one certified lifeguard had expressed interest in working at MOPO by early May, it became clear to Rec. that the pond would have to run on a swim-at-your-own risk basis. “We had 3 shifts of 5 Park Rangers again this summer. No lifeguards,” Rec. Department Associate Director Jenn Lawlor said in an email.

The lack of staff led to a Wellesley residents-only beach policy, and a reservations program was put into place. “The difference from last summer was that residents were able to make reservations for the full day, not just a time block. Restrooms were open this summer as well,” Lawlor said.

“Attendance has been a bit lower than last year,” Lawlor continued. “An estimated 6,215 patrons came through to Morses Pond from June 7 to July 31. Weather has also played a factor in low numbers, as some days we had to close due to storms.”

As usual, the Wellesley Health Department tested the swimming-area water for bacteria weekly, and the pond passed all the tests up until the week of August 2. “Due to all the rain we had a failing test result in which we had to close the pond for swimming on August 6th,” Lawlor said.

Usually Rec., in partnership with various town departments, keeps a steady stream of activities going such as Kid’s Trails Day, the Fishing Derby, Council on Aging Day, story times, the 8th graders’ party, a Family Camp-Out, and more. COVID put all of that on hold this year. A few hardy souls gathered at the pond in March for an unofficial version of the yearly Plunge for Elodie. And the Wellesley Fire and Rescue Department held a dive team training event in July. Other than that, visitors to the pond came to have a no-frills day at the beach.

Kayaking at Wellesley’s Morses Pond

Eagle sighting at Morses Pond

Wellesley takes Morses Pond water treatment plant offline due to high level of ‘forever chemicals’

An hour in my Wellesley garden: where to put the new dahlia

August 22, 2021 by Deborah Brown 5 Comments

I spent much of my gardening time this week wandering the yard with my new dahlia asking, “How about here? Well, what about here, then? This spot looks good, right? No? You want to go around the yard one more time?”

Wellesley garden, dahlias — Tucked in among the Autumn Joy sedum is Dahlia LaBella, “Maggiore Fun Flame.” Maggiore means ‘major’ or ‘large’ in Italian. I am so ready for a major and large dahlia.

Usually such plant fussiness over its own placement is not allowed in my Wellesley garden, but this is a special flower. This dahlia is not only a gift but, since I’ve never grown dahlias, a challenge. A neighbor, knowing things were a little off kilter while a family member was laid low, brought over the dahlia to cheer me up. Not that she’s stalking me or anything, but my neighbor can always tell when the daily routine is altered at my house. I’m one of those people who needs evening cheerfulness, the kind achieved by turning on every light in the house. She says when the house is dark for one night it just means I’m out having wild times, and my family can’t be bothered to flick a couple of switches. Two consecutive nights of darkness signals uncertainty. That’s when I receive a what’s up text.

My answer, and the truth, was not an offhand, “not much.” My answer, and the truth was, “All hell has broken loose, and on a scale of 1 to 10 the pain is an 8. We’re dealing with it.”

If you ever want a new dahlia, text dramatically in just that way. You’ll probably get one. I did. (BTW, medical care was sought, and health been restored. But it was touch-and-go for a while there.)

Once I had my new comfort dahlia, I walked it around the yard for several days before it finally asked to be put in among the Autumn Joy sedum. Once settled, the dahlia looked like it had always been there. I brought out a pot of compost tea and left the sedum and the dahlia to chat. The new fast friends barely acknowledged me, which is a very good sign. Now I must keep up my end of the friendship bargain by learning how to care for the newcomer. As I said, I’ve never planted dahlias before, and that’s because my neighbors one street over grow such beautiful specimens. All summer long I invent excuses to walk by their house just so I can see their exuberant, colorful, yard-sweet-yard where something’s always popping. As I leave the house, I call out over my shoulder any number of excuses for my mid-workday absence. Gotta mail a letter. Gotta drop stuff in the library drop box. Need to make sure the new ice cream shop is putting out a consistent product (they are, but it’s still a good idea to keep on top of the situation). I always feel refreshed after passing by my neighbor’s garden. And after my ice cream.

One day I caught one of my neighbors outside and asked how they raised their flowers to such prominence. Mr. Dahlia first made sure to tell me that he’s not the gifted gardener, she is. He has said the same on other occasions, but certain formalities must be observed before discussing gardening techniques. It’s terrible form to take even inadvertent credit for art. Also, Mr. Dahlia is a Southern gentleman and formalities mean something to him. Once, when Mr. Swellesley had some of the neighborhood men over to watch a football game, Mr. Dahlia stood when I entered the room. All the other men looked around at each other then (finally) stood up as well. I may have heard a few grumblings that it was “just Deb.” But in that moment I knew I wasn’t “just Deb.” I was a lady, thank you very much. I made sure I didn’t enter the room for the rest of the evening so as not to test the “lady” theory.

Although herself, the true gardener, was not available at the moment I was passing by, Mr. Dahlia was willing to say a few words. Here’s what he told me. Even though he doesn’t know anything about anything, it seems to him that dahlia tubers must be dug up before the first frost, which is usually in early October, as far as he remembers. He also suggests that from his observations of the process, the tubers must be placed in a paper bag with some peat moss or sawdust, and stored in the basement for the winter. He’s almost certain, but not entirely so, that the tubers should then be planted out in mid-May, at the earliest. But beware of a wet forecast and probably delay the planting process if a week of rain is expected, which is nothing more than common gardening sense, of course. Any fool would know that tubers will rot if exposed to excessive and cold spring rain. Other than that, he really knows nothing.

After absorbing this advice I returned to my own garden, where the dahlia and the sedum were getting along just fine. Then, oh miracle, I spied movement in the wheelbarrow. The friendliest praying mantis, shiny and new, was starting out his own gardening life. He made eye contact, then hopped on my arm and crawled up to my shoulder, where he settled in. Pirates can have their loud, squawking parrots. As a gardener, having a praying mantis choose me as its companion has been the most exciting wildlife experience of summer. The praying mantis hung on as I brought him inside to meet the family. Everyone was charmed.

Wellesley garden, praying mantis — My praying mantis friend is the first insect who has ever made sustained eye contact with me in the garden. I must be doing something right out there.

The internet tells me that this chance meeting is very auspicious, indeed, and that the praying mantis will bestow good luck upon me and my garden and, by extension, the new dahlia. Apparently my prehistoric-looking insect friend will hang around my Wellesley garden as long as there are plenty of tasty insects to eat. No problem there. I’m reminded of why I resist spraying insect killer when the Japanese beetles chew holes in the hibiscus blooms and the aphids attack the Stargazer lilies and the mosquitoes beleaguer me at the wood’s edge. Hah, the joke is on these foul pests. Soon I won’t have to put up with their destructive influences. My attack praying mantis is coming to get them and will protect the new dahlia, and everything else. I can only spend an hour a day in my Wellesley garden, but my praying mantis, loyal and true, will be on the job 24/7. I’m sure of it.

swellesley green ad — Praying mantis meets the family. Everyone was charmed.

An hour in my Wellesley garden—the garage border

August 14, 2021 by Deborah Brown 6 Comments

I was unavailable to garden for a few days, a matter of taking care of people before plants. When I got back out there, clippers in hand, the perennials seemed to barely notice my absence. That’s the advantage of normally spending an hour a day in the garden. Even when life throws a curveball and you have to dial back your commitment for a bit, the garden probably won’t mind all that much. An hour a day keeps things organized enough so that when you do come back, a little deadheading and conversation are all the flowers really need. This philosophy…no…”philosophy” is too high-falutin a notion to apply to my Wellesley garden. Let’s instead say practice, as in “keep trying.” Breathe. Try again. This practice applies only to non-obsessive gardeners with the patience for imperfection. Dig-in-the-dirt types like you and me. Garden-variety gardeners.

The garage border benefited from my gardening return. I started out with the daisy patch.

Wellesley garden, daisies — The daisies need deadheading, one of my favorite tasks. There’s something so zen about clip-and-tidy gardening.

Wellesley garden, scissors — I just use an old pair of scissors, which gets thrown in the dishwasher now and then for cleaning. I do sharpen them periodically.

When gardeners first start to self-identify as such, it’s a beautiful thing. They look around their yards with excitement. They start noticing where the sun falls in patches all day and where the shade dapples, shaving a few degrees off the official temperature. They become conversant about frost dates. Then these gardeners make the mistake of looking through magazines and going on garden tours. Suddenly, the initial delight with their domain is dampened. They start referring to the spot where they were going to plunk in a few peonies and foxgloves as a “garden room.” They decide hardscaping must be done, expensive stone walls must be built, to provide “structure” to the space. The space? What happened to “the yard?” Once they start consulting a color wheel, you know any sense of spontaneity, joie de vivre, or just plain fun has gone to hell. Suddenly these gardeners are plotting out their plantings as carefully as their career trajectory. Once they start calling themselves “horticultural enthusiasts,” look out.

Wellesley garden, false sunflower — Lately I’m in love with my Wellesley garden newcomer, false sunflower, as are the daisies which have sidled right up to the addition. Its Latin name is heliopsis helianthoides, var. scabra. I can provide you with this because I took Latin in high school and a biology course in college. Also, it was listed on the tag.

Wellesley garden, spirea — The pink spirea is experiencing its second blooming. It first goes crazy in spring and the shrub is covered in pink flowers. After blooming, I cut the shrub down by half. By August, the spirea offers up a second act that isn’t as showy, but is still a welcome sight to the pollinators.

Wellesley garden, garage border. Pink spirea, foreground; purple dwarf butterfly bush, far right; joe pye weed, towering.

The once gardener, now horticultural enthusiast, insists the garden must adhere to a design principle, and all plants are required to fit in with an aesthetic. From the dig-in-the dirt gardener’s perspective, all this stress is completely unnecessary. A dig-in-the-dirt gardener isn’t out there to impress anyone. Yes, some law and order is desirable in the yard (although many dig-in-the-dirt types would vigorously dispute that). But what’s really happening out there is pure enchantment. The idea is to own your own garden and have fun with it. What do you want, magic or computer-generated directions plotted out on graph paper? I thought so.

I make my way over to a plant that has been a tremendous disappointment, the Echinacea Merlot. I brought it home from the garden center for its unusual dark stems, and because I thought that echinacea couldn’t do a bad turn. Because I have trouble with goodbyes, and because I give most plants two full seasons to prove themselves, Echinacea Merlot will be permitted to remain until fall. Then I will likely turn it straight out of Eden. If you happen to know the most foolproof echinacea, please drop me an email ([email protected]) and enlighten me. This is not my first echinacea heartbreak, but I’m willing to try to love again.

Wellesley garden, Echinacea Merlot — Echinacea Merlot, if I could drink you maybe we could come to terms. Below, Echinacea Merlot when it’s in a good mood. Only spring puts this persnickety plant in a good mood.

wellesley garden — Echinacea Merlot in spring, a season for which it pines 40 weeks out of the year. Whiny plants just don’t get to stick around in my garden.

It’s great to be back in my own garden, but giving some of my garden time to Uncle Jerry from Dorchester was well worth the short absence. Uncle Jerry’s garden follows the design principles of pure exuberance. Always has. Right now he can’t get out there and tend it like he used to, but the blooms can still be seen from space. I dove in with my clippers and tamed the wild corners for him.

“This was always my relaxation,” Uncle Jerry said from his front-porch, from where he greets passing neighbors (and they’re always passing, to pay homage to the master and to get a look at what’s blooming). “If I came home and my day at work had been bad, as soon I started out here, all of that didn’t matter anymore.”

Uncle Jerry's garden — Uncle Jerry’s garden, late spring.

Now that’s a true gardener. That’s the kind of dig-in-the-dirt kindred spirit you give some of your gardening time to, in the kind of garden where there’s something new to learn around every corner.

An hour in my Wellesley garden after 9″ of rain

An hour in my Wellesley garden—tidying the shed

A heron visits my Wellesley garden

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Wellesley closes Morses Pond beach due to high E. coli levels

August 6, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The town of Wellesley has closed Morses Pond beach on Friday due to an elevated level of E. coli bacteria detected in the swimming area during water quality testing. Swimming at the beach will be closed until further notice, as unfortunately we head into a couple of high temperature days.

The Health Department tests the water on a weekly basis.

Residents may still utilize the Morses Pond park area accessing the hiking trails, parking lot or just sitting on the beach, according to the Wellesley Recreation Department.

100-plus Wellesley riders taking part in Pan-Mass Challenge

August 5, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Nearly 120 Wellesley residents will be among the 6,000-plus cyclists taking part in this weekend’s Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), which will raise tens of millions for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Many participants have lived with cancer themselves, or ride to honor those who have died or are too sick to ride.

This year’s PMC returns Aug. 7 & 8 as a group event, though participants also have had the option of charting their own course in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The PMC includes include 16 routes – from 25 to 211 miles. Numerous routes, including a 100-mile one, start at Babson College in Wellesley.

There are various ways to give to PMC riders’ fundraisers, including searching riders by name. Here’s the list of Wellesley riders provided by PMC.

Laurel Archibald
Conrad Balejko
Ian Blasco
Moe Blaustein
Jesse Boehm
Brian Bowser
Angela Braman
Stephan Braun
Emily Breedis
Karin Breedis
John Breedis
Grant Brown
Jeff Carney
John Carney
James Carr
Karl Cheng
Kevin Clark
Jarrett Collins
Jerry Coughlan
Stephanie Coughlan
Dan Cullaty
Katharine Cunningham
James DeCaprio
Bonni DiMatteo
Robert Dolan
Marty Doscher
Scott Duddy
Paul Enderle
Timothy Ernst
Jonathan Ettinger
Wendy Fischman
William Gerlin
Cynthia Gerlin
Simon Gerlin
Richard Green
Eunice Groark
Ali Grogan
Barbara Gross
Karen Haddock
Gregory Hanson
Christopher Harding
Craig Hartigan
Susan Hartigan
Michael Hartnett
Michael Higgins
Fred Hoff
Wendy Horn
Lisa Hughes
David Hutchins
Alastair Ironside
Patricia Isley
Robert Ix
Emily Ix
Robbie Ix
Sara Johnson
Hugh Johnston
Lori Johnston
Ken Jones
Kevin King
Brian Kinney
Ethan Kinney
Andrew Kovacs
James Landry
Enrique Laso
Paul Laviolette
Alexander Lee
Stephen Leonard
Mark Lepper
Susan Levine
Jennifer Ligibel
Tod Loofbourrow
Mark Lorion
Katherine Macdonald
Kevin Macdonald
Edward Mahoney
Patricia Mallett
Kate Martin
Bill Maynard
Sean Milano
Julie Moore
Mike Mordas
Gerard Mulrooney
Ava Newman
Adam Newman
Chris O’Connell
John O’Connell
Matthew Olton
Laura Olton
Ian ONeal
James Palacino
John Phillips
John Power
Sue Prakken
Patti Quigley
Jenny Rand
Roger Randall
Debra Rinaldi
Kate Roosevelt
Stephen Rosen
Rob Rosen
Grant Rosen
Eric Scharmer
Andrew Schiller
Randall Schneider
Howard Singer
Jennifer Snyder
Billy Starr
George Stathis
Garrick Stewart
Katie Stewart
Daniel Sullivan
Justin Unger
Andrew Wagner
Richard Walsh
Andrew Wigren
Nancy Williamson
Geoffrey Witheford
Michael Young

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Take the Wellesley Open Space & Recreation Plan Community Survey 2021

An hour in my Wellesley garden—Rack and Ruin Garden still racked, ruined

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Summer 2021, Morses Pond in Wellesley—6K-plus visitors came to “the beach within reach”

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An hour in my Wellesley garden: where to put the new dahlia

An hour in my Wellesley garden—the garage border

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Please help grow Swellesley’s independent journalism efforts by contributing or advertising.

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