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This year's dogwood bloom, the best we've seen in recent years, was the perfect backdrop for our 10th Anniversary Garden Party and Dogwood Days celebration held last month. Over 500 people visited the estate in June to witness for themselves this annual event that can only be described as spectacular. With the arrival of summer heat, many of the dogwoods have shed their beautiful blossoms; like all natural events, the bloom is short-lived. As we head into summer, I want to thank all those who helped make Dogwood Days a success--
by volunteering or by coming out in June to support our work, to wander and marvel at the landscape, and to appreciate, with us, this extraordinary treasure left to us by Polly Wakefield.
Happy Summer!
Mark Smith
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2014 Dogwood Days: one for the record books!
 Extensive work on the Carriage Barn included addition of new visitor bathrooms in the non-historic part of the structure. |
Dogs and Dogwoods Day brought out families, and brought together canines big and small.
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Eagle Scout candidate Tim Eberhardt's project replace the Rose Allee's historic rope fence. |  The Front Garden rehabilitation is well underway with new finials, a repainted Summer House and repaired hardscape.
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As we hoped and predicted, the 2014 Dogwood Days turned out to be one for the record books. With gorgeous weather and millions of stunning blooms dazzling visitors, our week-long celebration of Polly Wakefield's creation drew record crowds.
The kick-off Garden Party was a great success on a crisp and clear late spring evening, and guests bid enthusiastically on dozens of great silent auction items ranging from Red Sox tickets to an eclectic array of garden ornaments and other temptations. We are especially grateful to a group of special volunteers that helped with our Garden Party, as they played a key role in its success. The week wrapped up with Dogs and Dogwoods, our favorite family-friendly event that even included face painting this year as was chronicled beautifully in an article in the Patriot Ledger.
An article in South Shore Living and our participation in Garden Conservancy's Greater Boston Open Day brought first-time visitors from across the state and scheduled garden tours for the Landscape Design Council of the Massachusetts Federated Garden Clubs and Wollaston Garden Club created new ambassadors anxious to share the word about the work we do here.
Wakefield Estate staff had scrambled to put the finishing touches on the first phase of the Front Garden and formal gardens rehabilitation, complete with newly crafted finials and over 200 replacement plantings. Eagle Scout candidate Tim Eberhardt replaced the historic rope fence in the Rose Allee and completion of the Carriage Barn renovation enabled us to open our new visitor bathrooms for their "inaugural" use.
We are proud to say that in the ten year's since Polly's death, the estate has never looked more beautiful. We are ready to begin our second decade as a learning landscape, and move toward our future as a public arboretum.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Starting July 9, the estate will have Open Hours for public visitation each Wednesday from 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm until August 13. We hope to add additional public visitation hours soon. If you are interested in visiting and cannot come out at that time, please call 617-333-0924 x22 to arrange a visit.
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Is your teen bored already?
It's NOT too late to sign up for our High School Summer Archaeology Institute
With 2014 Dogwood Days completed, our focus has shifted to preparation for a summer filled with two sessions of our High School Summer Archaeology Institute and the beginning of our six-week Landscape Internship for local youth. If you have a teen who still hasn't made a plan for any special activities or excitement, it's not too late to sign up for one of the two archaeology sessions, set to begin July 7 and July 21. For more information, visit our website or call 617-333-0924 x22. |
For more information about any of these programs, visit our website: www.wakefieldtrust.org or call us at 617-333-0924. |
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