"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!
- Sitting Bull

Usually by the first week of April, daffodils are on the verge of blooming, the forsythia's buds are swollen and ready to burst, and native songbirds serenade as they toil to build their nests. But all is different this year on account of the record snowfall. We still have 12 inches of snow on the ground, even more where shade dominates! Nature's sense of timing is often at odds with our expectations. As I long for warm spring days, my impatience at winter's receding deepens, which only accentuates my frustration with another gray, snowy day. This year, spring - and it's tantalizingly slow arrival - is a lesson in patience. The words of the wise Native American Chief Sitting Bull above remind me that all will be well, not in my timing, but in nature's timing.

 

 Mark Smith
Executive Director
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HOT SPOT!

Look here each month to find out about what we need a hand with. Some months, we might announce a volunteer work day or ask for help at an event like Dogwood Days; other months, we might be looking for anyone willing to help us spread the word about one of our programs.

 


APRIL: This month, we are beginning to gear up our plans for this year's Dogwood Days Garden Party. If you know some people who might like to receive an invitation to this fantastic event on June 13th, or can help us land some fantastic Silent Auction items, please give us a call at 617-333-0924 x22.

Restorative Pruning Workshop

Assessing and Repairing Your Winter-damaged Landscape

Saturday, April 11, 9:00 - 11:30 am


As this year's record-breaking snow load recedes, it is revealing the extensive damage to our landscapes. We all know that this winter and all that snow has been brutal on plants, trees and shrubs, with many broken branches and limbs. The Wakefield Estate's Restorative Pruning Workshop, led by the estate's Landscape Director Debbie Merriam, will cover the basics of good pruning theory and practice, with a particular emphasis on evaluating and restoring plants that have been damaged by weather. After a brief classroom session, Debbie will demonstrate some rejuvenative pruning methods and participants will practice their skills on plants in the estate's formal garden. Dress accordingly. Please bring safety glasses and hand-pruners if you have them; if not, they'll be provided.  If time allows, Debbie will also cover transplanting and soil health. Cost for this session is $10 for members; $20 for non-members.  Space is limited; pre-registration required. To register, call  617-333-0924. 

2015 Stone Soup Series: Great Trees of the Estate
Thursday, April 30: 5:30 - 7:00 pm
One of Nature's Showstoppers: The Dove Tree
This month's Stone Soup and Speaker event will offer a portrait of one of the estate's pride and joy: the Dove Tree. Not commonly seen in most gardens, the dove tree or Davidii involucrata, is also known as the handkerchief or ghost tree because of its large white "handkerchief" like flowers and bracts that hang from every branch in May. Jen Kettell, former staff horticulturalist and arborist at the Arboretum, will share the intriguing story of this great tree and the plant hunters who first found it in Asia. Stone Soup and Speakers events are held on the final Thursday of each month through May. These warm and casual programs begin at 5:30 pm with a bowl of tasty home-made soup, followed by a short presentation by the featured speaker. Space IS limited. Pre-registration is required. To RSVP or for more information, please call 617-333-0924.

The final session of the 2015 Stone Soup and Speaker Series is May 28 and will focus on our beloved Chinese Dogwood, Cornus kousa, just in time for Dogwood Days!

Ready For A True Sign of Spring? This is it!
Spring Floral Inspiration with Lisa Ahern
Wednesday, May 13: 6:30 - 8:00 pm
floral demo 1If you've had enough of winter and are impatient for convincing signs that spring is here, join us for our spring floral decoration demonstration. Cedar Grove Gardens' floral designer extraordinaire Lisa Ahern, will show how to create simple but dazzling decorations to brighten up your home using spring flowers, bulbs and kitchen garden plants. Those attending will leave with lots of great ideas and have a chance to win a raffle of some items created during the session. The session will run from 6:30 until 8:30. Light refreshments will be served. Cost for this session is $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Space is limited so please pre-register by calling 617-333-0924.
Know a Teen Looking for a Great Summer Experience? 
Tell them Know About the 2015 Summer Archaeology Institute!
An artifact found during the 2014 Institute: 
a "campaign button" from George Washington's inaugural inscribed 
"Long Live the President."
We need help letting teens know about our fantastic Summer Archaeology Institute. Registration is now open for this summer's sessions. The Wakefield Estate's Summer Archaeology Institute is one of the only hands-on archaeology programs in the country designed for high school students. Participants conduct an actual archaeological excavation on site under the direction of graduate students from Boston University. The institute is a two-week course that includes a field trip to visit other active archaeological sites in the Boston area.  
There are two sessions offered for the summer of 2015: 
Session I: July 6 -July 17; M-F 9 am-3 pm 
Session II: July 20-July 31; M-F, 9 am-3 pm 
Call us at 617-333-0924 for more information or to request an application.

If you know some young people who might be interested in this program, you can help us by downloading our flyer via this link and posting it, or sharing it with your teen's school or library. If you have contacts you'd like to share, or ideas about how we can get the word out, please call us at 617-333-0924x22.
chickens
We need YOU!                
In 2015, one of our goals is to build up our nascent volunteer corps. We need volunteers to help us with our events, ranging from family activities and school visits to Dogwood Days in June. We will also be training a small crew of Visitor Info Pals, so we can expand our Open Hours. For those interested in just lending a hand occasionally, we will be scheduling monthly volunteer work days starting in May.
If you have some free time, and would like to get a little more involved; or are a high school student looking to log some Community Service hours, please call Erica Max at 617-333-0924x22.
Upcoming Events - Save these Dates!
May 13: Spring Floral Demo with Lisa Ahern
May 16: Fairy Fest w/Artspace Milton
May 28: Stone Soup & Speaker: Chinese Dogwood
Please note the following changes:
June 13: Third Annual Dogwood Days Garden Party
July 6-17: Summer Archaeology Institute, Session I
July 20-31: Summer Archaeology Institute, Session II
For more information about any of these programs, visit our website:  www.wakefieldtrust.org or call us at 617-333-0924.
Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Staff:
Mark Smith, Executive Director - email: mark@dogwoodlanefarm.org
Erica Max, Program Director - email: erica@dogwoodlanefarm.org
Dave Cafaro, Grounds and Building Maintenance - email:  d3838374@aim.com
Deb Merriam, Landscape Director - email: debbie@dogwoodlanefarm.org 
For more information, call us at (617) 333-0924 or check out our website at wakefieldtrust.org