Four-Season Color
Joining the parks’ colorful garden beds this summer are 40 four-season container gardens. See summer celebrated through the burst of color and life on the Greenway – and take away some small space ideas for your own urban garden!
A Cocktail on the Greenway
It’s not easy being a garden in the middle of downtown Boston. A garden bed in Dewey Square Park is suffering from deficient soils and poor drainage, and will soon be getting some additional attention from our Green & Grow teens. We’re using the soil and irrigation remediation of this bed as an educational opportunity.
Volunteer Appreciation
181 individuals devoted over 500 hours of service to the Greenway over the past year. Through 38 separate events, volunteers assisted with horticulture, programs and general office needs. The Greenway drew a diverse group of committed individuals that included young and old, students and corporate teams, residents and commuters.
After the Snow Storm
While most of us enjoyed a snow day at home during Wednesday’s storm, there were many hard at work trying to keep the streets and sidewalks of Boston safe. The Greenway maintenance staff braved the elements to make sure our park paths were accessible, safe and navigable.
What’s in Bloom
The task of keeping the park green this winter falls to conifers such as Pines, Firs and Spruces, and broadleaf evergreens such as Rhododendrons, Andromeda, Boxwoods, Hollies, and Inkberries.
What’s in Bloom?
Hardy Chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum x morifolium) As those who have been keeping a close eye on Chinatown Park this growing season can attest to, once the impressive Azalea and Peony displays faded, there were relatively few plants that flowered into the summer. Save for some summer bloomers such as the Goldenrain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), the predominant […]
The Grass IS Always Greener…
Last week the Greenway lawns got a sprucing, as the Horticulture Staff reseeded and aerated the Wharf District Parks. Aeration was performed by the Greenway’s new tractor. Humates, organic compounds created from the breakdown of animal and plant matter, were spread following the aeration process to restore nutrients to the soil and keep the lawns […]
Edible Plants on the Greenway
On July 13, Greenway-goers joined the Conservancy’s Superintendent of Horticulture, Thomas Smarr for a tour of Edible Plants along the Greenway. The tour, the first of the Greenway Conservancy’s Horticulture Series, was hosted in partnership with the Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN). It began in the Dewey Square Parks, where Tom gave an explanation of […]
What’s In Bloom?
by Matthew Lobdell Great Coneflower (Rudbeckia maxima) Native to the United States, this relative of Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia flava), is often grown for its bluish-grey leaves as well as for its impressive size (up to 6’ tall!). Great Coneflower is currently blooming in both the Wharf District and Fort Point Channel Parks. Blue Licorice Giant […]
Asian Longhorned Beetle Alert
It was recently reported that the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) has been spotted in Massachusetts. The reproductive cycle of this particular beetle can be very destructive to local tree populations as the larvae attack the inner heartwood of the tree, feeding on it until full hatched, and then leaving the tree through dime-sized burrowed holes. […]
London Plane Tree Pruning
A local arborist contractor, Hartney Greymont, is completing pruning on the London Plane Trees (Plantanus x hybrida ‘Bloodgood’) in the Wharf District Parks today and tomorrow. This majestic tree that lines the Promenade requires proper training as a young tree. The arborists are specially trained to do proper cuts and remove the dense branching that […]
Greenway Blooms
In honor of Earth Day, here’s what you can find blooming on the Greenway: Currently in full bloom in the North End Parks are the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Mayflower Viburnum (Viburnum carlesii), and Mountain Witch-alder (Fothergilla major). In full bloom now are the Elizabeth Magnolias (Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’). The daffodils in this region (Narcissus ‘King […]
“Botanica” returns to the Greenway
Marathon tourists strolling the Greenway this morning with cameras in hand were delighted to see a sculpture put together in a matter of minutes. George Sherwood’s delightful, kinetic sculpture “Botanica” returned to its temporary home on the Rose F. Kennedy Greenway just south of High Street, across from the Rowes Wharf arch. The piece will […]
The sweet smell of magnolias on the Greenway
For those who associate magnolias with sitting on a porch in the Deep South sipping sweet tea, “Surprise!” The pleasures of this wonderful flowering tree can be enjoyed right here on the Greenway. Many of us love them simply for their heavenly fragrance, but gardeners and botanists find them intriguing too. Gardeners are captivated by […]
Identifying Daffodils on the Greenway
“I wander’d lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of, golden daffodils; …Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.” Excepted from William Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” (1804) When Wordsworth penned “Daffodils” in 1804, could he have […]
Vermicomposting: from Kitchen to Greenway
Vermicomposting, using worms to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, is quickly becoming popular with gardeners looking for a simple and sustainable method to dispose of their kitchen waste and get rich compost in return. All that’s required are worms, a bin to house them, bedding for them to live in, and food for them […]
The promise of spring and robust Greenway growth
March is one of those months with a split personality. We can have unusually warm days like what we are currently experiencing, or be up to our ankles in snow and battling severe cold. Whatever the weather, gardens often look their worst at this point in the season. Life is barely visible and spring feels […]
Part science, part art: enhancing the Greenway’s horticultural collection
Ask any gardener and they will tell you, horticultural collections take time to get established. As living, breathing creations they require maintenance, study, and experimentation. Part science, part art, caring for the Greenway’s newly created horticultural collection is the challenge Tom Smarr (Greenway Superintendent of Horticulture) has gladly taken on with the help of his […]
Preparing the Greenway for old man winter
Many of us are busy during this time of year sprucing up our abodes for holiday visitors. The Conservancy’s horticulture and maintenance team is equally active getting ready for old man winter’s visit. You’ve likely read about the preventative measure we took to prevent fountain damage but you might be surprised to learn about other […]
