"Vines and trees will teach you that which you will never learn from masters."
- Bernard de Clairvaux
Summer Garden Music Series:
A Musical Mashup from Pianist Michael Leidig
Thursday, September 15, 6:00 pm
Join us for our last Garden Music of 2022 and enjoy a delightful evening of music and refreshments on Thursday, September 15th at 6:00 pm. This month's performer is solo pianist Michael Leidig, whose performances have been described as a mellifluous impressionistic blend of well-known blues, jazz, classical, rock, and pop music. Michael is known for his eclectic mashups spanning centuries and musical genres that weave interpretations of a wide variety of music from jazz greats to rock artists to classical composers.

The Garden Music series offers visitors an opportunity to stroll the gardens and hear great music at the stunning golden hour as the sun begins to dip toward sunset. This event is subject to cancellation due to weather. The Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum is located at 1465 Brush Hill Road. Tickets are $10/$5 for members. Please purchase a ticket via this link or call to RSVP: 617-333-0924 x22.
Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association Volunteers Return for the Fall Season
This September Massachusetts Master Gardener Association volunteers will return to the Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum to help maintain the plant collection. Projects include transplanting, pruning, mulching, garden installation, and plant research. Master Gardener volunteers have been supporting the horticultural staff here at the arboretum for more than 10 years! Over the past three years, the program has become much more robust, attracting volunteers from all over the state. Program liaisons Meghan Sekhar and Tucker Smith work tirelessly to engage more Master Gardeners with great success. We thank you for all of your hard work. 

Other volunteer opportunities are available. If your group, class, or troop would like to help us with some important projects like these, please get in touch with us at 617-333-0924 x22 or by email arboretum@dogwoodlanefarm.org.
Drought Impact Assessment Class:
Saturday, September 24, 9:00 am

This summer eastern Massachusetts has experienced historic drought and heat - and the landscape has suffered greatly. These challenging growing conditions offer us a window into the future, as longer and more severe heat waves and droughts are predicted all over the world. As keepers of a significant plant collection, what have we learned from the drought's and heat’s impact and how do we plan for the future? Join arboretum director Debbie Merriam for a survey of the drought’s impact on the arboretum’s plant collection and learn about the Wakefield staff's efforts to keep the collection thriving into the future.

Join us on Saturday, September 24th at 9 am at the Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum, located at 1465 Brush Hill Road. Tickets are free. Please register via this link or call to RSVP: 617-333-0924 x22.
BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
Each quarter we will suggest a new book that focuses on topics including horticulture, climate change, ecology, and the intersections of humans and nature. At the end of the quarter, a presentation will be given on the book and readers will be asked to participate in the conversation about the topic.

Richard Preston's The Wild Trees explores an Eden far above the forest floor in the canopy of Sequoia Sempervirens, coastal redwoods that include mosses, ferns, blackberry bushes, and an array of wildlife beyond imagination. Until fairly recently the tops of these trees were unexplored. Thick layers of soil sitting on limbs harbor plant and animal life previously unknown to scientists. In The Wild Trees, a group of young adventure-seeking botanists overcomes many obstacles to ascend hundreds of feet and share the secrets of the largest single living organism on earth.

This book will provide the backdrop for a follow-up zoom discussion later this fall.
Director's note:
Recent showers - the first measurable rain we’ve had since May - added a little green to our scorched landscape. Though only a drop in the bucket of what we need to replenish our well, it also added some hope to our parched spirits that we will get through this punishing drought. And it reminded me of this quote by author Robin Wall Kimmerer, which empowers one to celebrate the natural world even when faced with dire conditions: 

"Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the Earth gives me daily and I must return the gift."

Mark Smith
Executive Director
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IMPORTANT DATES
at a glance:



Save the Date!
Oct 15: October Family Fest
2pm





Plan a visit soon!
We hope you will schedule a visit over the summer months to enjoy seeing the landscape evolve throughout the growing season.

The Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum is open weekdays (except holidays) during regular business hours by appointment.

To schedule a visit, call 617-333-0924 or email: arboretum@dogwoodlanefarm.org.
Enjoy these moments captured from the past month:
Mary May Binney Wakefield Arboretum
1465 Brush Hill Road,
Milton, MA 02186
(617) 333-0924
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