Renew Your Membership for 2022 |
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By joining the Newport Tree Conservancy as a member, you are supporting a wide range of initiatives that benefit our community and our shared tree canopy:
Planting nearly 200 new trees in public spaces each year
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Leading nature-based education programs in all of Newport’s public schools
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Preserving and reproducing Newport’s most historic trees
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Activating local landscapes through guided tree walks and workshops
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Facilitating impactful volunteer opportunities in
support of our community’s trees
Our members provide essential sustaining support of our work. If you believe all Newporters deserve the benefits of a thriving community forest, please join us or renew your membership today.
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Volunteers Needed for July |
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The NTC needs volunteers for a variety of goings-on during this busy time of year. Please consider lending a hand with events and tree care. Bring your love of trees; no prior experience is necessary. Opportunities include:
Event Volunteers for Arboreta Open Hours
Wednesday, July 20, 2022 (9:30 AM -12:00 PM & 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM shifts)
Volunteer duties: Checking in pre-registered people, accepting donations, and keeping count of entrants to avoid over-crowding. You will be assigned to an arboretum and will receive additional information about your shift after signing up. Multiple arboreta will be open for viewing.
Tree Corps Weekly City Tree Care:
Thursdays & Saturdays (10:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
Weekly tree care includes mulching, weeding, and watering Newport’s young trees to help ensure they thrive for years to come. Beginners and experienced plant people are all welcome.
Upcoming locations:
Aquidneck Park…7/7
Touro Park…7/9, 7/14
Miantonomi Park…7/16
King Park…7/21, 7/28
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America's Eden Book Signing Reception |
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Thursday, July 28, 2022
5:30 PM
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Please join the Newport Tree Conservancy for a reception, lecture and book signing to celebrate America’s Eden: Newport Landscapes Through The Ages by John Tschirch. The event will include a rare view of the images, documents and ideas that shaped John Tschirch’s approach.
Books are available for purchase: $45 in advance/$55 day of the event
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Field Notes:
Wedding Cakes Around the Corner
Observations from the Living Collections Manager, Joe Verstandig
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Over the Memorial Day weekend, I saw the wedding cake tree (Cornus controversa) at the intersection of Annandale and Merton Road. A boisterous plant, this tree is not often cultivated, but a surprising number of mature specimens can be found growing throughout Newport.
Approaching full flower, the tree can easily be spotted by its layered branching and intriguing, alternating branch structure. It is extremely floriferous, with the flowers blocking all the light from the jealous foliage hanging below. The large pin cushion-style blooms emit a fragrance, while not overly strong, that is quite sharp and oddly synthetic.
The light gray bark is smooth, with shallow furrows in most places. But where the trunks and stems curve, the furrows deepen. Like most trees at this point in the season, the foliage is fully developed, and for people who know dogwoods, the leaf is as dogwood as they come...
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July Tree Walk: Neighborhood Stroll Friends Cemetery & Point Neighborhood
Wednesday July 6th,
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
MLK Community Center front lawn - Free
Take a walk with NTC Living Collections Manager Joe Verstandig, as we hunt for interesting and unique plants found in the depths of Newport's winding old streets. We will be looking at everything from mature beech trees to creeping ground covers, and a variety of plants somewhere in between. We will be doing some walking, so please be prepared to be on your feet for the full hour. Water is highly recommended.
Sponsored by: Discover Newport
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Bud Grafting Workshop With Nick Castrataro
Friday, July 15th,
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Heritage Tree Center - $15
$10 for Members
Ever wondered how the majority of trees we purchase in nurseries get their start? Join us at the Heritage Tree Center for a special propagational demonstration on chip and T-bud grafting. Plantsman Nick Castrataro, head of plant production at Morningstar Nursery, will lend his knowledge and experience on this specialized propagation that is used extensively to produce shade trees in nurseries around the world. He will offer some scientific background, perform a step by step of the grafting technique, and discuss the importance of this method and why it is so heavily utilized.
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Wednesday July 20th,
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Newport - $15
$10 for Members
Newport is home to more accredited arboreta than any other city in the world. Explore 6 with us this summer.
The Newport Tree Conservancy invites you to tour six private Newport residences that have earned Level 1 Arboretum Accreditation from ArbNet. Tours will be self-guided, informational maps will be available on-site and directions and parking instructions will be provided at check-out. Parking is on-street only and unfortunately, cannot be guaranteed. As it is summer in Newport, we encourage attendees to consider ride-sharing/ride-hailing options, walking, bicycling, etc.. Please park only on those public streets that allow public parking as per posted city parking rules. The following arboreta will be open for viewing:
- Maher-a-Lago Arboretum
- Pax et Bonum Arboretum
- Peace Pocket Arboretum
- Second Wind Arboretum
- Somershome Arboretum
- Weetamoe Arboretum
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Monday July 25th,
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Newport – Free
Join us for a tour of one of, if not the smallest arboretum in the world! Walnut Point is an ArbNet accredited, 0.11 acre property situated in the dense Point neighborhood of Newport. Owners Maureen Cronin and Mark Marosits have used fastigiate and dwarf varieties to creatively utilize the limited space while creating a harmonious landscape that is an extension of their indoor living space. The property proves that an arboretum isn’t about size and grandeur, it is about the variety of the plant collection. Maureen and Mark, along with Living Collections manager Joe Verstandig, will guide a tour through the property to detail the collection that forms this “microarboretum.” Plant highlights include the lost gordonia, espaliered fruit trees, and the rare European medlar. Afterwards, Joe will lead the tour into the historic neighborhood and discuss some of its most interesting plants.
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Friday August 26th,
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Ticket prices vary
Our annual fundraiser, the Evening of the Arboreta, offers us a chance to celebrate our growing network of tree stewards and toast to all that our community’s trees offer us. We hope you will join us for cocktails and light fare as we celebrate another year of growth and welcome a brand-new arboretum into our network.
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