Winter Walking at Garden in the Woods
Garden in the Woods is closed to the public until April 2025, but the Garden Shop is open Thursdays through Saturdays for holiday shopping. (See separate box for details.)
Beginning on Monday, November 25, Winter Walking is available to personal members. Hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Email membership@NativePlantTrust.org or call 774-519-5553 to book your slot. Schedule may change due to inclement weather or during holiday weeks.
Photo: Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Dan Jaffe Wilder © Native Plant Trust
Learn Something New This Winter!
When your garden beds are tucked under a thick blanket of leaves (or snow), look no farther than our slate of classes and field studies for your winter projects. The full lineup is posted on our website, which means you can check out classes and enroll directly from the page. Self-paced and Zoom courses are among the many options you'll find. Look for new offerings in our Art & Nature category as well as favorite courses in plant science and designing with native plants. Register soon to hold your place!
Photo: Learning about plants in the field, Erin Hammes © Native Plant Trust
Needed: Herbarium Heroes!
As we approach #GT (December 3), we want to alert you to this special giving opportunity: We are revitalizing Native Plant Trust's herbarium--a trove of 5,375 New England plant specimens, the earliest collected in 1840. The first phase--inventorying, cataloging, repairing, and digitizing specimens--will cost about $13 per specimen, or $70,000 in all. A generous donor has stepped forward to match your support dollar-for-dollar, so your $13 gift becomes $26, and you preserve two specimens. If you give $65, it doubles to $130, digitizing 10 specimens. The more you give, the faster we can revitalize our gem of a herbarium. Please rise to the challenge. Donate online, or call the Philanthropy Department at 774-519-5570. Thank you!
Photo: Native Plant Trust herbarium specimen, Convolvulus (now Calystegia) sepium, collected in Manchester, MA, June 1895
Making Headlines
CEO Tim Johnson discussed native seeds on the podcast awaytogarden.com. Tim has also appeared on Gardenista, Cultivating Place, WHMP radio, Growing Greener, and CNN. MetroWest Daily News covered our annual intern presentations. Director of Conservation Michael Piantedosi led WBUR-FM into the woods to report on our 40-year research on a rare orchid; the story also ran on NPR's "Here and Now." Michael spoke with the Rutland (VT) Herald and the Boston Globe about New Hampshire's rare plants and coauthored a Public Garden Magazine story on our Conserving Plant Diversity in New England report. Senior Research Botanist Arthur Haines parsed hawthorn conservation in The Atlantic. Director of Horticulture Uli Lorimer is the Boston Globe's new "Ask the Gardener" columnist and has appeared recently in the Let's Argue about Plants podcast, Fine Gardening, American Gardener, The WildStory podcast, and other media.
Photo: CEO Tim Johnson with Native Plant Trust interns, MetroWest Daily News
Good News for Holiday Shoppers
The Garden Shop at Garden in the Woods is open for holiday shopping on Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., through December 21. We will be closed the week of Thanksgiving.
More good news: Native Plant Trust members receive 20% off, nonmembers 15% off! (Not yet a member? Treat yourself for the holidays and join today!)
Photo: Withe-rod (Viburnum nudum), Dan Jaffe Wilder © Native Plant Trust
Now Is the Time for (Tax) Smart Giving
As the end of the year approaches, consider tax-smart ways to support Native Plant Trust. You can create a positive change in the world and receive tax benefits by donating non-cash assets, including qualified charitable distributions (QCDs). A QCD is a tax-efficient way for those who are 70½ or older to donate from your IRA—and it counts toward your annual required minimum distribution! Learn more here.
Photo: Red bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), © William Cullina