Through Heat and Holidays, the Garden Is Open
Take respite from summer's heat and enjoy cooling shade at Garden in the Woods, our native plant botanic garden in Framingham, MA. The Garden is open daily, 10 AM–5 PM, through October 18, including heat waves and holidays. Our Garden Shop is also open during the same hours.
Become a Native Plant Trust member to enjoy discounts on Garden admission, classes, plants, and gifts, and other perks.
Photo: Hop Brook, Garden in the Woods, Uli Lorimer © Native Plant Trust
Native Plant Trust Launches Restoration Accelerator™ to Address Growing Shortage of Locally Adapted Native Seed
As climate change fuels increasingly severe storms, flooding, drought, wildfire, and habitat loss across the United States, demand for native plants and seed for ecological restoration has reached unprecedented levels. To help address a critical shortage of locally adapted, locally grown native seed throughout the Northeast, Native Plant Trust has launched the Restoration Accelerator™, a regional initiative designed to expand the production, processing, and storage of native seed for habitat restoration, conservation, and horticultural use.
Read the full press release here.
Photo: Lead Restoration Accelerator™ Seed Collection Technician Elisabeth Sheldon organizing processed bulk local ecotypic native seed grown in seed increase plots © Native Plant Trust
Caterpillar Lab is Coming Back!
The Caterpillar Lab is returning to Garden in the Woods from September 4 through 7!
This anticipated exhibit offers a close look at a variety of local caterpillar species, with opportunities to explore metamorphosis and discover the strange, surprising, and very real adaptations that help these creatures thrive. Drop-ins to the Caterpillar Lab are included with Garden admission, or, sign up for a guided caterpillar walk through Garden in the Woods at a low cost here.
This program is made possible in part by a generous gift from the estate of Steven Flax and is sponsored by the Environmental League of Massachusetts.
Regional Impact Award
Native Plant Trust is excited to announce Tim Boland, Executive Director at Polly Hill Arboretum, as the recipient of our Regional Impact Award. Tim is being recognized for his decades of leadership in ecological horticulture, including his transformative work expanding Polly Hill Arboretum’s mission to include native plant conservation, research, and education.
Intro to Native Plants Classes
Our popular—and super-affordable—Intro to Native Plants package is now available to purchase and view through October 30! Offered initially as live Zoom classes, they are now available as recorded webinars. You can purchase access to all eight webinars, which cost $10 each if taken individually, for a discounted rate of $60 total—a $20 savings. Or take them individually for $10 each by clicking the individual registration links.
Photo: Garden in the Woods visitors © WildLinks/Melissa Blackall
We're Making News
A few of our recent media splashes—see more here.
- Media release, August 12, 2026, Native Plant Trust Launches Restoration Accelerator™ to Address Growing Shortage of Locally Adapted Native Seed
- awaytogarden.com, "Where Conservation Meets Horticulture"
- Connecticut Public Radio (and others), "Butterfly bushes are an ecological trap..."
- Boston Globe, "Ask the Gardener: A guide to mint, the plant deer will actually avoid in your garden"
- WBZ-TV (CBS), "Check out the sprawling Garden in the Woods"
Photo: Nasami Farm Manager Alexis Doshas, Paul Franz/Daily Hampshire Gazette staff photo