WORCESTER GARDEN CLUB

ARBORETUM & GARDENS AT GREEN HILL PARK

TIMELINE

The Worcester Garden Club has a long history of involvement at Green Hill Park, and the organization continues to be active today and into the future. Please read highlights of that history below:

PROJECT 2000:

Chairs - Betsy DeMallie, Elise Wellington, Eleanor Brockway
Garden designers - Cacky Hodgson, Linda Milton

The Worcester Garden Club’s first planting in 2000 of 20 crab apples and 3 small gardens was nestled in the brick terrace beside the Green Hill Park Pavilion, which was designed by George H. Clemence and constructed in 1910-11.

Click here to read the May, 1998 WGC Newsletter: "Vote on WGC Project 2000 - Green Hill Park".

GCA CENTENNIAL TREE PROJECT:

Chair - Meridith Wesby
A Tree Called Diversity - Authors: Tommy Dearborn, Kathy Michie - Zone I report that introduces WGC

The Worcester Garden Club's involvement expanded to “A Tree Called Diversity,” which started with the desire and need for an arboretum of trees resistant to the Asian Longhorned Beetle in 2009.

FOUNDERS FUND AWARD 2011:

Chairs: Mary Oakley, Cacky Hodgson; Editors: Betsy DeMallie and Donna Rose

The Worcester Garden Club's involvement then multiplied into the 2011 Founders Fund Award Arboretum with trees resistant to the Asian Longhorned Beetle.

ARBORETUM PLANTING, ARBOR DAY, APRIL 27, 2012:

The Arboretum was planted with trees resistant to the Asian Longhorned beetle.

PROJECT 2016 - 2017:

Chair - Penny Kaczyk; Garden Designer - Lisa Huntington; President - Sarah Ribeiro
WGC Application to Nathaniel Wheeler Trust 2017 - Cacky Hodgson

Click here to read the Application to Nathaniel Wheeler Trust.

AUGUST 15, 2019:

Three Nyssa sylvatica, Tupelo, were planted beyond the crabapple orchard to celebrate WGC centennial. Trees were purchased with grant funds from the Nathaniel Wheeler Trust.

WGC TREE PROTECTION PROGRAM 2019-2020:

Protective plantings and measures to prevent vehicle traffic onto roots planned to save four Dawn Redwoods, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.

Click here to read details of the tree protection program.

COMMUNITY GREENING AWARD 2020:

Our club was recognized by Tower Hill Botanic Garden and awarded its Community Greening Award for our ongoing work in and commitment to the Arboretum at Green Hill Park.

Left Photo:

Taking a break from planting the Dawn Redwoods protection garden, the Arboretum, Green Hill Park, while adhering to the COVID - 19 regulations.

Photo May 19, 2020

Left Photo:

City Gardener Rob Carroll stands by the garden he and Cacky Hodgson installed to save the 1911 Pavilion and 4 Dawn Redwoods from vehicular traffic.

Photo October 19, 2019

Right Photo:

Bartlett Tree Expert performing Root Invigoration on one of the Dawn Redwoods in front of the Pavilion. He uses an air spade to aerate the compacted soil due to vehicular traffic over the roots.

Photo October 23, 2019

City Gardener Rob planting new Zelkova serrata ‘Green Vase’
September 29, 2020

Barbara Athy, President when she wrote application for award, Susan Palatucci, President who accepted the award from THBG, Co-chairs of A & G Cacky and Ellen overseeing City Gardener Rob planting gift Kentucky Coffeetree 'Espresso' October 7, 2020

PAVILION BED RENOVATION 2021-2022:

Thanks to funds generously approved by WGC members, October saw exciting progress on WGC’s plan to renovate the three Pavilion beds at Green Hill Park. First, Lisa Huntington and crew cleared the two curved beds shown here. Then, Jose Almeida of Quality Stone, removed from all three the old broken and unsightly aluminum edging, as well as a double row of pavers which had sunk and moved out of position. These he reset, tightly placed and level, before installing the new granite cobblestones, making a stable and permanent decorative raised border which will keep the bark mulch contained as well as help to protect the plantings from casual foot traffic.

In Spring 2022, the two curved beds were replanted to coordinate with the third, semicircular bed, which was similarly redesigned and renovated this past spring.

These photos below, taken before (top), during (middle left), and after (middle right), clearly show the vast improvement obtained by the work on the cobblestone edges for the pavilion beds. The bottom photos show the beautiful new plantings.