Carriage Road at Glen Magna Farms
Edition #1
February 2016
One of the first things you encounter when you walk on the grounds of Glen Magna Farms is carriage road. A beautiful stone dust road lined with over thirty mature pin oaks that leads to a magnificent iron gate. Pin oaks – Quercus palustris is a native tree to Massachusetts growing 60’-70’ in height …
Flowering Dogwood at Glen Magna Farms
Edition #2
March 2016
The flowering Dogwood tree, Cornus florida is a tree native to Eastern North America. It has an average height and width of 15’ to 30’ and grows best in full sun to part shade. April through May, the dogwood tree blooms beautiful white flowers …
Horticultural Restoration: Linking the Past to the Future
Edition #3
February 2022
In 1926, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society awarded Ellen Peabody Endicott with the Hunnewell Gold Medal for the beautiful gardens of Glen Magna Farms. When you walk the 11 acres in 2017, the past still resonates with every fragrant blossom and with each step through the winding garden paths. Today at Glen Magna Farms, the horticulturist’s role is to restore the gardens to the 1920s landscape. One of the challenges and privileges of horticultural restoration is balancing past methods of gardening with the needs of a 21st century world …
What is No Mow May?
Edition #4
May 2022
No Mow May is a horticultural practice where you pledge not to mow an area of your lawn for the entire month of May. The gardening staff at Glen Maga Farms takes pride in the many sustainable gardening practices that we implement on the property …
What Does a Dahlia Mean to You?
Edition #5
July 2022
The gardens of Glen Magna Farms have officially transitioned to summer. An early June ritual of planting dahlias takes place each year in the Chamberlain Garden. This ritual has always been done with the utmost care, for each of these dahlias are unique not just for their beauty, but also for the stories they share …
The Story Behind The Story
Edition #6
March 2023
Whenever visiting a historic building or garden, my mind always wanders to the concept of the “story behind the story.” What part of the story is not being told or lost to history? We all know the genius of Fredrick Law Olmsted, known for designing the Emerald Necklace, Central Park and the Arnold Arboretum …
Apple Orchard Forest
Edition #7
May 2024
In the spring of 2015, the community came together to plant over 30 heirloom apple trees in the south meadow of Glen Magna Farms. The project initially started in the winter of 2014 when I stumbled upon some old records inside the Endicott mansion. The records mentioned a large apple orchard of Russian variety residing in the south meadow …