Village Condominium Association

Village Spring Blooms!
by J. F. Weiler

The Village spring bulbs are up! Yellow daffodils, purple hyacinths, lots of purple crocuses, white snow drops (Gulanthus) and blue glory-of-the-snow (Chiondoxa) have brightened the Village landscape. As I write this column in late March, the forsythia bush is getting ready to burst forth in its yellow outfit and the lilac buds are getting fatter.

Please e-mail photographs of your gardens throughout the season so that we can post some on the website. E-mail me at WeilerPhotoGallery@comcast.net.   It will be fun to see what you are growing in the Village Gardens!

The March rains flooded many Village basements. Landscaping with shrubs and trees can help lessen the flooding as noted by Larson Associates Architectural engineers in their 1978 report to the Village. They suggested that an inexpensive solution to staying drier was to plant lots of trees and shrubs, which help absorb the water.

Upcoming

April 30th. Arbor Day. Help plant some tree seedlings in Watertown. Contact the Watertown Tree warden for details at chayward@watertown-ma.gov
May 9th. Lilac Sunday at Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain. A free, exquisite, extensive collection of blooms! Phone 617-384-5209 www.Arboretum.Harvard.edu
May 20th. Tour the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill. View these small, exotic, private gardens. $30 per person. www.BeaconHillGardenClub.org

Follow-up

1) The Boston Flower Show was great. My personal favorite exhibit was the imaginative giraffe topiary assembled from dried yellow straw flowers. Hope in Bloom of Dedham uses volunteers to plant indoor gardens, free of charge, at homes of men and women undergoing treatment for breast cancer. www.HopeInBloom.org phone 781-381-3957
2) Waltham Garden Club’s March meeting featured a presentation by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. The speaker made this Boston Park System, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the 19th century, come alive. The nonprofit utilizes the help of over 800 local volunteers to keep the Necklace shining. www.EmeraldNecklace.org phone 617-522-2700.

  

Crocuses
Photos by J. F. Weiler

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Written for in the Apr. 2010 Village Newsletter.