On January 2nd, over a dozen hearty souls joined the Wakefield Estate staff for a robust tour of the estate’s wintery landscape, and then had a chance to warm up by enjoying soup next to the farmhouse fire. Participants noted abundant evidence of recent deer activity despite efforts to protect specimens with fencing. A pair of cork tree rows planted […]
On Saturday, Nov. 22, the Mary M. B. Wakefield Estate sponsored a pair of demonstrations on how to dress up your home and containers with festive holiday trim and branches. Deborah Trickett of The Captured Garden started the day off with her presentation “Creating Winter Window boxes and Containers,” showing how dress up containers to look beautiful during the stark winter months. […]
Have you noticed all the moths flying in front of your car’s headlights on some of the more balmy evenings recently? These are winter moths (Operophtera brumata) and as many of you know, this pest has been responsible for widespread defoliation for most of the last decade. Equally problematic, in its larval stage, the moth crawls into unopened buds of […]
Thacher Montessori students from Sally Fitzgerald’s Science Lab are conducting an experiment in their new greenhouse using some plant material from the Wakefield Estate. After collecting seed pods from some of the Wakefield Estate’s honey locusts, the students prepared the seeds by soaking them in near boiling water and then planted them in pots to take back to the school. […]
On October 30th, twenty five 8th graders from the Sarah Greenwood school in Dorchester came to the estate to do community service, planting seven new apple trees and bulbs. After completing the project, the students enjoyed a pizza lunch. After lunch, there was time for a tour of the site and a scavenger hunt. It was an amazing day and […]
On Friday, October 24th, students from the Adolescent Program at Thacher Montessori planted spring bulbs in the “Front Garden” of the Wakefield Estate. In Spring, this formal hedged garden is one of the most beautiful areas at the property with the early blooms of the red and white Cercis canadensis (redbud), azaleas, and spring ephemerals including Virginia bluebells, mayapple, Jack-in-the-pulpit […]
October 20th – This year’s spectacular Fall foliage is a reminder that the Estate is stunningly beautiful throughout the year. Currently and through the November 20, we have open hours Thursday afternoons for visitors to enjoy a self-guided walk among the gardens, orchard or woodland. Guided tours are available at 4:00. See events calendar for updates.
September 14th, a soggy Sunday morning, local birding expert Patty O’Neill led a bird walk through the estate, focusing on areas she has seen activity over the past year of monitoring the estate’s bird population. Due to the rain, there was not much bird activity, but the tough group that braved the bad weather had a tour of the estate […]
On August 26th, several dozen teachers from Boston Public’s Sarah Greenwood School visited the Wakefield Estate for a retreat to explore ways the K-8 teachers could use the site in conjunction with their classes. After an extended tour of areas that have already been used for educational purposes, the teachers participated in a scavenger hunt and brainstormed in groups.
On August 9th, the Wakefield Charitable Trust hosted a workshop on tree health led by Dave Ropes from Tree Specialists, Inc. After an engaging power-point presentation and discussion, Dave and the Wakefield staff led the participants on a tour of the estate to view a wide variety of trees and discuss a number of factors related to keeping them healthy. […]