Category: Gardening

Mary P. Cunningham: a pioneering woman in landscape architecture.

November 1, 2020

The landscape of Plimoth Patuxet Museums provides material to write a thousand novels or period pieces portraying the way of life and culture in America from pre-history to present. From Wampanoag storytelling and their encounters with Europeans to the arrival of the Pilgrims in the early 17th century, dramatic events and groundbreaking activities left an … More Mary P. Cunningham: a pioneering woman in landscape architecture.

Increasing Biodiversity in Historic Gardens

March 14, 2020

I’ve spent most of my career stewarding and preserving cultural institutions in some way or another. Lately its been historic properties. These are some of the most challenging typologies to work with due to their shear limitations. Historic districts, National Historic Landmarks, cultural landscape reports, wills, and other local/state/national regulations for properties designated as historic. … More Increasing Biodiversity in Historic Gardens

Rose Propagation & The “Low Risk, High Reward” Mentality

December 8, 2019

In managing a historic property, there’s always about 100 projects going on of varying scales and importance. At the big scale and important end of the spectrum would be the successful management of a half-million dollar storm water management project. The middle road might be a roof replacement project for an aging building, and the … More Rose Propagation & The “Low Risk, High Reward” Mentality

Getting Creative in Volunteer Management

November 26, 2018

As Director of Gardens and Grounds at Tudor Place, one of my tasks is to manage the garden volunteer program. I was blessed to inherit a wonderful group of loyal volunteers who have been working in the garden for several years. Its a very symbiotic relationship between organization and volunteer. Good relationships bring numerous rewards … More Getting Creative in Volunteer Management

Fun with Sago Palms!

October 9, 2018

When I first arrived at Tudor Place, my biggest fears were dealing with the massive boxwood collection as well as caring for the rose garden. Both are usually fairly low maintenance when following a best practices protocol, but things can go wrong very quickly. However, another responsibility is caring for the historic Sago Palms. According … More Fun with Sago Palms!