In Tower Hill’s case, the Master Plan calls for careful management of storm water run-off as it relates to the nearby Wachusett Reservoir, which is an important drinking water supply for eastern Massachusetts. This year’s submissions also demonstrated a strong focus on issues of sustainability and climate resilience, as more public and private entities - from homeowners to institutions to municipalities - start to think differently about the additional work their landscapes can do, and as the role of landscape architecture in dealing with climate change continues to grow. The Boston Society of Landscape Architects selected 19 projects from more than 100 submissions from sites spanning California to Bangladesh. The winners were selected based on excellence in the diverse practices of landscape architecture, and awarded projects reflect careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of the cultural and natural environment, according to the Society.
The firm completed the plan in 2016 and Tower Hill is currently fundraising in advance of breaking ground on the first phase of development, which includes a redesigned entry experience to welcome visitors and alleviate traffic delays on busy days. Stephen Stimson Associates drafted the Master Plan after a thorough study of the landscape, regional demographics, and national horticultural trends, while also incorporating feedback from the Worcester County Horticultural Society’s Board of Trustees, Tower Hill staff and members, area residents, and community groups. “We’re thrilled that Stephen Stimson Associates is being recognized and excited to start putting the first building blocks of this shared vision in place,” said Tower Hill CEO Grace Elton. McEvoy Foundation and by a generous gift from an anonymous donor.
The funding for the Master Plan was made possible by the financial support of the Mildred H. The plan calls for a new entry and expansion of visitor services and education facilities, construction of a native woodland garden with special appeal for children and families, a new glass house to house a permanent indoor collection, a sculpture garden, an expanded and accessible trail system, rotating “gallery gardens,” an expansion of the orchard of rare heirloom apple trees, and many other projects driven by Tower Hill’s strategic goals. With this in mind, themes were developed focusing on four areas of intellectual exploration for the garden: botanic beauty, agrarian gardens, cultivated wild, and sustainability. The Master Plan is a 30 year vision for Tower Hill, including new gardens and facilities proposed in phases over the coming decades. Throughout the Master Plan process, Stephen Stimson Associates (SSA) consulted with a broad range of stakeholders to examine the relevance of Tower Hill to both horticulture and the larger society of botanical gardens. The intricately etched steel screens and the raised planting areas adjacent to them are a new feature, a welcome addition to what was just basically a nondescript patio with containers staged about.The Boston Society of Landscape Architects has awarded Stephen Stimson Associates with a 2018 Honor Award for Analysis and Planning for the development of a Master Plan for Tower Hill Botanic Garden. The entry area has some new features since my last visit, but has always featured plenty of robustly planted containers. The property is approximately 130 acres but much of it is allowed to remain as preserved woodland. Tower Hill was developed from farmland by the Worcester Horticultural Society and still remains the headquarters for that organization. This was I think my 3rd or 4th visit to Tower Hill the first being a quick walk-through in 2009. I was flying back to SFO on Wednesday, so I decided to visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday which is a reasonable driving distance from Boston airport lodging. A post will be coming soon on this garden. And as I mentioned, there is copious fresh caught lobster nearby. It remains, in my opinion one of the best public gardens in the US. I last visited in 2013, which I blogged about here and here. The primary goal was a sojourn to Coastal Maine Botanical Garden.
I had business in Boston last week and was able to spend a few days with my New England friends visiting gardens and eating lobster. Business trips can be painful and exhausting, but the benefit is the ability to add a personal extension on to company paid transcontinental airfare.
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