Celebrate Native Plants

Garden in the Woods is open daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., through October 15. The Garden Shop is open on the same schedule, and our late-season plant sale has begun! See our Buy Native Plants page for details and plant lists. For your convenience, we have a new direct line for plant-shopping questions: 508-271-7920.

Please note: Due to the ongoing construction of new bridges and boardwalks, Hop Brook Trail will remain closed for the time being.

Photo: Hop Brook, Garden in the Woods, © Pjer & Bojana

The Garden Shops’ Fall Native Plant Sale is now going on at both Garden in the Woods (open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Nasami Farm (open Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.). Members enjoy a 25% savings on plants, while nonmembers save 15%. Make your list of species for fall planting—and download our plant list on this page.

Photo: Nasami Farm Garden Shop, Whately, MA, Jane Roy Brown © Native Plant Trust

August is Make-a-Will Month, a reminder that arranging to make a gift from your will today helps to ensure a brighter tomorrow for New England’s native plants. We’ve partnered with FreeWill: a free online resource that guides you through the process of creating a legally valid will and legacy gift in 20 minutes. Thank you for taking time to do this now—for the people and plants you care about.

Photo: Small whorled pogonia (Istotria medeoloides), © Native Plant Trust

Asters After Hours, our signature event celebrating the season's last burst of floral color, takes place on Friday, September 29, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Stroll Garden in the Woods amidst stunning asters, goldenrods, and cardinal flowers. Garden admission, light refreshments from Decanted Wine Trucks, and live music by accomplished guitarist/composer John Baboian are all included. Then, on October 28, we are honored to present a talk with author Diane Wilson (The Seed Keeper) at the Cambridge Foundry in Cambridge, MA (accessible via subway). Wilson, a Dakota, has produced "a thoughtful, moving meditation on connections to the past and the land that humans abandon at their peril" (Kirkus Reviews). Click the links to save your spot!

Photo: Common wrinkle-leaved goldenrod (Solidago rugosa), © William Cullina

Executive Director Debbi Edelstein will be retiring at the end of this year after 14 years of distinguished leadership. This, like most retirements, evokes a range of reactions, from excitement for Debbi that she will finally have time to take some long-planned journeys, to appreciation for all she has done for the organization, to regret at losing a multi-talented and determined colleague. We are searching for a new executive director who can build on the present momentum and deliver the impact described in the organization's vision document developed under Debbi's leadership.—Bill Huyett, Chair, Board of Trustees

Read Bill's full announcement and Debbi's farewell here. Our executive director job description is posted here.

Photo: Executive Director Debbi Edelstein, © Native Plant Trust

Native Plant Trust is committed to a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) and to being a welcoming and safe place for all who engage with us. We are proud that Native Plant Trust is among the first 21 organizations nationwide selected for a year-long pilot project with the new IDEA Center for Public Gardens. Each participating organization is developing and implementing a project to expand IDEA. Our project is developing a two-year plan to embed IDEA principles and actions into our organization’s culture and work, with defined milestones. Read more on the About Us page.

Photo: Coastal sweet-pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), © Uli Lorimer