GARDEN IN THE WOODS: STILL GROWING AT 75 [More about the Exhibit]

New England Wild Flower Society welcomes you to ART GOES WILD: Innovation with Native Plants, celebrating the 75th anniversary of Garden in the Woods.

In 1932, Will C. Curtis began work on his lifelong dream—"A big wildflower sanctuary in which plants will be grown, their likes and dislikes discovered, and the knowledge gained passed on in an effort to curb the wholesale destruction of our most beautiful natives." 

In 1965, Curtis entrusted his beloved Garden to New England Wild Flower Society. Today, Garden in the Woods is an accredited museum, maintaining the largest landscaped collection of native plants in the Northeast, and serving as a center for native plant conservation and education.

Curtis was an innovator in the conservation of native plants and their use in horticulture. For ART GOES WILD, W. Gary Smith uses those same native plant materials in surprising ways, inspiring us anew.

For three-quarters of a century, Garden in the Woods has been a refuge for native plants and a haven for their study and enjoyment. With ART GOES WILD, we look forward to the future, weaving native plants, through art and horticulture, into the fabric of our daily lives.

“I’ve painted a living picture here. It’s a peaceful picture of our land as nature intended it. I want coming generations to enjoy it as I have.”

–Will C. Curtis

ELEVEN SPECIAL DESTINATION GARDENS

The artist’s vision of renowned landscape architect W. Gary Smith blasts us into the future of native plants, where art and conservation meet as design inspiration.

Begin at the (1) Beech Colonnade created with a beech twig design, and meet costumed character “Sandy Beech” welcoming families on special event days. The semi-formal planting areas of the (2 ) Idea Garden, provide perfect demonstration spaces adjacent to an extraordinary (3) Labyrinth. Enjoy live performances at the woodland stage, and then rejoin the Curtis Trail at the (4) Woodland Parterre, a formal hedge at the heart of the woodland garden. See (5) Council Ring,inspired by Native American traditions and view the (6) Floating Gardens as you circle the Lily Pond. Continue to the (7) Yin Yang just past Laurel Bend. The (8) Flying Saucers garden destination spans the Western Garden and Meadow Garden unifying the two with a dramatic eye-opening meander. Experiment with native plant dish environments at the (9) Mini-Garden Park destination, and then continue on to the mysterious (10) Hidden Valley. Come to the Rare Plant Garden Rock Fall for the final (11) Gathering of Grass garden. Pay homage to the 75-year long history of one of America’s great Garden destinations, and revel in an entirely new way to look at art and native plants, and conservation. No matter what the scale of your own outdoor spaces this show provides creative yet practical ideas to inspire you for the next glorious 75 years.

ART GOES WILD-Poster (in Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format)