April 18, 2014
Dear Members and Friends,
Greetings from the Board of Directors of the Horticultural
Society of Boxford (HSB.)
It may just be possible, after our long and
cold winter, that spring is almost here!
Certainly the snow is gone from most
areas of the Arboretum, with only a few
drifts of snow in deeply shaded northern
exposures slowly melting. The first work
of the season has been to clean up what
always seems to be an immense amount
of deadfall that comes down in the winter.
That has largely been done, and the first
visitors of spring have begun to appear
along the Arboretum paths.
Our major task this year will be the planting of the Phyllis Fischer
Wildflower Garden on the path that exits Area C into the Glade.
We are asking volunteers to help us with transplanting many
of the wildflowers from Phyllis’s and George’s garden at their
home in Boxford, soon to be on the market. Phyllis was the first
Vice-President of the HSB and an important and much loved
member of the Boxford Village Garden Club (BVGC.) Phyllis
was President of the BVGC (1993-1994.) If you are interested
in helping with this project this month and next, please contact
HSB President, Nancy Merrill, at 978-887-2194.
The other important work for the coming months will be the
nurturing of the new plantings in Area C, which has been our
primary project over the past several years. With the arrival of
new plants last spring through the efforts of Claudia Everest,
North Land Associates, we have been transplanting many of the
Hay Scented Ferns that we planted in Area C in the summer of
2011, many of which were lost in the drought the following year.
The ferns are coming back with a vengeance and many ferns
have been transplanted into the Glade as well as into the area
behind the rock wall on the west side of the public entrance.
Both areas will have a new look this year as our ferns take hold.
We will continue our efforts at both tick and mosquito abatement,
placing tick tubes throughout the property and working with
Mosquito Squad to keep those critters at bay. Since we have
initiated these efforts two years ago, we have seen very few
ticks in the Arboretum. In fact, Board member Nelson Chase,
who has done much of the horticultural work over the past
seven years, reported that he saw no ticks at all last summer
despite many hours of work on
the property! Other maintenance
efforts will include maintenance of
the deer fence in several areas. This
deer fence has been successful in
keeping both deer and deer ticks
out of the Arboretum.
Important events for the coming
summer include the Blossom
Festival, scheduled for Sunday, June
1. This is two weeks later this year,
as we anticipate that the severity
of the winter will delay the height of the
blossoming season. Blossom Day this year will begin at 1:30
PM and include two docent walks with both Nancy Merrill
and Arboretum founder Loren Wood, scheduled at 2:00 and
again at 3:15. Between the walks, at 2:45, there will be a talk
on and demonstration of pruning from Jack Ingram and Andy
Balon from Bartlett Tree Experts. We are hoping for a sunny
afternoon and engaging presentations from our docents about
the Arboretum and our arborists on caring for the many plants
and trees we all have in our gardens. Please join us.
Our other event comes at the end of the summer with the
Essex National Heritage Trails and Sails events in September.
We will again feature guided tours of the Arboretum on
Sunday, September 28 at 2 PM.
Loren Wood, biographer of Harlan P. Kelsey, will speak about
Kelsey’s important work and be available to sign copies of
his biography, Beautiful Land of the Sky: John Muir’s Forgotten
Eastern Counterpart, Harlan P.
Kelsey: Pioneering our Native
Plants and Eastern National Parks,
at both the June 1 and Sept 28
events.
The book is now available both
via the Horticultural Society of
Boxford and on the Internet. As a
Friend of the Kelsey Arboretum,
we hope that you will take the time
to learn much more about Kelsey.

Spring Newsletter 2014
Bloodroot and Trillium

Spring Blossom Day
Sunday, June 1st, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Graphic Design and Printing by Computer Creations 4u Diane Hayden

MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please include this form with your tax-deductible membership to:
The Horticultural Society of Boxford
P.O. Box 142 • Boxford, MA 01921
GE employees and retirees don’t forget to register for a matching gift.
Name _______________________________________________________
Phone ___________________________
Address_____________________________________________
City___________________ State______ Zip___________
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Membership categories:
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_____$150 Sponsor _____$500 _____$1000
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Return Service Requested
Horticultural Society of Boxford
P.O. Box 142
Boxford, MA 01921
2014 Spring Special Offer
The Horticultural Society of Boxford
PO Box 142, Boxford, MA 01921
preserving and maintaining The Kelsey Arboretum
18 Kelsey Road, Boxford, MA 01921
Name
Mailing Address (Street or Box #, Town, State, Zip)
Phone E-mail
2014 SPRING SPECIAL OFFER
HSB membership $25 _________

Beautiful Land of the Sky, John Muir’s Forgotten Eastern
Counterpart, Harlan P. Kelsey Biographer: Loren M. Wood
Biography purchase:
Hard copy: $30.00 _____ Soft copy: $24.00 _____
Shipping: $5.00
Checks payable to H.S.B.
Thank you for your support. The HSB Board Members
his life, and his contributions. Part of the proceeds from books
purchased through the Horticultural Society of Boxford will go
to the continuing work of the Arboretum.
On a final note, Board member Nelson Chase will be resigning
from the Horticultural Society of Boxford this spring, as he and
his wife Cynthia Strawbridge will be moving to Kathmandu,
Nepal where Nelson will become the Country Director for the
Peace Corps in that Himalayan country. Nelson comments that
the famous Nepalese rhododendrons will help him feel at home
after seven years living at the Arboretum.
Thank you for your continuing support! We look forward to
seeing you in the Arboretum this spring, summer and fall!
Best regards,
Nancy N. Merrill
President