Enjoy a visit to a Public Garden or Reservation and an Apple Orchard in Massachusetts this Fall

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Quick announcement: I will be teaching a live online Webinar, “Introduction to Pruning”, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Thursday, October 15th @ 6:30pm. This is for people new to gardening or people who want to build more confidence in pruning around their gardens. It will deal with some theory, practices, timing and a practical discussion of some common plants we have in our New England gardens. It will include a Q&A at the end. Please register at Tower Hill Botanic Garden

Now onto our previously recorded program… We have had to endure a hot and dry summer, and, if you have been out in the gardens the last few weeks, performed some hard work. How about a break in this lovely cooler weather!  With or without kids here are a number of ideas to get out and visit a local orchard/farm and  enjoy some activity along the way to earn a tasty reward. Each orchard/farm is paired with a local destination at which you can stretch your legs.  Castle Hill and Stevens-Coolidge are historic properties with beautiful public gardens with trails and space to walk. Fruitlands Museum is a previous home to the Trancendentalists with trails. Maudslay, Assabet, Slocum’s River, and Rock House are beautiful spaces with lots of trails. Go for a walk, visit a garden and have some apple dumplings with ice cream! Be sure to check the orchards and park/gardens as many require advanced tickets as a result of our COVID times.

Russell Orchards and Castle Hill – IpswichRussell Orchards has great pick your own and an old cider press you can watch in action.  Fresh and hot apple cider donuts!  Castle Hill is a stunning estate atop a hill overlooking Crane’s Beach.  Formal gardens and a nearly mile long allee that goes down to an ocean overlook provide some good walking.

Carlson Orchard and Fruitlands Museum – HarvardCarlson is known for their cider, soft and hard, and some tasty treats. Fruitlands was a farm originally created for subsistence farming and Emersonian self-reliance for followers of Trancendentalism.  Museum and trails.

Cider Hill Farm and Maudslay State Park – AmesburyCider Hill has a great bakery as well as a hard cider and chili bar. Nothing wrong with that! Maudslay has some beautiful old gardens and miles of trails along the Merrimack River.

Smolak Farms and Stevens-Coolidge Place – North AndoverSmolak is one of the more developed farms with food, ice cream, education and events. Many of our kids visited at some point in elementary school. Stevens-Coolidge is a wonderful historic home with beautiful gardens and a trail over to Weir Hill for a great hike.  It is going under a significant transformation and expansion.

Carver Hill Orchard and Assabet River Wildlife Refuge – StowCarver Hill has a wonderful store with local produce and goodies.  Bring a picnic and buy some additions including some apple crisp with ice cream. Assabet is a substantial refuge with extensive trails in a stunning marsh and river habitat.

Dartmouth Orchards and Slocum’s River Reserve – DartmouthDartmouth known for an extensive planting of many types of apples and pears from which they make several ciders. Slocum’s River used to be a coastal farm but now is a beautiful mix of tidal river, fields and woodlands with many trails.

Brookfield Orchards and Rock House Reservation – Brookfield Brookfield has a great store with a selection of their own jellies and jams and plenty of food for a picnic.  Don’t miss the apple dumplings or crisp with ice cream.  Rock House is a cool reservation with hiking trails and some substantial natural rock structures.

I was out in Brookfield last weekend with my wife and went for a walk at the beautiful Rock House Reservation.  Then off to visit the Brookfield Orchard in North Brookfield.  Music and sun and a little Apple Crisp with Ice Cream, and nothing was left after a few minutes. Lots of food choices, local brewery, crafts and, of course, apple picking.

Beautiful to get out into central MA  on a sunny 70º day knowing that we don’t have too many days left to enjoy.  I did notice that the pumpkin patch was opening this week!

Your garden will be there when you get home.

Published by Barking Dog Gardens

My first career was in Advertising in NYC, but after moving to San Francisco 25 years ago, I made a life-altering change and went back to school for Ornamental Horticulture. Over the years in San Francisco and Boston I have worked in multiple nurseries, had my own design, installation and maintenance businesses on both coasts, managed a 30 acre historic private estate in Brookline, and managed one of the top fine-gardening companies in New England. I was for years a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist(MCH). Most recently, design and consulting work has led me to focus my passion on working individually with people and showing them how to make their gardens and landscapes beautiful through inspiration and proper care. My experience allows me to advise on any aspect of the landscape from trees to stonework to perennial borders to lighting and irrigation. While there is much I do not know, I have a network of experts who can help with any topic. I find that few things in life are more humbling than tending to the living organism of a garden.

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