Tower Hill's Winter Garden Debut - Free admission

Sunday, November 14th marks the debut of Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s new Winter Garden and Limonaia with free admission. It was just three short months ago when I featured Tower Hill Botanic Garden as a New England destination. At that time there were big changes going on as construction crews implemented Phase IV of Tower Hill’s master plan with the construction of the new Winter Garden. The Winter Garden is enclosed on three sides. On the south side is a new structure, the Limonaia, or lemon house; the Orangerie sits on the north side, and the inside corrider of the Stoddard Education Center, the west side, connects the two. The corridor is a destination as well as an avenue. It always has interesting plants along its path and displays of artwork are featured on its walls. This three-sided enclosed courtyard housing the Winter Garden has a reflecting pool in the center and the plantings within the courtyard have all been chosen for their winter appeal in the landscape. They include red and yellow twig dogwoods, winterberries, interesting specimen trees such as the paperbark maple, and an assortment of interesting evergreens. The crew was scrambling to plant when I was there last week.The Orangerie has been a cold climate destination for many of us since its construction in 1999. It has invitingly moist air within the cathedral-like, plant-filled setting. The new Limonaia is a smaller, unique companion to its stalwart neighbor, the Orangerie. The Limonaia or Lemon House will be home to lemon trees, several types of camellias, other citrus, and a wider display of unusual tropical plants. The Limonaia features wooden beams and is smaller in stature than the Orangerie. Only fitting since lemons are usually smaller than oranges, although they have an equally memorable flavor. So it shall be with the new Limonaia with its own distinct character. The view from its windows will look out onto Domitian’s Pool, which was designed to withstand the cold, freezing temperatures of winter here at Tower Hill.Some of New England has already experienced snow and with colder temperatures an inevitable consequence of the change of seasons, many of us start to feel imprisoned within the heated spaces of our homes. Our gardens are being tucked in for the winter and our attention turns towards what we can see from inside the warm windows of our homes and our indoor collection of plants. If You Go
Hopefully we have planned our gardens well enough so the view outside is interesting. Lessons can be learned from visiting Tower Hill, with the new garden adding another dimension to the experience. Why not take advantage of the free admission, guided tours, and raffle prizes this weekend and take the family to Tower Hill Botanic Garden? There is inspiration and knowledge to be found and it is all wrapped up in a brand new package your whole family will enjoy. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tower Hill is open every day except Monday. Tower Hill Botanic Garden is located at 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA and at www.towerhillbg.org.