This meeting is a tour of the Maynard’s Gardens in Groton. Address will be sent in email reminders.
Our Spring plant swap will take place at the Maynard’s in the parking area at 10:30am sharp so please arrive by 10:15am.
Carpool Meet Up: Center Town Hall, 3 Parker Rd, Shirley at 9:45am, arrive at The Maynards by 10:15am.
Pepe and John Maynard’s 25 acres in Groton contain sweeping views to the west and the protection offered by hundreds of acres of surrounding fields and woodland.
Starting in the 19th century, successive large country houses had been built on this site, surrounded by the formal, high-maintenance gardens of the day. The last of those was demolished in the 1960s. To rehabilitate the formal gardens that had become overgrown, the Maynards planted an allée of small sugar maples along the lane leading to their barn, and fenced a small nursery area protected from deer. A deer fence enabled them to create informal, naturalistic grounds using as much native plant material as possible.
All of the plantings are still young, but the grounds have grown-in enough to reward unhurried exploration with a wide variety of trees and shrubs, and, in the spring, extensive plantings of daffodils and other bulbs.
The surrounding areas under conservation are open for walks, and a few remaining Black Angus left from the previous owners add interest to the landscape. In the summer of 2020 an energetic couple working for the Maynards decided to clear out a small formal garden neglected for 25 years and overgrown to the point of invisibility. An exceptional stonemason rebuilt the dry stonewalls over the winter and the Maynards began replanting in the early summer of 2021. An exceptionally wet summer helped to get new perennials established. and the couple “are hoping it will look presentable by 2022.”
How the Spring Plant Swap Works
Our annual spring plant swap will be held at our May 21st meeting, at the home of John and Pepe Maynard. We will conduct the plant swap first, starting at 10:30, and then tour the garden. Don’t be late if you intend to participate in the swap!!
You can bring perennials and gardening tools you want to swap. Members who bring plants get first choice in what to take.
Plants can be in a pot or bag. Plant soil should be free from weeds and obvious insects. Members really appreciate it if a description of the plant is included to help us understand what is needed for successful growing results. This could include name as well as light, water and soil requirements if known, height, width, bloom time and color.