The Trustees of Reservations To Host Inaugural Plant Sale

Plant sale is open to the public and will coincide with Home Sweet Home Event on May 31st from 10am-4pm.

The Trustees of Reservations, (The Trustees), the nation’s oldest land trust and one of MA’s largest conservation organizations, will host an inaugural Spring plant sale at Allen C. Haskell Public Gardens on May 31st from 10am-4pm at 787 Shawmut Ave, New Bedford. The plant sale will coincide with the Trustees statewide Home Sweet Home event where the property will be open for free tours, programming for families, and much more.

The plant sale carries the theme of “Trends and Traditions” and is curated by Gene Bertrand. The plant sale reflects a tradition from Haskell’s storied past including Allen favorites such as a wide variety of Hostas and Dahlias. The plant sale will also feature trending cultivars in today’s plant world, including Tweedia and Plumbago. The plant sale will be the first time plants have been sold on the property since 2012 and will be the start of an annual event each year in the spring time.

Home Sweet Home Event
Home is where the heart is, and a well-designed garden – and extension of your home – is your escape to the outdoors. During this Open House event, explore intricate gardens surrounding one of New Bedford’s oldest homes that feature exotic plants and trees and discover why celebrities like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Martha Stewart, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands sought gardening advice from maverick horticulturalist Allen C. Haskell. The event will showcase the lovely Haskell “hosta garden,” and include guided tours, food available through Flour Girls Bakery, and a kid-friendly Stem and Stone activity.

History buffs and explorers can experience places where history was made by some daring individuals during The Trustees of Reservations’ (The Trustees) annual Home Sweet Home Open House event. In honor of Preservation Month and the organization’s diverse collection of historic properties and landmarks, this day-long open house being held on Sunday, May 31st from 10AM – 5PM includes free admission to 11 of The Trustees’ most exceptional and off-the-beaten-path cultural sites across the state. This year’s theme celebrates our “Massachusetts Mavericks” – the independent minded, the free-sprits, the non-conformists, and the eccentrics whose legacies and stories infuse Trustees’ properties and have helped to collectively shape our country’s history.

“Our vision for Home Sweet Home is to provide Massachusetts’ residents and visitors with the opportunity to experience some of the Commonwealth’s most treasured and historically important sites in our care,” says Barbara Erickson, Trustees’ President and CEO. “We are committed to helping address our society’s decreasing attachment to its history, nature, and culture. Our hope is that by opening the doors to some of our most unique historic properties across the state free of charge, we can share their important place in our history in a way that is fun, fresh, and family-friendly.”

The Trustees’ collection of historic properties range from the Colonial era and the Downton Abbey-esque Gilded Age, to the Modernist retro era of Mad Men. Filled with unique collections of art, artifacts, and furnishings, as well as exquisitely designed gardens and stunning natural landscapes, several sites are also National Historic Landmarks designed by renowned architects. From the Berkshires to Greater Boston, there’s a Home Sweet Home open to you. Tours, events, walks, talks, games, refreshments and more will be offered. Visit www.thetrustees.org/homesweethome for all the details.

About The Trustees of Reservations: The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) “hold in trust” and care for properties, or “reservations,” of irreplaceable scenic, cultural, and natural significance for the general public to enjoy. Founded by open space visionary Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees is the world’s oldest land trust and one of Massachusetts’ largest conservation and preservation non profits. Supported by more than 100,000 members and donors and thousands of volunteers, The Trustees own and manage 113 spectacular reservations including working farms, historic homesteads and landscaped gardens, community parks, barrier beaches, mountain vistas and woodland trials located on more than 26,000 acres throughout the Commonwealth. An established leader in the conservation and preservation movement and worldwide, The Trustees have also worked with community partners to protect an additional 34,000 acres. With hundreds of outreach programs, workshops, camps, concerts and events annually designed to engage all ages in its mission, The Trustees invite you to Find Your Place and get out and experience the natural beauty and culture our state has to offer. For more information, visit: www.thetrustees.org.