Opposite page : In 1843 , at the age of 79 , Boston merchant and philanthropist Thomas Handasyd Perkins commissioned America ’ s first professional sculptor , Horatio Greenough to carve his Newfoundland dog . Placed at Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1844 , the monument is viewed by many as a symbol of loyalty and companionship , and a guide through the afterlife .
Above , right : Horticultural Curator Dennis Collins envisions a planting plan near the grave of Dr . Jacob Bigelow , one of Mount Auburn ’ s founders and a long-serving president . When finished ( right ) the corridor will include : Sweetbay Magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ), mentioned in Bigelow ’ s book Florula Bostoniensis ( 1814 ), alongside a historically appropriate un-mowed turf , using Pennsylvania Sedge ( Carex pensylvanica ).
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Mount Auburn ’ s stewardship of its historic landscape relies on a careful mix of guidelines , policies , and strategic initiatives . It also utilizes archival reports and correspondence held by our Historical Collections Department whenever possible . Some underlying goals that are part of all landscaping projects include increasing the diversity of our horticultural collections , making the landscape more ecologically sustainable , and protecting the historic integrity of the landscape , including monuments .
A recent project to renovate the “ Beech / Central Avenues Corridor ” illustrates the kind of steps we take in the design process . The project site , situated in the historic core of the Cemetery on a rise overlooking the front gates , is in a prominent location with a high volume of visitors . It is bracketed by landscapes of contrasting characters . To the east , along Narcissus Path , lies a steep ridge whose slopes in 2012 were planted as a naturalistic wildlife habitat corridor . To the west at Bigelow Chapel and along Cypress Avenue ,
by contrast , we find highly ornamental Victorian period plantings . One objective for the landscape renovation was to create a transition zone between these two contrasting areas . The biggest challenge was the dense , dry shade in this area , resulting in a sparse and weedy turf and a lack of understory shrubs or groundcovers .
I developed an overall design utilizing a diverse mix of shrubs and groundcovers suitable for the dry shade conditions , and we were fortunate to obtain funding from Nathaniel Goddard , Claude Lee , The Samuel Perkins and Nancy Reed Fund at the Boston Foundation , Louis W . & Mable H . Cabot , William A . & Elizabeth L . Thorndike , and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust — enough to completely cover the cost of the plants . Mount Auburn ’ s staff removed some declining hemlocks and other trees , and planted a dozen new trees in the fall of 2015 . The final planting of 157 shrubs and 7,700 herbaceous perennials and groundcovers was completed in June 2016 .
2016 Volume 2 | 9