Claude Benoit , Director of Horticulture , Retires
By Stephen H . Anable , Communications Coordinator & Writer
Claude Benoit , Mount Auburn ’ s Director of Horticulture , retired in May after 35 of years of literally making things bloom . He inaugurated and witnessed many changes throughout a creative career that saw the Cemetery ’ s landscape transformed .
The Mount Auburn of Claude ’ s first years seems as distant as Richard Nixon and the platform shoe .“ We had one off-road vehicle and now we probably have 41 , including 14 electric carts ,” Claude recalls . Today , work is done far more efficiently , thanks to mechanical means of transporting supplies such as bark mulch and loam . During the 1970s , many large flowering and shade trees had been allowed to grow branches that dipped down almost to the ground , interfering with mowing . Claude spent “ a couple of years ” cutting away this excess growth , benefiting the preservation of nearby monuments , a bonus not fully appreciated at that time .
Claude cites his work in the restoration of Consecration Dell — stocking it with plants native to New England — as his most meaningful accomplishment at Mount Auburn . Although other places were filling landscapes with native plants in the early 1990s , Claude believes that Mount Auburn was a pioneer because of the scale of our efforts : “ It was very difficult to get some plants native to New England in those days . We got some native groundcovers from Colorado because no one here was growing them .” Claude designed Holly Garden on Birch Avenue and the Butterfly Garden at Willow Pond and created countless additional smaller “ gardens ” for both the Cemetery and private lot owners . He installed Victorian-style plants in the area from the Bowditch statue to Bigelow Chapel , and , offsite , designed and created the beautiful garden at the intersection of Mount Auburn Street and Aberdeen Avenue in Cambridge .
A less happy milestone during Claude ’ s years was a bizarre Wizard of Oz-like night during the 1970s when a small tornado plowed through the operations yard , crossed Cambridge Cemetery , and finally dissipated after churning up the Charles River . Mount Auburn ’ s tallest tree was a casualty , but , miraculously , no monuments were destroyed . And , on April 1 , 1997 , an ice storm did “ tremendous damage ” to flowering-size and under-story trees that Claude and his team spent days cleaning up .
“ As the primary staff landscape designer for the past several years , Claude certainly leaves a wonderful horticultural legacy , but what I appreciate and will miss just as much is the impact he has had on the staff ,” says Vice President of Operations & Horticulture David Barnett .“ He always took
Claude and Linda Benoit at his retirement party on Bigelow Chapel Lawn , June 5 , 2007 . Photo by Jennifer Johnston
great pride in his team ’ s accomplishments and managed to instill this pride and dedication in all who worked for him .”
Claude grew up in Leominster , MA . With his three brothers and two sisters , he worked at the family-owned furniture store . During high school , he took a summer job on a farm that yielded a bountiful harvest in two major ways . Claude met his future wife , Linda — and got bitten by the botany bug . He went on to earn a B . S . in plant and soil science from UMass in 1970 .
At their home in Littleton , MA , Claude and Linda tend a garden that mixes trees , shrubs , perennials and vegetables . The Benoits have two children : Ben , who lives in Littleton with his wife , Robin , and their seven-year-old daughter , Gabrielle — and a daughter , Bethany , who lives with her husband , Jonathan , in Ayer . When Claude wants to leave his garden and terra firma he can do so in the kayak the Mount Auburn staff bought him as a retirement gift . But the Cemetery is still tapping Claude ’ s expertise , even in “ retirement .” He is the project manager for the design and installation of the Wildflower Meadow around Washington Tower — one more part of his legacy at Mount Auburn .
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