Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn Mount Auburn as a Horticultural Innovator | Page 7

a history of horticultural innovation izers. This was partly due to recognition that we were one (Zanthoxylum simulans) and dead man’s fingers (Decaisnea of the last wildlife habitat refuges in metropolitan Boston, insignis) from Nepal. Some hardy bamboos were given to concerns about health risks to humans, budget reductions, us for trials by the NE Bamboo Company in Rockport, and growing awareness that alternative approaches showed Mass. These are being watched for aggressiveness as well as promise. As a leader in the horticultural world, it seemed hardiness. We’ve also tried some of the flowering perennials appropriate to at least explore some of these alternatives. that seemed appropriate for Victorian gardens. The successes, Our greenhouse which are already being planted on the grounds, include was among the lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), Russian stonecrop (Sedum first in the in- kamtschaticum) and horse heal (Inula helenium), each of which dustry to attempt possesses extreme drought tolerance. extensive use of The E-Garden has also been used to test new products beneficial insects and techniques. By far, the most interesting development for pest control. in recent horticultural and agricultural science is what high Although our quality compost and compost teas can do for promoting landscape plant health. Not willing to wait for these products to be- maintenance come commercially avail able, we began to experiment with program is just producing them on-site. This was another serendipitous in the early stages moment at Mount Auburn. Not only did we learn to of a similar produce some very high quality products, but the process transition, there fit perfectly with the Cemetery’s ecological and organic is already much A naturalistic turf treatment shows great potential in materials recycling goals. The chopping of leaves in the that has been some of the more historic sections where a naturalistic fall by mowers, which was mentioned earlier, takes care landscape character zone is targeted. This photo, taken accomplished. of 99% of the conservatively estimated 70,000 cubic yards in June 2010, shows an area off Walnut Ave in front Droughts generated each year. We pick up about 600 cubic yards of Consecration Dell. have become where chopping isn’t possible and, from this material, somewhat regular events during the past 20 years. While produce approximately 100 yards of compost. Using new plantings at the Cemetery are irrigated during their side-by-side comparisons in the E-Garden and testing first year and flower beds receive regular watering during with a number of different crops in the greenhouse and the summer, the plants in Mount Auburn’s landscape are, nursery, we are convinced of the effectiveness and look for the most part, expected to survive a drought without forward to refining our ability to use different composts irrigation. Our efforts to deal with drought have focused and tea blends. on helping existing plants cope with it by mulching and improving the soil conditions. For new plantings, we are Innovation Finds a Home trying to preemptively select species and varieties with inherent drought resistance. Fortunately, two initiatives Mount Auburn has been planning to replace its greenhouse within the horticulture department are helping with overall facility for more than ten years. The Lord and Burnham water conservation. First, a somewhat rustic collection of style glasshouses built in 1971 are extremely inefficient for rain-barrels has been assembled along two walls of our heating and cooling, and two of the three houses are shut present greenhouse building. Although they only collect down through parts of the winter to save on heating costs. water diverted from one of the three glasshouses, they The facility offers less than optimal conditions for both the have allowed us to harvest 10-12,000 gallons of rainwater plants and the staff who tend them. Fortunately, there is per year. This water is then used to water the flower beds hope for change in the near future. In 2009, the Cemetery throughout the grounds. hired one of the nation’s premier architectural firms, The second initiative is the Experimental William Rawn Associates, Garden, which was recently constructed to design a new Horticul- on some undeveloped land near the ture Center. The recently greenhouse. While not even close to the completed plans have scale envisioned at the founding of the been designed to achieve Cemetery, this new enterprise is proving the highest certification to be a very useful tool. Located adjacent standard of the Leadership to our small nursery, the E-Garden (as it in Energy and Environ- is known) contains plants that we want to mental Design (LEED) test for future use on the grounds. Some program from the U.S. of the unusual things we’ve grown there Green Building Council. include the shrubs Chinese prickly-ash A series of different yarrow (Achillea) species were tried in the Experimental Garden. These colorful perennials are extremely drought tolerant once established. Fall 2010 | 5