Community Engagement

The vista walking to Walter Street Gate where the landscape opens up to showcase the conifer collection looming over the multi-hued meadow. It takes my breath away every time.

It can be found by the stairs leading to the top of Bussey Hill. When I see its vibrant colors, it is a reminder that we are in peak summer, my most cherished season.

My favorite place at the arboretum is up on Hemlock Hill. Walking towards Walter street from Beech Path, keep an eye out for a gravel path winding up the hill on the left, hidden by large evergreen branches, that create a living arbor for you to walk through. About halfway down the paved drive on the left, this living "wardrobe to Naria," transcends you to a new and magical world, entirely separate from concrete façade of the city. Follow this path up to just before the top, where there is a small clearing and a stand of thin black birches off to the left. Take care with your footing, but if you approach the edge of the rock outcrop, you are rewarded with a transformative view. Looking down the dark-green moss-covered rock precipice, your eyes catch the reflection of sunlight scintillating off of the babbling Bussey Brook as is gently whispers the sound of flowing water through the silent conifers. The burnt umber forest floor, colored from the soft, squishy carpet of dropped needles, is juxtaposed by the bright green living needles, outlined by the dappled sunlight infiltrating the forest canopy. The longer you let the scene unfold before you, the faster the natural vivid and muted colors blend together, creating an eco-centric masterpiece. Here, more than anywhere else at the arboretum, I feel completely immersed in nature, instantly forgetting I am still in the Boston zip code.