Preserving and enhancing the natural resources and visitor experience of Fort Williams Park
I am always looking for attractive combinations of short, fill-in plants to grow among the larger perennials and shrubs in my coastal Maine garden. These plants function as a kind of living mulch, and add another layer of habitat to the garden. Mother Nature doesn’t separate her plants with bark ...
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As an arborist, forester, and the former Tree Warden for the Town of Cape Elizabeth, homeowners and others often ask for my thoughts about spraying pesticides to control Winter Moth and Browntail Moth. The question is timely once again, because the Spring spraying season is almost here. It is ...
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The Fort Williams Foundation depends on volunteers to help maintain the gardens in the Arboretum. And we would like you to join us. We are holding a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the Cape Elizabeth Community Center, 345 Ocean House Road, to assign plots and begin getting organized ...
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While Fort Williams Park is beautiful year-round, the winter beauty is mostly black and white, featuring snow, stone and tree bark, with the ocean ranging from gray to green to blue in the background. The first bright color in the park begins now – late February to early March – when the ‘Arnold ...
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With a garden full of North American plants, I often dig up the ones that reproduce enthusiastically, and donate them to Fort Williams Park Foundation. A very appropriate species is Seaside Goldenrod, a well-behaved version that, as its name implies, does well near salt water. I first saw Seaside ...
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Consider Fort Williams Park for an altruistic boost! The Fort Williams Park Foundation is an organization that relies heavily on individuals and groups in the community, and our volunteer programs have been an amazing success. It’s because of our volunteers that we’ve made such impressive progress ...
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In the Arboretum at Fort Williams Park, two of our most abundant native plants are the hay-scented fern, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and sweetfern, Comptonia peregrina, which is classified as a shrub. Both of these plants are able to tolerate full sun and hot, dry conditions. The addition of native ...
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Adding mulch too early in the spring will delay plant growth, as mulch will keep the soil cool. On the other side of our growing season, adding mulch too soon in the fall will keep the soil warm (and moist) for a longer period of time, which can increase the incidence of ...
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Vermicomposting is a fantastic way to turn your kitchen scraps into incredibly nutrient rich soil for your houseplants and your garden. I recommend starting this process now, indoors, while we have a slight lull in our seasons and spring fever has yet to fully set in. A properly created worm bin ...
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One of the benefits of a mild start to our winter is the extended opportunity to bundle up and go to work outside. You may be noticing the messy, jumbled, twisted shapes of shrubs and vines you want to get rid of. I say go for it! One vine that can be particularly pesky and hard to identify is ...
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