NAOM Climbing Competition

October 4th-6th

We are honored to be hosting the North American Open Masters this year. Arborists from all around the world will be challenged with multiple technical climbs in some of our most impressive arboretum specimens. We are welcoming the public to attend this event at the arboretum on October 5th from 9:00AM to 4:00PM! Register here.

Book signing with Adrian Bloom!

October 5th, 2:00PM

Both the American Conifer Society and Wakefield Arboretum are exited to host Adrian Bloom for a book signing. Foggy Bottom: A Garden to Share and Bloom's Best: Perennials and Grasses will be available for purchase. Read more about Adrian Bloom, his beautiful gardens, and his publications, here.

Plant Propagation Class

September 28th, 10:00AM-12:00PM

Our first class of our plant propagation series has been rescheduled for October 26th. Join us to learn the basics of woody plant propagation with staff members, Debbie Merriam and Ellen Scheid, and take home your own propagule! This class will be part of a series, stay tuned for the following courses. Register Here.

October Family Fest 2024

October 26th 2:00PM-5:00PM

We are hosting our second October Family Fest. This year we will be celebrating with music by Slow Boat Home, beer, vegetable races, pumpkin carving and kids games. Sign up here!

Propagating by Seed

November 9th, 10:00AM

Join us for our second class in our propagation series. Participants will learn how to collect, clean and propagate woody plants from seed. They will then be able to practice these skills at the arboretum, and bring home the sown seeds. Sign up here

American Conifer Society 2024 Regional Conference

This last month Matthew Noiseux, our buildings and grounds manager, attended the American Conifer Society Northeast Regional Conference. Events like these give our staff opportunities to network with other professionals, share ideas and concerns and discover new trends in the horticulture industry.

At the American Conifer Society Regional Conference we also had the opportunity to acquire new plants for our collection, including one of our new additions, a Green Penguin Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestnis 'Green Penguin'). You can read about it here.

Volunteer Appreciation

As we travel into fall we reflect on how productive and wonderful our summer has been. This wouldn't have been possible without our great volunteers! This fall we are lucky to have our wonderful group of master gardeners and two groups of high school students helping in the gardens.

Acrobat Ant



This month our header photo is of a colony of Crematogaster sp. or Acrobat Ants enjoying a kousa dogwood fruit. Their common name is because of a defense mechanism used when they are disturbed. They are able to lift their abdomen over their head to look larger. The Crematogaster species of ant is easily identifiable because of their heart-shaped rear or gaster. One interesting fact about this genus of ants is a majority of them nest arboreally, which means their nests are in trees. Some of these nests even look like wasps' nests. Because of the colder temperatures in New England nests can also be found in downed logs and in the ground.