Tower Hill Botanic Garden
The Tower Hill Botanic Garden, in Boylston, Massachusetts, USA, is a 132-acre (53.4 ha) botanical garden with spectacular views of Mount Wachusett and the Wachusett Reservoir. It is located approximately 8 miles (12 km) north of central Worcester. It was founded in 1986 by the Worcester County Horticultural Society and is scheduled to be fully complete in 2040.
Tower Hill hosts a number of interesting plant collections and gardens. The Frank L. Harrington Sr. Orchard displays 238 trees of 119 pre-20th century apple varieties. The Lawn Garden is a grassy sward bordered by 350 species and varieties of ornamental trees and shrubs, underplanted with sweeps of peonies, day lilies, Siberian iris, and ground covers. The Secret Garden contains a double pergola, fountain, garden pool, statuary, and wide variety of grasses, perennials and annuals. The Cottage Garden is a collection of annuals, perennials and woody plants. The seasonal Vegetable Garden contains unusual vegetables and annuals. The Orangerie is a 4,000 square foot (370 m2) greenhouse in the 18th century style. The Orangerie, a stylized greenhouse, is Tower Hill’s primary wintertime display facility, featuring hundreds of sub-tropical plants and blooming bulbs. The Systematic Garden is a one-of-a-kind educational experience, where you find plants arranged "systematically", according to our current scientific understanding of their evolutionary relationships. Designed in an Italianate style, this garden presents twenty-six distinct plant families, making it a virtual encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom. The half acre Wildlife Refuge Pond, along with 3 miles (4.8 km) of woodland trails, provide ample opportunity for visitors to observe and contemplate the natural world. Both native and exotic plant species are incorporated into this haven for wildlife, with plenty of benches to allow visitors a rest along the way. In winter, cross-country skiers are welcome. Several new additions have opened in 2010, including the Limonaia (Lemon House conservatory) and the Winter Garden—a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) courtyard garden that features plants especially known for their winter attributes; a formal pool with twin turtle fountains is in the center of the Winter Garden.
The Stoddard Education and Visitors Center is the hub for all activities at Tower Hill. It houses a 100-seat theater with an orientation video for visitors; the third oldest horticultural library in the United States; and Twigs Cafe and Gift Shop.
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Coordinates: 42°21′43″N 71°43′36″W / 42.3619°N 71.7267°W