Kelly, our Seasonal Horticulturist, trained our volunteers how to prune roses two weeks ago in the Fort Point Channel Parks.  If you have questions, our knowledgeable staff will happily answer any that you might have about the Greenway or your own garden as they work alongside you!

Don’t have a yard of your own but enjoy doing work outdoors?  This volunteer, from Biogen Idec, expressed how good it felt to stand in the back of a pickup truck and haul mulch all morning.   We were so happy to have your help!

As you can see, our Greenway volunteers have a lot of fun while they do great work for their community. A great big thanks to Linda and Margaret for bringing laughter and a ‘can-do’ attitude to so many of our volunteer days!

And, if you’re lucky, you might even find a dollar while you’re working in the Greenway gardens.  See, it really does pay to volunteer!  And, even if you don’t find any real money, know that your hard work and positive attitude really help the parks shine for the many park-goers.

Our volunteers meet every other Wednesday at 9AM in the Greenway parks.  Our corporate/school/nonprofit groups meet the opposite Wednesdays.  If you are interested in volunteering on the Greenway, either as an individual or as a group, email volunteer@rfkgc.org and we’ll share more information and a meeting location with you!   Hope to see you in the parks!

Our native Serviceberries, Amelanchier canadensis and Amelanchier laevis, are in full bloom, brilliantly taking the place of the Cherries whose petals have fallen almost like a dusting of snow. The Daffodils and species Tulips are filling the slopes and beds with brilliant yellow and orange flowers. Other bulbs are growing rapidly. The smaller Fritillaria meleagris, or Guinea Hen Flowers, are my favorites and can be easily seen along Congress Street. Our Parks are just as ready as we are for this spring that has been teasing us along. Leaves are emerging on nearly all of our trees. In Chinatown and the Urban Arboretum the Azaleas and Rhododendrons have started their bloom cycles. Viburnums, Lilacs, and Fothergilla, the next group of spring flowering shrubs, are showing color in their flower buds and will likely start blooming next week.

Fritillaria meleagris

Rhodendron (Indica Type) ”Macratha Pink’

The first perennials to bloom after the stately Hellebores, lavish and densely overflowing with blossoms, will be the Peonies in Chinatown, Fort Point Channel, and the North End Parks. The native plants are no slouches either – soon we will be delighting over spring blooming Red Barrenwort (Epimedium x rubrum) in the Urban Arboretum, and Canada Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) in the Wharf District and Dewey Square Parks. Each week’s escalating promise of sunshine, clear skies, continuing  blooms, and tender foliage certainly puts us all in a cheery state. Come down and see Boston in the spring through our rose-colored glasses.

Epimedium x rubrum

Amelanchier canadensis

Ursile, comparing and contrasting abiotic and biotic features of the coastal ecosystem.

All ecosystems are made up of living and non-living things.  Above, Ursile is shown grouping these items; and below, the Apprentices discover the role that erosion plays in shaping the coastal ecosystem.  We compared this to high-traffic areas on the Greenway, and the wind-tunnel effects from the high buildings that surround us.

Studying the effects of wind, water, and humans on a sandy beach.

We learned that, just like on the Greenway, the substrate is made of three different types of particles: sand, silt, and clay.  Sand is the largest particle and clay is the smallest.  The ratio of these particles determines what kind of plants and microorganisms can survive in the substrate.

Investigating the different layers of sand sediment using our sense of smell.

And, one of the best parts of the trip was getting up early to observe the beauty of the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean–something we don’t get to do often enough.

We had a blast at Ferry Beach Ecology Institute, special thanks to the National Forest Service for sponsoring our trip and to the Ecology School for laying some awesome new knowledge on us!  

To recap, we have seen five seasons of usage, with the fountain running between 9 am and 11 pm daily between Memorial Day weekend and Columbus Day weekend.  It’s one of five fountains on the greenway, with the others located in the Wharf District (Harbor Fog), Chinatown and in the North End.

The Rings fountain is the most complex with 120 shooters (jets), a number of fogger units, over 100 lights and lots of hoses and connections.  It was built by a company called Wet Design.  While we do daily and weekly maintenance to fix leaks, replace lights, change filters and water quality, we knew we needed to tackle some bigger tasks that would ensure that the fountain would continue to run for another five years.

Thanks to our Maintenance staff, we were able to do nearly all of the work ourselves, saving time and money for the Conservancy. From start to finish, it took about eight weeks.

We wanted to share a few pictures of the work that was done and provide some details about the project.

We started by pulling out several hundred granite pavers and then the concrete forms that sit below the granite.

Granite pavers with concrete blocks beneath

Each paver is uniquely cut for a specific spot, so they all had to be numbered and organized on site.

Blocks numbered and stacked onsite

We then did a thorough cleaning and recovered a number of the shims that we use to level each of the pavers at the bottom of the fountain area.  We re-used many of the shims when we put the fountain back together.

Nick recording what’s been done and what hasn’t.

Next we removed all of the hoses and fittings that connect the valves that power the shooters.  We replaced a number of elements in each of the fog units.  We replaced several of the lights that could be repaired last year when we refurbished most of the 100 plus lights.

This is insulation that keeps the lights water tight. It hardens into a very thick jello like substance after it’s poured into the light housing.

In some cases, we brought in plumbers to re-weld a section of copper pipe and re-attached the main water distribution pipes with brass fittings.

Copper pipe at center of picture showing new section welded into place.

We cut new hose lengths, attached new fittings and reconnected all of the hose and value connections: twelve per shooter, a total of over 1,200 connections that had to be completed in a certain order.

Shooter Value Assembly – shooter pipe on top left, lights below and to the top right, hoses connecting to value and shooter chamber on middle right.

We then tested the entire system.  It worked great, with just a few adjustments to a few connections.

Rey doing his part to look for leaks while the fountain runs all around him.

Then, we put the concrete and then granite pavers back in the right sequence, each in it’s unique spot. Our little European tool made lifting these several hundred pound granite blocks a breeze.

Tom and Nick (right) along with one of our Work, Inc. staff placing a granite block.

We’re looking forward to opening the fountain in just a few weeks!

Visitors enjoying Rings on Memorial Day weekend in 2012

On Monday, April 22^nd, Weber Shandwick employees came out and helped out with weeding and planting natives in the Wharf District Parks.

On Wednesday, April 24^th, twelve of our regular volunteers came out and helped us with pruning in Fort Point Channel parks.  In addition, 5 volunteers from State Street helped us plant natives in the Wharf District Parks.

On Thursday, April 25^th, a family is coming out to help us plant a tree in the Fort Point Channel Parks.

On Friday, April 26^th, we’ll working with another family to plant native trees and shrubs in the Wharf District Parks near the Harbor Fog interactive sculpture.

On Saturday, April 27^th, we’ll be working with twenty or more Biogen volunteers working with our Green and Grow teen program and staff to mulch trees and plants in the Urban Arboretum (between High and Oliver Streets) and in portions of the Wharf District Parks.

In addition to these volunteer projects, our Horticulture staff is pruning shrubs in the North End Parks, our Green & Grow Teen Program is weeding and planting in the Dewey Square Demonstration Gardens, and our Horticulture staff is transplanting in Chinatown Park.

Cooperative Derek

As keepers of the Greenway we lug lots of material through the city streets of Boston.   We get a kick out of all the strange looks we receive from commuters while we work.  Above, Ianna is directing Derek who was so kind to pull our rickshaw down Atlantic Ave.  to our composting dumpster, about four blocks away.  Below, you can see we removed the temporary winter interest that was added to our garden last fall.  We felt a little like the antithesis to Santa but we’re excited about the sunflowers that will replace the conifers.

Another part of getting ready for spring is making room for new growth.  Shaquell is shown below cutting back grasses in the Chinatown Parks while Ianna cleans the sidewalks behind her.

We almost always make a mess; but, we like using the blower to clean it up.

Something we’re all looking forward to again this spring is the addition of our annual vegetables to our Demonstration garden in Dewey Square.  Below, Ursile is starting our Roma Tomatoes that will be a new addition to the garden this summer.  She’s checking the temperature to make sure it’s warm enough for them to germinate.  We’ll keep you posted on our sprouts!  Happy spring!

Taking a temperature reading before planting.

While I am ready to get my winter gear out of the closet again, and have been pulling my hat low over my ears, the trees, shrubs and plants on the Greenway are not so fooled. They are pressing ahead – emerging from the ground, swelling their flower buds, and enticing the bees to share the pollen.  The bloom cycle is clearly a few weeks behind last year’s, which was a decidedly extra warm spring. Even so, you can start counting on a great show of bulbs and early flowering trees as you visit the Greenway over the next two months.

Last autumn we planted an additional 23,100, yes, that’s thousand, bulbs throughout the Greenway parks. The popular Narcissus and Daffodils, Crocus, and Tulips along with smaller, less common bulbs including Galanthus, Scilla, Chionadoxa were planted with the generous help of many volunteers.  Showy, large and unusual bulbs including Alliums, Camassia, Fritillaria and Dracunculus will be seen later, blooming from May through July.

Narcissus ‘Topolino’

Now, in this cool spring, you will see the Crocus popping up in lawns and under trees. The Galanthus, known as Snowdrops, are halfway through already. And the early varieties of Narcissus are shooting up, budded and ready to open for a great sunny display.

Crocus ‘Majestic Lavendar Mix’

Crocus ‘Majestic Lavendar Mix’

Don’t forget to look up – you don’t want to miss the first cherry blossoms of the year. The two Prunus incamp ‘Okame’, in the Urban Arboretum between Rowes Wharf and Oliver Street, are just now starting to bloom.  The best thing about the cooler days is that it should prolong the blooming time of the cherries, many of the other spring flowers.

Prunus x incamp ‘Okame’

From the Facilities and Maintenance Breakout, Steve Anderson, Director of Park Operations, talked about the following topics that were raised:

Rodent control – we have an active rodent control program in place and we’re always looking for any new issues and trouble areas.

Trash – Question as why do we use separate trash/recycling containers vs. the newer Big Belly containers that the city recently installed.  Big Belly containers compact trash so that collection can occur infrequently. The Conservancy removes the trash and recycling several times a day from the park to minimize issues with smells and rodents.  We have a presence in the parks 7AM-11PM, 365 days/year which means that those collecting trash are also available regularly to answer park patrons’ questions. (We partner for trash collection and other basic maintenance with WORK Inc., a local non-profit that provides workforce development opportunities for those with disabilities.)

Why is there a leak on North End Parcel 8?  This is a flaw that in the vault for the fountains that was discovered and fixed before the Mass Turnpike Authority completed the Greenway park construction.  The injected-epoxy fix failed after about one year.  To completely fix the leak would require significant park disruption excavation of the vault to determine the full cause of the issue and then some “field engineering” to determine a resolution – it could cost anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000 or more depending upon what was found.  Since the leak is fairly small, we’re looking for less expensive ways to mitigate the issues, such as channeling and draining the water.

The lights embedded in the Freedom Trail pathway on Parcel 8  aren’t always operating.

These LED lights were specified and installed before LED light technology achieved the stability and performance reputation that they now have.  We have had issues with water and leakage – shortening the life expectancy.  We replace failed units with better technology whenever possible.

From the Horticulture Breakout, Anthony Ruggiero, Horticulture Foreman, covered the general discussion and requests for more color and interest in the planting beds with a number of participants.  There were a number of questions of about plant types, collaborating with the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park, working with volunteers, working with vendors and what plants and trees might be appropriate in different areas of the North End.  Along with the overview of some of the priorities and the challenges associated with our organic program, Anthony discussed the spring 2013 plan to transplant the small Magnolias out of the lawn in both Parcels 8 and 10 and into the Taxus/Arborvitae beds along Hanover Street.  They will be replaced with larger specimen shade trees, 4 – 5 Maples and 1 Elm, to create a respite from the sun in the lawn areas of both Parcels 8 and 10 without interfering with the sunbathers; this work is anticipated to be complete by the end of April.  There was also a request to further increase the advertisement/messaging of the Organic Maintenance practices on the Greenway.

Park Uses and Furnishings, Linda Jonash, Director of Planning and Design noted that the issue most people commented on was the need for more shade in the parks.  This was echoed in the Horticulture and Programs break-outs as well.  Among the input and ideas were:

The Pergola could be made more of a welcoming place by:

•  Engage an artist to design some type of hanging fabric or decorative element to the pergola that could also offer a bit of shade but also add color and interest to the structure

(Linda mentioned in her opening presentation there is a fair amount of misunderstanding about what the pergola structure is supposed to be. It was never intended to provide shade as they are commonly used in park settings.  The Landscape Architects for the North End Parks intended the pergola to be a prominent architectural feature that framed a long “porch” overlooking the city.  The structure is too high for any type of climbing vine to successfully grow over its top.  And because of its orientation facing west, any canopy attached at its top would shade mostly the street, rather than the public seating area along the fountain edge.

• Add umbrellas to provide shade for the tables and chairs.  Possibly decorate them  with fun colors or designs to make them look a bit more unique.  Linda responded that the Conservancy was trying to standardize some of the park amenities and they had chosen particularly durable bright green umbrellas that could withstand the heavy park use and windy park conditions.  Perhaps the table tops could be customized and relate more directly to the North End.

• Grow stronger, more colorful vines on pergola, such as wisteria and possibly supplement with more robust plant material along the Cross Street edge to help buffer the traffic and street noise.  Linda noted that there would need to be some type of added armature system on the pergola to support the vines.
• Identify and showcase the historical interpretive elements in park in a more obvious way. Park users often are unaware of the railing with historic quotes, outline of Mill Pond, the line and lights of the Freedom Trail.
• Consider purchasing new park benches versus fixing the current ones which are not comfortable and retain too much heat on hot days.
• Consider offering individually sized lawn cushions similar to ones offered during the day at Post Office Square Park.

-    To activate the currently vacant Parcel 12 space, consider introducing a possible dog park along the curved side of parcel 12 facing the Dock Square Garage.  There aren’t adequate dog park facilities in the neighborhood and they can be designed in a way that are relatively easy to maintain.  People love to come watch the dogs play.

From the Programs Breakout, Charlie McCabe summarized the following questions and comments:

-    Winter Lights programs – lots of questions and input – some are successful, such as Color Connections, some less so, such as Urban Planning, given the constraints of budgets and funding as well as the weather factor.  Charlie reinforced that the Conservancy wants to work with nearby groups on more collaborative events, for example, combining carousel evenings and lighting with the annual first night of Christopher Columbus Park Trellis lighting, Blink! At Fanueil Hall Marketplace or similar. Other requests included making sure that winter lights events organizers understand constraints of spaces and issues running events in winter.  Consider collaboration with nearby groups, other groups in the city, such as Artists for Humanity.

-   Lots of questions about events, who approves events (City Parks and Recreation Department issues permits), may require additional permits from City’s office of Special Events.

-    People asked questions about earned revenue – do we earn revenue from Carousel, Food Vending, markets (such as the Greenway Open Market) and other events.  Charlie responded that Yes, in general, revenue varies by location for food vending, by contract with our rental carousel operator (this will change with our new carousel which we’ll own and will be managed by an operator under contract) and for Markets (percentage of booth fees)

-    People asked if we’d consider more permanent events, opportunities, such as a skating rink.  We have considered this in the past, and may consider it in the future, it will be subject to the Park Use Guidelines approved by MassDOT and subject to approvals from MassDOT and our board of directors, as well as city permitting.

-   Consider collaborating / marketing things to do nearby downtown, waterfront, etc. Charlie mentioned that we do already work with the Summer on the Waterfront (SOTW) group – jointly marketing and promoting our events and programs collectively.  SOTW is made up of Boston Harbor Association, Boston Harbor Islands Association, the Greenway Conservancy, NPS, the USS Constitution Museum, the ICA, the Children’s Museum and the New England Aquarium, among others.

-    Request: Please consider putting on Winter Markets like they do in other cities, as well as what they did in the Downtown Crossing area over the holidays.

-    One attendee really liked the fact that  Del’s Lemonade was going to be vending.

Last week, we removed the remaining solenoid valves and hoses from the basin and finished cleaning.  Over the next few days, part of our team will be stripping the hardware off the remaining hoses and rebuilding the last thirty valves indoors.  Meanwhile, the rest of the team will begin the process of reinstalling  the remaining rebuilt valves and new hoses in the basin.  If all goes well by the end of the week, we will fill the basin with water, start the compressor, check for air leaks and make final adjustments.

The Underside of the Rings Fountain

If all adjustments are completed on Friday, we then begin the several week process of reinstalling the surface of the fountain.  First, we’ll reinstall the 120 concrete blocks that sit below the surface.  Then, we’ll start  the more complex process of reinstalling all 260 granite pavers that make up the surface that everyone walks on.  Each of the granite pavers is unique and fits into a specific space with no more than one-fourth of an inch gap between them.

The Rings Fountain is in good hands with the Conservancy’s maintenance team and we are looking forward to the laughter and delight that comes when we begin operating the fountains on Memorial Day weekend.

Salix bebbiana, Bebb’s Willow

Galanthus elwesii, Snowdrops

Most plants like to begin spring slowly stretching and getting their sap moving. These first small blooms are a sort of early warning system. “Be on your toes” and “keep your eyes open for more” seem to be what they are saying. Soon the daffodils and narcissus, the plums and cherries, and the maples will be all swelling buds and opening flowers—showing off!  There are LOTS of bulbs to come, especially in the Fort Point Channel and North End Parks, which will make for an exciting, bright display.

Eranthis hyemalis, Winter Aconite

At this time of year we won’t get any screaming, in-your-face displays of splashy color. Oops, I’m wrong! Take a walk on Purchase Street past the Boston Fire Department and look east, to the Greenway and toward the Harbor. The yellow Witchhazels, considered a small tree rather than a shrub, are close to screaming yellow. These are the Hamamelis ‘Arnold’s Promise’, which are finally in full bloom, and on a good sunny day, filling the air with their sweet mysterious scent. Everyone should have one in their yard, don’t you think?

Hamamelis, ‘Arnold’s Promise’