Meetinghouse Farm is defined by the kame and kettle topography and soil deposits indicative of a terminal glacial moraine. Ecosystems that characterize the property include - forest, woodland, open fields, meadows and wetland.
Formerly a nursery of long standing reputation, the property can be readily cultivated as a local arboretum and a community resource for sustainable horticulture practices and wildlife habitat management. The existing trails traverse 1he varied ecosystems and with the proper signage and maintenance can serve as both an educational resource and recreational retreat.
Goals for the first three years include:
- Completion of botanical signage on the existing trails for specimen trees, shrubs and the ecosystems to which they belong.
- Development of the proposed trail
- Layout and development of the Market Garden
- Layout and development of the Demonstration Gardens
- Layout and development of the Rock Garden
Conservation Trails and Signage
Existing trails and grasslands will be mowed in March or early April.
Before signage can be installed, significant landscape maintenance will be required. Trees and shrubs that are to be identified need to be cleaned up; dead branches pruned, underbrush and weeds cleared. Arborist services may be required to prune the largest trees. As our past efforts to solicit professional services have been successful, we expect to mitigate these costs as well through time and materials donations from licensed professionals. Stressed trees and shrubs will be fertilized with a slow release organic fertilizer to reestablish healthy growth and blooms.
The following tree and shrub species have been inventoried on site, many of which will be identified with botanical signage as specimens or as species indicative of the various ecosystems mentioned.
Acer japonicum - Japanese maple
Acer rubra - red maple
Albizia julibrissim - silk tree
Betula papifera - white birch
Betula populifolia - gray birch
Caragana species - peashrub
Chionanthus virginicus - white fringetree
Cladrastis kentukea - American yellowwood
Comus florida - American dogwood
Cryptomeriajaponica - Japanese cedar
Fagus Americana - American green beech
Fagus sylvatica "Cuprea" - copper beech
Fagus sylvatica 'Laciniata' or 'Asplenifolia' - European beech cultivar
Fagus sylvatica 'Pendula' - weeping beech
Fraxinus pennsylvannica - green ash
Gleditsia triacanthos - honey locust Ilex crenata - Japanese holly
Ilex comuta - Chinese holly
Ilex opaca - American holly
Liriodendron tulipfera - tulip tree
Magnolia x soulangiana - saucer magnolia
Magnolia stellata - star magnolia
Metasequoia gyptostroboides - dawn redwood
Nyssa sylvatica - tupelo
Oxydendron arboretum - sourwood
Prunus serotina - black cherry
Prunus species - flowering cherries
Quercus alba - white oak
Quercus palustris - pin oak
Quercus robur - English oak
Quercus rubra - red oak
Quercus velutina - black oak
Robinia pseudoacacia - black locust
Rhododendron species - some Dexter hybrids
Sciadopitys verticillata - Japanese umbrella pine
Stewartia pseudocarnilla - Stewartia
Tilia coradata – littleleaf linden
Pinus rigida - pitch pine
Pinus strobes - white pine
Picea - spruce species
Platanus occidentalis - sycamore
Populus alba - White poplar
Vaccinum corymbosum - highbush blueberry
Viburnum dentatum - arrow wood
Market Garden
The Market Garden will be located at the northeast comer of the property bordering Meetinghouse Way and the residence. Herbs, vegetables and flowers grown in this area will be donated to charitable organizations, sold to support education programs or to bring in operating capital for Meetinghouse Farm. Gardens in this area may be cultivated as part of a community garden effort by community groups. Although garden plots will not be distributed to individuals,