Why would staff from an art and culture museum attend Agriculture Day at the Massachusetts State House?
Because at PEM, we have extensive gardens and grounds surrounding our 22 historic houses – and agriculture and gardening share a lot of the same concerns.
Photo by Dinah Cardin/PEM
Photo by Dinah Cardin/PEM
Photo by Dinah Cardin/PEM
We joined up with the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association to bring several key issues to the attention of our state legislators. Those issues included invasive plants, pollinator health, water resources and the transition from diesel-powered to electric equipment. PEM’s Head Gardener Robin Pydynkowski and groundskeeper Katelyn Sponholtz knocked on the office doors of senators, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll to share information and offer them some Norway Spruce saplings and copies of A Pocket Guide to Native and Low Maintenance Woody Plants for the Massachusetts Landscape.
As long-serving former mayor of Salem, Driscoll spoke to current and future farmers from across the state about the success of Salem’s Mack Park Food Farm, an urban farm project started during the pandemic that produces thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables for free distribution across the city.
Sponholtz first attended the annual State House event as a student at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, where she learned lessons as diverse as managing horticultural issues and enjoying husk cherries’ long shelf life. Today, she is proud of PEM’s commitment to its Climate + Environment Initiative and the green space it offers to Salem’s visitors and residents.
Agriculture Day on Beacon Hill wrapped up with The Taste of Massachusetts, where, as Pydynkowski explains, “all things grown, fished and cultivated in Massachusetts are served up for our dining pleasure.” From oysters and apple cider to ice cream and soft cheese with microgreens served on fresh baked bread, this was a true moment of celebration and a welcome kickoff to spring.
Photo by Ken Sawyer/PEM.
Robin on plant-planning duty. Photo by Bob Packert/PEM.
Mark your calendars for the May 27 opening of PEM’s Ropes Mansion Garden. This historic one-acre Colonial Revival-style garden requires year-round planning. Designed by Salem botanist and horticulturist John Robinson in 1912, it’s also a certified wildlife sanctuary that is home to several kinds of bees and butterflies. Stay tuned for more pollinators at PEM properties and for an important announcement about our beekeeping plans.
Listen to the gurgling fish pond at Ropes Mansion and the birds as they welcome in spring 2023.
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