The Worcester County Horticultural Society is a non-profit American

horticultural Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

society based in

Boylston, Massachusetts Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,849 at the 2020 census. History Boylston was first settled by Europeans around 1706 in the northern part of the present-day town, most notably by the Sa ...

, USA, whose stated mission in 2014 was to "inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world", building upon its founding mission to "advanc the science and encourag and improv the practice of rticulture". Formally established in 1842, it describes itself as the third-oldest horticultural society in the United States after the

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes horticulture-related events and community activities. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of 2021, PHS has more than 13,000 members. PHS was ...

and the

Massachusetts Horticultural Society The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States. In its m ...

. Today, the society's work predominantly focuses in organizing and operating

Tower Hill Botanic Garden New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is a 171-acre botanic garden and arboretum located in Boylston, Massachusetts, approximately north of central Worcester, Massachusetts, Worcester in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Garden features 18 ...

, as well as supporting the Cary Award, an award program for excellence in New England cultivation practices.

History

The society was informally founded on September 19, 1840, when several local doctors and businessmen met in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

"for the purposes of mutual improvement in the theoretical and practical branches of Horticulture" and, in the subsequent weeks, organized an exhibition of fine specimens of orchard and garden plants from cultivators in Central Massachusetts.Jaques, 14. The organization's founders shaped it in homage to the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

in London, expressing hope in their earliest reports that their "little Society, which has thus far so bravely followed in the footsteps of the great Association of London, may, like our other institutions, continue to flourish". The society was formally established by an act of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from th ...

on March 3, 1842. The group continued to host exhibitions annually and, by 1850, had a large enough membership and funds to purchase a plot of land and to construct its first formal headquarters, "Horticultural Hall", on Front Street in Worcester. Continuing to expand throughout the 19th century and the early 20th century, the society built another, larger, facility with library and auditorium space in 1928. This building is now home to the Worcester Historical Museum. In 1983, the board of trustees made a motion to found a botanical garden in Worcester County and, by the end of 1985, this was filled with the purchase of the Tower Hill Farm which is the society's main project and headquarters today. Though the society moved from its Worcester headquarters in 1986, it remains active in the community, having spearheaded efforts in the Worcester Tree Initiative by providing more than 30,000 trees to replace those lost in efforts to eradicate the Asian long-horned beetle.
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Governance

Operations of the Worcester County Horticultural Society are overseen by a board of trustees. Trustees meet at regular intervals throughout the year, as well as on committees that support the staff of Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Daily operations of the garden are led by a CEO, directors and staff managers.

References

External links

Tower Hill Botanic Garden official website

The Cary Award
*
Transactions of the Worcester County Horticultural Society
''complete collection of 1847—2006 annual reports {{Authority control Horticultural organizations based in the United States Culture of Worcester, Massachusetts Gardens in Massachusetts Non-profit organizations based in Massachusetts 1842 establishments in Massachusetts Organizations established in 1842