The history behind it all.
Since 1963 the Club has cared for urban trees, including the street trees and the alley trees of Back Bay. The Club supports the planting, inoculation, and pruning of the trees in partnership with the City of Boston.
The Garden Club of the Back Bay has been in existence since 1963 when Back Bay resident Laura Dwight organized a project to plant the spectacular saucer magnolias on residents’ front gardens on the sunny side of Commonwealth Avenue. In 1965 dogwoods were planted on the shady side.
Trees have always been the focus of the club, with additional projects including 45 magnolias planted in 1995 and 50 magnolias planted for our 50th anniversary in 2013. We coordinated with the city to replace an allée of gingko trees on Clarendon Street in 2016.
We have done exhaustive tree inventories and in 2018 launched www.backbaytrees.org which provides a detailed catalogue of alley trees and front garden trees. We are continuing with further inventories of the neighborhood street trees. We advocate with the Landmark’s Commission to protect the health and density of the of our urban tree canopy.
We sponsor frequent programs throughout the year to educate and bring members together:
GCBB Members are active in Community Outreach and planting events, and actively maintain a number of city gardens and statues.
The Club strives to find projects that enhance the beauty of our streets. The wrought iron tree fences surrounding our street trees is one of these projects.
We partner with the Friends of the Public Garden, the Esplanade Association, the Friends of Copley Square, and others as part of our Community Outreach. Since 2009 the club has given the Magnolia Award to an individual or organization that meets the criteria of our mission.
The Club engages in two major fundraising events: The December Wreath Week decorating project and the spring Twilight Garden Party which replaced the Garden Tour in 2008. These events are the highlight of the club’s social schedule and raise important funds for our tree care and garden projects. In addition, the Club has awarded grants and donations to other non-profit organizations which work to advocate for Boston’s Green Spaces.
