Civic Initiatives and Environmental Projects

Proceeds from the tour and the sale of Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill , plus members’ dues and general donations, are almost wholly directed in the support of civic and environmental projects.

Since its founding, BHGC has made contributions to over 200 local, state, and national organizations whose missions, like ours, include conservation, restoration and improvement of the urban environment.

Committed to the beautification of Beacon Hill and areas of immediate proximity, BHGC provides civic plantings and routine, hands-on maintenance to the gardens at Peter Faneuil House, the Old North Church, the Boston Common, the Boston Public Library, and Codman Traffic Island—the latter, located at the intersection of Beacon and Charles Streets, is the green gateway to our neighborhood on Tour Day. Recent special projects include the renovation of the Hatch Shell grounds on the Charles River Esplanade and the island below the Arthur Fiedler Foot Bridge on Storrow Drive.

Environmental, horticultural, and conservation organizations financially supported in recent years include Beacon Hill Tree Committee, Beacon Hill Elms, Temple Street Park, Boston Harbor Association, Boston Natural Areas Network, Boston Schoolyard Initiative, the Esplanade Association, Arnold Arboretum, U.S. National Arboretum, National Resources Defense Council, Friends of the Public Garden, the Food Project (which trains young people to grow food in urban and suburban gardens for the benefit of the city’s neediest), City Year, New England Wild Flower Society, Massachusetts Horticulture Society, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and the Garden of Peace.

Through participation as an exhibitor, BHGC supports the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at its annual New England Spring Flower Show, and the Museum of Fine Arts during Art in Bloom (this year April 25-27), an annual festival celebrating and interpreting fine art through floral displays.

Through its Conservation Committee, BHGC is embarking on a new initiative to advance the understanding, development, and conservation of Green Spaces in Boston. BHGC sends member representatives to the NAL/Conservation meetings in Washington, DC, and to hearings before the Massachusetts State Legislature when the scope and funding for environmental projects important to Beacon Hill, the larger Boston area, and the state are proposed.

Copyright © 2009, Beacon Hill Garden Club, Inc. All rights reserved.