Trail of Flowers planting July 2024

Ronan Rafter (left) and other Scouts from Maynard Troop
#130 added to Trail of Flowers plantings on July 20, 2024

 On July 20, 2024, nine Boy Scouts from Maynard Scout Troop #130 volunteered to do a morning's worth of planting a mix of Weigela, Beauty Bush, Yucca and Forsythia along the Assabet River Rail Trail as part of the Trail of Flowers (www.trailofflowers.com) program. This was an Eagle Scout project coordinated by Ronan Rafter.

The site selected was a 20 yard section where the Trail is parallel to High Street. Earlier plantings adjacent to High Street include nine Kousa Dogwoods (2021) and three Dawn Redwoods (2024). Prior to the July 20th planting, the site was cleared of wild plants, include invasive species Multiflora Rose, Oriental Bittersweet and Garlic Mustard. 

Site before clearing

While the nursery-bought plants were modest in size, the Weigela should reach four to five feet tall and wide at maturity, and are expected to be blooming next spring. The one Forsythia should also bloom next spring, and reach 8-10 feet within five years. The three Beauty Bush will take several years before blooming and much longer to reach mature size, but after ten years are expected to be multi-trunked and more than ten feet tall and wide. All of these are considered drought-resistant after the first year, and not browsed by deer. The Weigela and Beauty Bush (but not the Forsythia) are considered pollinator friendly for a variety of pollinating insect species and hummingbirds. We will have to see what shows up as these plants mature. 

Site, planted

Trail of Flowers was started in the fall of 2018 as a volunteer organization under the umprella of Assabet River Rail Trail Inc (ARRT). TOF volunteers plant and maintain flowering bulbs, shrubs and trees in the four communities that have paved trail: Acton, Maynard, Hudson and Marlborough. The planned route of the Trail - 12.4 miles - has a four-mile gap in the center, in Stow and part of Hudson, that may never be completed. The crtitical issue is that part of the route in Stow is private property, and the owners are not interested in selling ot providing a pass-through. 

As of summer 2024, Trail of Flowers has raised (and spent) more than $10,000 from individual and corporate donations, plus grants and gifts from community Cultural Councils and garden clubs. Maynard Community Gardeners also donates unsold plants from their annual plant sales. (Three more yucca in transplant recovery mode were added to the site in the fall.) Volunteer efforts and funding are acknowledged on the TOF website.