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Community Corner

Volunteer at a "Living Museum:" The Wellesley College Botanic Gardens

Do something fun and worthwhile – become a tour guide at Wellesley College’s Ferguson Greenhouses. This “living museum” of over 1,000 plants is free and open to the public 365 days a year, and many groups enjoy guided tours. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens are offering a free three-session training course for volunteer tour guides on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon on November 8, 15 and 22 at the Botanic Gardens’ Visitor Center, adjacent to the greenhouses on the college campus, 106 Central St, Wellesley, MA 02481. Instruction will be on the history of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, the plants in the collection, and how to design and give tours of the greenhouses for specific visiting groups. Pre-registration is required. Interested individuals can contact the Friends office at 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

Whether greeting visitors, leading tours, performing garden maintenance tasks or hosting College events, volunteers are an essential part of the visitor’s greenhouse experience. Plants present a compelling combination of aesthetic appeal, natural wonders, scientific insight, and relevance to society, and volunteers delight in sharing their knowledge and love for this unique collection. There are social and learning benefits for volunteers, with hands-on training, monthly lectures, and opportunities to work with College faculty and horticultural staff. 

Tours of the College’s greenhouses are available free of charge to groups of eight and over, with at least two weeks’ advance notice required. Garden clubs, school classes, scout troops, and senior citizen groups are frequent visitors. Interested groups can contact the Friends office. The Friends website, http://www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends, contains information on programs and activities. 

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