New willow trees coming to the Esplanade

By Sara Brown, Town Correspondent

Come summer, visitors to Otis Grove on the Esplande can enjoy the shade of 10 new weeping willow trees.

The 10 golden weeping willows (Salix alba 'Tristis') will be planted by The Esplanade Association, in coordination with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, at an Arbor Day ceremony on Friday, April 29.

According to The Esplanade Association, the new trees will follow the plans created by landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff in the mid-20th century. The organization said the new plantings will replace Shurcliff's original plantings, some of which have been lost.

The new trees, which will be added to Otis Grove, a cluster of birch trees on an island near Exeter Street, were made possible by donations from the Beacon Hill Garden Club.

“These iconic trees will be a welcomed and beautiful addition to this section of the Esplanade,” said The Esplanade Association's Executive Director Sylvia Salas in a press release.

At 11 a.m. on Friday, April 29, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioner Edward Lambert will be at the Esplanade for the trees' planting.

“The Esplanade Association is a valued partner with DCR in ensuring that the Charles River Esplanade continues to be a world-renowned urban landscape as well as a popular neighborhood park,” said DCR Commissioner Edward M. Lambert, Jr. “We thank the association very much for the generous gift of these new trees.”

Email Sara Brown at yourtownsara@gmail.com

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