It Happens Here: Tower Hill Botanic Garden In Boylston Connects People With Plants

BOYLSTON (CBS) - It happens here in Boylston, named for Ward Nicholas Boylston, a wealth merchant who is also the namesake for Boylston Street in Boston. Just north of Worcester, this community hugs the Wachusett Reservoir and is surrounded by green space and rolling hills.

One of those hills is Tower Hill Botanic Garden. "It's just like an art museum," CEO Grace Elton told WBZ-TV.

But here the collections are flowers, shrubs and trees. Some are familiar, others you won't see anywhere else in Massachusetts. They are all arranged in beautiful gardens where something is always in bloom.

"In addition to collecting plants and displaying them, connecting with people is our main mission," Elton said. That connection happens when people come to walk the paths with their dogs or volunteering to plant annuals. We saw a man set up an easel and begin a watercolor painting of one of the gardens. Some folks just come to gaze at the amazing views.

You will also see lots of kids. Second grade classes from all over the city of Worcester are invited to come for a field trip. This year they are treated to something extra, according to Tower Hill's director of horticulture Mark Richardson.

"We have a sculpture exhibit called Wind, Waves and Light," he said.

The exhibit includes more than a dozen pieces crafted by Ipswich artist George Sherwood. They are carefully placed throughout the garden and all are designed to have some sort of movement.

"This one is called the Wind Orchid," Richardson said describing the 30-foot tall piece that looks like two giant leaves dancing in the wind. Other pieces use dichroic film that moves in the breeze while reflecting the light in different colors.

It was all about the light for a group of photography students from Blue Hills Vocational School who spend much of their time shooting urban subjects.

"So this is kind of outside our comfort zone," said senior Andrey Spears.

Tower Hill encourages picnics, but this is not a BYOB place. They've actually got several beers on tap and bring them outside in the summer to create a beer garden atmosphere. There are also events featuring live music and even a whole day devoted to body art like tattoos and henna.