Read Time: 3 min

By Amy Markarian, Senior Copywriter

On Saturday, July 9, at 10:30am, before the morning sun invited summer’s characteristic heat and humidity, approximately 70 community members gathered at Wildlands Trust’s headquarters on Long Pond Road to dedicate the property’s native plant garden to a longtime supporter of the Trust’s mission, Deborah Wood Davis.

Deborah Wood Davis married into the family of Howland Davis, the previous owner of the land that is now Wildlands’ Davis-Douglas Conservation Area. Her family recalls Deborah’s great affection for the area and, according to her daughter Caroline Chapin, she was excited by Wildlands’ mission and the way it drew the community together. So, when Deborah’s five daughters were looking for a way to honor their mother and the strong roots and connections she had established here, they came to Wildlands Trust.

Sarah Geer, one of those daughters, approached Wildlands’ President and Executive Director Karen Grey to discuss the idea at just the right time. Wildlands had been struggling with the desire to maintain some component of the property’s historic barn, but its crumbling foundation walls and the steep drop from ground level to its interior depth posed hazards that had to be addressed. Simultaneously, local landscape architect Love Howard had also reached out to Karen with the idea of designing a pollinator-friendly garden using native plant species that would support the local ecosystem, and she was looking for a location where she could bring the idea to life. The Davis family’s gift to honor their mother provided the needed support to begin the process of converting the unsafe barn foundation into a showcase garden and educational tool at Wildlands’ headquarters.

The project, according to Karen, “brought together need with opportunity and allowed us to make meaningful connections for people, which are always the best type of projects.” In the fall of 2020, after structural work was completed, the first plants were added by a group of volunteers—including some of Deborah’s daughters, Wildlands volunteer and Board Member Marilynn Atterbury, and others—under Love’s guidance. Today, Marilynn continues the work, along with Wildlands’ gardener Kim Goggin, carefully maintaining and enhancing what is often called “the foundation garden.”

On the morning of the dedication ceremony, the gardening team’s hard work and meticulous care were on full display for the large crowd that had assembled for the occasion. In what would have been Deborah Davis’ 100th year, according to Caroline, the family organized a mini reunion around the dedication ceremony, bringing all five daughters, spouses, children, and almost all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren together in Plymouth—a gathering of community that would likely have brought the family’s matriarch great pleasure. Also in attendance were several of Wildlands’ staff members, Board members, and supporters. Karen Grey addressed the group with gratitude for all who contributed to the project, Sarah Geer shared reflections of her mother, and Love Howard described her inspiration and plan for the garden’s creation. As the ceremony concluded, with a comfortable breeze under bright blue sky, the flitting of bees and butterflies entertained visitors as they reminisced and explored the newly dedicated Deborah Wood Davis Native Plant Garden.