Five Questions With: Karen Binder

KAREN BINDER is executive director of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum. / COURTESY BLITHEWOLD
KAREN BINDER is executive director of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum. / COURTESY BLITHEWOLD

Since 2004 Karen Binder has served as the executive director of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum and during her tenure has helped the organization raise more than $10 million for endowment and capital improvements. This fall, Blithewold announced Binder had been awarded the gold medal for excellence in horticulture from the Honorary Medals Committee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which recognizes advancements made in the horticulture field.

PBN: In October, you were awarded the gold medal for excellence in horticulture from the Honorary Medals Committee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society – how do you feel?

BINDER: I feel incredibly honored to be recognized by the country’s oldest horticultural society. It’s also a great honor for Blithewold, given how far the property and the organization has come since almost being closed to the public in 1998. With more than $10 million raised in the last decade to address capital improvements, visitor amenities and build an endowment, the board and staff should feel very proud of the progress and this recognition.

PBN: What role do the gardens play in the mission of Blithewold?

- Advertisement -

BINDER: The gardens and grounds are the heart of the property and reflect the design aesthetic Bessie Van Wickle, the owner of the property, and John DeWolf, landscape designer, collaborated on in order to achieve what we see now. It’s the ultimate culmination of the vision they laid out more than 100 years ago. When I look back at the historic photos of the land they were sculpting and compare it to what our visitors now experience, it’s awe-inspiring. It is, in essence, a gift they gave all of us to enjoy and experience.

PBN: The award recognizes organizations and individuals that have made advances in the field of horticulture – what horticulture projects has Blithewold been pursuing in the last year?

BINDER: Blithewold is in the process of implementing an institutional master plan that is guiding the development of the property and its structures. We recently reconstructed an additional section of the 1901 Lord and Burnham Greenhouse Complex to support the gardens. The space is now able to house our growing potted collection as well as grow more than 10,000 plants from seeds annually. In addition, we are starting an educational program to highlight our trees. The living collection consists of more than 3,000 woody plant specimens with rare and exotic tree specimens from around the world, including the tallest Sequoia east of the Mississippi River.

PBN: What are the biggest challenges of maintaining such large gardens in New England’s climate?

BINDER: The New England climate is definitely challenging. We have experienced three summers of drought, which is incredibly hard on our trees, which have thrived in this climate for more than 100 years. When the rain does come it’s often in deluges, which then runs off and does not soak into the root systems. These conditions weaken the trees as they go into the winter and winter temperatures are also not as consistent. The trend of warmer winters leaves the trees susceptible to an increasing number of invasive pests and allows for fungus growth. Lastly, one of the most important and historic gardens, the Rock Garden, is already showing the impacts of higher tides and salt reaching its borders.

PBN: What are your goals going forward for the gardens?

BINDER: We are in the midst of approving architectural plans to renovate our underutilized Carriage House into a new Visitor and Education Center. It will house our ticketing area, gift shop, handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a larger classroom space.

No posts to display