Facts about New England Wild Flower Society

• 1900 – Established as the Society for the Protection of Native Plants by Amy Folsom and a group of Boston women, New England Wild Flower Society is America’s oldest plant conservation organization.

• With nearly 1,500 volunteers in the field, plant conservation and environmental stewardship is at the heart of the Society’s work.

• The Society’s nationally-recognized conservation programs include Plant Conservation Volunteers (PCV) New England Plant Conservation Program (NEPCoP); Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE); and numerous conservation collaborations.
• New England Wild Flower Society participates in the Seeds of Success program, collecting seed for the northeast United States.     
• 1965 – Garden founder Will C. Curtis deeds Garden in the Woods to the Society. The 45-acre native plant botanic garden in Framingham, Massachusetts is the Society’s headquarters and living museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM).  
• 2003 – Society opens Nasami Farm & Sanctuary in Whately, Massachusetts to the public. It now raises more than 100,000 plants each year and is the future home of the Native Plant Center.
• The Society’s Museum Store sells books, gardeners’ supplies, toys, gifts, and more. 

• We offer 700 nursery-propagated and nursery-grown native species and cultivars at the Society’s nurseries – the largest in the northeast. Quantity preorders are available at plants@newenglandwild.org.
• All proceeds, including memberships, garden admissions, course fees, and sale of plants, books, and gifts, support the Society’s conservation mission.

• Ten sanctuaries throughout New England are now owned and operated by the Society -- nine of which are open to the public. 

• 1950s  –  Society begins to offer native plant education courses.  Today it offers tyear-round he largest public native plant studies program, including course, workshops, and field trips, in the United States.

• 1960s – Society begins presenting annual awards, honoring individuals and organizations for exceptional achievement in native plant horticulture, conservation, education, landscape design, and service to the Society.

• 5,600 households and organizations are New England Wild Flower Society members, representing more than 10,000 individuals.

• New England Wild Flower Society publishes books, magazines, articles, newsletters, and online publications. Authors include William Brumback, William Cullina,  Bonnie Drexler, Arthur Haines, Tristram Seiderl, and other distinguished Society staff and faculty.