Horticultural Restoration at Consecration Dell

On September 24th, Mount Auburn celebrated its 180th Anniversary. In honor of the occasion, it seems appropriate to look at the area where the Cemetery’s Consecration took place in 1831, the area we know now as Consecration Dell. Both the geographic and metaphoarical heart of the Cemetery, the Dell is an important chapter in our evolving history and represents a unique horticultural space within our landscape.
For the past fifteen years, the Cemetery has worked to restore the Dell to a native New England woodland. This restoration project has included the removal of invasive, non-native plant species, in particular the Norway Maple, and new introductions of appropriate trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and groundcovers.
Here is some of what you can now find growing and thriving in the Dell:
Anemone canadensis, Canada Anemone
Anemonella thalicitroides, Rue Anemone
Aquilegia candensis, Canadian Columbine
Arisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Aster corifolius, Heart Leaved Aster
Aster macrophyllus, Large-leaf Aster
Cimicifuga racemosa, Bugbane
Caultheria procumbens, Wintergreen
Gilenia trifoliata, Bowman’s Root
Heuchera americana, Coral Bell
Iris versicolor, Blue Flag Iris
Maianthemum canadense, Canadian Mayflower
Podophyllum peltatum, May Apple
Polygonatum odoratum, Solomon Seal
Smilacina racemosa, False Solomon’s Seal
Solidago odora, Goldenrod
Tiarella cordifolia, Foam Flower
Trillium grandiflorum, White Trillium
Uvularia sessifolia, Merrybells
Waldsteinia fragariodes, Barren Strawberry
Xanthorhiza simplicissima, Yellowroot
Due to the Dell’s steep slopes, one of the many goals of this restoration project has been to combat soil erosion. Rather than shoring up the swtich-back trails throughout the dell with timber, the Cemetery has secured compost-filled burlap tubes on some of the steepest terrain. Plants injected directly into these tubes will, overtime, take root in the ground. Mount Auburn’s Horticultural Curator Dennis Collins spoke about these burlap tubes earlier this year. Take a look at this video to learn more about the process:
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