Explore a mix of beautiful and functional private and public landscapes during the Fourth Annual Newton Pollinator Garden Tour taking place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 12 noon to 4:00 pm, with a rain date the following weekend, Saturday, September 26, same time. Focused on gardens showcasing mostly native plants across several Newton villages, this self-paced tour will demonstrate how native flora can beautifully sustain vital local pollinators. Organized by the Newton Community Pollinator Project in conjunction with Newton Conservators, the Newton Parks and Recreation Department, Green Newton, Friends of Cold Spring Park, Friends of Wellington Park, and Mothers Out Front Newton, the event is free.
Registration for the tour can be found below. Please sign up. Registrants will receive detailed info and maps ahead of the tour to help plan your afternoon, and to alert you of a weather postponement.
We are excited to share with you a number of private and public native pollinator plant gardens in the tour. The gardens located NORTH of the Mass Pike are open from 12-2 pm and the gardens located SOUTH of the Mass Pike are open from 2-4. There is also an after-party from 4-5:30 that all hosts and attendees are invited to attend, we hope to see you there! We have created a detailed tour guide and interactive map to guide you through the tour. This is available now if you’d like to look it over before the tour and plan your visits.
CLICK HERE to go to the tour guide in PDF form and download a copy. The guide has information about each garden on the tour as well as the interactive maps. You will also find links to plant inventory created by hosts (not all gardens provide inventories) and other resources. To use the interactive map, click on the pin for the garden you want to visit. This will bring up an information box with the exact address. Clicking on the Address will provide you with directions to that garden from wherever you are. Clicking on the Name of the garden will bring up a comprehensive inventory of the plants in the garden if the host has chosen to create one. The guide has a number of QR codes that would make it easy to download the guide or interactive map or inventories onto your mobile phone or tablet for use before the tour.
The Newton Community Pollinator Project is always looking for new native plant-heavy gardens to add to the tour. Previous tours have focused on Newton Center, Newton Highlands, Newtonville, and West Newton but we are adding new areas and gardens this year. Ideally, we would like to have a few gardens in close proximity to each other. If you would like your garden to be considered in the tour this year or next year, contact Ann Dorfman at dorfmanann@comcast.net.
Also note that on Saturday morning at Wellington Park (one of the garden sites), we are also holding the 6th Annual Newton Monarch Festival from 9 am to almost Noon which will also involve a tour of the Wellington Pollinator Garden, milkweed giveaways, kid’s activities, and of course monarch butterflies. Newton Mayor Mark Laredo will be speaking in the 11 -11:30 am timeframe. More details on this fun event can be found at: https://newtonconservators.org/events/6th-annual-newton-monarch-festival/
Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.