BDG23 PRELUDE Fall 2019

Photography: Rosemary Fletcher
One of the highest honors a landscape contractor can
receive is to win the bid to rebuild and maintain a National
Landmark, but when the site pays homage to a botanist, the
laurel becomes all the more meaningful. Horticulturalists
at Cambridge’s renowned Mount Auburn Cemetery and
arboretum were so enamored with R.P. Marzilli & Co.’s
residential work that they called upon the landscape
professionals, together with landscape architecture firm
Halverson Design, to return the display garden, which is
located near the entrance gate, to its former magnificence.
LANDMARK
S TAT U S
R.P. Marzilli & Co., Inc. cultivates the Asa Gray
Garden at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Named for Asa Gray, who is buried at Mount Auburn and
widely considered the most important botanist of the 19th
century, this tranquil jewel is comprised of a central fountain,
stone benches and beautiful beds that have four-season
interest and historical significance. Over 130 species of trees,
shrubs, perennials and grasses from Asia and North America
honor Gray’s legacy, and represent “the original genus and
species of the plants,” explains Principal Bob Marzilli.
The project was as challenging as it was compelling. A deep
excavation and the construction of a new granite fountain
(with hidden mechanicals and an intricate jet design) required
a strong team effort by the site and project managers,
stonemasons and plantsmen at R.P. Marzilli & Co., and the
firm is thrilled to be associated with the landscape. Says
Marzilli, “It was a treat to work to recapture the intent of the
original vision.” View additional projects at rpmarzilli.com.
Mount Auburn Cemetery welcomes over 200,000 visitors a year
and is free and open to the public. mountauburn.org
bostondesignguide.com 53