As part of our “Discover Greenwich” Program, we welcome you to explore Montgomery Pinetum with a guided walking tour that highlights the historic park’s impressive and inspiring display of natural beauty. The tour is organized in association with the Greenwich Tree Conservancy and will be led by Lisa Beebe, Curator of the Town Arboretum as well as Director of Horticulture at the Greenwich Botanical Center. The tour will feature an in-depth look at the nature and history of the park’s gardens and trails. Learn more about the story of conservationist and preservationist Colonel Robert H. Montgomery, namesake of the Pinetum, and the various trees that grow there today.
Meet your guide:
Lisa Beebe has been the Arboretum Curator of the Greenwich Townwide Arboretum for the Greenwich Tree Conservancy since 2017. She has a passion trees and can often be found identifying and labeling trees in our parks, libraries and schools all over town.
Lisa has also been the Director of Horticulture at the Greenwich Botanical Center since 1998 and has been adding gardens, teaching, propagating, seeding, transplanting and talking about some of the most wonderful plants in cultivation ever since. Over the past year she has been working with the Parsonage St. Mary’s Cemetery group hoping to establish an Arboretum on that property as well
In 2015 Lisa received a Horticulture Commendation from the Garden Club of America for her commitment to educate, train and share her horticulture expertise to local garden clubs and enthusiast, and in 2005 a Horticulture Commendation from the GCA for horticultural contributions to the community.
Lisa graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science in Resource development, with a concentration in Landscape Design. She started her career as a Landscape Designer for Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton, MA where she broadened her knowledge of perennials, shrubs, and trees and her most favorite plants, Trees. After 5 years as a Landscape Designer, she relocated to Connecticut and became the Horticulturist at the New Canaan Nature Center. She ran a state of the art passive, solar greenhouse and created the Susan Hanson memorial Naturalists Garden. An environment that was appealing to both man and creatures of the natural world. While installing one of the water features, tree frogs came and laid their eggs in the reflecting pond before the edge had been installed. Four years later you could find Lisa selling plant material at McArdles and installing small perennial and shrub gardens for local Greenwich gardeners. She is also an avid birder and is a part time office administrator for Sunrise Birding.
Lisa, her husband Ed Schmidt live in Greenwich and are active in a variety of community events.
For members of the Greenwich Tree Conservatory or Greenwich Historical Society enjoy our reduced member pricing.
