Star Magnolia Joins Arbor Day Lineup At Holcombe Property

By Dottie Evans

In celebration of its Fourth Annual Arbor Day Tree Planting at the Holcombe Property, the Newtown Woman’s Club (GFWC) spent a sunny Thursday morning, April 29, digging in the dirt in front of a handsome old red barn that has stood in that spot more than a century.

The barn, a nearby stonewall, and an adjacent field and woods are part of a 78-acre property off Birch Hill Road that is owned by the Newtown Forest Association (NFA). It was deeded to the land trust in 1966.

While the diggers dug, a sturdy star magnolia in full bloom waited in the wings. It would soon be firmly planted in the middle of what will someday be an extensive perennial garden planned by the Newtown Woman’s Club. The planting area has been reinforced by a stone retaining wall that club members built last year with the help of NFA members.

As people leaned into their shovels, a soft spring breeze ruffled the petals on nearly 2,000 daffodils along an old stone wall at the property line. Club members had planted the bulbs more than two years ago. The beautification of the Holcombe Property is an ongoing project undertaken by the Woman’s Club, and Arbor Day has been an occasion to plant several young trees there, including a larch, dogwood, and crabapples.

This year’s Arbor Day contribution, the star magnolia, was given in memory of Lillian Kistler, who died in December 2003 at the age of 95. She was the mother of longtime Newtown Woman’s Club member Mary Antey.

“My mother grew up in the South and lived her whole life in Tennessee, so a magnolia tree seemed appropriate for her,” Ms Antey said.

The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) puts out large but delicate white flowers in early spring before any other trees or bushes have leafed out. As the years go by, this little tree promises to put on an increasingly spectacular show against the old red barn once owned by Josephine Holcombe.