Anne Mostue became a Member of the Friends of the Public Garden in 2013 when she moved back to Boston after several years away. She was born here and grew up nearby. Boston radio listeners may find Anne's name (and voice) familiar. She works as an anchor for Bloomberg Radio in Boston, 1200 AM and 94.5 FM HD-2. Previously, she was an on-air reporter/producer for WGBH, the NPR and PBS station airing in all six New England states.
We asked Anne how she became aware of the Friends of the Public Garden and this is what she told us: "I learned about the Friends when I became a volunteer rose gardener! One day I was walking through the Public Garden, admiring the flowers and missing the garden I had when I lived in Maine. It occurred to me that the city might need help, and wouldn't that be an ideal volunteer opportunity? I made a few calls and found China Altman, who leads the Rose Brigade."
The Friends of the Public Garden works in partnership with the city to care for the Common, Garden, and Mall. The volunteer Rose Brigade has worked for 28 years to care for the roses, including planting new bushes and weekly pruning, deadheading, and clean-up of beds. Anne says, "Working in the beds every week actually feels like an escape from the city. We're dirty and completely absorbed in each bud and bush. I look forward to my time in the garden all week."
Anne started with the Friends as a Rose Brigade volunteer and then began attending Friends events including those hosted by our Young Friends group. She has become a very active park steward who now also serves on our Council, and recently became co-chair of the Young Friends group.
We asked Anne to share something that she has learned from working with the Friends. She says, "People might be surprised to learn that the city can only do so much, so volunteers step in - to garden and also to advocate for the open space and its preservation."
