Boston Flora

  • Friday, June 26, 2:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Poetry Writing Workshop: What Words for Nature’s Beauty?

    With Hollister House Garden in Washington, Connecticut as a source of inspiration, Woodbury poet laureate emerita Sandy Carlson invites you to explore of the role of nature in poetry. Spend time exploring the garden rooms at Hollister House, observing, wandering, and writing as you feel inspired. Go where the Muse takes you- being as contemplative or as playful as you please. Carlson will be available for support and feedback throughout the afternoon. The workshop will conclude with an informal open mic, offering participants the option to share their work with the group while enjoying a beverage.

    This June 26 workshop is for everyone who loves words and the natural world—no previous poetry or writing experience is required. Bring a notebook and your favorite pen or pencil.

    Sandy Lee Carlson is a widely published poet, educator, and Poet Laureate Emerita of Woodbury. She founded the monthly open mic at Woodbury Public Library, and she organizes poetry events in Litchfield and New Haven counties. She edits and publishes poetry anthologies as managing partner of Orenaug Mountain Publishing and hosts the podcast People and Their Poems, featuring conversations with area poets about their work and the poems that have shaped people’s lives. Sandy teaches high school English in Litchfield. A Master Gardener, she spends her free time removing introduced plants wherever she finds them clogging the landscape. Learn more at sandycarlson.net.

    HHG members: $30. Non-members: $35. Register at https://hollisterhousegarden.org/event/poetry-workshop-what-words-for-natures-beauty/

  • Friday – Sunday, June 26 – 28, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Secret Gardens of Newport

    Eight to ten gardens will be open in this summer’s Secret Gardens of Newport Tour. Order your tickets online at https://www.secretgardentours.org/faqs.htm Advance sale tickets are $30. On the days of the tour, tickets may be purchased for $35, if there are any tickets available. On the day you arrive, present your PayPal receipt under the tent in Storer Park at 32 Washington Street in Newport and you will be given a program with a map and directions to each of the gardens.

    The Newport Secret Garden Tours is proud to partner with Bike Newport and the “Get There By Bike” initiative. We encourage you to bike to the Newport Secret Garden Tour, helping to reduce traffic congestion, parking stress, and carbon emissions. We will have temporary bike racks set up at Storer Park. More information on bike parking and other related information can be found here:
    https://bikenewportri.org/bike-to-newport-secret-garden-tours/

  • Tuesday, June 30, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Garden Dining Series: Smokeshow

    New England Botanic Garden’s Garden Dining Series invites guests to savor the ever-evolving relationship between food and nature by celebrating the ingredients and techniques rooted in the natural world. Each event in this signature culinary experience features a thoughtfully curated, multi-course, family-style meal centered around a distinct theme that explores nature’s influence on global cuisines and culinary traditions. From seasonal harvests, the rustic beauty of wood-fired cooking, and the healing flavors of an apothecary-inspired feast, the Garden Dining Series gathers guests together at communal tables to enjoy an unforgettable evening that blends exceptional food, atmosphere, and storytelling. Must be 21+ to attend.

    Ticketing: Each ticket will include one complimentary beverage from a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including beer, wine, signature drinks, and soft drinks. Additional beverages may be purchased throughout the evening. Deadline for Smokeshow registration is June 24. This barbecue inspired evening highlights the role plants play in smoking, seasoning, and transforming food, from aromatic woods and herbs to charred vegetables and smoked mains. For registration (NEBG members $115, nonmembers $125) visit HERE.

  • Wednesday, June 24, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Blossoms & Bites

    What goes better together than chocolate and flowers?

    In this New England Botanic Garden event on June 24, a dual-maker workshop, you’ll step into the world of artisanal chocolate with Viviane of Vivilicious Chocolates, learning the craft behind chocolate tempering, making and designing two of your own floral-infused creation. Incorporate botanicals like rose, lavender, and chamomile and explore chocolate not as candy, but as an ingredient of depth and structure, where each botanical is expressed with clarity and balance.

    While your chocolate sets, Sam of Sam’s Stems will guide you through the art of creating a colorful summer garden arrangement. Using fresh seasonal blooms, you’ll compose something simple and beautiful and pick up the basics of caring for cut flowers at home, including whatever might already be growing in your garden.

    Leave with a chocolate treat you made yourself, a bouquet to brighten your space, and a handful of new skills to carry into the season.

    No experience needed. Just a love of beautiful things. And chocolate. Definitely chocolate. $125 NEBG members, $140 nonmembers. Pair pricing: $165 NEBG members, $180 nonmembers, but pair pricing includes only ONE set of materials to share. Register at www.nebg.org

  • Tuesday, June 30, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – Designing the Lush Dry Garden, Online

    On June 30 at 2 pm Eastern on Zoom, Cricket Riley will share the inspiration behind the book Designing the Lush Dry Garden and discuss how personal experience, place, and climate shape the way we design and experience our landscapes. She will explore what it means to create gardens that are vibrant, resilient in the face of a changing climate, and expressive of individual values and aesthetics. The talk will highlight influences from the Ruth Bancroft Garden as well as practical design strategies and thoughtful plant choices that balance beauty with sustainability, offering attendees approachable ideas they can adapt to their own spaces. Cricket will also touch on how observation, experimentation, and seasonal change inform successful garden design over time. The Garden Conservancy presentation will conclude with an interactive Q&A, inviting audience members to ask questions and explore how the concepts, tools, and inspiration from the book can be applied to their own unique landscapes and gardening goals.

    CRICKET RILEY is co-owner of Lush Dry Gardens, a landscape design firm specializing in low-water garden design, and worked at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, CA, from 2017 to 2025. During her tenure she held multiple roles, including founding and serving as Director of the Design Services department. She was the primary instructor for the Dry Garden Design Certificate Program, which she co-created with Alice Kitajima in 2020.

    ALICE KITAJIMA’s deep connection to gardens and landscape design began early, inspired by her father, who immigrated to Los Angeles to design and install Japanese-style gardens. After completing her forestry and music studies at the University of California, Berkeley, she worked at botanical gardens and arboreta across the United States. As Program Director at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, she led the education department with a passion for helping people build meaningful, lasting connections with plants.

    You will receive the webinar link directly from Zoom. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. $5 Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/web26-designing-the-lush-dry-garden

  • Wednesday, June 24 & Saturday, June 27, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern – Balancing Native & Non-Native Plantings, Online

    Hear practical, approachable tips for incorporating native plants into your landscape alongside non-native favorites. Native plants play a critical role in supporting pollinators and wildlife, strengthening biodiversity, and creating plant communities adapted to local conditions. Non-native species contribute structure, seasonal interest and continuity. Learn how to integrate them for a balanced, thriving landscape. This two part Zoom presentation with Marie Chieppo is offered by the Native Plant Trust on June 24 & June 27 for $25. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/balancing-native-and-non-native-plantings/

  • Thursday, June 25, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Plymouth Public Library Foundation Garden Tour

    Start at Plymouth Public Library’s Dr. Richard M. Shiff Garden at 132 South Street in Plymouth at 10 am and meet sponsors and fellow non-profits. Talk to a Master Gardener, have your soil tested, and learn more about the wonderful resources available to you in our community.

    At noon, the tour commences and all ticketed guests are free to visit the five gardens at their own pace. Each of these gardens is extraordinary and as an added bonus a Plein Air artist will be on-site to add yet another colorful and breathtaking element to the tour!

    There will be opportunities galore to take home a beautifully decorated birdhouse, fabulous gift certificate and so much more — thanks to the generosity of our community!

    All proceeds will be used to continue the work to improve the Dr. Richard M. Shiff Garden and create an oasis for all to enjoy! $30 in advance, $40 on day of tour. Click HERE to purchase in advance, or to make a donation.

  • Tuesday, June 23, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Plants’ Scents and Sensibilities, Online

    Why do flowers have distinct scents, and why do plants produce smells in the first place? This Native Plants Trust online program on June 23 at 7 pm explores these questions by examining how plants communicate and protect themselves. We’ll also investigate the remarkable ways plants perceive their surroundings—sensing, responding, and moving in ways that are largely invisible to humans. The session is led by Daphne Minner, Garden Coach and Botanical Educator. $25. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/plants-scents-and-sensibilities/

  • Saturday, June 27, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – A Summer Walk in the Gardens of York

    Spend a special day enjoying a scenic walking tour through some of the finest gardens in York, Maine. This leisurely stroll covers approximately 1.2 miles, guiding you through nine beautiful residential gardens, each offering its own charm, creativity, and inspiration.

    Along the way, take in sweeping views of the water, thoughtfully designed landscapes, and the warm hospitality of friendly hosts. The tour concludes with a special Art in Bloom surprise, adding an extra touch of beauty and creativity to the experience.

    Please join us in supporting the Piscataqua Garden Club, as they present this wonderful event as part of their Centennial Celebration. Tickets are $30 – $150. Purchase through Eventbrite HERE. Ticket pick up will be at Olde Yorke Historical Society, 3 Lindsay Road in York.

  • Friday, June 19, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm – Mushrooms for Beginners

    Mushrooms are tremendously diverse and play an important ecological role. In this June 19Native Plant Trust class at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, we will first learn about basic fungal biology and identification from Thomas Roehl and then head out to the Garden for a mushroom foray. After lunch, we will identify our finds using field guides and microscopes. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one. $100. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/mushrooms-for-beginners/