Daily Archives: September 13, 2009


Friday, October 2, 5 – 8 pm – The 2009 Great Glass Pumpkin Preview Party

Visit the Kresge Oval on Friday evening to preview the complete installation of 1,000 handblown glass pumpkins, created by artists from the MIT Glass Lab. Pumpkin sales are Saturday, October 3 only, from 10 am to 3 pm, with a rain date on Sunday, October 4. Up-to-date rain date information will be posted on http://web.mit/glasslab/sales_pumpkin.html.

Proceeds from this event benefit The MIT Glass Lab, where the MIT community can learn and practice the art of glassblowing.

The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch came to MIT in 2001 after a residency in the Glass Lab by 14 members of the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI). The Bay Area Glass Institute (a non-profit corporation located in San Jose, CA), was founded in 1995 by San Jose State graduate Bobby Bowes and MIT alumnus Mike Binnard.

Every week or so, beginning, intermediate, and advanced students work together for a few hours in teams of six or seven to produce pumpkins for the sale. Production for the October event continues steadily throughout the year in order to achieve their goal of 1000-1200 pumpkins.

The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch @ MIT


Thursdays, October 1 & 8, 5:45 – 7:45 pm – Habitat Gardening

The Cambridge Center for Adult Education will offer a two session course led by Kim DeAndrade and Ellen Sousa on Habitat Gardening. You don’t need to get in the car and drive somewhere to enjoy nature. By learning to create a backyard habitat, you can create a sanctuary for songbirds, butterflies, and people, right in your own backyard. In this two-session course, for beginners or experienced gardeners, you will learn how and what to plant to attract various kinds of wildlife; how birds, dragonflies, bats, and beneficial insects all provide free pest control; plus other ecological gardening techniques. They will walk you through the process of providing the four elements that wildlife need: food, water, cover, and places to rear their young. They will explain how your property, large or small, can become a National Wildlife Federation-certified backyard wildlife habitat. Beautiful photos of New England habitat gardens will inspire you and wash away any remaining post-winter doldrums. Help create habitat, one yard at a time! Limited to 16.
Sec. 01: 2 Thursdays, 5:45-7:45 pm. Oct. 1 & 8, 56 Brattle St. | $75
Course Code: HABG–1
To register, log on to www.ccae.org.
Ends on: October 08, 2009

Price:75.00


Saturdays, October 3 & 24, 9 am – 4 pm – Propagating Trees and Shrubs from Cuttings and Seeds

Need to nurture?  Then join longtime Arnold Arboretum propagator Jack Alexander to learn basic information and techniques for propagating most woody plants.  Session One includes a lecture and workshop on seed propagation and construction of a propagation case.  Session Two will be a lecture and workshop on hardwood cuttings.  You will leave class with numerous cuttings and seeds to cherish and grow.  To participate, you must sign an assumption-of-risk-and-release form in order to practice the techniques taught in class.  Bring a lunch and a beverage.  If you own hand pruners, bring them to the second class.  A sharp knife and an apron may also be helpful.  You will be collecting propagules from the Arboretum grounds on both afternoons regardless of weather, so dress accordingly and wear comfortable shoes.  The classes will take place at the Dana Greenhouses, Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.  For directions, and to register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.  You may also email horticulture@wellesley.edu.  Course Number HOR 10 010, WCFH and Arboretum member price $180, Non-Members $215.

Tree Branches 4 by LynGi.


Wednesdays, September 30 – November 4, 6:00 – 9:00 pm – Invasive Plant Species ID and Eradication

This six session course will begin with a segment on the identification of the most common invasive plant species encountered in woodlots, fields, gardens, and similar sites. Appropriate management and control techniques will be discussed, as will commercially available herbicides. The understanding of invasive plant species dynamics and proper control techniques gained in this course will enable gardeners and landscapers to safely, effectively, and economically keep unwanted plants to a minimum. The course will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, each Wednesday evening beginning September 30 through November 4, from 6 – 9 pm, and will be taught by Mike Nelson, Norfolk County Agricultural High School.  Tuition is $400 for Tower Hill members, and $445 for non-members.  The non-member fee includes a one year individual Tower Hill Botanic Garden membership, since if you’re forking out the big bucks you should at least be a member, which will entitle you to many other great discounts and opportunities.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org before September 23.

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