Boston Flora

Month: September 2009

  • Saturday, October 10 – Sunday, October 11, 10 am – 4 pm – Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration

    Join The A.D. Makepeace Company and the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association for the 6th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration, Saturday and Sunday, October 10 – 11, 2009, at A.D. Makepeace Company Headquarters at Tihonet Village, 158 Tihonet Road in Wareham.  10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, admission $2.00, age 6 and under free. Free event parking.

    This fun family event features juried crafters, activities for children, cooking demonstrations, pony and wagon rides, and much more. The highlight of the day is a guided tour of a working cranberry bog. Please, no pets.

    The 2008 event drew a record 12,000 people from around the world. For additional information, contact:

    A.D. Makepeace Company
    Kim Houdlette
    khoudlette@admakepeace.com
    www.admakepeace.com
    508-322-4000

    Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association
    Dawn Gates-Allen
    dgatesallen@cranberries.org
    508-759-1041 x13

    Cranberry Harvest Festival Birds Eye View of Corralling Fruit

  • Sunday, September 20, 3 pm – Preserving the Harvest: Kimchi

    Fall has officially begun; cooler temps, the kids back to school — and definite, if subtle, changes at the farmers markets. Alongside the later tomatoes and peaches, apples & root vegetables have arrived, and the winter greens are making a re-appearance, too.

    So what’s next in Slow Food’s Preserving the Harvest series? Fermentation! The staff at Slow Food tempted chef Didi Emmons and her trusty assistants into teaching  two kimchi preparations: a chunky, traditional-style kimchi and a more delicately cut local Macomber turnip version.

    Kimchi is simple to learn and incredible delicious (especially when homemade). Plus, it’s good for you! Fermented foods have topped the headlines over the past few years for their nutritional and healing properties.

    You’ll start class discussing the nutrition side of things, with Didi highlighting the importance of incorporating live macrobiotic foods into our diets, and then use veggies fresh from local farms to prepare the kimchis to take home and ferment.

    And you’ll get to taste some previously made kimchis at the end of class, too! Fee is $40, advance registration required.  Click on to www.slowfoodboston.com to register.

    Directions:
    Haley House Cafe is located at 12 Dade Street (immediately off Washington Street) in Roxbury. Directions can be found on their website.

  • Thursday, September 17, 1:00 – 2:00 pm – Butterflies Abound

    Butterflies abound in Felix Neck’s garden and fields.  Join the staff of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, Massachusetts on Thursday, September 17, from 1:00 – 2:00 pm for a guided walk to discover the butterflies of Martha’s Vineyard and the habitats that they need to survive.  Admission is free with Sanctuary admission. Felix Neck’s four miles of trails provide spectacular views of the surrounding woodlands, meadows, ponds, salt marsh, and barrier beach. In the summer and fall, enjoy watching a nesting pair of ospreys and a tree swallow colony. From the observation building, look for waterfowl in the pond during the fall and winter. Year-round, visit the Nature Center and Discovery Room to see barn owls nesting in the barn dormer through their owl cam.  For more information, email felixneck@massaudubon.org.

  • Friday, November 27 – Sunday, January 3 – Winter Holidays Around the World

    If you have come to Holly Days at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in the past, you know that volunteers come up with some clever, creative displays.  The emphasis is on natural materials.  A multitude of festivals and celebrations happen in winter, all around the globe.  The short days of the year seem to call for convivial gatherings and many cultures celebrate at this time.  If you would like to participate, please contact Melanie Magee at 508-869-6111, x 139, Wednesday and Thursday, 8:30 – 2:00, or email her at mmagee@towerhillbg.org, before the November 2 exhibitor’s deadline.  Tower Hill Botanic Garden is located at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts.  For directions, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, September 26 – Sunday, September 27 – 7th Annual Fall Carnivorous Plant Show

    The award winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) will again be hosting the Fall Carnivorous Plant Show at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence, Rhode Island.  Plant lovers and all those who enjoy something different will be able to get up close to hundreds of carnivorous plants exhibited by members of the NECPS.

    Featured plants will include pitcher plants from Malaysia with traps the size of softballs that are capable of eating lizards and mice.  There will be sundews from Australia ranging from the size of a dime to 12+ inches high, and the ever-popular Venus Fly Trap.  For you native plant lovers, NECPS will also display carnivorous plants that grow locally throughout New England.  This is the largest collection of carnivorous plants displayed yearly on the East Coast and the most popular show at the Botanical Center.  Over 300 plants are scheduled to be on display.

    Free seminars on growing and feeding carnivorous plants will be offered, and there are lots of opportunities for photographers.  Visit the Venus Fly Trap feeding area where you can observe up close how these plants devour insects.  Plants and growing accessories will be available for purchase for both novice and experienced growers from carnivorous plant vendors and the NECPS.  The permanent carnivorous plant bog exhibit will also be available for viewing.  Society members will be present both days to explain how the plants feed, what they eat, where they live, and how they can be grown and enjoyed at home.  Admission to the show is free with the purchase of regular admission to the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center : $3 adults, $1 children 6 – 12, under 6 free.  The show will run on Saturday September 26 from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm, and on Sunday September 27 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.  The address is 1000 Elmwood Avenue in Providence.  For additional information, please visit www.NECPS.org, or email johnatthebeach@cox.net.

    http://www.moplants.com/gallery2/d/85-2/Highland+Tropical+Pitcher+Plant.jpg

  • Sunday, September 20, 2 pm – Water Gardening Talk

    Kevin Dunn, Fish Health & Maintenance expert from E & T Farms will be at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland, Massachusettsto talk about everything Koi on Sunday, September 20, beginning at 2 pm! Free.  For directions, log on to www.russellsgardencenter.com.

    http://herls.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/7-14-07-koi-045.jpg

  • Sunday, September 20, Noon – 6 pm – North Amherst 4th Annual Harvest Festival

    For more information, log on to www.simplegiftsfarmcsa.com

  • Saturday, September 19, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Morning Bird Walk with Molly Edmonds

    Join Mass Audubon volunteer Molly Edmonds on an early morning walk through the Boston Nature Center on Saturday, September 19, from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m., to discover and learn more about birds and birding. Binoculars will be provided, if needed. All ages and birding abilities welcome. $4 for Mass Audubon members, $6 for non-members.  For more information, call 617-983-8500, or email bnc@massaudubon.org.

  • Wednesday, October 14, 10:00 – 12 noon – Designing Principles

    Please join The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for a series of three interactive design lecture/demonstrations on flower arranging at The Espousal Center, 554 Lexington Street, Waltham, Massachusetts.  The first session will be Wednesday, October 14, the second will take place Wednesday, January 27, 2010, and the final session will be on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.  Massachusetts designers, among the best in the country, will teach you what they do and how they do it – top secrets are often revealed.  Reservations are being accepted on  a first come, first served basis, and must be made in writing.  The total fee for all three sessions is $25 (what a deal!).  Make your check out to GCFM,Inc., and mail it with your name, address, telephone number, email address, and Garden Club affiliation to Robin Murphy, PO Box 3263, Wareham, MA 02571.  There is a registration deadline of October 1, so get on to this right now.

  • Friday, September 25, 5:30 pm – Sculpture Show Preview Party

    The famed “Stone Show” formerly in Hardwick, Massachusetts, is expanding and moving to Tower Hill Botanic Garden to become “The Sculpture Show.” The show will be larger and more inclusive in every way, with contributions from more than a dozen skilled artists from throughout New England and New York. See stunning works in metal, wood, cast stone and carved stone, set amongst the incomparable beauty of Tower Hill’s exquisite gardens and woodland trails—especially breathtaking during the fall foliage season. The preview party and reception with the artists will be on Friday, September 25, beginning at 5:30pm. Buy Sculpture Show Preview Party tickets. $25 for Tower Hill Members, $30 for non members. Enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvre and a cash bar, and enjoy a guided tour of the show, as the lights are turned on for the first time to illuminate the sculptures for a spectacular effect. We’ll inform you about special related programming throughout this event. The show is co-sponsored by New England Garden Ornaments of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and by Shadows and Light, of Conway, Massachusetts.  The show continues and will be open through November 1, from 10 am – 5 pm, and open Wednesday evenings until 8 pm.

    Participating Artists I Artists Bios
    Tim deChristopher I James DiSilvestro
    Thomas Kellner I Wendy Klemperer (photo below)
    Jill Nooney I Morris Norvin
    Tom O’ Connell I Pat Plourde
    Joseph Wheelwright I Carl White
    Gampo Wickenheiser I Jerry Williams Jeane Wolfe