Boston Flora

Month: November 2009

  • Friday, December 4 – Sunday, December 6 – Christmas in Salem

    The 2009 Legacy Tour, sponsored by Historic Salem, Inc.,  steps back in history, featuring 18th and 19th century homes in the Salem Common Neighborhood.  A Candlelight Tour will begin Friday, December 4, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.  On Saturday, December 5, the tour will be open from 10:00 am – 4:30 pm, and on Sunday, December 6, from 11:30 am – 4:30 pm.  There is a Snow Date: Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.

    It’s Historic Salem’s 65th anniversary, and Christmas in Salem’s 30th holiday house tour. What better way to mark these milestones than with a Christmas house tour that includes historically significant sites on or near this year’s route, which is centered around the Salem Common neighborhood.

    Christmas in Salem will indeed be bigger and better than ever, starting with this website to let you know all about tour features in advance. And there’s lots to share, including information about other holiday events taking place in Salem. Christmas in Salem is more than a house tour…it’s an entire month of fabulous holiday fun.  For questions and more information, call 978-745-0799, or email info@HistoricSalem.org.  Photo below of Salem Common courtesy of Trip Mason Photography.

    Twelve 18th and 19th century homes all decorated for the holidays, all within easy walking distance
    Historic “legacy” sites you’ll pass…and several you can visit

    PLUS

    Free Trolley Service • Restaurant and Shopping Discounts • Special Museum Offers • Concerts • Lectures • Theatre and Movie Tie-ins • Wine Tasting • Holiday Decorating Boutique

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  • Garden Clubs Hold Greens Sales in Early December

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is known for its beautiful holiday wreaths, but many other Garden Clubs throughout eastern Massachusetts hold greens sales in early December, where you may purchase swags, boughs, mistletoe and holly to further decorate your home.  Not all Clubs  have websites to check for details and directions, but we have included contact information below, so you may find the site most convenient to you.  All proceeds go towards betterment projects in the communities served by the Clubs, so buying from them is an easy way to help beautify Massachusetts.

    Tuesday, December 1 – Open Meeting and Greens Sale featuring floral designer Betty Call at the Cove Community Center in Beverly, beginning at 6 pm, sponsored by the Friendly Garden Club.  (www.beverlygardenclub.org)

    Saturday, December 5 -  “Annual Christmas Faire” at the First Congregational Church Fellowship Hall in Wareham, sponsored by the Wareham Garden Club.  Call Donna Greenwood at 508-748-1011 for times and more information.

    Saturday, December 5 – Greens Sale at the St. Joseph’s Parish Hall in Belmont, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, sponsored by the Belmont Garden Club.  Please use entrance from School Street parking lot.  For more information email sherry.h.jones@verizon.net.

    Saturday, December 5 – Greens Sale at the Easton Historical Society, North Easton, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, rain or shine, sponsored by the Easton Garden Club.  Contact info@eastongardenclub.org.

    Saturday, December 5 – Basket and Greens Sale at the Marblehead Community Center in Marblehead, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, sponsored by the Arrangers of Marblehead. Call Nancy DiLisio at 781-593-3323.

    Saturday, December 5 – Greens Sale at Endicott Park Carriage House, Danvers, from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon, sponsored by the Danvers Garden Club. (www.danversgardenclub.org)

    Saturday, December 5 – Holiday Greens Sale at the Wollaston Congregational Church in Quincy, from 9:00 am – 11:00 am, sponsored by the Wollaston Garden Club of Quincy.  ( http://gardencentral.org/clubs/wgcquincy/)

    Saturday, December 5 – Greens Sale at the Little Red School House in Groveland, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, sponsored by the Groveland Garden Club.  Contact Margo Maione at bcsk&mom@verizon.net.

    Saturday December 5 – Sunday, December 6 – Holiday Boutique at St. Peter’s Church in Salem, from 10 – 4 (Saturday) and noon – 4 (Sunday), sponsored by the Salem Garden Club. (www.salemgardenclub.com)

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  • Saturday, December 5 – Sunday, December 6 – Country Roads Christmas

    On December 5th and 6th 2009, a number of local country stores in the Quabbin Reservoir area are teaming again for the annual Christmas in the Country Weekend. Each offer the area’s seasonal products and flavors in an authentic, friendly, and relaxing atmosphere.  Feel the holiday warmth and charm of local shops where folks are truly glad you came by!  Complimentary light refreshments are available at each stop.

    Local participants with a horticultural bent include The Kitchen Garden, 268 Baldwinville Road in Templeton, Whiting Farm on Route 2A in Phillipston, Down to Earth Nursery, 450 Royalston Road in Phillipston, Popple Camp Alpacas, Route 101, Phillipston, Carter & Stevens Farm, 500 West Street, Route 122 in Barre, and Hartman’s Herb Farm, 1026 Old Dana Road in Barre.  If you are not familiar with this historic part of central Massachusetts, you are in for a treat.

    For complete information, email Jessie at jjdcdug@comcast.net, or log on to www.countryroadschristmas.com.

  • Sunday, November 22, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – South Shore’s Harvest Festival

    Join USA Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, for the Edible South Shore’s Farmers Market on Sunday, November 22 from 11 am – 3 pm.  There is no better way to cook your Thanksgiving dinner than by using locally grown fresh produce and foods.  Vendors will offer fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, cut flowers and plants.  Local food crafters (their word – ah, the evolution of the English language) will bring cheeses, gelato, yogurt, jams, sauces, honey, grain side dishes, breads, baked goodies and other handmade sundries, such as soaps and herbal infusions.

    For directions and more information please call Diana Scolponeti at 508-224-4044 or email events@cmrevents.com.

    Famers Market

  • Saturday, November 21, 1:00 – 3:30 pm – Great Magnolia Swamp Hike

    Celebrate Ravenswood and get some exercise on this guided four mile long hike discovering swamp ecology in this rugged yet beautiful habitat.  You’ll get a closer look at Ravenswood’s geological features on Saturday, November 21, from 1 – 3:30 pm.  Sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations, free to members, $5.00 non-members. For more information and driving information email needucation@ttor.org.

    Ravenswood Park offers 600 acres for solitude and quiet contemplation of nature. Whether you prefer to surround yourself with snow-covered hemlocks, experience spring emerging in a burst of color and aroma, or escape the summer’s heat – you’ll find a refuge here. The park is a testament to one man’s conservationist philosophy, and to all those who have cared for this special place.

    With 10 miles of carriage paths and trails that meander through the park, you can find plenty of room to picnic, bird watch, walk, cross-country ski, and simply appreciate the outdoors. Children love the Ledge Hill Trail – a 2-mile round-trip walk among magical-looking, fern-covered boulders. You don’t want to miss trekking to the overlook to Gloucester Harbor or traversing the boardwalk through the Great Magnolia Swamp, home to native sweetbay magnolias (Magnolia virginiana).

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  • Saturday, December 5, 10 am – 12:30 pm – Boxwood, Fragrant Greens and Berry Centerpiece

    Create a beautiful, long lasting fresh centerpiece for the holiday season at this workshop with Betsy Williams, taking place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, December 5 at 10 in the morning.  Choose an attractive pot or basket to fill with a lush arrangement of fresh boxwood, fragrant evergreens, California bay and rosemary, accented with sprays of eucalyptus berries, rose hips, pine cones and ribbons.  Greens arrangements are fun to make and, kept well watered, will last the holiday season.  Use your arrangement to decorate the dining table, entry hall, living room, kitchen, porch or doorstep.  Please bring clippers and an apron to class.  Cost $55 for Tower Hill members, $60 for non-members.  Register on-line at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, November 21, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Homes For The Holidays

    Fabulous homes in the Annisquam and Rowley Shore area of Gloucester will be open to the public on Saturday, November 21, for a self guided tour from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Some of these beautiful homes will be professionally decorated for the holidays. “Homes for the Holidays” is a program of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Businesswomen’s Division.

    The Home Tour is being planned by the Businesswomen to support the Carolyn O’Connor Scholarship. Named for the first Chairperson of this active Chamber group, the scholarship benefits a woman who is changing careers or returning to the workforce after an absence and is in need of further education. The Businesswomen have given out four $1,000 scholarships since it was created in 2006. The group is hoping to raise enough funds to either increase the scholarship amount or the number of scholarships for 2010.

    Tickets are $25.00 in advance and $30.00 on the day of the tour. Actual tickets and a map showing the location of the homes can be picked up on the day of the tour at the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce, 33 Commercial Street, Gloucester between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Contact the Chamber office at (978) 283-1601 to order your advance tickets.

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  • Saturday, November 21, 9:30 am – Arlington Great Meadows Nature Walk

    The Friends of Arlington Great Meadows’ next “3rd Saturday Nature Walk” at, naturally,  Arlington’s Great Meadows will be on November 21.  Meet them at 9:30am ,  in the nursing home parking lot, directions below . The walk is scheduled to end at approximately 11:30. Adults and teens are welcome, as are older children accompanied by at least one of their parents. Please bring: hat; insect repellent; binoculars and a hand lens (if you have one); wear long pants and appropriate footwear. You may encounter just a bit of mud along some trails, so bring appropriate shoes. No dogs, please. (Note: These events are sponsored by FoAGM and are free.)

    Arlington’s Great Meadows is a 183-acre parcel of land located in east Lexington.   It is the largest piece of undeveloped land in the Arlington/Lexington area.  It is part of the Mystic River watershed.  Once a glacial lake, it is now a wet meadow surrounded by uplands created by glacial outwash.  Great Meadows was purchased by Arlington in 1871 to serve as a supplementary water storage area, but was only briefly used for that purpose.   However, it remains a valuable buffer against flooding in the area.

    Arlington’s Great Meadows has long served as public open space and is a popular recreational spot, particularly since the opening of the Minuteman Bikeway on its southern border.  It also provides a home for local wildlife.  To date, 56 species of birds have been found nesting in Great Meadows, 12 species of amphibians and reptiles live there, and 251 species of plants grow in the wet meadow and uplands.  Last summer’s Biodiversity Days survey of the area recorded nearly 400 species of plants and animals in the Great Meadows area.

    Because it is situated between two schools, the Waldorf School of Lexington and Lexington Christian Academy, Arlington’s Great Meadows is a valuable resource for teaching children about nature and the environment.  The Citizens for Lexington Conservation organizes annual bird watching and geology walks in the Meadows.

    Meet at the far end of the parking lot on the right side of Golden Living Center – Lexington.   If you need more information, contact Don Miller at donaldbmiller@comcast.net, preferably, or 781-646-4965.  The web site for the Friends group is www.foagm.org.

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  • Saturday, November 21 – Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers Markets

    There will be two Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers Markets on Saturday, November 21.  The first will be held in Great Barrington at the old firehouse on Castle Street from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.  The second will be set up at the Williams College Field House on Latham Street in Williamstown, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

    Berkshire Grown envisions a community where healthy farms define the open landscape, where a wide diversity of fresh, seasonal food and flowers continue to be readily available to everyone, and where we celebrate our agricultural bounty by buying from our neighboring family farms and savoring their distinctive Berkshire harvest.

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

    Berkshire Grown logo

  • Saturday, November 21 – Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation Conservation Walk

    Sheriff’s Meadow holds its series of public walks, in each month of the year, on properties that they own or hold conservation restrictions over. Pre-registration is required as space may be limited.  The Saturday, November 21 walk will be through the Edgartown Pond Lot in Edgartown. Visit http://www.sheriffsmeadow.org site for starting times, directions and other information.  You may also telephone 508-693-5207.  Another walk, in Chappaquiddick, will take place on Saturday, December 19.

    The mission of Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation is to conserve, administer and manage natural habitats for wildlife, and all other lands that represent the beautiful, rural, natural character of Martha’s Vineyard.  Henry Beetle Hough and Elizabeth Bowie Hough founded Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation to conserve land that no other organization would. Editor of the Vineyard Gazette, Henry and Elizabeth lived on Pierce Lane in Edgartown.  Overseen by a Board of Directors, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation now employs six year-round and two seasonal staff. The Foundation’s properties represent all the major Martha’s Vineyard habitats: beaches, sand dunes, coastal ponds, wooded moraine, forests, swamps, marshes, agricultural lands, meadows and more.

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