Every memorable landscape has one thing in common – strong “bonesâ€. While “bones†may seem like a strange word to describe the garden, the term identifies the placement of trees and large shrubs that create form, direct movement and organize the garden space. Recognizing how these plants contribute to garden development can help you create the right structure for the landscape you desire. Learn to select, situate and integrate these stately elements into the cultivated landscape. Using the Garden in the Woods as a reference, participants explore the concepts of creating space, the impact of plant growth over time in locating structural elements, and review a selection of native plant varieties that are well-suited for New England sites and situations. Finish with a sketch for a site plan utilizing appropriate trees and shrubs. The two part class (Thursday, March 4, from 6:30 – 9:00, and Saturday, March 6, from 9:30 – 1:00) will be taught by Cheryl Salatino, and will cost $66 if you are a NEWFS member and $78 if a nonmember. You may register at www.newfs.org.
Month: February 2010
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Thursday, February 25, 6:00 pm – CSA Farm Share Fair
On Thursday, February 25, from 6 – 7 pm, more than twenty CSA farmers will be on hand at the Park Avenue Congregational Church, 50 Paul Revere Road, Arlington, to tell you about what they are growing this year and how you can get a share of their harvest. The farms are located in Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, and nearby towns. Farmers may be bringing some produce to sell at the fair, so bring your shopping bags. The event is free. For directions, log on to http://bostonlocalvores.org/events.
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Sunday, February 21, 1:00 – 2:30 pm – “Thoreau-ly Birds”
Fruitlands Museum will present “Thoreau-ly Birds” as part of its Sundays at One Series on Sunday, February 21, beginning, naturally, at one o’clock. Richard Smith will be featured in a living history performance as Henry Thoreau. The program presents a unique opportunity to meet this 19th century naturalist and author. Thoreau wrote about all forms of nature in his journals, including passionately observed writings on birds, creating a daily record of his visual and philosophical observations. For reservations & information contact 978-456-3924 ext.227, or contact education@fruitlands.org.
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Tuesday, February 16, 7:00 – 9:30 pm – Food Fight
When we walk into a supermarket, we assume that we have the widest possible choice of healthy foods. But, in fact, over the course of the 20th century, our food system has been co-opted by corporate forces whose interests do not lie in providing the public with fresh, healthy, and sustainably grown food. Fortunately for America, an alternative emerged from the counter culture of California in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, where a group of political anti-corporate protesters – led by Alice Waters – voiced their dissent by creating a food chain outside of the conventional system. The unintended result was the birth of a vital local-sustainable-organic food movement, which has brought back taste and variety to our tables.
Chris Taylor’s award winning film Food Fight is a fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement has created a counter-revolution against agribusiness. Join the Harvard University Dining Services Food Literacy Project for this screening at the Science Center Lecture Hall A, Cambridge campus, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Chris Taylor and Woody Tasch, the founder of Slow Money Alliance. Slow Money Alliance is a new nonprofit that combines principles of philanthropy and investing to “bring money back down to earth” by encouraging investment in small food enterprises, local food systems, and local economies. The event is free and open to the public. For more information email theresa_mcculla@harvard.edu.
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Tuesday, February 23, 6:00 pm – From Cooking Food to Cooking the Planet: Growing Constraints to Food Production
To keep pace with the world’s food demand, it is estimated that agriculture production must double by 2050. Dr. Samuel Myers, Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician, will discuss troubling trends, including climate change and increased threats from pests and pathogens that may constrain the world’s resources, requiring new approaches to sustainable agriculture. The program will include a discussion moderated by Noel Michele Holbrook, Professor of Biology and Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry at Harvard. Free and open to the public. Part of the Food for Thought program series.
Location:
Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford St.
Cambridge , MA 02138Sponsor: Harvard Museum of Natural History
Time(s): 6:00 pm, Tuesday, February 23
Cost: Free and open to the public
Phone: 617-495-3045
Email: hmnhpr@oeb.harvard.edu
http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/lectures_and_special_events/index.php -
Saturday, July 3 – Sunday, July 10 – Adrian Bloom’s Celebration of English Gardens Tour
Gardening Tours is offering a world class tour July 3 – 10, 2010 for garden writers and those in the horticultural industry.
There is no finer example of using plants to inspire both intellectually and emotionally than English garden design. Steeped in history, English design styles, from formal gardens to cottage gardens, have led the way in both Europe and the Americas since the 18th century. This special Celebration of English Gardens Tour will feature visits to some of the finest gardens, horticultural facilities, and shows in England, personally selected by Adrian Bloom. Enjoy valuable networking and social opportunities as well.
Blooms of Bressingham has been famous for its selection of herbaceous perennials for more than 80 years. The father and son team of Alan and Adrian Bloom are the creators of Bressingham Gardens, whose 16 acres will be part of the tour in a one day visit. This is a unique opportunity to not only view the six distinct garden areas at Bressingham up close, but to meet and socialize with others from the UK, North America and Europe at a special Press Day event. Adrian’s latest book should be out by the time you are there.
Other events:Â Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (full day ticket), King’s Privy Garden (at Hampton Court Palace, view the Great Grape Vine planted in 1768), Beth Chatto’s Garden (acclaimed gardens of drought, water and woodland, based on sustainable planting – see picture below), Thompson & Morgan (tour through their facilities and see the latest plants ready for introduction), Old Vicarage (this hidden garden is a must see), Will Giles’ Exotic Garden (tropicals are his passion), Cambridge Botanic Garden (over 10,000 labeled plant species set in a beautiful landscape), RHS Hyde Hall (a visit to the 360 acre Hyde Hall estate is unforgettable in any season), Abbey Gardens at Bury St. Edmunds Botanic Gardens (established in the 1800’s), plus more.
For prices and information, email donna@icangarden.com, or call toll free 1-866-642-7120.
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Saturday, February 27, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm – Lichens in Winter
Lichens are perennial and winter in New England is a great time to learn about them. Growing on tree trunks, logs, soil, and rocks, they are more easily spotted and studied because leafy vascular plants are dormant. This class includes hands-on work with lichen collections representing different growth forms and structures, with the aim of helping you learn to do field identifications of common lichen species. Instructor Elizabeth Kneiper will explore some of the best internet resources to help you continue your lichen study. Come to class (Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts) prepared to take a short walk in the winter garden. Bring a 10x hand lens and a bag lunch. Co-sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society and MA Audubon Drumlin Farm, the price per person for this seminar is $44 for NEWFS members, $52 for nonmembers.
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Monday, March 8, 7 pm – The River Cottage Cookbook Class
British chef, writer, activist and teacher Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is widely known and respected for his dedication to creating beautiful dishes comprised of seasonal, ethically produced food and raising a general awareness of where our food comes from. One of several impressive River Cottage books, The River Cottage Cookbook is as much a fantastic collection of gorgeous, simple, rustic dishes as it is an inspirational treatise on how one chef grows, gathers, and cooks his own food. Join Barbara Lynch Gruppo’s Stir chefs for an enlightening evening full of discussion, cooking and eating. The price is $145, and the program will repeat on Tuesday, March 9 and Wednesday, March 10. For information, or to register, log on to www.stirboston.com, or call 617-423-STIR.
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Thursday, February 25, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm – ELA Annual Conference and Marketplace
The Ecological Landscaping Association will hold its Annual Conference and Marketplace on Thursday, February 25, beginning at 8:00 am at the MassMutual Center, 1277 Main Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. Learn how to maximize biological potential, minimize environmental impacts, and obtain spectacular results. Sessions will focus on water use, landscape design, and practical skills. You may also visit the Eco-Marketplace. Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden, will share his design approach to sustainable landscaping. There will also be a Keynote Dinner at 6:45 PM. For admission data, contact www.ecolandscaping.org, telephone 617-436-5838, or email elawebmaster@verizon.net.
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Saturday, February 27, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Growing Food: The Home Vegetable Bed
Attend an all day seminar on Saturday, February 27, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, and get all your vegetable gardening questions answered in this practical program on growing food organically. Learn about site selection, bed preparation, soil amendment, design, seed selection, varieties, pest and disease control techniques, and harvesting. Three experts in the field will lead you through the day. Pat Parkins owns Gardens of the Goddess, an organic gardening business focused on enhancing nature’s beauty through landscape design, installations and maintenance. Dominic Palumbo owns Moon in the Pond Farm, a NOFA certified organic farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts. He produces organic eggs, meat, wool, yarn and honey. Jack Sprano is a master gardener and long-time garden enthusiast, and a Board member of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Members of BBG pay $45, non-members $50, and everyone is reminded to bring a bagged lunch, or you’ll be pretty hungry by the end of the day! For more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.