Boston Flora

Month: March 2010

  • Tuesdays, April 6 – 27, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Growing Vegetables in the City

    Abby Hird, Putnam Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum, will give a three session class in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesdays, April 6, 13 and 27, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.   Learn the where, what, and why of urban vegetable gardening with horticulturist Abby Hird. Raised on a Nebraska farm, educated in horticulture, and now living here in Boston, Abby Hird will talk about her gardening adaptations in the city environment. She will guide you through site evaluation, plant selection, and common problems and possible solutions in raising home-grown food. She’ll also talk about community resources for gardening, ideas for maximizing yield from a small plot, as well as ways to grow food more sustainably. This class is for nascent gardeners and those who have been frustrated by previous run-ins with vegetables.  Fee $60 Arnold Arboretum member, $72 nonmember. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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  • Thursday, April 8, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Garden Plants Great or Small

    Low-growing and ground-covering woody plants can add texture, unity, and dimension to even the smallest of gardens. In fact, these can be the perfect solution for the city gardener–small, low-maintenance plants that help to shade out weeds while adding interest. They can be used to accentuate pathways or control erosion, as dwarf hedging, as a surround for spring bulbs, and even to distract from the “bare ankles” of taller shrubs. Horticulturist Jen Kettell shows some of her favorites, appropriate for a variety of site conditions and design uses, in this class co-sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society and the Arnold Arboretum.  The class will take place Thursday, April 18, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Arnold Arboretum, and will cost $20 for members of NEWFS or the Arboretum, and $25 for nonmembers.  You may register on line at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, March 20, 6:00 pm – Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival

    Be prepared to be inspired because The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, hosted by local non-profit “e” inc., the Environmental Science Learning and Action Center, is back! WSEFF will take place on March 20th from 6-10 PM at The Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, 41 Berkeley Street in Boston’s South End. The evening will showcase 9 films – shorts, animations, documentaries – about pressing environmental issues, opening with the award winning documentary ‘Tapped’ about the privatization of water and the effects of buying back what you already own. Tickets also include a light supper, dessert, and a silent auction. Supper begins at 6 and films at 7:15. Dessert/Intermission is from 8:30 to 9 followed by the 2nd set of films from 9 to 10. Admission for the entire event is just $25 if purchased before March 1 and $30 after that. All proceeds benefit “e” inc.’s mission of bringing science literacy and community action to urban children and teens.  For more imformation log on to
    www.e-action.us, or call 617-227-1522.  You may also email drickystern@yahoo.com.

    http://urbancanteen.com/blog//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/tapped1.jpg

  • Saturday, April 10, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Pruning for Fruit Production

    Berkshire Botanical Gardens is running an off site workshop (in Sheffield, Massachusetts) on Saturday, April 10, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.  The demonstration will focus on the specifics of pruning stone and pome fruit trees, and some small fruits including cane fruits, and ribes.  Unlike ornamental woody plants, pruning for fruit is a special science that is designed to maximize fruit production.  Learn the principles of pruniing for shape, size, and most importantly fruit production.  Watch a structural pruning demonstration on newly planted fruit trees.  Both semi-dwarf orchard trees including mature and newly planted trees will be available for pruning.  The class is led by Steve McKay, the Grape and Small Fruit Specialist for Cornell Cooperative Extension in eastern New York State.  he has a B.S. in entomology from University of California in Davis, and an M.S. in pomology.  BBG members $40, non-members $45.  To register and receive directions, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Bring pruners and a bagged lunch.

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  • Saturday, March 27, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Spring Forward

    Learn tips and techniques for 365 days of gardening with garden experts Bob Hyland and Margaret Roach, on Saturday, March 27, from 10:00 – 1:00 at the Berkshire Botanical Garden (www.berkshirebotanical.org).  This is a hands-on workshop devoted to preparing for the upcoming gardening season, and will cover a “to do” list packed with detailed tips and techniques.  Learn about soil/bed prep, garden clean-up after the long winter – what’s really necessary and when shortcuts are appropriate.  Consider cool season techniques, what’s myth and what’s most useful.  Consider cool season container plantings – violas, pansies, arctotis, osteo’s, and prepare cuttings for summer containers, ensuring a supply of plant favorites from previous seasons.  Learn about new perennials and shrubs for 2010.  The speakers will share their thoughts on color trends (what’s in, what’s out) and how to read between the lines in catalog hyperbole.  Margaret and Bob will bring some of their very favorite plants and the botanical garden will lend its fabulous scented geranium collection for cuttings.  Finally, participants will transplant newly propagated woody shrubs.

    Bob Hyland is former vice president of horticulture and operations at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and worked for 25 years in leading public gardens on both coasts, including Longwood Gardens and San Francisco Botanical Garden.  He is currently co-owner and principal of Loomis Creek Nursery in Hudson, NY.  He is the author of Designing Borders for Sun & Shade.  Margaret Roach is the former garden editor and editorial director of Martha Stewart Living.  She currently gardens in Colymbia County, NY, where her garden has been open for the Garden Conservancy Open Days program for eleven years.  Her book, A Way to Garden, was named best garden book of the year in 1998 by the Garden Writers Association of America.  Margaret launched her garden blog www.awaytogarden.com in 2008 to great national media acclaim.  Members of BBG – $45, non members $50.

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  • Saturday, April 10, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Massachusetts Organic Gardening Spring Workshop Day

    This Spring, just as it comes time to plant the garden, NOFA/Mass presents its third annual Statewide Spring Organic Gardening Day. On April 10, there will be organic gardening workshops in every region of the state. The closest workshop to the Back Bay will be held at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan from 9 – 12, led by Jean-Claude Bourrut, who manages production at Natick Community Organic Farm.  Jean-Claude will cover soil basics, practical organic techniques, and he will share a hands-on seed starting activity to increase your confidence in starting your own seedlings.  Growing our own food is an excellent way to save money, lessen our carbon footprint, improve our health, and connect with neighbors and nature. Isn’t now a good time to learn skills that will help you plant a garden and make it productive throughout the year?

    These workshops are all led by experienced gardening educators, and they are intended to meet the tremendous resurgence of energy and action for backyard and community gardening. In addition to explaining and demonstrating some key steps that can empower to you start your own garden, these workshops provide a great opportunity for you to ask questions. Whether you are a complete newcomer to gardening or you just feel that you could use some brushing up on growing skills and concepts, these workshops are for you.

    Registration cost is $30, and if you are a member of NOFA you will receive a $5 membership discount.  Early registration is recommended ($5 discount before March 27).  Contact Ben Grosscup at 413-658-5374, or email him at ben.grosscup@nofamass.org – Put April 10 in the subject line.  For a complete list of all ten locations and specific topics  throughout the State, log on to www.nofamass.org/programs/extensionevents/workshopday.php.

    http://www.treehugger.com/obama-organic-farming.jpg

  • Saturday, April 3, 9 am – noon – Pruning Basics

    Learn the why’s and how’s of pruning – why to prune, if you even need to prune, when to prune, and what cuts to make.  Wellesley College Botanic Gardens Senior Horticulturist Tricia Diggins teaches you to make cutting edge decisions about nearly every pruning job from house plants to large tres.  She explores with you how these general principles relate to specific plants like flowering shrubs, evergreens, older trees, young plants and fruit trees.  Approximately half the class time will be indoors and the remaiinder will be outside in the Hunnewell Arboretum and Alexandra Botanic Gardens, looking at the pruning needs of a variety of trees and shrubs.  The Wellesley College Hunnewell Arboretum can be damp under foot in early spring.  Please dress appropriately for the weather.  Class number HOR 10 080, WCFH members $20, non members $25.  To register, or for directions, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Pruning Tools

  • Friday, March 12, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – Managing Fruit Trees in the Edible Landscape

    Join tour guide Nick Novick on Friday, March 12, from noon – 3, to visit a small orchard and learn the ecological care of fruit trees using a holistic approach. Until fairly recently, producing a reliable fruit crop required the use of a number of synthetic chemicals with troubling health and environmental profiles. By changing the way we think about “pest control” and utilizing innovative approaches along with improved materials, good results are now possible without the use of environmentally damaging chemicals.

    You’ll visit a home orchard at 393 Estabrook Road in Concord where you’ll discuss care throughout the year, including pruning, spray materials and timing, and discuss other, practical considerations. The focus will be on apples, but some other fruits will be discussed.

    Nick Novick owns and operates Small Planet Landscaping, which, since 1997, has provided environmentally sensitive landscaping services including lawn fertility and weed management, low-impact orchard care, and installations emphasizing native plant communities. He has a B.S. in Environmental Conservation, attended UMass Extension’s Green School, and has served on the Board and edited the newsletter for the Ecological Landscaping Association. His company currently cares for almost 80 trees on six different properties.

    Fee is $20 for ELA members, $25 for non-members, and walk-ins are welcome. For more information email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.

    Directions: From the center of Concord, take Lowell Road (heading northwest toward Carlisle) for just over a mile. At the four-way stop/intersection, take right onto Barnes Hill Road. Go 1/2 mile, and take left onto Estabrook Road. Number 393 is the last property on the left. Following the parking signs, proceed through the two, stone pillars, go a few hundred feet, and take a left just past the small, brick house. Someone will point out where to park. Call Nick directly if you have difficulty finding the site: 508-308-4960.

    http://www.treehugger.com/the-apple-orchard-photo.jpg

  • Saturday, April 10, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Wow! Botany is Exciting

    Carol Govan is back at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Saturday, April 10, with a class beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Do you love plants and want to understand them better? Enjoy early arrival of spring in the WCBG Greenhouses as Carol Govan introduces botany using basic terminology, direct observations and journaling to explore basic plant morphology (seeds, roots, shoots, flowers and fruit). No previous experience is necessary. Class meets at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens Visitor Center.  Fee $50 Arnold Arboretum or WCBG member, $65 nonmember.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.botany.com/img/plants/dictionary-plants-flowers.jpg

  • Wednesday, April 7, 1:00 pm – Vines and Climbers for American Gardens

    University of Georgia Horticulturist Allan Armitage will present the first American Horticultural Society online seminar this year on Wednesday, April 7 beginning at 1 pm Eastern time.  Join Armitage as he covers Vines and Climbers for American Gardens.  An award winning author of more than a dozen gardening books, Armitage has just completed a new book on vines that will be published this year.  Online registration for this webinar, exclusively for AHS members, will open soon.  Details may be found in the March/April edition of The American Gardener, and on the AHS website, www.ahs.org.  You may also call 703-768-5700.  Membership dues start at $35 per year and include a subscription to The American Gardener.

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