Daily Archives: April 10, 2010

Saturday, April 24, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Create a Mini Bog

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Instructor Priscilla Purinton of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society will conduct a hands-on workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, April 24, from 1 – 3 pm.  Priscilla will be a featured speaker of The Garden Club of the Back Bay in November, 2010, and here is a chance to get down and dirty with her! Create a miniature bog habitat for your garden or patio with rare and interesting plants.  Bogs are unique habitats saturated with acidic, low nutrient water that would spell death for most plants.  However, they support a surprising diversity of unique flora that can grow nowhere else.  Wow your friends with this most unusual container garden filled with carnivorous plants, rushes and other bog endemics.  Participants will be provided with all materials and plants, and will learn how to create a good soil mix, what plants do well (and why) in bog situations, and will also learn how to keep the mini bog flourishing for years.  Tower Hill member price $40, non-members $43.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

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Saturday, April 24, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 23rd Annual Sheepshearing Festival

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Gore Place, 52 Gore Street in Waltham, hosts the 23rd Annual Sheepshearing Festival on Saturday, April 24, from 10 – 5.  There will be demonstrations of sheep-shearing, herding dogs, spinning, weaving, and more.  Also enjoy a large crafts fair, live entertainment, wagon rides, historic demonstrators, games and farm animals.  Food vendors will be on site, there is free parking, but unfortunately no dogs are allowed.  The cost is $10 adults, children free.  For more information call 781-894-2798, or email events@goreplace.org.  Directions may be found at www.goreplace.org.  If you’re exceptionally lucky, you may see Kate Pokorny hugging a sheep or two – don’t forget to visit www.yurtalert.com for updates on her crochet dwelling project.

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Saturday, April 17, 6:30 am – 8:00 am – Bird Walk and Exploration

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Get up early on Saturday, April 17 and meet local  birder Wendy Howes at 6:30 a.m. at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts.  Local residents and early arrivals, including Eastern Towhee (below)  and Rose-breasted Grosbeak, should put in an appearance.  Expect to walk about two miles on trails through meadows and woods, with some wet areas, so dress appropriately.  Bring your own binoculars and field guide.  Free.  For more information, log on to www.fruitlands.org.

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In The Garden Online Auction

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COGdesign announces the In The Garden Online Auction to benefit community green spaces.  Bids will be accepted through Tuesday, April 13, at www.cogdesign.org. Items include a granite compass rose by sculptor Karin Stanley (pictured below), a weekend getaway on Martha’s Vineyard, organic compost from Coast of Maine, a 7’ tall hand-crafted iron tuteur in Mediterranean blue, and many other wonderful items for bidding! Hand tools, house improvement services, garden-inspired art, personal adornments (beads), wine & food, garden consultations, museum memberships, books, ONE-OF-A-KIND treasures, and, naturally, a Garden Club of the Back Bay holiday wreath.

In The Garden Online Auction is brought to you by COGdesign – the Community Outreach Group for Landscape Design – landscape professionals dedicated to providing pro bono planning and design services to homeless shelters, public schools, community gardens, low income housing, and neighborhood parks. Wherever people need plants, gardens, and parks, you’ll find COGdesign volunteers lending a hand.

Celebrate the start of spring by visiting IN THE GARDEN Online Auction to invigorate your hibernating soul and satisfy your craving for sunshine and warmth! Color, crafts, and creative inspirations will be yours for the highest bid.

Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, April 25 – National Park Week

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National Park sites across the nation will be open free of charge Saturday, April 17 – Sunday, April 25, celebrating National Park Week.  Fitness is the theme for this year’s event.

There will be hundreds of family friendly events on Saturday, April 24, for National Junior Ranger Day. Each child participating in Junior Ranger activities will receive a certificate, patch, or pin. Other National Park Week highlights include the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and the 75th anniversary of the nation’s most visited national park,  the Blue Ridge Parkway. Normally, 146 of 392 national parks charge entrance fees ranging from $3 to $25. The other 246 do not charge for admission.

The fee free waiver for National Park Week does not include other fees such as fees charged for camping, and concessions. For more information, log on to www.nps.gov.