Boston Flora

Month: April 2010

  • Wednesday, April 28, 7:00 pm – Managing Invasive Plants

    Land’s Sake, Inc. is a not for profit organization with a mission to connect people with the land. On Wednesday, April 28, beginning at 7 pm in the Conference Room of the Weston Public Library, come hear how exotic invasive plants are the silent and secret invaders of our neighborhoods, communities and Nation. Come learn about the eight ecological traits of invasive plant behavior that make these plants pests of our native landscapes. You will review organic and chemical control techniques for the top 16 exotic invasive plants plaguing eastern Massachusetts. Free, but please rsvp at 781-893-1163.

    http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/fall-1.jpg

  • Saturday, April 24, 9:30 am – 10:30 am – From Chinatown to the Sea

    Join the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and the Island Alliance for a free walking tour of the Greenway in Chinatown, ending at Long Wharf North, on Saturday, April 24, beginning at 9:30 am, and experience the connection to the sea that is now possible.  Meet at the old Chinatown Gate in Chinatown Park, near Hudson Street.  This event is free.  For more information, log on to www.rosekennedygreenway.org.

    http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/image-files/chinatown-gate.jpg

  • A Facelift for Newbury Street

    Joyce Hampers, President of The Newbury Street League, has made a significant announcement.  After many years of  persistent hard work, it has secured A Facelift for Newbury Street. In a partnership between The Newbury Street League and the City of Boston the following improvements will be taking place:

    Streetlights: Mayor Menino was asked to take a close look at the condition of the streetlights on Newbury Street.  Thankfully, the Mayor has “a thing about street lights.”  He immediately sent Joanne Massaro, Commissioner of Public Works, to the rescue.  Joanne, Glenn Cooper, Director of Street Lighting, Will Onouha, The Mayor’s Neighborhood Coordinator, Tom Brennan and Michele Messino walked the entire street and, a week later Joanne called with the great news.  She had met with the Mayor and they had agreed that new streetlights would be installed along Newbury Street.  The new lights will be 17’ tall (the current lamps are 13’).  The light will be a frosted acorn style with a black cap and finial top.  If all goes according to plan, installation should start in late summer 2010 and will take approximately 10 weeks, with a goal to  complete the project by mid October, just in time for the stringing of the Holiday Lights.

    Trash Barrels: The Newbury Street League has agreed to sponsor new trash barrels for the street.  Representatives are now working with the City on a design that will be practical from an economic and aesthetic standpoint yet will withstand the sands (or graffiti) of time.

    Trees: The League has always stated that the trees on Newbury Street are a priority -  whether  dressing them up in lights for the holidays, replanting those that have died, installing tree pit fences, or weeding and mulching for the summer season.  After working hard for 2 years to get certain trees replaced, Tabatha White, new to the Boston Parks Department in the spring of 2009, came to the rescue, and was soon on the street planting trees.  Again in March, she came and walked the entire length of Newbury Street, identified trees for removal, stump grinding, and replacement and compiled a full list of the work to be performed.  Her dedication to her job is unbelievable.  Many of you may remember John, the young man the League hired last year to weed and mulch the tree pits, and sweep and maintain the street during the spring/summer season.  He will be back at work starting next week.  Last year 8 tree pit fences were sponsored by our members, with guidance from the Garden Club of the Back Bay.  This year the League will pay half for anyone who would like to sponsor a tree pit fence.

    Sidewalk Repair:  The City is working with the utility companies to have any blacktop fill in our sidewalks replaced with concrete for a uniform look.  This work will start in late April.

    For more information on the work of the Newbury Street League, log on to www.newburystreetleague.org.

    http://www.newburystreetleague.org/html/newbury_newsletter_clip_image002_0005.jpg

  • Friday, April 30, 11:00 am – Arbor Day at The Breakers

    Ernest Bowditch, renowned as a “pioneer of American landscape design,” planned the grounds of The Breakers. Join The Preservation Society of Newport County to celebrate Arbor Day on Friday, April 30 at 11 a.m. as they plant a specimen tree, and tour the property to hear stories of preserved trees, hurricane damage, and new preservation activities on one of Newport’s most spectacular Gilded Age landscapes. The tree planting and tour will be led by Director of Gardens and Grounds Jeff Curtis. Admission for Preservation Society members is $10, general admission $15. Please register for Arbor Day at The Breakers in advance by calling (401) 847-1000 ext. 154. You may also log on to www.newportmansions.org.

    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/3646957144_96d96da348.jpg

  • Friday, May 14, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Understanding and Growing Trilliums

    It is difficult to explain the allure of trilliums, but they are one of our most beloved and cherished groups of wildflowers. Trilliums are an ancient tribe, tracing their linage back to the great temperate forests that stretched around the globe 60 million years ago. They possess a certain grace and refinement coupled with a patient, unhurried way of life that comes only with age. There are 48 species in the world; of these 36 occur only in the forests of eastern North America and especially in the southeastern US. In this class, to be held at Garden in the Woods on Friday, May 14, from 10 am – 1 pm, Bill Cullina conducts a tour of the genus Trillium, focusing first on evolution, distribution, and ecology, and then delves into the eastern species with all their individual wants and eccentricities. The class concludes with a section on trillium propagation and participants will receive trillium divisions to take home and nurture. $52 for members of NEWFS, $60 for nonmembers, and you may register at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/220403/Trillium%20rivale.jpg

  • Wednesday, May 19 – Friday, May 21 – 43rd Annual New England Regional Symposium

    The 43rd Annual New England Regional Symposium will take place Wednesday – Friday, May 19 – 21, at The Colony Hotel, 140 Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport, Maine (below).  This program is presented by the Garden Club Federation of Maine, Rebecca Linney, President, and New England Region Director Kathleen Thomas.  The course is accredited by National Garden Clubs, Inc.

    Instructor Dorothy (Dottie) Howatt is a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, is a NGC Accredited Master Flower Show Judge, a Flower Show School/Symposium Horticulture Instructor, and a Daffodil Instructor for the American Daffodil Society.  She holds a BS degree in horticulture from the University of Maryland.  Instructor Bobbi Heenan, a resident of Georgia, is also a NGC Accredited Master Flower Show Judge and a Flower Show School/Symposium Horticulture Instructor.  She has been exhibiting, teaching and lecturing on design for thirty years throughout the United States and South America.

    The deadline for hotel reservations is May 13.  All reservations are to be made directly with the Hotel at 1-800-552-2363, or on line at www.thecolonyhotel.com/maine/.  Register with the Registration Code: New England Regional Symposium in order to receive the NER group rate of $139 + 7% tax (tax amount subject to change), double or single occupancy.  The rate includes free parking and a breakfast buffet each day.

    To register for the Symposium, make checks (see amounts below)  payable to NER Symposium 2010 and mail to Nancy Atwell, 21 Scott Dyer Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107-2307.  Deadline is May 10.  No refunds will be made after that date.  No telephone reservations, please.  Include your name, address, telephone number and email address with your check.  $145 will include the full course with exam, and includes one dinner and two lunches.  Another $145 option is for full course Audit, taking for Credit, and includes the same dinner and two lunches as above.  $140 pays for full course, no Credit, with meal options as above.  Please indicate if you prefer grilled salmon, chicken Wellington, or vegetarian lasagna.

    For more information, go to the NER web site, www.newenglandregion.org.

    http://img4.coastalliving.com/i/2009/03/ecoresorts_06-l.jpg

  • Sunday, May 2, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – May Day in the Park

    The Friends of Hayes Park invite you to May Day in the Park on Sunday, May 2, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, at Hayes Park, 166 West Canton Street in Boston.  Enjoy Morris Dancing by the Red Herring Morris Dancers and the Banbury Cross Morris Dancers, North America’s oldest children’s Morris Dance team.  Refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome.  For more information, log on to www.hayespark.org, or call 617-536-5557.

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3096/2477623946_e9cce82822.jpg?v=0

  • Sunday, May 16, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm – Harvard Forest Trip

    Join  Aaron Ellison and Elizabeth Farnsworth, Ph.D., and The New England Wild Flower Society, for a visit to the Harvard Forest, a research center comprised of 3000 acres of land, laboratory facilities, and the Fisher Museum (see image below), home of the famous New England dioramas illustrating 300 years of land-use change.  Since 1907, scientists, students, and collaborators at the Forest have been investigating the ways in which physical, biological and human systems interact to change our earth.  In addition to botanizing, you will learn about many innovative field experiments at the Forest that are yielding cutting-edge data on climate change, hurricane recovery, nutrient deposition, and insect ecology.  You will take a side trip to Harvard Pond, home to pitcher plants and other uncommon bog species. Bring a bag lunch, appropriate footwear and a hand lens.  The trip to Petersham, Massachusetts, taking place Sunday, May 16 from 10 – 2:30, will cost $36 for NEWFS members and $41 for nonmembers.  For more information, or to register, log on to www.newfs.org.

    http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/12.1/images/donahue_fig02b.jpg

  • Tuesday, April 20, 7:30 pm – Restoring Historic Landscapes and Gardens

    The program “Restoring Historic Landscapes and Gardens” will be presented Tuesday, April 20th at 7:30 pm at the Acton Memorial Library. The evening’s speaker is JoAnn Robinson, Assistant Curator of Landscape, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Co-chair of the Arlington Historical Commission.

    Every historic property has a landscape component. Appropriate landscapes can make an immeasurable contribution to a property and town as whole.  Learn what some other towns such as Arlington have done, and how to begin researching and implementing a historic landscape to complement your property.  The program is co-sponsored by the Acton Memorial Library, the Acton Historic District Commission, and the Acton Historical Commission.

    The lecture is free and open to the public.  The library is located at 486 Main St., Acton, MA next to Town Hall.  The parking lot and entrance are reached from Woodbury Lane. For information, please contact the library at 978 264-9641 or Kathy Acerbo-Bachmann, Acton Historic District Commission, 617.536.0944 x217 or hdc@acton-ma.gov.

    http://actonarboretum.org/images/DSCF0014BflyG500pxW.jpg

  • Monday, May 3, 5:00 pm – The Friends of the Public Garden 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting

    The Friends of the Public Garden cordially invites you to its 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting on Monday, May 3, beginning at 5:00 pm at First Church in Boston, 66 Marlborough Street.  The featured speaker will be The Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston.  Celebrate with The Friends as His Honor declares May 3 Friends of the Public Garden Day in Boston.  RSVP by April 28 to 617-267-7366, or email friends@harronandassociates.com.  Painting below by T.A. Charron, from Copley Society’s Fresh Paint 2006.

    http://www.copleysociety.org/.library/Charron_T_A_SwanBoat.U4697a8a5bbed5.jpg