Boston Flora

Month: April 2010

  • Sunday, April 25, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands Annual Meeting

    The Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands celebrate 30 years of service at the  Annual Meeting taking place Sunday, April 25, from 12:30 – 4:30 pm at Long Island-Camp Harbor View.  Pre-registration is required by Thursday, April 22.  Call 781-740-4290, or email info@fbhi.org.  To get there by T, go to North Quincy on the Red Line, and carpool volunteers with a FBHI banner will be waiting downstairs in the Hancock Street parking lot by the north exit.  Arrive by 12 noon to give the drivers plenty of time to shuttle you.  Driving instructions can be found at www.fbhi.org.

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  • Tuesday, May 11, 6:00 – 8:30 pm – The 100 Party

    Celebrate the Esplanade’s 100th Birthday!  Enjoy a night of food and drinks with Esplanade Friends and help support the work of The Esplanade Association.  Take home a TEA Tote Bag filled with giveaways and blow out 100 candles on the Esplanade’s birthday cake.  The 100 Party will take place Tuesday, May 11, from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm at 28 Degrees, One Appleton Street, Boston (pictured below).  Tickets are $100 (you will become a Friends member), and you may purchase tickets on line at www.esplanadeassociation.org or by sending a check payable to The Esplanade Association: 100 Friends to 10 Derne Street, Boston, MA 02114.  For more information or questions, please contact Justin Burke at jburke@esplanadeassociation.org, or call him at 617-227-0365, x 110.

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  • Saturday, May 15, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – The Botany of Design

    Using his latest book, Understanding Perennials as a starting point, Bill Cullina tackles the thorny subject of garden design in a completely different way. In this fun and information-filled talk, to be held at Garden in the Woods on Saturday, May 15, from 10:30 – 12 noon, he explores such things as the reasons for big leaves, variegation, red foliage and flowers and ways to create more satisfying designs without breaking the budget. He looks at life beyond the color wheel, the importance of healthy soil and reveals some of his best horticultural secrets while weaving together aesthetics, psychology, botany, and ecology into a fascinating one hour ride. It is a talk that beginning gardeners as well as seasoned pros will both learn from and enjoy. Bill will be available to sign books after the lecture.  For more information, log on to www.newfs.org.

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  • Wednesday, May 5, 10:00 am – Backyard Biodiversity: Conservation Biology for the Landowner

    We are all responsible for the species that share the space we own or maintain, and our management decisions can have severe consequences for these species, and hence for the health of our communities. Richard Enser will speak on Backyard Biodiversity: Conservation Biology for the Landowner at the May meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Rick will suggest things we can do and things we should stop doing to better manage our land for the promotion of native biodiversity. Richard Enser developed this talk based on his 30 year experience with the Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program. He retired from that position and moved to Vermont in 2006, and now offers his services as a consultant on biodiversity issues, especially to landowners on how to manage their properties in ways that are most beneficial to preserving biodiversity. An optional lunch ($19) with our speaker will follow the meeting, but pre-registration is essential.  Garden Club members will receive a written notice of the meeting, but the public may attend by contacting info@bostonflora.com. The Club will respond with registration instructions. Photo below by Richard Enser.

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  • Saturday, April 24, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Historic New England Birthday Party

    Join Historic New England for a festive evening of live music and dancing.  Enjoy hors d’oeuvres featuring traditional New England favorites on Saturday, April 24, from 6 – 9 pm at Coolidge Hall at the Topsfield Fairgrounds.  In honor of Historic New England’s Centennial Year, admission is $20.10.  Contact events manager Nicole Carelli at 617-994-5934 or email events@HistoricNewEngland.org to reserve a place.  Need a ride to Topsfield?  Reserve your spot on the Birthday Bus departing from Otis House in Boston.  Tickets for the bus ride are $15 per person.

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  • Saturday, April 24, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, April 25, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm – 36th Annual Daffodil Flower Show

    In connection with the previously reported Nantucket Daffodil Festival, the Nantucket Garden Club, Inc. (member of The Garden Club of America), in conjunction with The American Daffodil Society, Inc., will host the 36th Annual Daffodil Flower Show on Saturday, April 24, from 2 – 5, and on Sunday, April 25, from 10 – 4:30.  The title of this year’s event is Island Lights, and the show organizers encourage entries in horticulture, arrangement and photography.  All entrants are encouraged to use www.daffodilusa.org for assistance in identifying specimens.  For more information, contact Sally Nash at 508-228-4912, or email sally@Polpis.com, or Mary Malavase at 508-221-2093, email mmalavase@comcast.net.  No admission charge.

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  • Wednesday, May 26 – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Annual Meeting

    Please join President Linda Jean Smith at the 83nd Annual Meeting, “The Green Fields of Summer,” Wednesday, May 26 at The Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire Street in Mansfield, Massachusetts.  Registration begins at 8:30 am, followed by your choice of one of three workshops:  “Awards, Flower Shows & More”, “The Meeting Will Come to Order, Please” and a Victorian Tussie Mussie Workshop.  Following the 10:00 am Call to Order, there will be the presentation of awards, a Judges Council Flower Show Viewing, a Social Hour and Boutique Shopping, the Awards Luncheon, and a Floral Design Program at 2:15 pm with Gloria Freitas-Steidinger, Master Flower Show Judge and White House and International Designer (See one of her designs pictured below).  The meeting will adjourn at 3:15 pm.  For full registration forms and material, check the most recent Mayflower, or log on to www.gcfm.org.

    Royalty

  • Saturday, May 15, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Foraging at Fisher Meadows

    Central Connecticut is home to over 100 species of edible wild plants, many of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts.  Join expert forager, Russ Cohen, author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, to learn about the comestible qualities of at least two dozen species of edible wild plants.  Pending favorable weather conditions, several edible spring mushroom species may be encountered as well.  Keys to the identification of each species are provided, along with information about edible portions, seasons of availability, preparation methods, and  guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging.  Fisher Meadows, a large area of floodplain along the Farmington River in Avon, is used for recreational fields, public water supply and other purposes, and has a good diversity of wild edibles.   Plants may include native species like ostrich fern and sweet cicely (below) as well as weeds and invasive species like chicory and autumn olive.  This program, to be held Saturday, May 15 beginning at 9:30 am, is co-sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society and by the Farmington River Watershed Association.  Fee for members of the co-sponsoring organization is $24 per person, and $27  for nonmembers.  You may register on line at www.newfs.org, and you will receive directions.

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  • Sunday, May 2, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Sharon Old House Tour

    The Sharon Historical Society’s Old House Tour will take place Sunday, May 2, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, rain or shine.  This year’s tour will feature five architecturally significant homes, including the remarkable Steampunk House (below) on Pleasant Street.  The self-guided tour of these charming private homes affords the opportunity to explore their decorations as well as their wonderful architecture.  Guides will be available to discuss the significant features of each.  The newly renovated Sharon Community Center and the long awaited Wilbur School conversion will also be open as part of the tour.  Take this moment to see these remarkable transformations.  This is an important fundraiser to benefit The Historical Society, so please purchase tickets early.  All funds that are raised will benefit the Society and its programs.  The Society receives no funding from the town or from the Commonwealth.

    Tickets are $16 per person for members and $20 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to the Sharon Historical Society.  Advance order tickets can be purchased at the Museum or at Coldwell Banker Real Estate, 3 North Main Street in Post Office Square, Sharon.  On the day of the tour, tickets will be available at all five homes, and at the Museum.  Call the Society at 781-784-9966, or call jean Santos at 781-784-5835.

    Steampunk-Home-ModVic (15) by vonslatt.

  • Thursday, April 22, 7:00 pm – Ecological Lawn Care

    Land’s Sake, Inc. will host a free public lecture on Thursday, April 22, beginning at 7 pm at the Weston Public Library Conference Room. Come learn about the proper lawn care techniques necessary for having a beautiful and environmentally sound lawn without relying on the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers that contribute to ground and surface water contamination. The speakers will also cover the importance of soil testing for proper turf grass growth and soil improvement practices. Discussions will be raised on other topics including seeding vs. sodding; the best time for lawn renovation and non-toxic white grub control using lawn nematodes; how beneficial insects and microbes contribute to sustainable soil fertility better than non-organic fertilizer applications and answers to the top five lawn problems most encountered by the home owner and how to correct them. For more information please call 781-893-1162 – reservations are encouraged.

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