Boston Flora

Month: April 2010

  • Wednesday, May 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Woodland Garden in Wellesley

    Have you ever wondered what to do with a shady lot? Join Kathy Shamberger, garden designer and chair of the New England Wild Flower Society’s Horticulture Committee, to see a beautiful solution. Her woodland garden is planted mainly with natives, and has evolved over the last 10 years into an oasis of delight on a modest suburban lot.  Most of the plantings have come from the nursery at Garden in the Woods, or have volunteered from the surrounding woodlands. The woodland garden is sunken and borders on the adjacent woods and wetlands of Babson College.  The tour will take place from 10 am – 12 noon on Wednesday, May 12, and you may register on line ($20 NEWFS members, $24 nonmembers) at www.newfs.org.

    http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/traditional-shade-garden-ideas-2.jpg

  • Saturday, May 8, 9:00 – 12:00 – New Planting Techniques for Trees and Shrubs

    This workshop, to be held Saturday, May 8, from 9 am – noon at Garden in the Woods in Framingham,  features up-to-date information on the best way to install woody plants. Learn from instructor Rolf Briggs how to avoid costly errors, and see how it is not significantly harder to do the job correctly. You will learn the proper way to dig and prepare a planting hole, unpack from “ball and burlap” or containers, water, mulch, and stake. This hands-on workshop is valuable for landscaper professionals, home gardeners, and even homeowners who hire others to do their planting, as crucial errors are made even by landscape professionals. The fee to attend is $28 if you are a member of NEWFS, and $33 if you have yet to join.  Register at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/images/2366.4.gif

  • Sunday, April 18, 1:00 pm – A Paintbrush for Conservation

    Fruitlands Museum 2010 Artist in Residence Barry Van Dusen will present an illustrated lecture at the Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts on Sunday, April 18 beginning at 1:00 pm.  Barry will discuss his travels to Israel on a project organized by the Artists for Nature Foundation.

    In 1990, Ysbrand Brouwers, a Dutch art collector and wildlife enthusiast, took the initiative with a group of artists friends, to portray the beauty of the island of Schiermonnikoog (Netherlands) and invited an international group of artists to join them. The works of art that resulted were published in the book ‘Wind, Wad en Waterverf’ for which HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands wrote the introduction.

    Exhibitions were organized, and together with the book the need to protect this precious area was brought to the attention of decision makers and the wider public. Major conservation organizations supported the initiative and their actions resulted in Schiermonnikoog receiving the status of National Park.

    Seeing the potential impact of art working as an instrument for nature conservation, Ysbrand founded the Artists for Nature Foundation in the same year to push the concept much further.

    Since then ANF has undertaken12 successful projects on 4 continents with 130 international artists.

    Explore the natural and cultural history of Israel, and learn how art is used to promote hope and cooperation.  For directions and more information, log on to www.fruitlands.org.

    http://www.artistsfornature.com/userfiles/dusstar.jpg

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

    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.

    http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID4470/slideshows/Bog%20Garden.JPG

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

    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.

    http://weekinthenee.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/sheep1.jpg

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

    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.

    http://www.kersteins.com/blogdepuree//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/easterntowhee_05022009.jpg

  • In The Garden Online Auction

    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

    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.

  • Sunday, May 9, 10 am – 4 pm – Lilac Sunday

    Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arnold Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Gather at the Arboretum to picnic (allowed on this special day only!), watch dance performances, tour the lilac collection, and more. Event takes place rain or shine. The Arboretum is open from dawn to dusk, with refreshments available for purchase and activities take place from 10 AM to 4 PM.  For directions, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    Lilac lilacs by robynejay.

  • Sunday, April 25, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Tower Hill Botanic Garden Staff and Members’ Private Satellite Garden Tour

    On Sunday, April 25, from 10 am – 4 pm, enjoy a tour featuring four private mature gardens in Stow, Boylston, and Princeton, Massachusetts, sponsored by Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  Included are the gardens of John Trexler, Tower Hill’s Executive Director, Joann Vieira, Tower Hill’s Horticulture Director, members Rosemary Monahan and Stefan Cover, and members Katy Kleitz and Iris Lee Marcus.  All feature impressive plantings of early blooming trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials.  The diverse species of early flowering plants in these gardens will inspire participants in designing their own gardens.  Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for non-members.  For more information, call 508-869-6111, ext. 124, or purchase tickets securely on line at www.towerhillbg.org.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ha_cQO3YwFc/R3fSSeJ68pI/AAAAAAAADMs/FmLVnqU1nXA/s400/blue_hyacinth.jpg