Boston Flora

Month: April 2010

  • Saturday, April 24, 8:30 – noon – Alley Rally

    What’s a good way to get to know your neighbors and work in a little exercise as well? The Back Bay Alley Rally! This annual neighborhood cleanup will take place on Saturday, April 24th, in conjunction with Mayor Menino’s Boston Shines. Volunteers of all ages gather with Chairs Ellen Rooney, Chris Mitchell and Roseann Colot at the Clarendon Street Playground at 8:30 am to fortify themselves with juice, coffee and doughnuts provided by our local stores. We then divide into teams and — using the rakes, shovels and brooms provided by the City of Boston — volunteers fan out to clean the alleys and side streets. Your labors will end at noon, when everyone returns to the playground for a picnic lunch, with food donated by our local businesses.  Bring your own fashionable gloves, of course.

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  • Thursdays, May 6 and 13, 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm, and May 20, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Native Herbaceous Plant Materials: Early Season

    Many native North American herbaceous plants are suitable for growing in New England. This course examines the characteristics of horticulturally important native plants that grow and/or flower early in the season. Discussion includes how a plant’s cultural requirements relate to its wild habitat. Lectures are accompanied by firsthand looks at plant materials used at Garden in the Woods. Designed for anyone wanting to work at a professional level with native plants, this course is also appropriate for the avid home gardener.  This three part New England Wild Flower Society class is being taught by Jessie Panek, costs $130 if you are a member of NEWFS, and $150 if you are not.  You may register on line at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/wildflowers/images/large_white_trillium.jpg

  • Saturday, April 17, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Pruning Fundamentals

    If you are out in the Berkshires on weekends, you may be interested in attending The New England Wild Flower Society’s workshop on pruning, to be conducted on Saturday, April 17, from 10 – 1, at Hilltown Tree & Garden in Chesterfield, Massachusetts.  Join certified arborist and horticulturist Jim McSweeney to learn pruning basics that will benefit both the novice and advanced gardener. Proper pruning improves both the health and structure of woody plants, and allows the gardener to influence the aesthetic qualities of trees and shrubs. This workshop covers pruning methods for new and established plantings in the home landscape. Learn how to select basic tools, make a proper cut, determine which branches to cut, and the correct time to prune for different species. Bring hand pruners and a saw and leave the workshop with skills to take on most basic pruning issues in the home landscape. (You won’t be harnessed in like the fellow below, don’t worry!)  $33 for NEWFS members, $39 for nonmembers, and you may register at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.rainbowtreecare.com/images/2008/science-of-pruning/pruning-1.jpg

  • Wednesday, April 28, 9:30 am – Ichiyo Ikebana Workshop

    Elaine Jo, Executive Master of the Ichiyo School, will give a workshop on Ichiyo Ikebana on Wednesday, April 27, beginning at 9:30 am at University of Massachusetts Waltham Center, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham.  Registration is required, and for information on joining Ikebana International, log on to www.ikebanaboston.org.

    Two important philosophies of the Ichiyo School include the concept that an arrangement must fit the environment in which it is displayed and the individual arranger’s emotions and character are to be expressed in the arrangement.  Thus, it is not just flowers in a vase: it is considered to be an art of human communication.

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  • Tuesday, April 27, 9:30 am – Ichiyo Ikebana Demonstration

    Elaine Jo, Executive Master of the Ichiyo School, will conduct a demonstration of Ichiyo Ikebana on Tuesday, April 27, beginning at 9:30 am, at the University of Massachusetts Waltham Center, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham.  There are numerous schools of ikebana, each with its own set of rules and techniques.  One such is the Ichiyo School.  Ichiyo, pronounced ee-chee-yo, means “one leaf” in Japanese and refers to the logo of the school.  It was founded in Japan in 1937 by a brother and sister, Meikof and Ichiyo Kasuya.  Since its beginnings, the two masters sought to create original ikebana that would be suitable for modern lifestyles and environments.  For information, log on to www.ikebanaboston.org.

    http://www.ichiyo-ikebana-school.com/ichiyoe001001.jpg

  • Saturday, April 10, 2:00 pm – The Best New Perennials of 2010 at White Flower Farm

    The famous White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut opens this Saturday, April 10 for its annual Spring Open House.  Enjoy refreshments, tour the display gardens, shop from a special selection of plants, and, at 2 pm, hear a talk on “The Best New Perennials of 2010.”  For directions and more information, log on to www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

    http://www.cicaleletteringdesign.com/IllustrationImages/WhiteFlowerFarm.jpg

  • Thursday, May 20, 9:00 am -5:00 pm – The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill

    Take a tour of the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill on Thursday, May 20, 9-5, rain or shine.  The 81st Annual Tour is self-guided and may be viewed at your own pace.  Complimentary tea and coffee will be served at The Church of the Advent, 30 Brimmer Street.  To purchase tickets in advance by mail, send a check payable to Beacon Hill Garden Club to Ticket Chairman, Beacon Hill Garden Club, Box 302, Charles Street Station, Boston, MA 02114.  Include a stamped, self-addressed business sized envelope with your check. Tickets in advance are $30 each, and will be mailed in April.  Tour day tickets, if available, are $35.  No refunds or exchanges are allowed, and there are no group discounts.   Tickets may also be purchased on line at www.beaconhillgardenclub.org.

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  • Saturday, April 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm- 2010 Lawn and Garden Show

    Walk through an array of springtime inspirations from local lawn and garden businesses at the 2010 Lawn and Garden Show, Saturday, April 17, beginning at 10:00 am at 374 West Street in Uxbridge, MA.  For more information, contact Event Coordinator Tricia Trask at 508-278-6117, email uxbridgetrask@aol.com, or visit www.thehab.com.  Free admission.

    http://www.arboria.com/images/Lawn-and-Garden-World.jpg

  • Thursday, April 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Mount Auburn Ecological Tree Care

    Enjoy a private Ecological Landscaping Association Eco-Tour of the beautiful 175 acre landscape of Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge on Thursday, April 15, beginning at 10 am.  Mount Auburn is one of the most historic landscapes in America and is on the leading edge of sustainable and environmentally sound land care practices.  This event features the more than 5,000 trees that are under Mount Auburn’s ecological tree care program.  $10 for ELA members, $15 for non members.  Paul Walker will lead the tour, and you may register on line at  www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1006114, or call 617-436-5838.  You may also email ela.info@comcast.net.

    http://www.gardenvisit.com/assets/madge/mount_auburn_garden_cambridge/600x/mount_auburn_garden_cambridge_600x.jpg

  • Thursday, April 15, 7:00 pm – Contaminated Without Consent/ Bhopal Chemical Disaster

    You are invited to a free screening and panel discussion on Thursday, April 15, beginning at 7 pm at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main Street in Watertown.  Contaminated Without Consent is a 16 minute video to help inform your community about the hidden risks from chemical contaminates found in our homes, workplaces, the products we buy and even our bodies.  The Bhopal Chemical Disaster: Twenty Years Without Justice reviews the history of the world’s worst chemical disaster in Bhopal, India, and the fight for justice by the citizens of Bhopal.  Produced for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal and screened widely by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, this evening’s program is presented by The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a not for profit group which has spoken to The Garden Club of the Back Bay in the past about cleaning products and contaminated cosmetics.  The program is supported in part by a grant from the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.  For more information about Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, call 617-338-8131, or email nschelling@cleanwater.org.

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