June 23, 2010 - Boston Flora

September 14 – 16 – Flower Show School Course I

June 23, 2010 by Boston Flora

Mark your calendars for the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts series of Flower Show School Courses, beginning Tuesday, September 14 through Thursday, September 16, at the Holiday Inn in Taunton, Massachusetts.Â Instructor and National Garden Club Federation Past President Barbara May will lecture on Flower Show Procedure and Design, and Cathy Felton will cover Horticulture: Annuals & Cacti and Succulents.Â Brochures are available by contacting Hila Lyman, GCFM Local Flower Show School Chairman, at 508-548-0841, or by emailing her at hilajeanne@comcast.net.

Picture below is Marisa McCoy’s interpretation of the Great Barrier Reef, from Flora in Winter 2010.

Thursday, October 28 – Sunday, November 7 – Sicily: Gardens and Antiquities

June 23, 2010 by Boston Flora

American Horticultural Society host Katy Moss Warner invites you to join her and Tour Escort Susie Orso to Sicily October 28 – November 7, 2010.Â Sicily’s strategic placement in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea exposed it to a succession of invading civilizations that left the island with an exceptionally rich historical, cultural, and agricultural legacy.Â In addition to some of the finest classical sites outside of Greece, on this visit you will see marvelous Roman and Byzantine mosaics, Norman churches, and privately-owned Baroque palaces and gardens where succulents, citrus, bougainvillea, and exotic plants abound.

Katy Moss Warner, persident emeritus of the American Horticultural Society, and Susie Orso, have been to Sicily a number of times and are eager to share the dramatic natural beauty, the remarkable sense of antiquity, and the exotic horticulture of this enchanting island.

After flying into Catania, you will visit Taormina for a three night stay at the Grand Hotel Timeo, where you will visit ancient theaters, the Villa Comunale garden created by Florence Trevelyan, and will hear a presentation in the evening by Dr. Charles Sacamano on The Horticulture and Agriculture of the Historic Island of Sicily.Â You will travel to Catania, Mt. Etna, Villasmundo, Syracuse, Agrigento, Palermo and more.Â A complete itinerary can be found at www.ahs.org.