Boston Flora

Month: June 2010

  • Wednesday, July 14, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. – Sandwich Garden Tour

    Visit lovely Sandwich homes at your leisure on Wednesday, July 14, from 11 – 3.  Light refreshments will be served at Green Briar Nature Center, 6 Discovery Hill Road in East Sandwich. This event is a benefit for The Thornton W. Burgess Society.

    The Thornton W. Burgess Society is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1976 to carry on the pioneering conservation work of author/naturalist Thornton W. Burgess (1874 – 1965). Mr. Burgess, who was born and grew up in Sandwich, Massachusetts, went on to achieve national and international recognition for his childrens stories that teach lessons of conservation and love of wildlife.

    Over 170 books and 15,000 stories by Burgess chronicle the tales of Peter Rabbit and his animal friends, including Jimmy Skunk, Grandfather Frog, Johnny Chuck, Sammy Jay, Reddy Fox, Hooty Owl and many others. Through these engaging stories, generations of young people have learned about the natural world and have developed an understanding of the importance of conservation of our natural resources.

    The Thornton W. Burgess Society operates three facilities. The Thornton W. Burgess Museum on the shores of Shawme Pond on Water Street (Rte 130) in Sandwich village and the Green Briar Nature Center, the Jam Kitchen at 6 Discovery Hill Road (off Rte. 6A) in East Sandwich and the East Sandwich Game Farm.

    Tickets are $15 each, in advance or on the day of tour, if available, and may be purchased at Green Briar.    For more information, call 508-888-6870, or log on to www.thorntonburgess.org.

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  • Thursday, August 12 – Sunday, August 15 – Flowercarpet

    The Fourteenth Annual Flower Carpet will take place at the Grand-Place of Brussels in Belgium beginning with a grand opening celebration beginning with the official inauguration (by invitation) at 8:30 pm on Thursday, August 12 at the “Maison du Roi” and the Town Hall, and continuing Friday through Sunday with public viewings from 9:00 am through 11:00 pm.  Town Hall’s balcony will be open to visitors for a panoramic view for the price of three Euros, with children 12 and under admitted free.

    The flowers are set in place by hundreds of horticulturists, and there will be a fireworks display and music concert as part of the festivities.  Visit www.flowercarpet.be for a look at past flower carpet displays.  The painstaking recreation of Oriental carpet patterns is something to behold. Officially, the first Floral Carpet as its present-day form was created in 1971 on the Grand-Place by the landscape architect E. Stautemans, but, in fact, it was the culmination of a whole series created in various towns in Flanders. He had been experimenting since the early 50’s making simple small carpets, more like rugs, mainly consisting of begonias. He very quickly realized that floral carpets would be an excellent vehicle for the promotion of his beloved begonias which he had always worked with, both technically, economically and aesthetically.After years of attempts and calculations, this architect, who was inventive and imaginative, and knew how to make the most of the numerous resources of begonias, became an expert in the creation of superb floral carpets with sophisticated colors and complicated designs.

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  • September 14 – 16 – Flower Show School Course I

    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.  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.  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

    American Horticultural Society host Katy Moss Warner invites you to join her and Tour Escort Susie Orso to Sicily October 28 – November 7, 2010.  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.  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.  You will travel to Catania, Mt. Etna, Villasmundo, Syracuse, Agrigento, Palermo and more.  A complete itinerary can be found at www.ahs.org.

    http://mimmapallavicini.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/biviere-saguari-guerrieri-alla-porta-di-casa.jpg

  • Thursday, July 8 and Saturday, August 7, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Hamilton House Landscape and Garden Tour

    Take part in a special opportunity to learn about the landscape and gardens at Hamilton House with Historic New England’s Piscataqua Region Landscape Manager Gary Wetzel. Imagine the changes in the land as wilderness yields to a busy commercial waterfront, then to farming and, finally, to formal gardens. Learn about the flowers, trees, and other plants and how the gardeners create and maintain the beautiful landscape. Tour participants are invited to visit the house at no additional charge. Landscape and garden tours are available for private groups by special arrangement. The tour will take place on Thursday, July 8 and on Saturday, August 7, from 10:30 – 11:30 am. $6 for HNE members, $12 nonmembers. Registration is required – call 207-384-2454, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org.

    http://www.gardenvisit.com/assets/madge/hamilton_garden_maine/600x/hamilton_garden_maine_600x.jpg

  • Thursday, July 1, 10:00 am – Eco-Gardening with Native Perennials

    James Redding and Diane Guidebeck of Mahoney’s Garden Center in Falmouth will present at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth, on Thursday, July 1, beginning at 10 am.  James, an expert in advising consumers on pests and pesticides and plant diseases and herbicides, will help you learn what’s eating your prize perennials, turning your grass brown in patches, and other maladies of Cape Cod summers.  He will present natural, non-invasive and ecologically friendly methods to control pests and diseases so you are rewarded for your hard work with a healthy garden instead of spending time combating problems.  Diane will talk about perennial plants native to the Northeast that require little maintenance, are Cape Cod hardy, and are adaptable to soil types, light conditions, and temperature change.  $5 suggested donation.  For directions, log on to www.highfieldhall.org.

    http://www.falmouththeatreguild.org/images/Highfielddrive_1890.jpg

  • Saturday, July 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Ponemah Bog

    The centerpiece of the 75-acre sanctuary in southern NH, Ponemah Bog is maintained by NH Audubon’s Nashaway Chapter. At the center of the property is a three-acre kettle hole pond, encircled by a floating mass of sphagnum. The pond and bog are easily accessible by a narrow boardwalk, which includes spur trails to four viewing platforms.  On this trip with Roland “Boot” Boutwell and the New England Wild Flower Society on Saturday, July 10, from 10 – 2,  expect to see the magnificent orchid grass-pink, (Calopogon tuberosus), in bloom, as well as horned bladderwort, (Utricularia cornuta), and small cranberry, (Vaccinium oxycoccos). You should also see a host of other bog plants, including pitcher plants, sundews and tamaracks. The beauty of this bog may make you think you have passed on to the hereafter, and in fact, according to Longfellow in The Song of Hiawatha, “Ponemah” means “land of the hereafter”. Ponemah Bog is very accessible and is less than an hour from Boston. Bring a bag lunch as well as a hand lens if you have one.  The fee is $32 for NEWFS  members and $36 for nonmembers, and you may register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Sunday, July 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Fancy Ferns Workshop

    The New England Wild Flower Society is holding a Fancy Ferns Workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, July 11, from 10 – 4.  Some of our most beautiful ferns are “three-times cut.” Lady fern, hay scented fern (below), and several wood ferns are the more common taxa in this group.  Don Lubin and Raymond Abair will discuss vocabulary, frond morphology, and field identification characteristics. The class involves careful observation of fronds from these species, and possibly a hybrid as well.  The indoor session includes a lecture and the use of dissecting microscopes, followed by a field session to see the ferns in various habitat areas of the Garden. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one.  The fee to attend is $66 if a NEWFS member and $78 if a nonmember.  You may register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, June 26, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Wine & Roses in the Formal Gardens

    The Frederick W. Vanderbilt Garden Association invites you to Wine & Roses in the Formal Gardens at the Vanderbilt National Historic Site, Route 9, Hyde Park, New York, on Saturday, June 26, from 5 – 7.  Enjoy wine and cheese, music, informal garden tours, floral arranging demonstrations, and door prizes.  Reservations are required. Tickets are $40 per person, $75 per couple.  Call Gail at 845-264-4356, email fwvga@marist.edu, or log on to www.vanderbiltgarden.org before June 22 to secure your place.

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  • Saturday, July 10, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm – NOFA/Mass Backyard Poultry Day

    NOFA/Mass presents its first annual Statewide Backyard Poultry Workshop Day. On July 10, there will workshops in every region of the state to inform you on how to raise chickens for eggs and/or meat right in your own backyard. NOFA/Mass is a community of farmers and educators striving for greater self-reliance and freedom in feeding our families and communities. This is a great opportunity to learn skills needed to shape your food future. These workshops are intended to meet the resurgence of interest in backyard poultry. They all take place in the field of actual chicken raising operations. Some are commercial scale and other are just for home-use. They are all led by experienced poultry raisers who also know how to teach. Each workshop presenter will explain and demonstrate some key steps that can empower you to start raising poultry or improve what you are already doing. Please bring your questions. The workshops take place outdoors. Be prepared for sunny or for rainy weather. Wear proper footwear for being in the field. Bring a water bottle & protect skin from the sun. You may also want to bring a camera and a notebook. To prevent the possible spread of disease from farm to farm, host farms may ask you to do a foot bath if you currently own poultry. Registration for these workshops goes from $30-$40. NOFA membership discount: $5. Early registration (by June 26) discount: $5. Contact: Ben Grosscup, 413-658-5374. By email, ben.grosscup@nofamass.org; put “Backyard Poultry” in subject.  For more information, log on to www.nofamass.org/programs/extensionevents/backyardpoultry.php.

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