Boston Flora

Month: June 2010

  • Wednesday, June 30, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Beatrix Farrand: Private Gardens, Public Landscapes

    Beatrix Farrand was one of the foremost landscape designers of the early 1900s. Born into a prominent New York family, Farrand eschewed the traditional social life of the Gilded Age to pursue her passion for landscape and plants. Many of her “high society” clients were had estates in Newport, the Berkshires, and Maine, but ultimately Farrand became the landscape designer for university campuses and public gardens. Join past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker, landscape historian, author, and Vineyard gardener Judith Tankard for a look at the life and work of Farrand.  Beatrix Farrand: Private Gardens, Public Landscapes, published in 2009, is Tankard’s seventh book on landscape history. This lecture, taking place Wednesday, June 30 at the Polly Hill Arboretum, beginning at 7:30 pm, is sponsored by Middletown Nursery and the Polly Hill Arboretum.  $10 admission, $5 for PHA members.  For more information, log on to www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

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  • Thursday, July 8, 4:00 pm – Beatrix Farrand, Private Gardens, Public Landscapes

    Judith Tankard continues her book tour with a stop at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in West Stockbridge,  on Thursday, July 8 at 4 pm. Beatrix Farrand (below) was one of the foremost landscape architects of the early 1900s and one of the earliest women to take up the profession. She studied privately under the renowned horticulturist Charles Sprague Sargent and learned about garden design through extensive travel abroad. Many of her clients were members of high society, with estates in Newport, the Berkshires, and Maine. Learn about this remarkable woman and her lasting influence on the field of landscape design.  $20.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    Judith B. Tankard is an art historian specializing in landscape history. She is the author of seven books and has taught for over twenty years at the Landscape Institute of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University.

    http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/images/farrand2.jpg

  • Monday, June 21, 6:30 pm – Ringgold Park Community Meeting

    Join the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of Ringgold Park on Monday, June 21, at 6:30 pm in third floor Child Care Room of the Blackstone Community Center, 50 West Brookline Street,  to discuss Ringgold Park’s Center Circle Fountain project.  See the site plans, express your views, and take an active part in the process.  See how different construction materials affect the budget.  Your input is wanted. The highly trafficked Ringgold Park, which rests on Ringgold Street between Shawmut Avenue and Tremont Street, has recently become a matter of discussion as initial building plans have been put into place to construct a fountain in its barren, grassy center. Complicating matters, however, is the need to raise at least $85,000 to fully fund construction costs. An interesting report on the project to date may be found at www.mysouthend.com.

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  • Saturday, June 26 – Sunday, June 27, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Lavender Festival

    Johnson Hill Farm is a unique place where you will find a Lavender Labyrinth, Doves, an 1800’s Cemetery, and more – all high on a hill, down in a hollow of scenic Buckland, Massachusetts. It is the home of the Lavender Labyrinth where you can experience the beauty of nature and aroma of Lavender. The Lavender Festival is held here during the last full weekend of June each year.  Admission is free, and the hours are 10 – 4 each day.  You will enjoy a relaxing self-guided tour of the Farm, local artisans and crafters vending their products, demonstrations throughout the weekend, workshops in pounded flower art, lavender wand making, wild flower gathering and wreath making, cooking with lavender, and more.  Each day there will be a release of the doves, weather permitting.

    The Farm, located high on Johnson Hill, is nestled in a Hollow surrounded by the rolling hills of Buckland. This is now both a home and the home of the Lavender Labyrinth, the owner’s doves, an historic cemetery, and the all too friendly farm dogs. Entering the labyrinth can be a healthy walk or a gentle wander through the lavender, or for some a spiritual exercise or experience.

    For those interested in historic cemeteries, Sandy and Glenn Cardinal now carefully tend the Johnson Hill Cemetery. Photos are encouraged, but the stones are too fragile now to allow rubbings.

    Lavender grown and hand-harvested from the Labyrinth on the South Meadow provides the material for fresh cut or dried lavender and related hand-crafted products. Tucked between the plants you will find ‘verb garden stones’ (some practical, others whimsical) on display. Other crafts become available when inspiration and skill decide to work successfully together. Call 413-625-6439 for more information, or log on to www.lavenderland.com.

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  • Thursday, July 8, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Falmouth Garden Stroll on the Bay

    Join the Falmouth Art Center on this one of a kind spectacular walking garden tour on Thursday, July 8, from 10 – 3.  Seven outstanding seaside gardens, including a National award winner, are located on a private peninsula on Cape Cod with English-style cottage gardens and manicured country estates.  This tour is an easy seaside walk, arranged so you may stroll at your leisure through the gardens and outdoor markets.  Hidden garden gems will include a Farmer’s Market, Artisan Marketplace, and much more.  Tickets, $35, are limited, and the event is rain or shine.  Because the neighborhood has a no-parking rule, offsite parking, with shuttles to and from the seaside community, is included in the ticket price.  Harborside luncheon is also available.  Tickets may be purchased by telephone or in person at the Falmouth Art Center, Tuesday through Fridays, 9 am – 4 pm, or on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 pm.  You may also call 508-540-3304, or order on line at www.falmouthart.org.  If you wish to mail a check made out to the Falmouth Artists Guild, you may do so by sending your check to Falmouth Art Center, PO Box 660, Falmouth, MA 02541.

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  • Saturday, July 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Ferns in the Wild and in Your Garden

    Nothing evokes serenity and “naturalizes” a landscape like a glade of ferns. They are easy to establish and provide dependable season-long greenery. This workshop will get you started in appreciating and identifying common native ferns and learning the right ones for different soil and light conditions. We’ll begin with a classroom program about fern natural history, keys for identifying the common natives, and how to integrate ferns into landscapes with different light, soil, and vegetative surroundings. From there the class will explore a nearby preserve to see a variety of  ferns in the wild. Finally, those interested may follow the instructor to his property nearby to see how native ferns add diversity and aesthetic quality to a natural landscape. Cosponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society with Westport River Watershed Alliance and the Connecticut College Arboretum, the program takes place Saturday, July 10, from 10 – 2.  You may register at www.newfs.org, and the participation fee is $38 for members of the cosponsoring organizations, and $44 for nonmembers.  Garry Plunkett will lead the class, and directions will be sent.

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  • Tuesday, June 29, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating

    Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, welcomes Leslie Brunetta, a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Times, Technology Review, and the Princeton Alumni Weekly, as well as on NPR, on Tuesday, June 29, beginning at 7 pm.  Her wonderful new book, co-authored with Catherine L. Craig, Spider Silk: Evolution and 400 Million Years of Spinning, Waiting, Snagging, and Mating “cures arachnophobia for any lucky reader…”, according to Simon Levin, author of Fragile Dominion.  For more information, log on to www.portersquarebooks.com.

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  • Saturday, June 19, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – East Meets Southwest

    Twig, the  flower shop at 83 Charles Street, has invited noted Santa Fe impressionist Joseph Breza to exhibit his remarkable work at its Beacon Hill location.  Breza is extremely accomplished, and has exhibited internationally.  He is known for his use of color and bold brushstrokes in brilliant Impressionistic landscapes, garden still lifes and scenes from France, Italy and New Mexico.  Also on display, naturally, will be beautiful flowers and unique gift products.  The reception will begin at 6 pm and admission is free.  You may call 617-292-8944 for more information.  Roses For Emily is pictured below.

    http://www.josephbreza.com/show-image/456601/Joseph-Breza/---Roses-for-Emily.jpg

  • Wednesday, June 30, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Boston Modern: The Spirit of Reinvention

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation invites the public to a free event – Boston Modern: The Spirit of Reinvention -  on Wednesday, June 30, beginning at 6:30 pm, celebrating the history and debating the future of the Boston area’s Modern and recent past architecture.  Join some of the preservation movement’s sharpest thinkers and most outspoken commentators for a provocative evening exploring the critical, and often controversial, issues facing the future of Greater Boston’s 20th century structures and landscapes.  Journalist and author Anthony Flint of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy will moderate a panel featuring David Fixler, FAIA of EYP and DOCOMOMO-US/New England, Kathy Spiegelman, Chief Planner, Harvard’s Allston Initiative, and others.  After hearing the experts, add your voice to the conversation during the public forum.

    A Special Insiders Tour of The First Church at 6:30 pm will be limited to the first 45 registrants.  The reception and program will begin at 7 pm.  RSVP to my.PreservationNation.org/BostonModern.

    The Boston Modern event is presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Modernism + Recent Past Program and Northeast Office, in partnership with the Boston Preservation Alliance, Boston Landmarks Commission, Boston Society of Architects, Common Boston, DOCOMOMO-US/new Engld, Historic New England, and Preservation Massachusetts, with sponsorship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Henry Luce Foundation.

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  • Saturday, June 26, 7:00 pm – Olmsted Benefactor Dinner at Marble House

    Looking for an excuse to wear the dress you bought for your niece’s wedding?  Mrs. Brittain Bardes, Mrs. James B. Gubelmann, Mrs. Norey Dotterer Cullen, and Mrs. Samuel M.V. Hamilton, Honorary Chairs, request the pleasure of your company at The Newport Flower Show Olmsted Benefactor Dinner to honor Marion Oates Charles.  A special presentation to long time supporter and co-founder of The Newport Flower Show will be made during the cocktail reception.  During dinner, Mr. Carter Roberts, President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund, will accept the 2010 Newport Flower Show International Achievement Award.  All this takes place Saturday, June 26, beginning at 7 pm at Marble House, 596 Bellevue Avenue in Newport.  The $650 per person cost will include reserved seating at Marble House with Mr. Carter Roberts, admission to the Friday Opening Night Cocktail Party, free weekend parking at Rosecliff, Preferred Seating at Saturday’s Luncheon/Lecture with Tony Avent, Friday Early Bird Shopping, Special Admission to the Show immediately following judging, a Special Gift, and three day Show Admission.  Please note that all but $175 per ticket is tax deductible.  To secure your place, log on to www.NewportFlowerShow.org.

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