Month: June 2010

  • Thursday, July 22 – Sunday, July 25 – 2010 JMMDS Vermont Stone Workshop

    Join renowned master dry stone waller Dan Snow and award-winning landscape designer and host Julie Moir Messervy in an inspiring hands-on workshop on the art of placing stone. Combining Dan’s vast walling experience and artistic vision with Julie’s skill in stone composition, the two will instruct participants on how to arrange stone in a variety of different forms on the land.  You will learn principles and techniques of dry stone walling, Japanese stone placement and design, building special stone features such as Moongate and Stone Hive,  fire and water  features, plus stone path and terrace design.

    Over the course of this three and a half-day workshop July 22 – July 25, participants practice in small groups with Julie and Dan and his assistants on a variety of projects and skill-building exercises. Field trips, outdoor activities, and a beautiful rural Westminster,Vermont setting complete this special workshop experience. Limited enrollment.  Tuition is $1,180 per person, and student scholarships are available.  Contact info@jmmds.com, call 802-869-1470, or log on to www.jmmds.com.

    JMMDS 2010 Vermont Stone Workshop

  • Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Edgartown: The Tree Tour

    Enough about the distinguished Federal and Greek Revival homes of Edgartown— have you experienced the tree tour?!  Join Polly Hill Arboretum collections and grounds manager Tom Clark for this informative and fun walking tour of the many glorious mature trees of Edgartown on Tuesday, June 23, beginning at 10 am. In the midst of the mantle of green that envelops downtown Edgartown, the hydrangeas and picket fences, many unique and fine specimen trees await discovery. Inspect the famous Pagoda Tree and so much more. Call 508-693-9426 to pre-register and for carpool and meeting location.  $15 for PHA members, $18 non-members.  Log on to www.pollyhillarboretum.org for more information.

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  • Wednesdays, June 23 & 30, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Cape’scaping

    Michael Talbot of Talbot Ecological Land Care in Mashpee will present a two part series on Cape’scaping at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive, Falmouth, on Wednesday June 23 and Wednesday, June 30, beginning at 4 pm.  The first, Creating an Eco-Friendly Garden and Property, will help make your garden more interesting and enjoyable, easier to care for and environmentally friendly.  He offers ideas and tips on an ecological garden, lawn and landscape design, plant selection and installation of a Cape Cod green space to provide beauty, wildlife habitat and personal enjoyment.  The second lecture, Caring for an Eco-Friendly Lawn and Property, Michael will share how to maintain healthy gardens, lawns and plantings that are attractive and environmentally sensitive, using less water and fertilizer and safer pesticides, minimizing damage to our natural resources.  You will learn how maintaining our properties safely can mitigate the pollution of Cape Cod bays, inlets, streams, and of our drinking water.

    Michael Talbot is an award winning landscape designer, horticulturist and conservation consultant who has appeared on The Victory Garden and New England Chronicle, and has been a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Maine.  $5 suggested donation for each lecture.  For more information, log on to www.highfieldhall.org.

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  • Sunday, June 13, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – First Annual Tour of the Gardens of the Foyer of Charity

    We apologize for the late notice, but on Sunday, June 13, from 11 – 3, you may enjoy the first annual tour of the Gardens of the Foyer of Charity, 74 Hollett Street in beautiful Scituate, Massachusetts.  Explore the lush and verdant gardens, spread over 14 acres of rolling lawn, woodland and marsh in a bucolic country setting.  Be enthralled by the intoxicating scent of exquisite English roses, the joyous bloom of a multitude of perennials in the 100 foot border, and the refreshing cool in the dappled shade gardens.  See successful solutions for tough gardening sites, rare trees and exotic plants, and even purchase some to take home.  Meet and chat with gardeners, designers and horticulturists who have labored to make the Gardens of the Foyer the special retreat that it is.  Refresh your spirit and appetite with complimentary home-made beverages and sweet and savory treats.  $5 admission.  For directions and more information, call 781-545-1080, or log on to www.foyerofcharity.com.

  • Twilight Garden Party 2010

    We thank all the sponsors and volunteers for making the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s Twilight Garden Party 2010 such a success.  We especially thank Mayor Thomas Menino for gracing us with his presence.  A more complete description of the evening will follow, but we thought you would enjoy a few glimpses of the event, captured by member and photographer Calla Jean Schaefer-Adams:

    Mayor Thomas Menino, Garden Club Co-President Jolinda Taylor, and Twilight Garden Party Co-Chair Jessica Seth

    Goethe Institut, Decorated with Photo Murals of Back Bay in Bloom

    Mayor Menino with Magnolia Award Recipients from the Vendome Condominium

  • Sunday, June 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Discovering Backyard Medicinal Plants

    Join Historic New England and herbalist Kristin Minto for an informative walk to discover medicinal and culinary herbs growing in our own backyards.  Learn methods for harvesting, using, and preserving plants.  Herbal refreshments will follow the program.  The event, taking place at Watson Farm in Jamestown, Rhode Island, will be held Sunday, June 27, from 10 am – noon, and the farm will be open from 1:00 – 5:00 for additional hiking.  Advance registration required.  Please call 617-994-5934 or email events@historicnewengland.org, or visit www.historicnewengland.org to register.

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  • Wednesdays, July 14 and July 21, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Identifying Natives with Newcomb’s

    Learn to use Lawrence Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide for the first time or revisit an old friend to understand why this book remains one of the most popular and useful field guides for a non-botanist (botanists like it too). With its unique key, short accurate descriptions, and sensitive drawings by Gordon Morrison, you will be able to identify both woody and herbaceous native plants from rare wild flowers to tiny interesting weeds. Even if you have used this book before, you will enjoy getting to know about Newcomb’s history, his close observations in the field and in his own garden that helped him create a book light enough to carry, yet filled with 1,375 wildflowers, shrubs and vines of the Northeastern United States. Receive a solid grounding in “Newcomb’s,” which will serve you well as you take other botany courses in the New England Wild Flower Society’s Certificate Program.  The classes will be held on Wednesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 21, from 10 – 12:30, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, and are taught by Carol Govan, a past speaker at  Garden Club of the Back Bay meetings.  NEWFS member fee is $55, $65 for nonmembers, and you may register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Saturday, June 19 – Sunday, June 27, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – Aunt Sadie’s and Gracie Finn’s Mahoney’s Pop Up Store

    Aunt Sadie’s and Gracie Finn, located at 18 Union Park Street in Boston’s South End, announced today they will host a Pop-Up Store featuring Mahoney’s Garden Center from Saturday, June 19th – Sunday, June 27th. The kick off coincides with the South End Garden Tour.

    Kick off for the event will be on Saturday, June 19th from 10am – 6pm. Representatives from Mahoney’s will be on-hand throughout the day and there will be a large Mahoney’s box truck parked in front of the store and a huge sidewalk sale of Mahoney’s plants, pots and container gardens. There will also be demonstrations throughout the day by Mahoney’s staff on proper planting techniques, selecting appropriate plants for container gardens, etc.

    Aunt Sadie’s and Gracie Finn will continue to feature Mahoney’s plants and pots in the Pop-Up Store from Sunday, June 20th – Sunday, June 27th. “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Mahoney’s for the Pop-Up Store”, noted co-owner Gary Briggs. “This will present a unique and exciting opportunity for South End, South Boston, Dorchester, Bay Village, Beacon Hill and Back Bay residents to enjoy the special products that Mahoney’s has to offer without going to one of their 8 stores in the suburbs.”

    Mahoney’s was chosen the 2009 Massachusetts Retailer of the Year and continue to be a family-owned business since their start in 1959. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality and largest selection of garden plants, garden products and gardening services. For more information about Mahoney’s, visit their website at www.mahoneysgarden.com.

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  • Tuesday, June 15, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Back Bay/South End Groundwater Long Term Action Plan

    The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is pleased to announce a Community Meeting to discuss the current MBTA Back Bay/ South End Groundwater Long Term Action Plan.

    The MBTA General Manager will be in attendance and the project staff will provide an overview of the proposed Action Plan and schedule.

    A question and answer period will follow.

    The Meeting is scheduled for:

    Tuesday June 15, 2010
    6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
    10 Park Plaza
    2nd Floor Conference Room #4
    Boston, MA

    The MBTA urges all interested parties to attend. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. If assisted listening devices and / or interpreters are needed, please call Massachusetts Relay Service and request (617) 222-3752.

    For more information, please call (617) 222-6757.

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  • Saturday, June 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ergonomic Gardening

    Gardening is physical activity for people of all abilities, yet each of us needs to be kind to our joints and muscles. Join master gardener, occupational therapist, and horticultural therapist Amy Wagenfeld on Saturday, June 26 beginning at 10 am in the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay, Maine, to learn about ergonomically sound gardening techniques and practices. Try out a variety of tools that are easy to use, and learn some strategies to help you continue experiencing the delights of gardening, no matter what your age or physical challenges.  $15 members of CMBG, $20 non-members.  To register, log on to www.mainegardens.org.

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