Boston Flora

Month: July 2010

  • Saturday, July 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Peterborough Historical Society Art and Garden Tour

    The Peterborough Historical Society is sponsoring a Garden Art Tour on Saturday, July 17, from 10 – 4, rain or shine, featuring seven glorious gardens, including the garden of Garden Club of the Back Bay member Margaret Pokorny.  An autumn view of part of her garden on Parson Lane in Jaffrey Center is pictured below.  Other gardens in Jaffrey Center belong to Peg Castle (Fitzwilliam Road) and Sally Larsen (Harkness Road.)  On to nearby Peterborough to see Ann Lord’s garden (Sand Hill Road), Joyce Gregg’s (Wilton Road), Laura Trowbridge’s (Cornish Road), and Mary Lord’s (Middle Hancock Road.) Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 on the day of tour.  You may order online at www.peterboroughhistory.org, and online tickets may be picked up at the Historical Society, 19 Grove Street, Peterborough, NH during regular hours, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 – 4, or on the day of the tour, beginning at 10 am.  Day of tour tickets will be available at each individual garden.  Tickets must be presented at each of the gardens for admission.

  • Thursday, July 22, 10:00 am – Tips and Plants for Hot-Weather Gardening on the Cape

    Tina Balog, well-known grower of heirloom plants and plant materials and a regular at the Falmouth Farmers Market, will share her knowledgeable insights into which plant varieties fare best in a summer coastal climate, on Thursday, July 22 at 10 am at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth.  She will offer tips on optimal soil preparation, fertilizing, protecting plants with easy, natural remedies and techniques to keep your garden thriving throughout what promises to be a hot summer.  Tina’s expertise with heirloom plants and herbs provides an opportunity for you to replenish your garden mid-season and plan for the fall.  Even better, Tina will bring samples of her vegetables for you to purchase if your garden needs a pick me up.  $5 suggested donation.  Log on to www.highfieldhall.org for more information.

    http://www.frenchgardening.com/p/APharv.jpg

  • Wednesday, July 14, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Plant Shopping in the Summer and Fall

    MassHort’s ‘Wednesday Evenings at Elm Bank’ series of programs for the home gardener returns on July 14 with first-rate presentations by experts in the field.

    “We think of it as a garden club without borders,” says Gretel Anspach, MassHort trustee and chair of the Horticulture, Education and Outreach Committee that sponsors the event. “It’s all the best stuff you join a garden club for, without ever having to listen to someone read the minutes.”  (NOTE: The Garden Club of the Back Bay mails out the minutes, and our meetings are truly enjoyable without a lot of parliamentary fuss, but we know what Gretel means.)

    The series kicks off July 14 when Weston Nurseries’ Brian Karlsson-Barnes offers down-to-earth advice about plant shopping in the summer and fall. There are four more months of great gardening and planting weather. Prices come down and although plants always look best early in a season (especially herbaceous perennials), if well-maintained at a nursery or garden center, and planted right later in the season, the plants will look great the following year. Brian will detail what to look for at a nursery/garden center and how to tell a merely good plant from a terrific one.

    Sessions begin at 6:30 and go until 8 p.m. or until the last question has been answered. All sessions are held at Elm Bank, either in the Hunnewell carriage house or the Education Building.  MassHort members pay $8 per session. The cost for non-members is $10. Refreshments are offered.  For more information log on to www.masshort.org.

    http://www.tubsandshrubs.co.uk/images/nursery.jpg

  • Friday, August 6, 7:45 am – 5:00 pm – Spend a Day with P. Allen Smith

    Travel with Russell’s Garden Center’s staff for P. Allen Smith Day at Pleasant View Gardens, Loudon, New Hampshire.

    * Hear from gardening expert P. Allen Smith
    * Tour the Proven Winners Display Garden, which includes more than 500 varieties of annuals, perennials, and shrubs
    * Receive a copy of Proven Winners’ 2010 Gardeners’ Idea Book
    * Preview 2011 Proven Winners plants and P. Allen Smith’s Platinum Collection
    * Enjoy a continental breakfast and a catered lunch
    * Have your picture taken with Allen
    * Greenhouse and facility tour
    * Book signing

    Registration / Cancellation Refund Deadline:
    July 10, 2010

    The cost of the trip is $45.00 per person, which includes bus transportation, continental breakfast & lunch.  Sign up today by calling 508-358-2283. Seating is limited.  The bus leaves from Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road in Wayland promptly at 7:45 am.

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  • Friday, July 23, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Wrapping Flowers Japanese Style

    In Japan, presentation influences so much – food, flowers, tea. But Japan is not the only culture this workshop will be inspired by. There are wonderful, exciting flower arrangement traditions from many cultures and this workshop will draw from them. July 23 from 10 – 3 is the perfect time for the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge  to offer a flower-oriented workshop as there will be many flowers to choose from in our gardens. Participants will use basketry materials, papers and metal screening to “wrap flowers” in a new way. Be prepared to be newly excited about presenting the flowers you already love to live with and give as gifts.

    Nancy Moore Bess is a master basket maker and exhibits her baskets worldwide. She has championed Japanese basketry in the west and is the author of Bamboo in Japan. She teaches basket making workshops throughout the United States including for the Haystack School of Crafts on Deer Isle, Maine. Her popular workshops always sell out. BBG members $75, nonmembers $85, plus a $20 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    http://www.freshflowersandgifts.com.au/shop/images/big/B4.jpg

  • Thursday, July 22, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – An Intimate Garden Tour: Villa Palona, Middletown

    Blithewold invites you beyond the garden gate to tour this charming local property on Thursday, July 22, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. As part of a small and informal group, discover Villa Palona’s story and distinct collection of plants. See the landscape through the eyes of the owner and come away with new ideas and a fresh perspective. Each Intimate Garden Tour is unique, but all afford the opportunity to explore and ask questions.

    Villa Palona, the name of the house, is an integral part, and provides inspiration, for this small suburban garden. The house was designed by the Hoppin Brothers of Providence, and completed in 1924. It was built as a prototype for the Portland Cement Company and named by the architects ‘The Providence’ after the capital of Rhode Island.

    Thinking the name somewhat pretentious, the name was changed in honor of a large Palonia [sic] Tomentosa tree which, sadly, is no longer part of the landscape.

    The house was bought by the owners’ parents in 1946, and the house and garden have had restorations in the last twenty-two years of ownership. A few original specimen trees and shrubs, as well as the garden topography encompass the present plan.

    The illusion of being in a much broader, as well as private, landscape has been an objective. The present garden has evolved dramatically over the past several years with the addition of stone walls and steps, a small reclaimed granite fountain, large plant perennial borders, and a surprise birch tree cedar grove. Plant material is ever changing, rich in texture, and rather bold.

    *In the case of heavy rain, participants will be notified of cancellations by phone. If you do not hear from us a few hours before the program start, the program will run as scheduled.

    Directions to the site will be mailed a few weeks prior to the tour. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is limited and required in advance.$30 Blithewold members, $35 non-members.  Email jmurphyedu@blithewold.org, or call 401-253-2707.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SRJAqXNdv9c/SuiCVBViozI/AAAAAAAAFTs/uqsdpPhjytA/s400/15Oct09+Jacquemontii+Silver+Birch.jpg

  • Tuesday, July 13, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Asian Longhorned Beetle Public Meeting

    A consortium of city, state, and federal officials will host an informational meeting to discuss the recent discovery of an infestation of the Asian Longhorned Beetle in Boston.

    The public is invited to attend this informational meeting on the invasive beetle and steps being taken to fight it.  The meeting will be held at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, Circuit Drive, in Dorchester.  For further information, please call (866) 702-9938.

    To report suspicious tree damage, view photographs and videos of tree damage, or read about the Asian longhorned beetle, visit www.mass.gov/agr/alb.htm or call the toll-free Asian longhorned beetle hotline at 866-702-9938.

    http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/ento/pestweb/images/asianlonghorn3.jpg

  • Saturday, July 17, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Blueberry Pancake Breakfast

    It’s blueberry season, and Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road in Concord,  is hosting a morning of blueberry madness on Saturday, July 17, from 9 am – noon.  Breakfast includes blueberry pancakes, Massachusetts maple syrup, bacon or sausage, juice, milk or coffee.  At 11:00 am there will be a blueberry pie eating contest, no fee to enter (perhaps you’d pay not to enter.)  Music is provided by The Yankee Stompers.  $7 for adults, $4.50 for kids under 10.  Log on to www.verrillfarm.com for more information.

    http://emilytan.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/blueberry_pancakes.jpg

  • Wednesday, July 21, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – The Doyle Reservation: Conservation & Restoration

    Join Russ Hopping, Ecological Program Manager for the Trustees of Reservation (TTOR), for this walking tour through the three eco-types that make up the Doyle Reservation, 464 Abbott Avenue in Leominster, Massachusetts.

    The Doyle Reservation is a 170 acre conservation property that includes meandering trails, woodlands, meadows, fields and gardens, all part of two former early 1900’s estates.  Today the Reservation includes Pierce Park, the Doyle Center, and Doyle Estate. Pierce Park is made up of ten of the original landscaped grounds from the Pierce estate – most of the trees and shrubs are from the estate’s original design and plantings.  The Doyle Center (below), with a LEED Gold-Certified “green” building as its heart, is the hub of the Reservation, and is where the tour will begin.

    Discussion will include efforts made to remove and control invasive species, demonstrate site restoration, and highlight TTOR’s ecological management plan.  This event is co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association.  $20 for ELA or TTOR members, $25 for non-members.  For more information, or to register, email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.

    F.Siteman

  • Asian Longhorn Beetles Found in Jamaica Plain

    We just received this information from the MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources—please read this, spread the word, and help stop the spread of this critter that required 27,000 trees to be cut down in Worcester in 2008-2009.

    This weekend a small infestation of Asian longhorn beetle (ALB) was found in Jamaica Plain (Boston). The site is at Faulkner Hospital, just across from the Arnold Arboretum. Six infested maple trees were found so far, in close proximity to each other, and have already been removed by USDA/DCR. Surveys will continue this week.

    It is extremely important that we get the word out ASAP to everyone in the Boston, Brookline and Newton area to be on the lookout for:

    1) Adult Asian longhorn beetles (shiny black beetles with white spots and long, banded antennae – picture below)

    2) ALB exit holes (dime-sized, perfectly round holes, especially in maple, but also in birch, elm, horse chestnut, willow and other hardwood trees…but not oak)

    3) ALB egg-laying sites (divots in the bark ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/4 inches across – fresh pits often have oozing, foaming sap)

    Anyone seeing anything suspicious should report it immediately at http://massnrc.org/pests/albreport.aspx or toll-free: 1-866-702-9938.  Take photos if you can.

    If you are with an environmental group or other organization that needs outreach materials, we will provide you with free ID cards, fact sheets, etc. Just contact Jen Forman Orth (jennifer.forman-orth@state.ma.us; 617-626-1735)

    Spread the word, not the beetle! Get all the latest ALB news at: http://massnrc.org/pests/alb

    http://www.franklintwpnj.org/alb.jpg