The Friends of the Public Garden is holding a softball game fundraiser recognizing the role of recreation in the Boston Common, beginning with the Essex Base Ball Organization demonstrating a 19th Century ball game. You may play for $250, sponsor for $100, or come watch free. The July 13 event, beginning at 5:30 pm, will take place on the Boston Common Ball Field, Charles and Boylston Streets. For more information, log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.
On Saturday, July 17, The Ashland Garden Club will sponsor Teascapes in the Garden, Garden Tour and Luncheon, in locations throughout beautiful Ashland, Massachusetts. The cost is $20, including lunch, and you may contact Diane Roberts at 508-881-8165 for more information, or log on to www.ashlandgardenclub.org.
The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) is pleased to announce an opportunity for scientists to inform the nation’s science policy. This August, AIBS — with the support of event sponsors Botanical Society of America, Genetics Society of America, Long Term Ecological Research Network, Society of Systematic Biologists, and University of Michigan Biological Station, and Event Supporter Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve — Stanford University — will convene the 2nd Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event.
This nationwide event enables scientists to meet with their members of Congress in their own district rather than in Washington, DC, and allows elected officials to learn first-hand about the science and research facilities in their district. This initiative is an opportunity to show elected officials how science is conducted and to showcase the people, equipment and facilities that are required to support and conduct scientific research.
The 2nd Annual Biological Sciences Congressional District Visits event will be held throughout the month of August 2010.
Each August, Representatives and Senators spend time in their Congressional districts and home states. This event is an opportunity for scientists and representatives of research facilities to meet with their member of Congress to demonstrate how science is conducted and why a sustained investment in research and education programs must be a national priority. Participating scientists will either meet with their elected officials at a district office or may invite them to visit their research facility.
Participants will be prepared for their congressional meetings by AIBS Public Policy Office staff. Training for this event will be conducted through an interactive webinar program. In addition, participants will receive information about federal appropriations for biological and environmental research, tips for conducting a successful meeting with an elected official, and resources to craft and communicate an effective message. The AIBS Public Policy Office will provide participating scientists with guidance and some assistance with scheduling meetings. (Depending upon your institutional policy, individuals inviting their members of Congress to their facility may want to consult with the organization’s government relations officer.) Participation is free, but registration is required and space is limited. Registration will close on July 16, so log on to www.aibs.org/public-policy/congressional_district_visits.html. And thanks go to asymptotia.com for the science cartoon contest submission pictured below.
The New England Sand Sculpting Festival at Revere Beach is a competition between master sand sculptors competing for over $15,000 in prize money. See their work Wednesday, July 14 – Sunday, July 18, from 9 to 9, and enjoy live entertainment and vendors on the boardwalk. For more information, log on to www.reverebeach.com, or call 978-749-6700.
This two-session set of field walks on Monday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 20 from 1 – 4 pm with geologist Robert Doyle provides exposure to the fascinating rocks of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and an overview of the geological history of Maine. The first day examines the Lerner Garden of the Five Senses and Great Lawn, focusing on folding, faulting, and metamorphic rocks. The walk will continue with an exploration of glacially-shaped “sugarloafs†along the Birch Allée, concluding at the Rhododendron Garden’s waterfall. On the second day, you’ll traverse the Haney Hillside Garden to study the Back River fault, the incredible rocks placed along the hillside and in the Meditation Garden, and numerous shoreline features. This class is geared for beginners and anyone interested in learning more about local geology. $45 for CMBG members, $55 for non-members. Meet in the Visitor Center. To register, or for more information, log on to www.mainegardens.org, or call 207-633-4333.
Come to the home of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street (Rt. 16) in Wellesley, on Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25, for the Annual Antiques at Elm Bank event, sponsored this year by Gentle Giant Movers. For hours, and more information, log on to www.neantiqueshows.com.
The American Horticultural Society is once again teaming up with the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, for the In the Garden Weekend, held August 20-22. The 12th annual event will include presentations by André Viette, nurseryman and host of the “In the Garden†radio show; Kerry Mendez, owner of Perennially Yours in upstate New York; Paul Meyer, director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania; Holly Shimizu, executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden; and Forrest Lee, the Homestead’s grounds superintendent. In addition to the presentations, tours of the Homestead’s gardens, meals, and accommodations are offered as part of the weekend package. All attendees receive a free year of membership in the AHS. Visit www.ahs.org or call 703-768-5700 for additional information. To register, visit the Homestead’s website, www.thehomestead.com.
A selection of ten choice private gardens in Warner, NH, are included on the 2010 Fells Garden Tour, to be held Saturday, July 17, from 9 – 3. . The town of Warner, a pleasant and picturesque village with neatness and thrift evident in all the surroundings is situated in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region of New Hampshire, a quick 30 minutes northwest of Concord and 40 minutes southeast of Lebanon. You will be treated to a variety of unique gardens and styles–including an organic vegetable garden, charming historic gardens in the Waterloo District, sweeping views from gardens on prestigious Pumpkin Hill, an artist’s garden and shop, “a garden among the rocks,” and a lovely compact garden and private patio in the town village.
While in Waterloo stroll past beautiful historic homes, cross a covered bridge to the Warner River and railroad station and continue along a picturesque walking trail. Waterloo resident and historian Paul Proulx will speak at 10:30am and at 1:30pm on the history of the people and politics of Waterloo. Refreshments will be served at the tavern at 1:30pm. Tour headquarters is the Telephone Museum located at 22 East Main Street, Warner. Tickets: $25 day of tour; $20 in advance. Purchase tickets on line at www.thefells.org, or call 603-763-4789.
Join The Garden Conservancy in the North and South Dartmouth area on Saturday, July 17 from 10 – 4Â for a self guided tour of eight fascinating and diverse private gardens.
Fran & Clint Levin’s Garden, North Dartmouth
The gardens surround a house designed by an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. The gardens have evolved over the past sixty years, working first with Allen Haskell, and since 2004 with Nan Sinton. The gardens include a rose garden, succulents, Japanese maples, a tropical garden, and in the last three years the owners have developed a contemporary stroll garden exploring different garden vignettes, vistas, and a “stumpery”. The gardens also include a fish pond, tennis lawn, and secret garden. Francine Crawford of the Garden Club of the Back Bay reports that a tour of this garden with late fellow member Sandy Tishman several years ago was a highlight of the GCFMA Garden Tour Week.
Nancy & Richard Forbes, 523 Barneys Joy Road, South Dartmouth
Come see one of the most gorgeous properties on the South Coast. God provided incomparable views of the tidal Slocums River, farms tilting down to the river, and meadows, woods, and salt marshes. The Forbes’Â part (and landscape architect Martha Moore’s) was to arrange native plant material so as to create interest and still to direct the eye outward. They have augmented the native material with an enclosed cutting and vegetable garden that includes prize-winning dahlias. You will be interested in how the two of them manage the place, with a little help, as they weekend and vacation in their Richard Bertman-designed house.
Frog Landing, 77 Elm Street, South Dartmouth
Set in mature coastal woods, Nan Sinton’s seven-year old garden draws inspiration from classic Renaissance design with an axial plan using native plants as key structural elements. Explore the street-side glade garden, then climb stone steps to a gravel entrance court planted with standard wisterias. Walk through tall wooden gates to discover the main garden areas. Here the designer/owner, who is also a passionate plant collector, has made a patterned viewing garden, a “green” room, and a formal allée. A hidden flower enclosure displays luxuriant tropicals, a vegetable and cutting garden is adjacent to the house, and a series of shaded woodland walks—the cool “bosco” of the historic sixteenth-century gardens—feature native viburnums, clethra, holly, magnolias, and ferns. The garden was featured in the August/September 2008 issue of Horticulture magazine.
Jardim Escondido, 147 Russells Mills Road, South Dartmouth
Jardim Escondido (Hidden Garden – and yes, the owner says it is Jardim, not Jardin) is a plantsman’s garden gem, tucked away behind tall hedges and large trees. The two-and-one-half acres is divided into two areas. Initially, you encounter a country garden: a large wildflower field, lush cutting gardens, and vintage milk house surrounded by specimen trees and backed by twelve acres of woodland. The garden surrounding the house is a romantic, Monet-like garden begun by the Perry family in the 1930s. This European-inspired garden includes beds of pastel annuals, perennials, mature specimen trees, and magnificent old taxus topiaries. Jardim Escondido offers the visitor a visual surprise sure to be appreciated.
Betsy & Greer McBratney, 29 Grinnell Road, South Dartmouth
Fifty years ago, Betsy and Greer McBratney purchased three acres of a new subdivision, Birchfield Farm, a defunct dairy on the shores of Buzzards Bay and Padanaram Harbor. In 1974, seven McBratney’s moved into their new house designed by Wills Association of Boston. The front retaining wall and rock garden were built by Lloyd Lawton of Tiverton, Rhode Island. Design assistance for plantings was given by Blanche Frenning of Little Compton, and later by Allen Haskell. The present sunken garden and attached greenhouse had two incarnations: the first had steps and walls of railroad ties; the second, with assistance of Chris Tracey of Avant Gardens, was of stone for steps and walls. Twenty-two hypertufa troughs line the sunken garden walls. Greer, a beekeeper, is also interested in the lawn, trees, fruits, and vegetables. Grass-cutting, pruning, picking, canning, and freezing are his domain.
Paradise Farm, 1157 Russells Mills Road, South Dartmouth
It takes a village to design a garden, at least in this case. Before the owners moved from Cambridge twenty-four years ago, gardening consisted of keeping house plants alive—barely. Here multiple overgrown acres were in much need of attention. Rather than trust their own green thumbs, they consulted an army of knowledgeable designers, drawing inspiration and information from each one. Lili Morss helped with the pool; Sue Underwood, Allen Haskell, Jim Sears, Nonie Hood, and Kathy Tracey with other gardens. Their collective vision, the rich soil, and a growing understanding of the evolution of a garden have brought the garden to this point. The many rooms in the garden each have a different high season, and special feeling.
Seathrift – Alfred J. Walker, 288 Russells Mills Road, South Dartmouth
The home of Al Walker and Keith Karlson, “Seathrift” was built in 1860 by whale ship Captain Benjamin M. Wing. For the past twenty years the current owner has reclaimed more than six acres, designing garden spaces both formal and natural, creating the feeling of an arboretum of trees and flowering shrubs using English country and Italian influences in both structure, walls, and ornamentation, yet retaining a country feel. Keep an eye out for the wonderful conifers, a large selection of more than forty Japanese maples, and the granite creations of local artist Ron Rudnicki.
Sarah Spongberg Garden at Herring Run, South Dartmouth
Herring Run Farm is located in a bend of the Paskamansett River. The nine acres on which the house stands is part of old fields and groups of trees edged by native plants. Nothing has been done to alter the character of the landscape. The plantings are intended to enhance its natural swells and dips. The entrance to the kitchen has an herb garden and the entrance to the garden itself is a simple gate that is the portal to a serene natural landscape that feels timeless and is a welcome respite from the world. The reflection of the trees on the far bank of the river is the backdrop for an aerating fountain that reflects the light and adds sparkle to the dappled shade.
Admission to each participating private garden is $5 per person. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Admission may be paid in cash or check. Tickets are not required to attend Open Days. To purchase discounted tickets in advance or to order an Open Days Directory with complete directions to each garden, log on to www.gardenconservancy.org. The Garden Conservancy thanks Garden Design magazine, its national media sponsor for 2010.
Put on your tricolour and attend a street fair on Friday, July 9, beginning at 6 pm, with francophone music (you mean that accordion stuff, or are we talking Ravel?) dancing, French food and drink, celebrating freedom, community, cultural diversity and friendship between nations. The event takes place on Marlborough Street, between Berkeley and Clarendon, and costs $28 in advance, $30 at the “door.” For more information call 617-876-4275.
