Boston Flora

Month: September 2010

  • Saturday, October 2, 10:00 am – Back Bay Pooch Parade

    After a five-year hiatus, the popular Back Bay Pooch Parade will return better than ever! Join The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay for the renewed First Annual Back Bay Pooch Parade.

    Where: The Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Meet at the Garrison statue at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street — across from the Vendome.

    When: Saturday, October 2nd. Registration begins at 9:00 am and the parade will start at 10:00 am.

    Registration: NABB members may pre-register for $15 or register the day of the event for $20. Registration information will follow.

    The parade route will travel from Dartmouth Street to Arlington Street. Join us for special guests and special events.

    From Bischons to Borzois, from Puppy Mill Survivors to Blue Ribbon Show Dogs — all are invited to attend. All dogs must be leashed and up to date on shots. Please do not bring a dog in heat. Proceeds will go to a no-kill animal shelter in Massachusetts TBA.

    The morning will combine fun and canine good citizenship. For more information, contact Paula Welte at 617.536.7897 or Linda Selzer at lselzer@usa.net.

  • The Vertical Gardens of Patrick Blanc

    We recently received the following letter and web site recommendation and pass it along to our readers.  Patrick Blanc came to our attention when he spoke last year at Harvard.  For all who follow green architecture, the photography is a treat, and the site may be accessed both in French and in English:

    “When I created my first Vertical Garden thirty years ago, I couldn’t foresee that every city of the world would be impacted by this invention.

    On this Year of  … Biodiversity, I invite you to visit my new website www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com.

    All along the pages you will see all the achievements since 1986 when my first public creation was displayed at la Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris.

    Each new project in the world is a way for me to answer with new shapes and new plant species.

    The Vertical Garden is no longer a vertical panel; it is now possible to freely create it on various structures like columns, spirals or even vegetal ceilings.

    Of course, it’s always a pleasure to work in familiar places (Museums, Hotels, Shopping Malls, …) but my still increasing experience is the best step towards places where plants are not expected like tunnels, underground parking lots and high-rise buildings.”

  • Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Cement Hosta Leaf Stepping Stone Workshop

    This is a HANDS-ON WORKSHOP. Join Weston Nurseries’ resident artists Deb Mastrangelo and Diane Lulek in creating stepping stones from hosta leaves and cement. These impressions are realistic, functional and winter hardy. All materials and instructions are included in the price of the workshop. Please wear old clothes and shoes and be prepared to get dirty! Pre-registration by Thursday, Sept. 23 is required. Please RSVP by calling Customer Care at 508-293-8091.  Cost: $15 per leaf/ 3 leaf maximum.  Log on to www.westonnurseries.com for directions.

  • Thursday, September 30, 5:45 pm – 7:45 pm – Native Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter

    Plant for four seasons of interest by including native trees and shrubs with dramatic color in leaves, fruit, or late-blooming flowers. Even the long months of winter can be brightened by native species that have evergreen leaves, interesting bark, striking silhouettes, or persistent fruit. Add interest to the view from your kitchen window, encourage winter birds and wildlife, and improve your home’s curb appeal in the “off season”. Recommendations for planting design and maintenance included. Laura Eisener teaches this class, co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, at the Cambridge Center’s headquarters, 42 Brattle Street in Cambridge. $22 for members of either organization, $26 for nonmembers. To register, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Saturday, October 9 – Monday, October 11, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Shades of Autumn Harvest Arts and Crafts Market

    Entertainment, apples, and children’s crafts will highlight Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s Shades of Autumn, an annual celebration of the harvest season, taking place Friday, October 9 – Monday, October 11, from 10 – 5.  Arts and Crafts Vendors feature stained glass, trellises, quilting, plants, edibles, photography, pottery, jewelry, and garden accessories.  Taste testing tours of the Preservation Apple Orchard will take place at 2 pm each day.  Enjoy a hayride (weather permitting) through the trails.

    Free admission for residents of Boylston and Clinton, courtesy of the event sponsors, the Boylston and Clinton Public Libraries. For directions and more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org, or E-mail: thbg@towerhillbg.org . Phone: 508-869-6111

  • Thursday, September 30, 10:00 am and Friday, October 1, 9:30 am – Ikebana Demonstration and Workshop

    Eikou Sumura, a Sogetsu master instructor from Tokyo, Japan, will present a flower arranging demonstration and workshop sponsored by The Japan Society of Boston. The demonstration will take place Thursday, September 30, beginning at 10 am at New Bridge on the Charles, 5000 Great Meadow Road in Dedham.  The workshop will be held Friday, October 1 beginning at 9:30 am at Elm Bank, in the East Wing, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts.  For more information, including directions, call 508-270-6759, or log on to www.ikebanaboston.org.

  • Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am – Arnold Arboretum Fall Plant Giveaway

    The Fall Plant Giveaway celebrates the Arnold Arboretum’s longstanding tradition of sharing and promoting woody plants for temperate climates.  In addition to making plant material available to researchers and other botanical institutions, the arboretum has distributed plants to members of the Friends of the Arnold Arboretum in recognition of their support.  This year’s event gives members the opportunity to receive free Arboretum-grown plants as a part of their membership benefits, gain first-hand expert knowledge from the staff, and enjoy the beauty of the landscape in autumn.  The event will be held at 10 am on Saturday, September 25 on the Arboretum grounds.  If you are not a member, you may join or renew your membership at the Plant Giveaway to attend and receive the free plant benefit that day.  This is a rain or shine event.  Questions?  Contact Wendy Krauss at 617-384-5766 or email membership@arnarb.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, September 29, 6:00 pm – Persuasion in a Climate of Uncertainty

    Come to the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Wednesday, September 29 at 6 pm to hear a panel discussion entitled Persuasion in a Climate of Uncertainty. Climate change, stem-cell research, and environmental toxins are some of the most hotly contested issues society today. Yet we often see a disconnect among scientists, policy makers, and the public when the evidence is enough to persuade experts, but is unconvincing to others. How can we foster productive discussion and resolution of critical issues when scientific knowledge is not complete? How much evidence is “enough” to support policy? What are the roles of scientists and the press in addressing these questions?

    Explore this topic with: Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies at the Harvard Kennedy School; James J. McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography at Harvard University and past president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Bruce Gellerman, award-winning reporter and producer, Public Radio’s Living on Earth. Moderated by Allan Brandt, Kass Professor of the History of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, October 9, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East

    For gardeners of all levels, this program, taking place Saturday, October 9 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regionally native plants.  Carolyn Summers will present topics including wildlife benefits, sustainable design and maintenance, and strategies for “safe sex in the garden” to reduce the spread of non-native invasive plants.  Participants will learn how to apply basic ecological and design principles in all their gardening endeavors.

    Carolyn Summers is the author of the recently published Designing Gardens with the Flora of the American East and is an adjunct professor for continuing education at Westchester Community College.  She provides technical assistance to the Native Plant Center, an affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Please bring your own lunch.  A book sale and author signing will follow the class.  This program is offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture.  $60 for members of one of the affiliated sponsors, or $70 for non-members.  You may register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, September 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Gesneriad/Begonia Show

    Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, September 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Gesneriad/Begonia Show

    Visit Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston, Massachusetts on Saturday, September 25 or Sunday, September 26 for the annual plant show sponsored by the Buxton Begonia Society and the New England Gesneriad Society.   The Gesneriad family consists of over 3,000 species and over 133 genera.  It was named after 16th century Swiss naturalist Konrad von Gesner.  Most Gesneriads are from tropical parts of the world.  Some of the most common plants in this genera are the Cupid’s Bower (Achimenes), Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus), Flame Violet (Episcia), Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus), African Violet (Saintpaulia), Florist Gloxinia (Sinningia – below), and Cape Primrose (Streptocarpus). See beautiful displays of rare and unusual houseplants, take a guided tour of the show, hear lectures on begonia and gesneriad care, and visit vendors selling an incredible selection of begonias and gesneriads..  For more information, directions, and hours, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.