Boston Flora

Month: September 2010

  • Friday, October 8 – Pioneers Regional Symposium

    To celebrate the recent publication of Shaping the American Landscape: New Profiles from the Pioneers of American Landscape Design Project, a series of regional symposia will be held. Each venue in this national series will spotlight specific designers, projects, and trends that collectively celebrate our unique and historically significant designed landscape heritage. Speakers will include leading historians, designers, and practitioners.  One such event will be held Friday, October 8 at the Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham, Massachusetts.  The event is sponsored by The Cultural Landscape Foundation.  A complete list of participants and registration information can be found at www.tclf.org.

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  • Saturday, October 9, 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm, and Sunday, October 10, 1:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Soapmaking

    Cold-process soap is made from scratch using vegetable oils and lye.  Learn the basics while making a batch of honey-oatmeal soap, then experiment with colors and fragrances.  Soap made in class can be picked up the next day or next week.  Glycerin soap is already made, but can be personalized with scents, colors, pearlescent powders, flowers or embedded items.  Soap will be ready by the end of class.  Both classes, taught by instructor Kymberlee Keckler at the Eliot School  of Fine and Applied Arts, 24 Eliot Street in Jamaica Plain, include written instructions and resource guides for venturing out on your own.  Take one workshop or both – all materials are supplied.  Easy Glycerin Soap will take place Saturday, October 9 from 3:30 – 6:30, and Cold-process Soap will be held Sunday, October 10, from 1 – 6:30.  The cost for Easy Glycerin Soap is $30 plus $10 materials fee payable in class, and for Cold-process Soap, $50 plus $10 materials fee payable in class.  Take both sessions for $70.  To register, and for complete information and directions, log on to www.eliotschool.org.

  • Saturday, September 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Grow, Eat, Learn

    Join Donald Pfister, Asa Gray Professor of Botany, and Kathleen Frith of Harvard’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, for Grow, Eat, Learn, a family program sponsored by The Harvard Museum of Natural History at the Harvard Community Garden on Saturday, September 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Hear growing tips from students and harvest your crops. Bring a bag lunch.  Location: 27 Holyoke Place in Harvard Square. A few spots are available for non-museum members. To register, call 617-496-6972.

  • Wednesday, October 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Spring Bulbs and Their Companions

    Fall is the time to plant spring bulbs.  Join Joann Vieira, Horticulture Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, to explore a range of easily cultivated bulbs and suitable companion plants to help make your spring gardens breathtaking.  The class will be held at Tower Hill on Wednesday, October 6, from 7 – 8:30, and the fee is $10 for THBG members, $12 for non-members.  Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, September 18, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Perennial and House Plant Sale

    This annual sale sponsored by the Somerville Garden Club is a must for gardeners hunting for locally grown plants. An interesting variety of perennials, houseplants, small shrubs and trees will be available, all at very reasonable prices. Horticultural information and a table for children make the day even more enjoyable. The event helps support Somerville’s non profit garden club’s many outreach, education and planting programs.The event takes place Saturday, September 18, from 9 – 1, rain or shine, at Statue Park in Davis Square, on the intersection of Holland St. and College Avenue, across from the Somerville Theatre in Somerville.  Free admission. For more information, email swilkins@mit.edu, or log on to www.somervillegardenclub.org.

  • Wednesday, October 6, 4:30 pm – Parks Panel Discussion

    On Wednesday, October 6, beginning at 4:30 pm, The Friends of the Public Garden, along with Boston College Citizen Seminars and The Colonnade Boston Hotel, host a panel, moderated by former Governor Michael Dukakis, with speakers from around the country.  They will discuss the importance of urban parks and the necessity of public-private partnerships to preserve and support them in this time of fiscal challenges.  The event will take place at the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, and is free and open to the public.  For more information log on to www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org.

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  • Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20 and 27, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Wednesday Evenings at Elm Bank

    Wednesday Evenings at Elm Bank will resume in October. The series has proven so popular that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is putting the finishing touches on a four-topic fall session to be held October 6 through 27. Three of the four topics are: Preparing the Garden for Winter (cleaning up, when to water and mulch, when to prune, when to divide), Fall Lawn Care (to rake or not to rake? Renewing, re-doing and rejuvenating a lawn after a long, hot New England summer), and Everything You Need to Know About Bulbs (how to select, when and how to plant, and how to design with spring bulbs). Each session begins at 6:30 p.m. and concludes at 8 p.m. or when the last question has been answered. Sessions are $8 for members, $10 for non-members. Refreshments are served. Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, is the home of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley. For more information, log on to www.masshort.org.

  • Saturday, September 25 – Sunday, September 26, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm – 31st Annual Lenox Apple Squeeze

    The highlight of the harvest season is the 31st Annual Lenox Apple Squeeze, a family weekend running from 10 to – 6 on Saturday and on Sunday the 25th and 26th. Painters, sculptors, crafters, jewelry and textile makers display their wares throughout the village. Foods from around the world are available, and hayrides and children’s activities and entertainment fill the streets.  For complete information, log on to www.lenox.org.

  • Friday and Saturday, September 18 & 19, 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm – Deepening Roots

    The Deepening Roots two-day workshop is a fun and comprehensive educational program that introduces the general public to healthy nutrition, sustainable agriculture and community. People of all backgrounds and experience levels will benefit from the dynamic and innovative nature of this program.

    High energy foods…
    In this portion of the workshop, you will learn to prepare tasty foods that will boost your energy, strengthen your immune system and give you complete nutrition. With handy food preparation tips, simple recipes and informative discussions we will demystify how to eat well and bust the hype of fad diets.

    Growing your own food…
    …even if you don’t have a garden! There is no better way to access fresh foods than to grow them yourself. From kitchen gardens to herb spirals, from balcony grown tomatoes to backyard forest gardens, we will teach all the basic principles you need to start growing fresh, high energy foods. No green thumb required!

    Building healthy communities
    Imagine a community where people are happy, connected and supportive of one another. A community with clean air, abundant food and green space to explore. A community that is exciting, dynamic and peaceful. Every community is built on individuals. By exploring innovative breathing and meditation practices will you will learn how we can all be the building blocks for such vibrant communities.

    The participation fee for the two day workshop September 18 and 19, 12 – 5 each day, is $95 ($75 with student ID), and will take place at the Hilles Building at Harvard University.  The building is in the Radcliffe quad, walking distance from Harvard Square.  For more information, or to register, log on to www.deepeningroots.org, or email Andrew Korza at andrew@deepeningroots.org.

  • Tuesdays, September 21 – November 9, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Introduction to Botany

    Learn botany at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain from dedicated instructor and plant nomenclature specialist Kanchi Gandhi. Among the topics to be explored: plant cells and tissues, anatomy and morphology, reproduction, nutrition, growth and development, plant diversity, evolution, classification, and nomenclature. This course, offering both lecture and laboratory activities, introduces botany to new students or serves as a refresher course. Required text: Botany for Gardeners by Brian Capon. Contact the Arboretum’s bookstore (617.384.5209) for book availability. Course is co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, and will be held Tuesdays, September 21 – November 9, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or www.newfs.org.
    Fee $225 Arboretum or NEWFS member, $270 nonmember