Boston Flora

Month: October 2010

  • Thursday, October 21, 6:00 pm – Corresponding Naturalists: Asa Gray, Charles Darwin, and the Making of American Botany

    Asa Gray’s extensive correspondence with naturalists shaped the early years of exploration and botanical research in North America. These letters brought Gray into contact with Charles Darwin, who became a close friend. With the publication of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, Gray soon emerged as the key proponent and defender of natural selection in the U.S.  On Thursday, October 21, beginning at 6 pm, Janet Browne, Aramont Professor of the History of Science at Harvard, will discuss their letters , which reflect a warm personal relationship as well as the making of an intellectual revolution. Free and open to the public, Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Part of the Asa Gray Bicentennial series.  For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, October 16, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Pond Plant Workshop

    Join Anthony Archer-Wills, water gardening expert, for a workshop at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on planting formal, and natural ponds and streams. The selection and suitability of plant material for each setting will be discussed. Examples of water gardens during the process and finish will be illustrated. Visit the newly planted pond at the botanical garden and make first hand observations of the plants while discussing their habits and merits. The seminar, to take place Saturday, October 16, from 2;30 – 4, is designed to be a forum for discussion in which all can participate.

    Anthony Archer-Wills has a passion for water gardening and has made it his profession for 40 years. Born in Great Britain, his formal training and early work led him to develop innovative landscaping techniques now used worldwide. His water gardens are found around the world and are featured at Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden in Pawling, NY. $20 for BBG members, $25 for non-members. To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Saturday, October 16, 9:45 am – 2:45 pm – Herbal Holidaze

    Glenbrook Garden is holding another Herban Learning Adventures Workshop on Saturday, October 16, beginning at 9:30 am at 56 Glenbrook Drive, Greenfield, Massachusetts . You may choose four workshops out of eight offerings. During the first hour, pick “Fresh Air” or “Pressed Flower Art.” Next, classes will be held to teach “The Holiday Kitchen” or “Needle Worker’s Dream.”  Third up is “Lavender Beauty” or “Travel Well.” The session ends with “Garden Angel” or “Tabletop Tree.”  $70.00 fee, which includes the costs of materials used in instruction. You will take home what you have made as part of the workshop. Each participant will be given written information about what they have learned, and you will enjoy an herbal lunch. Send a check made out to Stockbridge Farm to Stockbridge Farm, 18 Stockbridge Road, South Deerfield, MA 01373, and be sure to include your telephone number and email address. You will receive an email or phone confirmation upon receipt. You may learn more by calling 413-665-6918, by emailing info@stockbridgeherbs.com, or by logging on to www.stockbridgeherbs.com.

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  • Tuesday, October 12, 6:00 pm – Honeybee Democracy

    As they face the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home every year, honeybees employ a complex decision-making process that includes fact finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. Thomas Seeley, world-renowned animal behaviorist and Professor of Biology at Cornell, will explore what these incredible insects can teach us about collective wisdom and democracy on Tuesday, October 12, beginning at 6 pm. Free and open to the public. The venue will be the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Cosponsored with the Cambridge Entomological Club. For more information, log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Saturday, October 16, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Season Extenders

    Boston Natural Areas Network urges you – Don’t Stop Now!  Join Jo Ann Whitehead, BNAN Garden Educator, on Saturday, October 16, at 10 am at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan, and learn what vegetables you can keep growing with a little low-tech protection against cold weather.  This workshop will cover what plants will thrive in cool and cold weather, and inexpensive ways to keep growing longer in the fall – and earlier next Spring.  Free, but registration is required.  To register, email info@bostonnatural.org, or phone 617-542-7696.

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  • Saturday, October 16, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Cogswell’s Grant Pumpkin Day

    Historic New England hosts the Cogswell’s Grant Pumpkin Day at Cogswell’s Grant in Essex, Massachusetts, from 11 – 4 on Saturday, October 16.  Celebrate the arrival of fall. Enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, choose pumpkins to decorate, compete in a pumpkin pie-eating contest, do crafts, play games, and try cider pressing. Enjoy hot mulled apple cider and homemade pumpkin pie. The house is open for tours of one of the country’s most celebrated collections of American folk art.  Free to Historic New England members, $6 non-members, $4 children.  For directions and additional information, call 978-768-3632, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org.