Daily Archives: May 14, 2011

Saturday, October 15 – Saturday, October 22 – A Tuscan Harvest

by

Join Ethne Clarke, Editor in Chief of Organic Gardening magazine, on Organic Gardening’s premiere reader tour – a trip through the beautiful Tuscan countryside of central Italy. You’ll be stopping (and sampling) at artisanal, organic wineries, olive groves and fattoria, beguiling gardens and more; dining at local organic restaurants, and sharing cooking lessons in true Tuscan kitchens to experience the authentic foods and recipes of Tuscany.

Ethne says “I hope you’ll come with me to learn about and savor the joy of a Tuscan harvest as celebrated in the Italian heartland. Our guide and gardening expert, Alessandro Tombelli, will share his knowledge of secret Tuscany, so it’s going to be a memorable journey – a once in a lifetime experience. Andiamo!” Touring will be by bus, with options to walk several hours on two days (walk rating: easy.) $4,995 per person, double occupancy, with a single supplement of $830, airfare not included, for the eight day, seven night trip. The tour begins in Florence and ends in Siena. Full travel services are available to meet this tour in Florence through Wayfarers’ Travel. For a complete itinerary, log on to www.thewayfarers.com/atuscanharvest.

Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 pm – Native Perennials for Spectacular Borders

by

As part of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Wednesdays at Elm Bank series, on Wednesday, May 18, they welcome Laura Eisener to speak on Native Perennials for Spectacular Borders. Laura is that rare horticulturalist – one whose passion for her subject is equaled by her communication skills. One thing she is especially keen on is the use of ‘nativars’ – cultivars of native plants – in the garden.

Resistant to disease and ignored by deer and rabbits, native plants deserve close attention from gardeners. Now, plant breeders are crossing natives to create new terrific new varieties. The perennial border is a great place to showcase these plants and Laura will show you how to incorporate them into your own garden.  The fee for the program is $10 for Mass Hort members, $15 for non-members.  For directions and more information log on to www.masshort.org.  Photo from the excellent online journal www.thegardenerseden.com.