Boston Flora

Month: September 2011

  • Saturday, October 15, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – South End House Tour

    The South End Historical Society will hold the forty-third annual South End House Tour, Private Homes and Public Spaces, on Saturday, October 15th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. First organized in 1967, the South End House Tour enjoys the distinction of being the oldest continually offered tour of its kind in Boston and features an inside look at restored and renovated townhouses in the largest Victorian row house district in the United States.

    The Tour is a perennial favorite of architecture buffs, history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in preservation, restoration and home design. Participants are given a guidebook that includes descriptions of the private homes and a map so that they can design a tour at their own pace. From a sleek and contemporary reinterpretation of a row house to a family-friendly, traditional Victorian home, each of the featured spaces presents a different South End story. “We are particularly excited about this year’s House Tour,” said Hope Shannon, Executive Director. “Whether you are looking for fine historic architectural details, seeking design inspiration, or simply want to get a glimpse of the view from one of the South End’s best located roof decks—there is something for everyone on this tour.”

    The Tour was first organized by the South End Historical Society (SEHS) in 1967 to draw attention to the architectural significance of the neighborhood and to inspire others to take on the difficult task of restoring row houses and to advocate for the preservation of this unique urban area.

    The SEHS was founded in 1966 to preserve the unique architectural fabric of this unique urban neighborhood. In 1972 their efforts resulted in the South End being placed on the National Register of Historic Places and ultimately its designation as a Boston Landmark District in 1983. Today, the annual House Tour is just one of the ways the SEHS raises funds to continue to encourage and compile research, and to advocate for preservation of these historic buildings, monuments, and public spaces.

    Tickets for the Tour are $25 in advance and are available at www.southendhistoricalsociety.org or by calling 617-536-4445. Tickets will also be available on the day of the Tour for $30 each at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street and at Rondeau-Tierney Real Estate, 69 Appleton Street.

    For more information, please contact Hope Shannon at admin@southendhistoricalsociety.org or 617-536-4445.

  • Tuesday, October 4, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Tour of the Crabapple Collection at the Arnold Arboretum

    Did you know the Arnold Arboretum has been cited as the “mother arboretum” for the flowering crabapple? The Arboretum’s historically significant crabapple collection is getting some much-needed attention. Take a tour with Miles Sax, the Apprentice who is spending his tenure here documenting and renovating the glorious Malus collection on Peters Hill. The tour will take place Tuesday, October 4, from 2 – 3:30 – meet at the Hunnewell Building. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but please register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 18, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Tree Preservation from the Top

    Mark you calendar for Thursday, October 18, for the second personal tour of the first wheelchair accessible tree house in Massachusetts, with arborist Carl Brodeur, founder, co-owner, and President of Arborcare with Ropes ‘n Saddles, Inc.  This Ecological Landscaping Association field trip will begin at 10 am at 38 Narrows Road in Assonet, Massachusetts.  Until recently, the joy associated with climbing a tree and seeing the world from a tree house was out of reach for children with mobility impairments.  That changed in 2008 when the Institute for Developmental Disabilities, Inc. opened the first universally-accessible tree house in Massachusetts on its beautiful 45-acre campus.  Children of all ages and ability levels now have the opportunity to visit a beautiful tree house, far away from the limitations of an earthbound perspective.  This storybook-like structure is used for classes, music therapy, and recreation.  Tree preservation is a key component of many landscape projects, but was the critical component of this project.  Carl will take us behind the scenes and describe the tree preservation in the grove from the beginning of the project to the ongoing preservation today,  The presentation will cover the protection of the root zone during construction, soil monitoring for a healthy biological environment for the roots, as well as the monitoring and care since the building of the Tree House.  This site sits on the shore of Assonet Bay and is also the habitat for some interesting and endangered species, particularly the Northern Diamondback Terrapin, which uses this area as a nesting ground.  Register online at www.ecolandscaping.org.  $20 for ELA members, $25 for nonmembers.  You may call 617-436-5838 for more information.  This program is a repeat of one scheduled this past August, which was sold out, so reserve now.

  • Monday, October 24, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Wild Food: Foraging for Edible Plants and Mushrooms

    Join professional environmentalist and wild foods enthusiast Russ Cohen, author of Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten, to learn about foraging for wild plants, followed by a walk outside at Wellesley College to see what might be available at this season. Keys to the identification of each species are provided, as well as information about its edible portion(s), season(s) of availability, flavor, and nutritive value, and some tips on preparation. Learn guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Tea will be served at 2 pm, followed by the lecture and walk from 2:30 – 4:30. This afternoon is co-sponsored with Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture. $10 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $15 for non-members. Sign up at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or call 781-283-3094.

  • Sunday, October 2, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying the 25 Most Common Trees in Boston

    If yesterday’s Arnold Arboretum walk with Ajay Sequeira wasn’t enough for you, join Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arnold Arboretum, on Sunday, October 2, from 9 – 1 (meet at the Hunnewell Building), and in just a few hours you can learn to identify 90 percent of the trees growing in Boston, both native and nonnative. Beginning in the classroom, you will briefly review the characteristics of the 25 most common trees and learn the botanical terminology necessary to describe them. You will then walk the grounds of the Arboretum to look at mature specimens of these trees. Register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $45 member, $60 nonmember.

  • Saturday, October 1, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – The Common Trees of Boston

    Have you noticed a tree as you walked through the city, wanted to name it, but didn’t know where to start? Join Ajay Sequeira, Arnold Arboretum docent, for a walk through the Arboretum landscape on Saturday, October 1, from 1 – 2:30. We will learn how to identify some of the trees commonly found in the Boston area. We will note some of the characteristics common to families of trees and learn about the differences that occur between species. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but please sign up at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Friday, September 30, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology, and Control

    This September 30 class led by Ted Elliman, Vegetation Management Coordinator of the New England Wild Flower Society, provides an introduction to about 40 invasive non-native plants most commonly found in local landscapes. Through the combination of a classroom presentation, access to herbarium specimens, and a walk outside, you will become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants. You will also discuss management techniques, appropriate for both small- and large-scale landscapes, for many of these species. The Invaders issue of the New England Wild Flower Society’s magazine and the MA Field Guide to Invasives will be available for purchase at a discount. Bring your lunch and a hand lens if you have one. This class takes place at New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, from 10 – 2.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the New England Wild Flower Society, you may register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.  $48 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $58 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, October 1, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon, and Wednesdays, October 12 and 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art of Photographing Trees

    Trees, because of branching breadth and trunk height, can be challenging subjects to photograph. In this Arnold Arboretum three part class, Erik Gehring will provide tips, tricks, and photographic theory in order to create unique and dramatic images of trees. In the first session on Saturday, October 1, from 9 – 12 at the Dana Greenhouse at the Arboretum, you will begin in the landscape, looking at some of the Arboretum’s specimens to consider composition and framing, how best to capture the organic nature of a tree, and thinking about what conditions will best complement the subject. Classroom time in the second and third sessions on Wednesday, October 12 and Wednesday, October 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building, will include lectures, discussions, and group critiques of your images and ideas. Between classes you will be expected to practice the techniques taught in class and photograph trees in a variety of conditions. Plan to bring your images to class on a thumb drive for critique. If you are a film photographer, please bring prints to class. The fee is $105 for Arboretum members, $140 for non-members, and you may register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens

    Gardens and Spirit: The Power of Landscapes to Transform, is a series offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Trinity Church in the City of Boston.  The first of this year’s lectures will take place Tuesday, October 4, from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square.  Vaughn Sills, Associate Professor of Photography, Simmons College, and Lowry Pei, Professor of English at Simmons College, will speak on their new book,  Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens. Places for the Spirit is a stunning collection of over 80 documentary photographs of African American folk gardens — and their creators — in the Deep South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina). These landscapes have a unique historical significance due to the design elements and spiritual meanings that have been traced to the yards and gardens of American slaves and further back to their prior African heritage. These deceptively casual or whimsical foliage arrangements are subtle and symbolic reminders of the divine in everyday life, the cycles of nature, and implied right and wrong ways to live. In the spirit of “outsider” art traditions, blues musical roots, and other such folk manifestations, these gardens have a unique aesthetic and cultural significance. Over 20 years in the making, this is the first collection of fine art photography to document this subject and, as such, it adds greatly to our understanding and appreciation of this disappearing element of African American culture. Fee is $15 for Arboretum members, $20 for non-members.  Register on-line at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/.

  • Friday, October 7, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – Practices and Principles of Growing Nutrient Dense Vegetables

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden course, for serious home vegetable gardeners as well as professionals caring for vegetable gardens, is an overview of how biological systems function and support you in addressing limiting factors in your garden. Examine soil testing and mineral balancing, biological inoculation, seed sizing and sorting, potting soil, tillage, fertility, in-season plant and soil monitoring and supplemental feeding based on plant needs. In-season monitoring will be based on conductivity and Brix monitoring with appropriate solutions including nutrient drenches and foliar spraying. The objective of this course is to support gardeners in growing vegetables that are pest- and disease-resistant as well as very flavorful and containing high levels of nutrition.  The course will take place Friday, October 7, from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, and will be repeated in the spring, on Friday, March 23.

    Dan Kittredge is an organic farmer and cofounder of the Real Food Campaign. As the son of two prominent leaders in the organic farming movement, Dan has been an organic farmer since childhood. His experience managing organic farms and developing sustainable agriculture techniques has connected him to farmers in Central America, Russia, India and the United States. Dan is passionate about raising the quality of nutrition in our food supply.  This hands-on workshop will cost $185, plus an additional $35 soil test fee, payable directly to the instructor. Participants are requested to have their soil test completed prior to the first class. For information on specifics, contact the garden, 413-298-3926, four weeks prior to the course.  To register, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.