Boston Flora

Month: October 2011

  • Saturday, October 22, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Beyond Paperwhites: Amazing Winter Blooming Bulbs for Pots and Greenhouses

    Many gardeners think about bulbs as spring-blooming, such as tulips, crocuses and daffodils. But here in New England winters are long, and although we are familiar with some winter bulbs such as amaryllis and paperwhites, most gardeners are ready for something new and unusual. Winter-blooming bulbs are the answer. Bulbs are designed to be practically foolproof, but where can you find unusual ones, and which ones should you try indoors or in a cool room? Join Matt Mattus at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, October 22, from 1 – 3, as he shares some of his favorite bulbs for culture in pots, under glass and indoors. Matt will introduce you to all types of bulbs, from South African rarities for collectors to easy-to-grow yet hard-to-find gems, many of which you may have never heard of. Participants will take home a pot or two of some of Matt’s favorites. Matt Mattus is editor and publisher of Plant Society Magazine and the popular rare plant blog Growing With Plants. He is a member of numerous plant societies and is a wizard with all things horticultural.  $35 for BBG members, $45 for non-members, with a $5 materials fee payable to the instructor.  To register, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org, or contact info@berkshirebotanical.org.  Image below from Matt Mattus’ rare plant blog:

  • Tuesday, October 25, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Autumn Colors: A Mystery Revealed

    Part of the magic of living in New England is the stunning display of autumn foliage. But how, exactly, does the shift from greens to crimsons, yellows, burgundies, and oranges take place? And why are we treated to such a display? David Lee, a tropical biologist at Florida International University who has spent his career studying the intricacies of color in plants, will explain some of the biological processes that take place within a deciduous plant come fall and also the signals to humans and animals that are communicated through plant pigments. The Tuesday, October 25 class will begin at 7 p at Weld Hill, 1300 Centre Street in Boston, and is sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum. Register at http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee: Free for Arboretum members; $15 nonmembers.

  • A Gardening Reading List, Parts I – 3

    Susan Ashbrook alerted us to a very interesting blog, The Captive Reader, and three postings of gardening classics which are well worth examining.  Some listings and reviews will be well known to many, such as Anna Pavord’s excellent The Curious Gardener: A Year in the Garden, while others are ripe for discovery, such as Weeds: A Cultural History, and Four Hedges by Clare Leighton.  Find links to all three garden book installments at http://thecaptivereader.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/a-gardening-reading-list-part-iii/.

     

  • Wednesday, October 5, 7:00 pm – Isabel Wilkerson: The Warmth of Other Suns

    This post has virtually nothing to do with horticulture, but we thought our readers would like to be alerted to the appearance of author Isabel Wilkerson on Wednesday, October 5 at Gasson 100 at Boston College. Isabel Wilkerson, Professor of Journalism and Director of Narrative Nonfiction at Boston University, was the first black woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize in journalism and the first black American to win for individual reporting. She received a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship to complete the research for The Warmth of Other Suns, her epic account of the Great Migration, which also won the Mark Lynton History Prize. Free admission.

  • Volunteers Needed to Plant Daffodils October 22 or October 29

    Mayor Thomas M. Menino has announced that 40,000 daffodil bulbs will be planted in late October (October 22 or 29) along Boston’s public ways, including sidewalks, medians and paths.  The Boston Parks and Recreation Department is seeking volunteers to assist with the plantings and suggestions for locations to be beautified.  Sign up today by filling out a form to support the daffodil planting program at www.cityofboston.gov/parks/daffodil_signup.aspx.  Take photos of your group planting.  Photos may be viewed on Facebook and will be submitted to local newspapers.  Email parks@cityofboston.gov if you need more information or have any questions.

  • Friday, October 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm and Wednesday, October 26, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Weld Hill: Science and Sustainability

    Take a guided tour of the state-of-the-art Weld Hill Science and Administration Building at the Arnold Arboretum with Julie Warsowe, Manager of Visitor Education, on either of two dates, Friday October 21 from 1 – 2, or Wednesday, October 26, from 4:30 – 5:30. Learn about some of the cutting edge plant research and explore the “green” building and landscape design. Limit 10 people. Free, but please register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Tuesday, October 11, 7:30 pm – The Natural History Gap

    You are invited to the first meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club for 2011/2012, which will take place Tuesday, October 11 at 7:30 pm in Room MCZ 101 at Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Sam Droege of the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center will discuss The Natural History Gap.  Why is the average age of specimens in the ever declining set of remaining insect collections older than seventy years?  Why does NASA spend $1.5 billion a year on climate change satellites yet we remain unclear as to the names of over 10% of North American bees, and know next to nothing of their regional status?  Can natural history collections be mated with inventory and monitoring work and (OMG!) statistics to create an insect satellite system?  For more information, visit www.entclub.org, or email President Jessica Walden-Gray at jessisoutside@gmail.com.

  • Saturday, October 8 – Monday, October 10, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Shades of Autumn Arts & Crafts Fair

    Celebrate the New England harvest with apple cider, a special harvest menu in Twigs Cafe, and locally made products for sale at the Shades of Autumn Arts & Crafts Fair: The Family Celebration of the Fall Harvest Season, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts.  The Fair will take place on Columbus Day Weekend, October 8 – 10, from 9 – 5.  Farm animals, displays of garden produce, an arts and crafts market, and taste-testing tours of the heirloom apple orchard will round out the weekend.  Visit www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111 for more information.  Photo by Susan Herrmann Lewis, author of Nuts in the Kitchen.

  • Saturday, October 22, 2:00 pm – Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Insect Monstrosities

    In a follow up to her very successful New York Times bestseller Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart tackles the insects, worms, and spiders that have tormented humankind for centuries. With wit and style, Stewart will reveal some of her discoveries. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Fee $5 sponsoring member, $15 nonmember.  Offered by the Arnold Arboretum,  Roslindale Green and Clean and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, and held on Saturday, October 22 beginning at 2 pm, at Weld Hill, 1300 Centre Street in Boston.  Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Friday, October 28 – Sunday, October 30 – Ikebana International Show

    The Third Annual Ikebana Show at Tower Hill will take place Friday, October 28 through Sunday, October 30, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston.  Hours are Friday, 12 – 5, Saturday 9 – 5, and Sunday 9 – 4.  Sponsored by the Ikebana International of Boston, the show will feature the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known at “kado” or “the way of flowers”.  Trained Ikebana designers will install arrangements throughout the Stoddard Center.  Enjoy guided tours each day, and  there will be one hour Ikebana demonstrations in the theater.  Educational videos will air in the theater throughout the show, as well.  Admission is included with admission to Tower Hill ($10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 youth, and free with Tower Hill membership).  For more information, call 508-869-6111, or email thbg@towerhillbg.org.  Our own Kaye Vosburgh, who will present an ikebana program to The Garden Club of the Back Bay this spring as part of our Japan Year, is pictured below.