Boston Flora

Month: January 2012

  • Saturdays through March 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market

    What will you find at the indoor farmers’ market? Local farmers grow root crops during the summer, and these can be stored and sold during the winter months. High tunnels and greenhouses make it possible for farmers to provide greens and herbs year round. Additional farm items include meat (beef, chicken, pork & lamb), mushrooms, cheese, eggs, maple products, honey, cornmeal, yarn and other farm fiber goods. The market will also host specialty food vendors selling locally produced pasta, jams, salsa, pickles, granola, gelato, hummus, coffee, hot cocoa, baked goods, root beer, salts & sugars, nuts, sauces & marinades, all-natural dog treats. Seating is available in our lush greenhouse to enjoy gourmet breakfast and lunch. Special events this year include Farm Fiber Days (formerly known as Wool Days) on Saturday 21, and on Saturday, January 28 the second annual Massachusetts Farm Wineries Day, with eight wineries offering samples of their wine. For a complete list of participating farms, visit http://www.russellsgardencenter.com/wayland_winter_mkt.html.

  • Sunday, January 15, 1:00 pm – Winter Art Gallery Exhibit Opening at Fruitlands

    Join the Fruitlands staff for light refreshments and the opening of two new exhibits in the Fruitlands Art Gallery, 102 Prospect Hill Road in Harvard, Massachusetts. Zen Dust, by artist Linda Hoffman and Photographs of the Harvard Shaker Village, on loan from the Harvard Historical Society, will be on exhibit during WinterFest weekends, along with landscapes from the Hudson River School and nineteenth century portraits from Fruitlands collection. Admission free with suggested donation.  The art gallery will be open on Saturdays and Sundays 1PM-5PM from January 14 – February 26.  For directions, visit www.fruitlands.org.

    The work in the Zen Dust exhibit was inspired by Linda Hoffman’s early training in the Zen Art of Noh Theater, in Kyoto, Japan. Once back in the West, Hoffman created her own art form that was poetic and spare – influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi- sabi. Wabi being loneliness, solitariness, the sight of lone crow on a crooked branch, a plum blossom peeking through snow, while sabi refers to objects that show the well-worn, rustic, patina of age. The Shaker large format photographs were taken during the 1960s as part of the Historic American Building Survey, run by the National Park Service. There are 28 photographs in the show, many of them attributed to Jack E.Boucher. They feature both interior and exterior shots of the Shaker buildings, including some very beautiful close-upshots of architectural details.

  • Saturday, January 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – In the Kitchen Garden

    You’ll already be out in the Berkshires to hear Robert Herman, so stay around on Saturday, January 21 from 1 – 3 to hear the interesting lecture In The Kitchen Garden. We all know that home-grown food tastes the best. Foodie farmers Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam will discuss how to select the best tasting varieties for your kitchen garden. Do heirloom vegetables taste better than hybrids? What are the best sources for seeds and supplies? And how will I ever narrow down the list of things I want to plant? Learn simple preservation techniques and strategies for eating from the garden all year long.

    Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam run The Kitchen Garden Farm (CSA) in Sunderland, MA. They both have culinary experiences in France and Italy that informs and inspires what they grow. They have both worked at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City and are foodies, italophiles, and farm geeks. Register on-line ($22 BBG members, $27 non-members) at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Photo by Paul Frantz.

  • Saturday, January 21, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – New-Wave Gardening: Designing Perennials with a European Flair

    While most of us are familiar with the English borders and cottage gardens, designing and planting by habitat is a continental European ecological approach to combining perennials. Consider the gardens of European designer Piet Oudolf and learn about this cutting-edge design concept that has widely influenced European gardens for many years, in this Berkshire Botanical Garden class to be held Saturday, January 21, from 10 – noon. Robust, low-maintenance plants are selected and grouped according to their ideal growing situation. Robert Herman, an American who managed one of the top European perennial plant nurseries, will explain the habitat concept and design strategy and feature gardens from some of the foremost European designers.

    Robert Herman has over 30 years of experience as a professional horticulturist, almost 7 of which were spent in Europe as “Meister” for the Countess von Zeppelin Nursery in Germany. At the Missouri Botanical Garden he served in the horticulture and education departments and lead White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut as Director of Horticulture. He frequently lectures at plant conferences and botanical gardens in North America and Europe. His articles have appeared in American Nurseryman, Fine Gardening, the German magazine Garden and Landscape, and the Hardy Plant Society Journal in England. BBG member price $22, non-members $27, and you may register on-line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Below is an image of the “Lady’s Mantle path” into the German nursery that Robert Herman managed for seven years.

  • Thursday, January 19, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Why We Need Wilds in the City

    Dan Driscoll, Director of Recreational Facilities Planning, MA DCR and featured green space advocate in “My Green Manifesto,” will speak about the need for accessible, “wild” spaces in the city. He will talk about his work along the Charles River to transform a polluted, once feared space into a home for urban wildlife and an opportunity for human discovery and peace. The program will take place Thursday, January 19, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the BNAN office, 62 Summer Street in Boston. Registration required. To register and for more information email info@bostonnatural.org or 617-542-7696.

  • Thursday, January 19, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Sustainable Practices for Ecosystem Restoration

    Groundscapes Express has worked on many ecosystem restoration projects throughout the region. Groundscapes’ approach treats the whole site as an ecosystem or a sub-watershed for greatest success. Projects implement best practices for improved water quality, soil compaction, invasive species, and erosion control. At this Roundtable presentation on Thursday, January 19, from 1 – 3:30 pm at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens’ Visitors Center, 106 Central Street in Wellesley,, John Engwer will describe ecosystem restoration projects at sites including Wellesley College, Kent Hospital, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Fresh Pond Reservation.  Though the sites differ widely, the issues of soil compaction, stormwater management, and invasive species control are common to all.  Registrations are limited – call 617-436-5838, or email ela.info@comcast.net.  $20 ELA or Wellesley Friends of Horticulture member price, $25 for nonmembers.

  • Tuesday, January 17, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – How to Build Your Social Media Fan Base

    Join Boston Park Advocates for the third Capacity Building Workshop in the 2011-12 series! On January 17th Derek Lumpkins from Discover Roxbury & Lauren Patrick from the Boston Parks Department will lead a workshop on How to build your Social Media Fan Base (facebook & twitter). Find out how to build your fan base, how to keep them engaged, and how often you should be communicating with them! Socializing and pizza at 5:30; workshop starts promptly at 6:00pm. RSVP: Ivett@bostonparks.org or 617-442-4141. The event will take place at BNAN offices, 62 Summer Street, 2nd Floor, in downtown Boston.

  • Saturday, January 14, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – Winter Tracking

    Join Charley Eiseman from Northern Naturalists for an afternoon of tracking at Rocky Woods in Medfield, Massachusetts on Saturday, January 14 from 12 – 3. Participants will search for signs of local mammal species, from mink to moose. Immersion in the tracking experience will allow both beginners and experienced trackers to expand their skills. By looking at the footprints and other traces that animals leave behind, we will investigate the interactions taking place across the landscape. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn from each other about mammals, insects, winter plant identification, bird vocalizations, and other natural history tidbits.  Pre-registration required – call 508-785-0339, or email charlesrivervalley@ttor.org. Photo from www.myworldwithaview@blogspot.com.

  • Saturday, February 18, 2:00 pm – The World According to Dirr: Trees and Shrubs for the 21st Century

    Plan now for an important horticultural lecture in February. Noted author, educator and researcher Michael Dirr, Ph.D. will present The World According to Dirr: Trees and Shrubs for the 21st Century at the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 2012 Annual Winter Lecture on Saturday, February 18, beginning at 2 pm.

    Dirr’s illustrated lecture will weave a tapestry rich in topics befitting an American icon of horticulture, complete with his signature humor and style. The endearing noble trees, trends in woody plants and the back story of the landscape industry, including plant breeding and development, are among the topics he will present.

    Dr. Dirr’s influence in horticulture is far reaching. A prolific author and exceptional hybridizer, he has dedicated his life to educating the public about the importance and use of woody plants in the landscape. In addition to his many well-known books, his newly published Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs continues to set the gold standard for horticultural reference. Known alternately as the modern father of woody plants and the hydrangea guru, his contributions to the world of horticulture are remarkable.

    Following the lecture, all are invited to a reception and book signing of Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs and the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Call the Garden today to reserve your advance copies!

    Lecture generously sponsored by Hunter Boot.  (Snow date: Sunday, February 19)  The event will take place at Monument Mountain Regional High School, Route 7 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.  BBG member price $35, nonmembers $42, group rates available.  Call 413-298-3926 for more information, or email rparow@berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Thursday, January 12, 8:30 am – 12:00 noon – Creating Healthy, Safe and Livable Communities: Bridging the Gap Between Public Health and Community Development

    There will be a free joint program of the North Shore Community Health Network and the NCHC Northeast Prevention Institute on Thursday, January 12, from 8:30 am – noon at the Peabody Marriott, 8 Centennial Drive in Peabody, entitled Creating Healthy, Safe and Livable Communities: Bridging the Gap Between Public Health and Community Development.  What does it mean to “design” a healthy community? Why is it important? Where do you start? A panel of experts from community development and public health will share their knowledge and experience in developing projects and policy-making that make community and regional health a priority. The morning will begin with breakfast and networking within and across sectors. Local case studies will be presented by the panel followed by roundtable discussions to encourage new ideas, concepts and the building of knowledge in this area. You will walk away with: – greater understanding of the impact planning and policy (inherent in community development, housing, transportation, etc.) can have on public health – strategies for creating partnerships and strengthening role of public health in planning – concrete tools and resources that can be used to achieve effective outcomes – ideas for reprogramming and leveraging existing funds to support integration of public health and community development This workshop is funded in part by the North Shore Community Health Network (NSCHN).

    Panel Presenters: – Lea Susan Ojamaa, Division of Prevention and Wellness, MA Department of Public Health – Stephen Winslow, Senior Project Manager, City of Gloucester Mass in Motion – Mariana Arcaya, Public Health Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council – Eric Halvorsen, Transit Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council – Heather McMann, Executive Director, Groundwork Lawrence.  For more information, contact Kirsten Doherty at 978-722-2861, or email her at kdoherty@glfhc.org.