Boston Flora

Month: March 2012

  • Saturday, April 28, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Rustic Trellis Building Workshop

    Craftsman Frank Hamm believes that anyone can build beautiful and functional furniture using just green tree limbs and saplings. On Saturday, April 28 (rain date Sunday, April 29) at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden, under his expert guidance, learn how to construct a terrific garden gate, trellis or side table in this half-day, hands-on workshop. You will learn how to use straight, curved and forked branches for design and structural integrity. Create harmonious, sculptural forms by carefully coordinating the complex shapes of individual wood cuttings. Take home a terrific addition to your garden, home or yard. (Log on to www.frankhamm.com for ideas.) Bring a hand drill and small bits, measuring tape, hammer and saw if you have them. Dress for the weather. Wood/building materials supplied. WCFH members $75, non-members $95. To register, visit www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

    http://www.frankhamm.com/Tennis%201%206x9.jpg

  • Friday, May 4, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Flavors of Spring Gala Save the Date Notice

    On May 4th, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden to Table Gala “Flavors of Spring” is sure to be a festive evening and a great program. It will be a fundraiser for The Garden to Table program which helps people of all ages and all levels of gardening experience learn to grow, cook, preserve, and enjoy healthy local food.

    The gala committee is busy planning the evening, which will feature a live auction, four catering stations, Bully Boy Distillers, Cono Sur Wines, craft beers and Dueling Pianos by Howl at the Moon. Save the date!

    Tickets are $125 per person and may be reserved by calling Maureen Hort at 617-933-4912.  Thank you Bay Area Bites for the fabulous photo.

  • Thursday, April 26, 10:30 am – Boston Committee Spring Meeting and Luncheon – Living on Earth

    The Boston Committee of The Garden Club of America invites members of its constituent fourteen clubs to its Spring Meeting and Luncheon on Thursday, April 26, beginning with registration at 10:30 am at The Country Club, 191 Clyde Street in Brookline. The featured speaker will be Steve Curwood.

    In 1970, as a writer for the Boston Phoenix just out of Harvard University, Steve broke the story that Polaroid’s instant photo system was key to apartheid pass system in South Africa. Steve moved on to the Boston Globe as an investigative reporter and columnist and shared the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of the Boston Globe’s education team.  His production credits in public broadcasting include reporter and host for NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered, host of NPR’s World of Opera, producer for the PBS series The Advocates with Mike Dukakis, and creator, host and executive producer of Living on Earth, the prize-winning weekly environmental radio program heard for more than 20 years on public radio stations  and distributed by Public Radio International (PRI) since 2006.

    The cost of the lecture and luncheon is $50, lecture only $25. Please make your check payable to The Boston Committee of the GCA and mail to Jensie Shipley, 40 Dunster Road, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467 before April 19, 2012, and note on the memo portion of your check your Garden Club affiliation. All reservations will be held at the door. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive written invitations and a car pool notice in the mail.

  • Tuesday, April 10, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Consequences of Multiple Species Invasions

    Tufts Professor Frances Chew will be the featured speaker at the Cambridge Entomological Club’s April meeting on Tuesday, April 10, from 7:30 – 9.  She will talk about the Consequences of Multiple Species Invasions: A Native Butterfly Confronts Exotic Plants and Parasitoids.   CEC meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month from October through May. The evening schedule typically includes an informal dinner (6:15 to 7:15 PM) followed by our formal meeting (7:30 – 9:00 PM) in MCZ 101, 26 Oxford Street, Harvard University. The latter begins with club business and is followed by a 50 minute entomology related presentation. Membership is open to amateur and professional entomologists.  For more information, email CEC President Jessica Walden-Gray at jessisoutside@gmail.com.  Photo from www.lepcurious.blogspot.com.

  • Saturday, April 14, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – 2012 Lower Cape Home & Garden Expo

    Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, 351 Pleasant Lake Avenue (Route 124) will be the location of the 2012 Lower Cape Expo, hosted by the Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans and Eastham Chambers of Commerce. This popular event will feature products and services for your home, garden, and lifestyle from local businesses.

    It will showcase the latest and greatest products and services for residents in home improvement, outdoor living, interior design, restaurants, decorative accessories, health and nutrition, fitness, financial planning, electronics, plus seasonal items, decorations and ideas! For directions and more information, visit www.lowercapeexpo.com.

  • Saturday, April 14, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Recovery from Construction: A Case Study

    Perkins School for the Blind broke ground for two large new buildings in the fall of 2009, involving the removal and replacement of over 100 trees.  Two years later, the new trees are planted, the new design is done, but at what cost to the trees, the soil, the other plantings, and the environment?  Tour the site on Saturday, April 14, from 10 – 2, to see firsthand how issues like tree protection, soil compaction, and remediation actually worked out.  Visit the state of the art greenhouse and other new buildings on this historic and beautiful campus with Sonia Baerhuk, Lead Groundsperson at Perkins School for the Blind.  Please bring a bag lunch.  Fee is $44 for members of the Ecological Landscaping Association or the New England Wildflower Society, and $50 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.ecolandscaping.org.  Image courtesy of www.boston.com.

  • Sunday, April 15, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Family Daffodil Garden Walk

    See Blithewold Mansion’s gardens come to life on Sunday, April 15 beginning at 1 pm as tens of thousands of daffodils and other early blooming bulbs and shrubs are coaxed from winter slumber to delight you with their quiet beauty and subtle scents.  Led by Horticulturist Gail Read, this special walk for the whole family will highlight stars of the early spring garden.  Blithewold Mansion is located at 101 Ferry Road in Bristol, Rhode Island.  Be prepared, however – spring has been so warm, you may be seeing tulips instead!  For directions, visit www.blithewold.org.  Free with regular admission.

  • Saturday & Sunday, April 28 & 29, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Paula Pryke Master Classes

    British floral designer Paula Pryke is known worldwide for her cutting edge, innovative floristry.  An inspiration to novices and experts alike, she speaks across the US and in Europe and Japan.  Her clientele includes celebrities, royalty, film set designers, and luxury cruise lines.  She has run an internationally renowned flower show school since 1994 and has written 14 best-selling books on flowers.  Her newest book, Flowers Every Day, was published in February 2012.  She will hold two separate master classes at The Museum of Fine Arts as part of this year’s Art in Bloom.  These hands-on flower arranging instruction sessions will take place Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, from 10:30 – 12:30, with each class size limited to 22.  $200 for each session, and you may register on line at www.mfa.org.

  • Monday, April 30, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Paula Pryke: Cutting Edge Floral Design

    Join the MFA for an Art in Bloom floral demonstration and lecture with British floral designer Paula Pryke, who, as we detailed above, is known world-wide for her cutting-edge, innovative floristry. Her Master Classes are small and are priced accordingly, but you may see her demonstrate her skills while she lectures at the modest price of $35 on Monday, April 30, from 10:30 – 12:30.   She has run an internationally renowned flower school since 1994 and has written 14 best-selling books on flowers; her newest book, Flowers Every Day, was published in February 2012. Book signing in Museum bookstore and shop immediately follows lecture (no ticket required for book signing). Buy tickets now at www.mfa.org.

  • Saturday, April 28 – Monday, April 30 – Art in Bloom

    Coming soon! Celebrate spring at this annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers. See the MFA’s galleries transformed by almost 70 extraordinary arrangements inspired by magnificent works of art. Art in Bloom is free with Museum admission; no reservations are required to see the floral arrangements and participate in most of the programs. The Garden Club of the Back Bay will be represented this year by Donna Morrissey, ably assisted by Barbara Batting. For complete scheduling information, visit www.mfa.org.