Boston Flora

Month: August 2012

  • Saturday, September 15, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Perennial and House Plant Sale

    The Somerville Garden Club will hold a perennial and house plant sale on Saturday, September 15, from 9 – 1 at Statue Park in Davis Square, at the intersection of College Avenue and Holland Streets in Somerville, across from the Red Line Davis Square MBTA stop. Perennials for sun and shade, herbs, ground covers, shrubs, and houseplants–every gardener will find a treasure among the hundreds of plants for sale. Somerville Garden Club members and friends of the club donate both reliable, and sometimes rare, favorites from their own gardens for others to get to know and enjoy.  Proceeds support the programs and citywide public plantings of the Somerville Garden Club. For information, visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

  • Friday, September 21, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Ancient Grains for Modern Meals – A Book Discussion

    Veteran journalist and food writer Maria Speck is the author of Ancient Grains for Modern Meals (Ten Speed Press), her first cookbook. It recently received the coveted Julia Child Award and award in the Health and Special Diet category from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Maria’s book previously also won a Gourmand Award as the US selection, Mediterranean category. The cookbook contains 100 Mediterranean-inspired whole grain recipes-from amaranth to wheat berries. Both the New York Times and the Washington Post selected Ancient Grains as one of the top cookbooks for 2011, and Cooking Light magazine named it one of the 100 best cookbooks of the past 25 years. Raised in Greece and Germany, Maria has a lifelong passion for the flavors and textures of whole grains. She has contributed to Gourmet, Saveur and Gastronomica.

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society discussion will be held Friday, September 21, from 4:30 – 5:30 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, as part of the Garden to Table Program.  Mass Hort members pay $12, non-members $15. Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4995.

  • Thursday, September 13, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Landscape Restoration: Hall’s Pond Sanctuary

    Hall’s Pond is one of two natural ponds remaining in Brookline. The sanctuary contains diverse ecosystems including a pond, wetlands, an upland area, a formal garden area, and a short trail around the pond with wetland overlooks. The sanctuary has undergone major landscape renovation featuring restoration in the uplands to remove invasive plant species and replant with native species. Register today for this Thursday, September 13 free program sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association by visiting https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1009649.  Great blue heron photo from www.essentialbread.com.

  • Saturday, September 15, 10:00 am – Dried Flowers

    September is the month when dried flowers come into their glory. Learn how to grow period “everlastings” as well as modern plants that are suitable for drying, in this Garden Thyme Program at Old Sturbridge Village on Saturday, September 15 beginning at 10 am. We will cover everything from seed starting to harvest and crafting. Free for OSV members, admission charge for non members.  Visit www.osv.org for directions and more information.

  • Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ewww! Gwoss! Cooking Local Veggies with Your Children

    Green veggies are amongst the most nutritious, affordable, and easy prep foods that are out there. But the common knowledge is that kids will bust down a steel plate door to either get to chocolate, or away from broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale etc.

    How do you change that?

    Join local celebrity chef, mom, and children’s food expert JJ Gonson from Cuisine en Locale, for a morning of cooking veggies with your children and learn how cooking together can transform your children’s affinity for those delicious local greens. The class will take place Saturday, September 8, from 10 – noon, at Kitchen, Inc., 201 Somerville Avenue in Somerville, and the cost includes produce that will be used for the class, as well as admission of one caretaker and child.  The program is sponsored by the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and costs $40 for NOFA members and $50 for non-members.  Contact Drew Love at drew@nofamass.org with any queries, and sign up at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/260179.

  • Thursday, September 13, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – New England Nursery Association Centennial Celebration

    The New England Nursery Association’s Centennial Celebration will take place Thursday, September 13, from 10 – 2 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts.  Spend an early autumn afternoon looking back on all that NENA and its members have accomplished and ahead to a prosperous future for the nursery industry in New England.  NENA members $49, guests $59.  For more information visit www.newenglandnurseryassociation.org.

  • Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Morning in the Vegetable Garden at Blithewold

    Join Assistant Grounds Manager Dan Christina for a morning tour on Saturday, September 8,  of Blithewold’s Vegetable Garden, 101 Ferry Road in Bristol, Rhode Island. These monthly tours are designed to encourage and offer guidance to the home gardener, or anyone who may be interested in producing their own vegetable garden.

    The tours will cover a variety of topics such as high-yield succession plantings, space-saving growing techniques, and tips for engaging young minds using playful structures. This fun and educational tour will highlight the topics, tasks and projects as they arise in Blithewold’s vegetable garden.  Regular admission costs apply, and more information may be found at www.blithewold.org, or by calling 401-253-2707.

  • Wednesday, September 12, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Blue Ginger Cocktail Party

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society has selected chef Ming Tsai’s Blue Ginger as a premier restaurant partner for its Garden to Table initiative. Staff and volunteers have planted a raised bed garden at Elm Bank with a variety of herbs and Asian greens which will supply a portion of the restaurant’s local produce needs during the harvest season. Blue Ginger will celebrate the program by hosting a cocktail party, with a menu designed around produce from the garden with all proceeds going to Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The party will be held at The Blue Ginger Restaurant, Wellesley, MA Price – Mass Hort Members- $75, Non members- $85 Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943 or ordering online at www.masshort.org.

  • Tuesday, September 11, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm – Somerville Garden Club Pizza Night Fundraiser

    The Somerville Garden Club will receive a portion of the sale of every pizza sold on the evening of September 11 ( 5 – 10) at Flatbread Pizza Company, 45 Day Street in Somerville. Please come and enjoy the delicious pizzas, organic salads, and sinful desserts–all with locally sourced ingredients. There is also a full bar to compliment your meal. Eat in and watch the bowling lanes that are the legacy of former occupant Sacco’s Bowl Haven, or get a pizza to go for a relaxing meal at home, 617-776-0552. Reservations are accepted, but the large dining room always has a table available.

    The Somerville Garden Club sponsors a monthly lecture for both members and non-members to attend, plants and maintains several public gardens in Somerville, and provides scholarships for members to expand their horticultural knowledge. For more information visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

  • Thursday, September 13, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Very Fine Vines

    Whether twining, clinging, or scrambling, vines know how to get around. Take a walk with Nancy Rose, editor of Arnoldia magazine, through the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden at the Arnold Arboretum on Thursday, September 13, from 1 – 2:30 in the afternoon, to learn more about how vines grow and climb. See vines with the best ornamental features, as well as those that provide tasty fruit. You’ll also learn about a few vines that you won’t want to plant!. Below is Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Fenway Park’ discovered by the Arnold Arboretum’s  Dr. Peter Del Tredici at – wait for it – Fenway Park.

    In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. To register for this free session, visit www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.