Month: November 2012

  • Wednesday, November 14, 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm, or Saturday, November 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – GIS at the Arboretum

    Celebrate Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 11-17) and GIS Day (Nov 14) by learning about geospatial technology.

    Register for a workshop to learn about the capabilities of geographic information systems (GIS) at the Arnold Arboretum. Donna will explain the basics of GIS, demonstrate how it is used at the Arboretum, and then lead a tour of the grounds using web-enabled mobile devices to explore the collections with the Arboretum’s mobile web app. Bring your Apple- or Android-based mobile device to class (we will have some extras for those who don’t have access to one). Two sessions will be held, the first on Wednesday, November 14 and the second on Saturday, November 17.
    Free, but registration requested at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1154&DayPlannerDate=11/14/2012.

  • Thursday, April 4 – Monday, April 15 – Morocco & Andalucia: Islamic Gardens and Architecture

    Travel to the Imperial Cities of Marrakech, Fez, and Meknes, to Tangier and across the Straits of Gibraltar to the Moorish Kingdoms of Granada, Cordoba, and Seville. Visiting private and public gardens you’ll see the defining elements of Islamic design and architecture. Along the way we’ll explore those ancient medinas and fabulous palaces that have enchanted travelers for centuries plus stay in historic hotels and enjoy regional cuisine in private homes and acclaimed restaurants; join us on this grand adventure.

    This Pacific Horticulture Morocco & Andalucía tour, co-sponsored by San Diego Horticulture Society, will be escorted by Katherine Greenberg, who is an author and garden designer with a special interest in California native plants, PHS board member, and past president of PHS and the Mediterranean Garden Society

    For more information, contact Sterling Tours. Reach them by phone at 800-976-9497 or access the Morocco & Andalucia itinerary listed at the Sterling Tours website, www.sterlingtoursltd.com.

  • Holiday Wreaths 2012 Kick Off

    Holiday Wreaths 2012 Kick Off

    Yes, we know Thanksgiving hasn’t even been celebrated yet,  but Garden Club of the Back Bay members are gearing up for our best Holiday Wreath Project ever. Incredible natural materials have been gathered all year in preparation for four days of marathon crafting at The First Lutheran Church of Boston December 3 – 6. Over the following weeks we’ll update you on what’s new, what will stay the same, how to order, what to think about, but for now, we’d just like to give you a heads up – past customers will receive a Holiday Wreath Order Form in the mail shortly. We did not send second notices last year, due to the overwhelming response to the initial mailing. We have time and volunteer limitations, and must be firm, cutting off orders for fully decorated wreaths once we reach our maximum number. We deliver over 400 wreaths in December, 225 of which are fully decorated. We just can’t do 226, so please order early. You may also download and print our order form from this website, and mail it in with payment. Don’t risk disappointment. Below is an example of a wreath we created last year. Each, as you know, is custom designed to your specifications. You will not see your wreath on another door, trust us. Have fun with the ordering, or give us “designer’s choice” leeway. Either way, we know you’ll be happy.  We feature the colors of autumn below, for a client who didn’t want an overly traditional look.

     

  • Monday, November 19, 6:00 pm – Conservation of Matter: The Fall and Rise of Boston’s Elevated Subway

    On November 19 at 6:00 p.m. the Jamaica Plain Historical Society will show the movie, “Conservation of Matter: The Fall and Rise of Boston’s Elevated Subway“, at the Connolly Branch Library in Jamaica Plain. This is a repeat showing of the film which was shown at the Loring-Greenough House previously. This documentary follows the journey of 100,000 tons of steel from the Boston Elevated Subway, which was erected in 1898, demolished in 1987, and then shipped eight thousand miles away to Japan to be melted and made into steel beams. These beams then cross the ocean again, where they are fabricated into a remarkable new structure in a surprising location. For complete information visit www.jphs.org.

  • Thursday, November 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium

    Urban tree professionals, tree wardens, persons working in the tree care industry, and anyone interested in learning more about the urban forest are invited to attend the 15th Annual Trees in the Urban Landscape Symposium, to take place Thursday, November 15, from 9 – 3 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, MA.

    Symposium Schedule

    9-9:30am Registration; Coffee and pastries

    9:30-9:45am Welcome and Announcements

    Morning Session

    9:45-10:45am State of the Nation’s Urban Forests
    Richard Harper, Extension Assistant Professor of Urban & Community Forestry – University of Massachusetts

    11am-Noon Looking at Community Tree Inventories: Purpose, Tools and Process
    David V. Bloniarz, Ph.D., Project Director, USDA Forest Service Urban Natural Resources Institute – Amherst, MA

    Lunch Break

    Noon-1pm

    Afternoon Session

    1-1:50pm Emerald Ash Borer and other Forest Health Concerns
    Ken Gooch, DCR Forest Health Program Supervisor

    2-3pm Fruit Trees in the Urban Landscape
    Benjamin Crouch, Proprietor, Land of Plenty

    CEU’s pending

    Sponsored by Tower Hill Botanic Garden and the Nathaniel Wheeler Trust, Bank of America, Trustee. Visit www.towerhillbg.org to register. Fee is $10, and a reserved box lunch is an additional $10.

  • Tuesday, November 27, 5:30 pm – International Preservation Talk

    Join members of the Victorian Society of America/New England Chapter on Tuesday, November 27, at the Gibson House, 137 Beacon Street, for a lecture by Melanie Hall, Associate Professor of Art History at Boston University. Melanie Hall teaches courses in American and English architecture and preservation, decorative arts, and Museum Studies. She is currently the Director of the Museum Studies Program at Boston University. Ms. Hall will speak on her new book about international preservation, Towards World Heritage.  A reception will begin at 5:30, with testimonials on behalf of the Victorian Society London and Newport at 6:30, and the lecture at 6:45.  RSVP: 617.267.6338 or email: lauragresh@thegibsonhouse.org.

  • Saturday, November 17, 7:00 am – Plum Island Migrants

    Head out on Saturday, November 17 with bird conservation researcher Zeke Jakub on an all-day outing in search of late fall and early winter coastal migrants, ending with a warm-up local meal and camaraderie. Meet at the Miller’s River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol at 7 to carpool, or call ahead to meet the group at 8:30 at Burger King on Rt.110, Salisbury. Mid-day stop at Birdwatchers Store. Bring lunch and FRS’s. Optional second day South Shore trip. Overnight at your convenience. We will reconvene the next morning and slowly make our way from Boston south stopping at all the traditional birding spots in a leisurely fashion. Info: ezelieljakub@gmail.com. Photo by Chris West at www.chris-west.blogspot.com.

  • Wednesday, November 28, 1:00 pm – Coffee Life in Japan

    Boston University Professor Dr. Merry White (below) traces Japan’s vibrant cafe society over one hundred and thirty years, from Japan’s coffee craze at the turn of the twentieth century, when Japan helped to launch the Brazilian coffee industry, to the present day.  Her talk takes up themes as diverse as gender, privacy, perfectionism and urbanism.  Merry’s book, Coffee Life in Japan, will be available for purchase from and signing by the author.  Coffee will be served, naturally.  Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens.  Members $10, non-members $15.  Register by calling 781-283-3094, or visit www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends.

  • Wednesday, November 14, 6:00 pm dinner, 7:00 program – The Wolves of New England

    Join The Athol Bird & Nature Club at 6 p.m. in Liberty Hall at the Athol Town Hall (584 Main St.) for its annual dinner meeting and at 7 p.m. for Michael LeBlanc, who will clarify the many misconceptions that exist about wolves, share his first-hand knowledge of their habits, and tell the history of this remarkable animal in this area. Accompanying LeBlanc will be Denahee (below,) a wolf he has raised since birth.

    Reservations are required for the dinner (members $10, non-members $12); please respond to Cindy Hartwell at 978-544-5783 or cindyhartwell56@gmail.com by Sunday, November 4. No reservations are necessary for the program. The event will also feature an always popular Tin Can auction; participants are encouraged to bring an item to donate.

  • Tuesday, January 15 – Thursday, January 17, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – On Location: The Kampong

    Join Sarah Roche at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Coconut Grove, Florida January 15 – 17 and enjoy three days of botanical art.  Once on location, start to draw with easy field sketches on the grounds of the stunning Kampong historic home and garden, where the climate of the southeast shore of Florida affords a natural open-air environment in which tropical species flourish.  Explore rudiments of form from live specimens as you work in graphite studies.  Some plants will be flowering, others will be fruiting and some may have all stages of development visible.  Then, add color with watercolors.  Take home a journal filled with field sketches useful for future art works and fond memories of a unique experience.  All abilities are welcome.  Fee  (Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens $325, non-members $400) includes three days of class instruction only.  Travel, accommodations, food, and other expenses not included.  Dormitory accommodations at Kampong may be arranged on a first-come basis.  For those arriving on Monday, January 14, a get-acquainted gathering will be arranged.  Contact the Friends office for more details at 781-283-3094.  Offered in collaboration with The Kampong National Tropical Botanical Garden.