Boston Flora

Month: January 2013

  • Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Managing Invasives at Home and Around Town

    Grow Native Massachusetts is sponsoring a public lecture series from February through June, 2013, from 7 – 8:30 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge.  The first of the free series in entitled Managing Invasives at Home and Around Town, with Eric Olson and Josh Ellsworth, lecturers at Brandeis University and citizen stewards. Founder of the Newton Invasive Plant Task Force, Dr. Olson has led substantial volunteer efforts to control invasive species in Newton and Waltham. He will discuss this management challenge, especially the importance of building trust with local Conservation Commissions, and the risks and pleasures of depending entirely upon volunteer labor. Josh Ellsworth will help us understand the ecology of invasives, along with specific techniques for controlling the species we most commonly encounter in Greater Boston. Dr. Eric Olson and Josh Ellsworth both teach at Brandeis University. Lecture Co-sponsored by The Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation.  Photo of knotweed pull site from www.newtonconservators.org.

  • Thursday, January 31 – Sunday, February 3 – Flora in Winter

    The Worcester Art Museum and Tower Hill Botanic Garden partner once again during Flora in Winter, a celebration of the impending arrival of spring.  At WAM, breathtaking flowers bloom in the galleries with stunning arrangements inspired by artworks.  At Tower Hill, with a nod to William Shakespeare, the arrangements reflect on quiet times of rest and contemplation, evoking dreams of the growing season and inspiring flower fantasies – creating A Midwinter’s Dream.  WAM’s presentation is generously supported by unum, Fallon Community Health Plan, and People’s United Bank.  Thursday’s opening party,  Flower Power at Flora Euphoria on Thursday, January 31 from 5:30 – 8, is $30 for WAM and Tower Hill members, $50 for nonmembers. Reserve at 508-793-4323, or on line at www.worcesterart.org.  A Floral Demonstration, Lunch and Tour: From the White House to Your House, will take place at the Museum on Saturday, February 2 from 12 – 3, and is $35 for WAM members, $55 for nonmembers.  Call 508-793-4325 (note the different telephone number.)  At Tower Hill, on Friday, February 1, there will be a concert with Lori Diamond and Fred Abatelli from 7 – 9, $35 for WAM/THBG members, $40 nonmembers, and you may reserve by calling 508-869-6111, or reserve online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Tuesday, February 5, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – For the Love of Chocolate

    Whole Foods Market in Wellesley has teamed up with our Garden to Table program to bring you cooking classes through the fall and winter. Healthy Eating Specialist Lisa Caldwell, director of the Our Health Starts Here Program at Whole Foods Market in Wellesley, will help you make healthy choices in cooking, eating, and menu planning. Classes will be held at Whole Foods Market in Wellesley. On Tuesday, February 5, join Lisa For the Love of Chocolate. Need we say more? Who hates it?! Let’s learn how and why we love it; then taste some decadent creations utilizing this dark delicious treat.  Cost – $10.00 for Mass Hort members, $12.00 for non-members. Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943 or ordering online at www.masshort.org. You may also pay at the class.  Photo from www.thecupcakeblog.com.

  • Saturday, February 2, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Designing With a Theme

    Saturday, February 2, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Designing With a Theme

    Learn how a floral designer takes a given theme, examines its interpretive possibilities, selects materials, and executes the design to interpret the theme, in a Tower Hill Botanic Garden class to be held Saturday, February 2, beginning at 9:30 am.

    Al DeLuca has been active in the floral industry for nearly 30 years. His career started as a freelance designer while he was a full time world language teacher. He was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) in 1995 and the American Academy of Floriculture in 2002. From 1996 to 2008, DeLuca owned and operated For-Al’s Inc. in Worcester. During those years, Al participated in the Boston Flower Show as an exhibitor and lecturer and was invited to design for the AIFD booth at the Philadelphia Flower show on three different occasions. He has taught at Tower Hill Botanic Garden and has been a presenter at many garden clubs and other organizations. Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org. THBG member price $54, nonmember $60, all materials included.

  • Monday, February 11, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Island Creek Oysters Foundation Benefit

    Join chef Jody Adams at Rialto in Harvard Square on Monday, February 11 from 6 – 8 for an evening of Oysters, Antipasti & Drinks to benefit the Island Creek Oysters Foundation.  Jody will share the story of the Foundation and why she believes in aquaculture.  Rialto is located at One Bennett Street.  Tickets are $40 ($25 student price) and you may purchase tickets on line at www.icofoundation.eventbrite.com.  The raw bar is provided by Island Creek, and oysters three ways and cocktails by Rialto.  For more information on the Foundation and what it does, visit www.islandcreekfoundation.org.  Island Creek created the foundation to fund projects that promote aquaculture as a responsible means of solving the issue of global food production.

  • Saturday, January 26, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Wild Things of North Quabbin

    In cooperation with the Athol Council on Aging, Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust is sponsoring a free screening of Hank Cramer’s 40-minute film Wild Things of North Quabbin at the Athol Town Hall (584 Main Street, Athol) on Saturday January 26th from 7-8:30pm.

    Shot in the New Salem woods, the film offers us glimpses into the secret lives of locally common birds and mammals. “The wild things in the film encourage us to conserve the local landscape they need for a home and can remind us that people need the land, too, for air to breathe, water to drink, wood for our homes, and, as importantly, for inspiration,” says Leigh Youngblood, Mount Grace Executive Director. Youngblood will be speaking at the event, which will also include a chance to meet some of the animals currently staying with local wildlife rehabilitator Medicine Mammals.

    Hank’s love of nature, perseverance, and sense of curiosity give us a glimpse across four seasons in our local landscape. The movie, edited and assembled from five years of footage, features more than 25 species, including rarely seen behaviors of beavers, bears, bobcats, turkeys, fish, coyotes and herons. The event is free and is designed to introduce people to the wildlife of the region and the importance of land conservation in our communities. For more information about Mount Grace or to reserve seats, visit www.mountgrace.org.

  • Saturday, January 26, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Massachusetts Farm Wineries Day

    The fourth season of the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market has begun! The Market runs weekly on Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM through March 9 at Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road (Route 20), Wayland. Over 40 food vendors attend weekly, bringing fresh vegetables, cheese, meat, maple products, honey, eggs, fish, jam, pickles, pasta and other specialty foods. Come enjoy truly gourmet breakfast and lunch, while sitting in a lush, warm greenhouse.

    On Saturday January 26, we will have our 3rd Annual Massachusetts Farm Wineries Day from 10 AM to 2 PM. Legislation passed in August 2010 allows both tasting and sales (by the bottle) of wine produced from farm wineries within our state at farmers’ markets and other agricultural events. We are delighted to have nine Massachusetts farm wineries celebrate this event with us:

    Alfalfa Farm Winery (Topsfield)

    Coastal Vineyards (S.Dartmouth)

    Green River Ambrosia Meadery (Greenfield)

    Mill River Winery (Rowley)

    Obadiah McIntyre Farm Winery (Charlton)

    Running Brook Vineyards & Winery (N.Dartmouth)

    Still River Winery (Harvard)

    Turtle Creek Winery (Lincoln)

    Westport Rivers Winery (Westport)

    If you have questions please contact Peg Mallett: mallettpeg@gmail.com or call (508)358-2283 ext.336.

  • Saturdays, January 19 and February 16, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Farm Fiber Days

    Saturdays, January 19 and February 16, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Farm Fiber Days

    The Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market will have Farm Fiber Days on January 19 & February 16. We will be joined by talented local farmers, who produce yarn, top, roving and finished fiber products from their own animals. Additional vendors include dyers and a LYS bringing locally made artisan buttons. Another 35 food vendors will be on hand, so you will want to bring your appetite. Natsumi Asanuma from Knit for Boston, will be on hand to tell you about projects they are supporting, and collecting knitted items for charity. The vendor group will not be identical both weeks (see schedule below).

    The location of the Market is Russell’s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road (Rt. 20), Wayland, MA. Market hours are 10 AM to 2 PM. Phone: 508-358-2283 ext. 336. Email:mallettpeg@gmail.com.

    A Hundred Ravens – Feb 16

    Artistic Triumphs – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Baaaystate Blanket – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Dorchester Farms – Feb 16

    Evergreen Farm – Jan 19

    Foxhill Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Good Karma Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Greenwood Hill Farm – Jan 19

    In Stitches/Threaded Needle – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Iron Horse Farm – Jan 19
& Feb 16

    Keldaby Farm/Moonshine Design – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    North Brook Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Rag Hill Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    River Valley Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Subito Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Windy Hamlet Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Windy Hill Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Winterberry Farm – Jan 19 & Feb 16

    Rag Hill Farm tourquoise

  • Tuesday, January 22, 6:00 pm – Good Manners

    There were significant changes in American behavior over the 100-year span of the Gibson family’s residence on Beacon Street. Etiquetteer Robert Dimmick uses Gibson family stories from the archives to illustrate the evolution of etiquette and customs with a witty and informative one-hour tour of the family rooms of the Gibson House, 137 Beacon Street, Boston, on Tuesday, January 22 beginning at 6 pm.  Don’t miss this glimpse of Victorian and early 20th-century culture and customs in this unique setting.

    Admission: members free – GHM/VSA/NE; $10. – non-members . Space is limited, RSVP: 617.267.6338 or info@thegibsonhouse.org by Friday, January 18.

     

     

  • Saturday, January 26, 11:00 am – New Varieties for 2013

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture on Saturday, January 26 at 11 am will highlight the most exciting new introductions for 2013, including annuals, perennials, vegetables and shrubs. At home and in White Flower Farm’s trial gardens, speaker Barb Pierson of White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut tests varieties that are new to the commercial market and makes firsthand notes on their cultivation and performance. Using White Flower Farm’s top-quality photographs, Pierson’s talk will give the audience tips on what to buy and what to avoid. Every participant will receive a White Flower Farm catalog, and one lucky person will win a $50 gift certificate. Register at www.towerhillbg.org  or call 508-869-6111. THBG members $12, Nonmembers $15.