Boston Flora

Month: May 2013

  • Thursdays, July 11 – July 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 am – Gardens Around the World

    Gain insight into the unique design styles and objects that add to the pleasure of Boston, English, and Chinese gardens with this Museum of Fine Arts Boston three-session course, Thursday mornings July 11–25, 10:30 am–12:30 pm.

    On July 11, Keith Morgan, director, Architectural Studies and professor, American and European Architecture, Boston University, will speak on Frederick Law Olmsted’s Public Landscape. Hear the fascinating story of how a saltwater marsh was transformed into a park of winding walking paths and gentle streams that comprises today’s iconic Emerald Necklace. Following the talk, enjoy a one-hour guided walking tour of the Back Bay Fens adjacent to the Museum, and learn about the area’s landscape elements and community gardens. A scholar of nineteenth and twentieth century American and European architecture, Professor Morgan is interested in the relationships between architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Professor Morgan has taught at Boston University since 1980. He has served as the director of the Preservation Studies Program and of the American and New England Studies Program and as the chairman of the Art History Department on two occasions. He is a former national president of the Society of Architectural Historians. His recent publications include Shaping a New American Landscape: The Art and Architecture of Charles A. Platt, Boston Architecture, 1975-1990, which he coauthored with Professor Naomi Miller, and a new introduction for the republication of Charles Eliot, Landscape Architect. He is the editor and one of the principal authors for Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston, and serves as the architecture editor for The Encyclopedia of New England. He has received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Buildings of the United States project, several committees for the restoration of historic landmarks and is a trustee of the Hancock Shaker Village.

    On July 18, Curt DiCamillo, fellow, Royal Society of Arts and President of The DiCamillo Companion Ltd. will discuss The English Garden: Perfection on Earth. Whether stately and formal or natural and romantic, English gardens have been called Britain’s single most important contribution to world culture. Learn about the history of these gardens and why their influence remains with us to this day.  A guided tour of the MFA’s exceptional collection of garden paintings and country-house objects follows the lecture. Curt DiCamillo is an American architectural historian. Between 2004 and 2012, he was the Executive Director of the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA (he is currently Executive Director Emeritus). Previously, he worked for 13 years for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Since May 2012, Mr. DiCamillo, in his role as president of The DiCamillo Companion, Ltd., has focused full-time on lecturing, writing, and leading tours about the architectural and artistic heritage of Britain and its influence around the world.

    Finally, on July 25, Nancy Berliner, Wu Tung Curator of Chinese Art, will present The Chinese Home and Garden. The Chinese home, its architecture, gardens, and contents are created to reflect the values and ideals of its residents. Dig into the world of Chinese gardening to learn how these landscapes combine artistic elements and nature in perfect harmony. Following the discussion, visit Chinese galleries that touch on house and garden themes, including “Beyond the Screen,” a gallery that evokes the home and gardens of a 16th- and 17th-century Chinese household. She is the author of The Emperor’s Private Paradise: Treasures from the Forbidden City.

    Three-Session Course Tickets
    $90 MFA members, seniors, and students; $108 nonmembers
    Order at 1-800-440-6975 or in person at any MFA ticketing desk

    Individual Session Tickets
    $35 MFA members, seniors, and students; $42 nonmembers
    Online: http://www.mfa.org/programs/series/gardens-around-world
    By phone: call the MFA Ticket line at 1-800-440-6975
    In person: at any MFA ticketing desk

    Ticketing desk hours: Mon, Tue, Sat, and Sun, 10 am–4:15 pm; and Wed–Fri, 10 am–9:15 pm.  Capacity is limited.

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  • Saturday, June 8, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, June 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Antiques at Elm Bank

    The 8th annual Antiques at Elm Bank is slated for Saturday and Sunday, June 8th and 9th, 2013 on the beautiful grounds of Massachusetts Horticultural Society headquarters in Wellesley. Antiques will be displayed in outdoor tents surrounded by lush gardens with a select number of dealers to be showcased inside the Hunnewell and Education buildings at Elm Bank. More than 100 quality dealers will be on hand featuring hundreds of sought after items at Greater Boston’s and most magnificent outdoor summer antiques show. Antiques from the 18th to the mid 20th Century will be available including Federalist and Victorian furniture, European and Asian ceramics, china, sterling silver, art, estate jewelry, antique toys and much more. Everyone from the casual collector to the experienced investor will be able to find that precious treasure they have been searching for.

    Admission to Antiques at Elm Bank is $10 on Saturday (includes free re-admission) and $8 on Sunday. Children 12 and under receive free entry. Hours are Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Elm Bank Estate, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, MA just 15 minutes west of Boston. For more information call 781-862-4039, or visit www.NEAntiqueShows.com. Free parking is available.

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  • Splatter Spotter

    The United States has 6.5 million kilometers of public roads that are used by approximately 255 million vehicles annually. Road corridors cover approximately 1% of the surface of the United States, but the ecological impacts extend well beyond these actual road surfaces. A minimum of 19% of the terrestrial United States is directly affected by roads, and 22% of the United States appears to be ecologically altered by our road network. Roads alter species interactions, animal behavior, soil characteristics, hydrology, and vegetative cover. The magnitude of these effects is correlated with proximity to the road surface, but extends throughout a “road effect zone”. The Splatter Spotter app developed by California State University for iPhones is designed to allow you to help scientists track where road kill is the most common, allowing us to better design roads and crossing structures to minimize the harm to animals and the hazards to drivers.  To download, visit www.roadkill.csuci.edu.

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  • Saturday, June 8, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Talk and Taste: Cooking with Strawberries

    Tufts University, in partnership with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, will present Talk and Taste: Cooking with Strawberries, a lecture on the health benefits of strawberries, preparation of berry salad (wheatberries, strawberries and balsamic), gardening tips, and tasting, on Saturday, June 8, from 2 – 3:30 at the Jean Mayer USDA HNRCA at Tufts University, Mezzanine Level, 711 Washington Street in Boston.  Registration is limited to 70 people on EventBrite (search for Talk and Taste).  The event features Dr. Barbara Shukitt-Hale, Research Psychologist, USDA, Tim Nourse of Nourse Berry Farms in Whately, Massachusetts, and Rolando Robledo, Chef at Clover Food Lab in Boston.  Event includes a prize drawing.

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  • Tuesday, June 11, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Woody Vines for the Garden

    Effective landscape design includes creative development of vertical space, and vines should be considered from the outset. While touring the Leventritt Garden of Shrubs and Vines, horticulturist Jen Kettell will introduce you to an array of woody vines. She will explain their various growth habits and attachment mechanisms which determine how they are best used in the garden. Focusing on floral, foliar, and fruiting characteristics, she’ll recommend vines for a variety of situations. Fee $20 Arnold Arboretum member, $25 nonmember. Meet at the Dana Greenhouse Classroom at the Arnold Arboretum on Tuesday, June 11, from 6 – 8 pm. Register at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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  • First Church in Boston to Receive Magnolia Award

    The First Church in Boston, at 66 Marlborough Street, will receive the 2013 Magnolia Award given by The Garden Club of the Back Bay.  The award will be presented at this year’s Twilight Garden Party on Tuesday, June 4, at the Gordon Chapel at Old South Church.  The award honors the extensive horticultural renovation completed on Marlborough Street, which includes one of The Garden Club’s ‘Moonglow’ magnolia trees, pictured below.  The church was created in 1630 when the settlers on the Arbella arrived in what is now Charlestown, Massachusetts.  In the 19th century, the First Church moved to Back Bay in Boston. The building at 66 Marlborough Street in Boston dated from 1867 and was designed by Boston architects William Robert Ware and Henry Van Brunt. After a fire in 1968, First Church and Second Church merged and built a new building at the same location. This building, by architect Paul Rudolph, incorporates part of the facade of the 1867 building.

    To purchase tickets to the Twilight Garden Party, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of our Club, click on to https://bostonflora.com/twilight-garden-party/. You may pay by PayPal, clicking on the Donate button.  We hope to see you there.

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  • Saturday, June 8, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Organic Integrated Pest Management

    Gardening for Life presents Kayleigh Boyle, Gaining Ground Farm Manager, who will talk about Organic Integrated Pest Management followed by field work on the farm as a volunteer to put what you learn into practice! Find out what you can do now before pests/disease get the upper hand! Space is limited to 15. RSVP by June 6 to deb01742@comcast.net.

    Gaining Ground grows organic vegetables and fruit with the help of hundreds of community volunteers and donates all of this fresh food to area meal programs and food pantries. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach that uses information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This strategy is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals.

    Come on your own, or bring a friend! We will meet at the main farm at 315 Virginia Road in Concord, Massachusetts. Please bring sunscreen, water is available on the farm and reusable water bottles are encouraged. Refer to http://gainingground.org for more information about Gaining Ground.

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  • Thursday, May 30, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Grains in Massachusetts

    Thursdays at the Hort continues on May 30 with Elizabeth E’Toile of Four Star Farms speaking at 7 pm on Growing Grains in Massachusetts. “Amber Waves of Grain” are probably not the first things that come to mind when thinking about agriculture in Massachusetts. Join Liz in a discussion of the history and resurgence of grain production in Massachusetts, how to enhance your landscape with ornamental and ancient varieties, and techniques for harvesting and storing grains on a home or small scale.

    Cost – $10.00 for Mass Hort members, $15.00 for non-members. Register on line at www.masshort.org.

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  • Saturday, June 1, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Fenway Victory Gardens Open Day

    The Fenway Garden Society invites you to explore 7 acres of historic parkland in the heart of Boston on Saturday, June 1 from 11 – 3 (rain date Sunday, June 2).
    More than 40 Fenway victory gardeners will open their gates to visitors. Come view a spectrum of urban flower and vegetable gardens, take a special Emerald Necklace Conservancy tour, picnic in the meadow (& visit our local restaurants), play bocce, learn new gardening tips and get inspired! The entrance is on Park Drive @ Boylston Street, Fenway. For more information, call (857) 244-0262. Free admission.  Image from www.bostonguide.com.

    http://www.bostonguide.com/photo_galleries/fenway_neighborhood/images/Flowers%20at%20Fenway%20Victory%20Gardens.jpg

  • Saturday, June 8, 4:00 pm – Tasting Terroir: A Story of Earth, Wine, and Human Hope

    Consider the role of terroir throughout the history of wine. While highlighting the essential role of earth in the terroir that many people believe characterizes fine wine, author Paul Lukacs and wine merchant Jim Nejames will present a lecture and tasting. Based on his new book, Inventing Wine: a New History of One of The World’s Most Ancient Pleasures, Paul will present the intriguing investigation of terroir: its facts and fictions. Wines featured will demonstrate the significance of terroir. Paul’s new book will be sold following the lecture, and showcased wines will be available for order.

    Paul Lukacs is the author of American Vintage and The Great Wines of America. A James Beard, Cliquot and IACP award winner, he has been writing about wine and its cultural contexts for nearly 20 years. He is a professor of English at Loyola University of Maryland, where he directs the University’s Center for the Humanities. Jim Nejames, a wine merchant, owns Spirited, a retail wine store located in Lenox, MA. He finds and sells great wines from around the world and specializes in wine consulting, stocking wine cellars, wine classes and wine tastings.

    This unique program will take place Saturday, June 8, beginning at 4 pm at Berkshire Botanical Garden.  BBG member price $25, nonmembers $30, and you may sign up on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

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