Boston Flora

Month: July 2013

  • Saturday, August 3, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm – Discovering Native Ferns

    Learn to identify and distinguish between the 21 or so of the most common ferns of New England.  Through lecture, slides, drawings, and microscopic examination of fresh material, become familiar with around 95% of the ferns you will see in the woods.  End this New England Wild Flower Society tour with a walk through Garden in the Woods in Framingham with Don Lubin and Ray Abair.  The class will take place Saturday, August 3, from 10 – 2:30, and the fee is $60 for NEWFS members, $72 for nonmembers.  Bring lunch and a hand lens.  Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Thursday, July 25, 7:00 pm – Guy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden

    On Thursday, July 25, beginning at 7 pm, Harvard Book Store is pleased to welcome potter and bookseller Suzanne Staubach for a reading of her new book, Guy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden. The book’s photographer, Joseph Szalay, and Guy Wolff himself will also be at the event to discuss the book and answer questions.

    If you mention Guy Wolff to a serious gardener, that gardener will almost certainly admit to either owning a Guy Wolff flowerpot or coveting one. Wolff’s pots–some small and perfect for a sunny windowsill, others massive and just right for a favorite outdoor spot–are widely considered to be the epitome of gardenware. Their classical proportions, simple decoration, and the marks of Wolff’s hands all combine to make plants look their best. His pots possess an honesty and liveliness that machine-made flowerpots lack.

    Wolff is probably the best-known potter working in the United States today. In gardening circles, he is a highly revered horticultural icon; gardeners flock to his lectures and demonstrations. His work also appeals to lovers of design and fine arts: visit the personal gardens of landscape designers, and you will see Guy Wolff pots. Step inside the gates of estate gardens, and you will see Guy Wolff pots. Yet he is a potter’s potter. He’s a big ware thrower, a skill few have today. He thinks deeply about what he calls the architecture of pots and the importance of handmade objects in our lives.

    Whether you are a longtime collector of Wolff’s pots, anxious to buy your first one, or simply intrigued by the beauty and practicality of hand-crafted goods in our fast-paced era, you’ll want to add this richly illustrated book to your library. Harvard Book Store is located at 1256 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. This is a free event and no tickets are required.

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  • July 30 – August 1 – 2013 Community Involvement Training Conference

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 13th Community Involvement Training Conference will be held at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts July 30-August 1, 2013. The EPA Office of Water, EPA Region 1, and the EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response are leading the planning efforts for this conference.

    This dynamic training conference seeks to both inform and train EPA staff as well as Agency stakeholders and community partners in best practices to enhance community involvement. In 2011, the training conference brought more than 450 community involvement practitioners together. This three-day training conference features plenary sessions with guest speakers, topical discussions, multiple 90-minute information sessions, engaging three, four, and seven hour training sessions, and field trips demonstrating effective community involvement and cooperative conservation efforts in the Boston area. Additionally, there will be a Tuesday evening reception that will highlight a poster presentation and technology demonstration session to showcase excellent community involvement projects as well as new tools, technologies, and software. Throughout the training conference there will be exhibits, a variety of networking opportunities and evening activities to add value and fun to the experience. Community involvement is a field that has changed significantly over the years and continues to evolve. As a result, this year’s training conference theme “The Next Generation of Community Involvement” seeks to explore best practices and innovative solutions for community involvement. On line registration and complete details may be found at www.epa.gov/ciconference/index.htm.

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  • Wednesday, July 24, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Wetland Plant and Community ID

    The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary will sponsor a Wetland Plant and Community ID session on Wednesday, July 24 beginning at 9 am at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary at 87 Perkins Row in Topsfield, led by Director Carol Decker. Wetlands are areas that are dominated by water and water-tolerant plants. The most common method of identifying these areas is by the unique plant communities that grow in them. Spend the day exploring the wetland communities of the sanctuary, from the shrub swamps to the wet meadows and marshes. Plant identification will be emphasized. This workshop is ideal for anyone interested in learning more about wetland plant communities as well as conservation commissioners. Meet on the back porch of the Visitor Center. Bring a lunch, beverage, and drinking water. Registration (IRWS members $32, nonmembers $41) is required. Register online at https://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/Sanctuaries/Ipswich_River/index.php or call 978-887-9264 to register by phone.

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  • Wednesday, July 31, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Firefly Walk

    Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden staff on Wednesday, July 32 at 7:30 pm for an exciting evening in the garden when we hunt for twinkling fireflys. We’ll start with a story and learn all about these amazing members of the insect world. Then we’ll make our own lanterns before we venture out into the dark to scout out these elusive bugs and listen to the sounds of the night garden. Member Adult/Child Pair $5, Non-member Adult/Child Pair $10. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • August is Tree Check Month

    The Ecological Landscape Association. www.ecolandscaping.org, has sent us this reminder. We approach the 5th anniversary of the discovery of Asian Longhorned Beetle in Massachusetts. Since 2008, more than 30,000 hardwood trees have been removed because of this invasive pest. Recently, another wood-boring beetle, the Emerald Ash Borer, was found in Berkshire County, and now threatens millions of Ash trees in the state. Join your fellow citizens during the month of August and check your trees for signs of damage caused by Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer, and learn to recognize the beetles themselves. For more detailed information, visit http://massnrc.org/pests/blog/ or email Stacy Kilb, ALB Outreach Coordinator at stacy.kilb@state.ma.us or call (617)780-1371.

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  • Friday, August 9, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Rain Gardens and More

    Rain gardens take advantage of the natural abundance of rainfall, rather than wasting it as runoff, using water flowing from roofs, driveways, or lawns to create beautiful gardens.  Learn about additional rainwater retention strategies such as bog gardens, roof gardens, swales, and terraces, tailored for particular situations or to solve problems such as erosion, icy walkways, or wet basements.  With an inspirational slide program, past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Dori Smith will review design options, construction details, and case studies.  Feel free to bring photos of a site issue to discuss.  The August 9 program will take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, and the fee is $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers.  Cosponsored by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Massachusetts Audubon Drumlin Farm.  Visit www.newfs.org to sign up.

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  • Thursday, August 1, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Curious About Canning?

    Want to learn how to preserve your garden produce? Cookbook author Marisa McCleellan will walk you through the steps of pickling and boiling water bath canning in this two-hour hands-on Dilly Bean workshop, sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and taking place Thursday, August 1, from 6 – 8 at Elm Bank in Wellesley. You’ll learn how to tackle a mess of beans and have the opportunity to ask all your burning preserving questions.

    Marisa McClellan is a food writer, canning teacher, and dedicated pickler who lives in Center City Philadelphia. Her first cookbook, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round is now available. Find more of her jams, pickles, and preserves (all cooked up in her 80-square-foot kitchen) at her blog, Food in Jars. (www.foodinjars.com).  Cost – $50.00 for Mass Hort members, $55.00 for non-members.  Reserve on line at www.masshort.org.

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  • Saturday, July 27, 1:00 pm – Egleston Square Bilingual Walking Tour

    As part of its ongoing Neighborhood Preservation Priorities Workshop program, The Boston Preservation Alliance will host a bilingual walking tour of historic sites in the Egleston Square neighborhood on Saturday, July 27, beginning at 1 pm leaving from the Egleston Square Farmers Market.  The tour will be presented in both English and Spanish.  The tour will serve as a starting point for a community-wide discussion of historic preservation priorities.  Sites identified will be incorporated into a Neighborhood Preservation Priorities report which will guide the Alliance’s advocacy efforts in the area.  For more information contact Judy Neiswander at jneiswander@bostonpreservation.org, or call 617-367-2458.  Pictured below is the Egleston Square MBTA Station. Now known as the BNN Charles J. Beard II Media Center, the Egleston Square Substation was constructed in the Spanish Revival style as a power substation for the City of Boston in 1905.  This building received a 2007 Boston Preservation Alliance Award, a 2008 Boston Preservation Alliance Award for Notable Neighborhood Preservation Efforts, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award in 2008.

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  • The Garden Club of the Back Bay Donates to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

    Once again the Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc. has donated money to a local institution. The Club has given $1,000 to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in honor of the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings. “After visiting Spaulding, we were impressed by the easy access of patients, visitors and staff to many garden spaces around the building,” said Jolinda Taylor, Co-President of the Garden Club. “The views of Boston Harbor from the patient rooms are spectacular and uplifting,” added Jackie Blombach, Co-President of the Club.

    “Spaulding is committed to caring for the whole patient, body and spirit” according to Steven Patrick, Vice President for Development, who accompanied the Garden Club officers on their mid-summer visit, “and allowing patients access to peaceful garden spaces is essential.” Patrick added that “the outdoor spaces are intended to encourage patients to get outside, seek fresh air and engage with the community. We plan to incorporate gardening as a therapeutic activity, with wheelchair accessible raised beds.” The gardens include native, drought-tolerant, and salt-resistant trees and shrubs, ornamental grasses, and evergreens, on the hospital’s site at the Charlestown Navy Yard. The new Spaulding facility has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold status certification, a very high standard of energy conservation and responsiveness to the natural environment.

    The Garden Club cares for neighborhood trees. The Club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary this year by planting 50 magnolia trees in Back Bay and nearby neighborhoods. Club members volunteer in community projects at the Women’s Lunch Place, Hale House, The Learning Project Elementary School, The College Club, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

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