Bring summer indoors! On Saturday, July 27, beginning at 10 am at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, we will fill a tall glass container with fragrant, colorful herbs and garden flowers to make a lovely, fresh arrangement for your home. Herbs are not just green. Most have lovely flowers and make delightful, fragrant additions to fresh flower arrangements. Learn when and how to cut garden flowers for arranging, what “green” herbs make great fillers and how, if necessary, to select cut herbal flowers from the florist. All supplies and materials provided by teacher Betsy Williams. Please bring floral scissors and an apron to class. $60 THBG members, $65 nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.onekingslane.com.
Month: July 2013
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Saturday, July 27, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm – Iris Society Plant Sale
The Iris Society of Massachusetts (ISM) is holding its biennial plant sale which will take place rain or shine from 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday, July 27 under the large open tent behind the farm store at Verrill Farm, 11 Wheeler Road in Concord.
The large selection of reasonably priced irises are all from ISM members’ gardens and grow well in our area. There will be bearded irises, from tiny miniature dwarfs to tall beardeds, as well as beardless siberian irises, woodland iris cristata, and many other types. Prices for the irises generally range from $1 for the dwarf irises to $6 for the potted siberians.
If you attended ISM’s iris show on Memorial Day last year and enjoyed the profusion of beautiful irises, you will find many of those same irises at the sale. ISM members will be there to answer questions. There will a demonstration on dividing old iris clumps along with planting tips. Free. For more information visit www.massirises.org.
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New England Botanical Club Publishes New Book
The Special Publication Committee of the New England Botanical Club is pleased to announce the publication of Vascular Flora of Worcester County, Massachusetts by Robert I. Bertin and Thomas J. Rawinski. The 290-page book includes sections on the physical setting, geology, climate, soils, vegetation patterns, human impact, and a history of botanical collection in the county. The core of the book is an annotated list of the 2,043 species found in the county. Species information includes abundance, status (native or alien), habitat, distribution within the county, conservation status, and flowering and fruiting phenology. Distribution maps are included for 700 species, illustrating current and former distributions at the town level.
To purchase, send a check for $23.00 check payable to the New England Botanical Club to:
Karen Searcy, Chair, NEBC Special Publications Committee
Biology Department
611 North Pleasant St.
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003For information on joining the New England Botanical Club, visit www.rhodora.org.
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Thursday, July 25, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Solutions for Common Weed Problems
Randy Prostak, UMass Extention Weed Specialist, will speak at Elm Bank on Thursday, July 25 beginning at 7 pm as part of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Thursdays at the Hort speaker series. While there are more than 2,200 weeds found in Massachusetts there are roughly 15 to 20 that cause repeated grievance to the homeowner in their gardens. Join Randy Prostak as he identifies the most common problems and ways to prevent or eradictate them with the least amount of detrimental impact to the environment. $10 for Mass Hort members, $15 for non members. Register at www.masshort.org.
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Saturday, July 27, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Pteridophytes in Vermont
The New England Wild Flower Society and the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont co-sponsor a program on Saturday, July 27, from 10 – 2, on Pteridophytes in Vermont. The Montshire Museum, which abuts the Connecticut River, has extensive grounds with a limey geology that enhances plant biodiversity. You will visit the extensive variety of ferns, club-mosses, and horsetails, and will hear how to identify each of them. Class will begin with indoor instruction using slides of drawings and photographs. Wear long pants and bring bug spray, a hand lens, and lunch. Instructors are Don Lubin and Ray Abair, identified as “fern enthusiasts.” $46 for NEWFS members, $56 for non members. Visit www.newfs.org for complete information.
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Wednesday, July 24, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create The World’s Greatest Drinks
Who knew that horticulture was such an intoxicating subject? In The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create The World’s Greatest Drinks, the follow-up to the New York Times bestsellers Wicked Bugs and Wicked Plants, Amy Stewart explores the odd, unusual, and surprisingly common plants that have produced the world’s greatest spirits. The Drunken Botanist uncovers the enlightening botanical history and the fascinating science and chemistry of over 150 plants, flowers, trees, fruits, and even a few fungi. Join Amy on Wednesday, July 24, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arnold Arboretum for a fun and enlightening lecture, followed by a tasting of locally crafted beverages (must be 21 or older). Fee $30 Arboretum member, $40 nonmember. Register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Thursday, August 1, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Latticework Artists’ Reception
Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, will present an exhibit of mixed media and prints of Kim Henry and Susan Jaworski-Stranc entitled “Latticework” from July 31 through September 8, and an artists’ reception will take place Thursday, August 1, from 6 – 7:30 pm. The reception is free and open to the public. Kim Henry is an artist and environmental scientist from Groton, Massachusetts, who has studied pastels. Her exhibit features mixed-media landscapes created with soft pastels and acrylic paints applied to an under-painting of scraps of mulberry paper. The mulberry papers come in a variety of colors and textures that she uses to capture the depth and fabric of the landscape. Her technique highlights what she loves most in the natural landscape: light and shadow on trees and slopes, lush vegetation and bright flowers, an glimpses of distant hills and secluded gardens. Susan Jaworski-Stranc is an artistic printmaker from Lowell, Massachusetts, who has studied at SUNY Buffalo and the University of Maryland. She also received her Teaching Certificate from the Massachusetts College of Art. Jaworski-Stranc specializes in the creation of reduction linoleum prints (see below.) Her exhibit will focus on tree forms within an informal landscape. Their unique shapes, linear beauty and textures are what she likes to describe in her block prints. Born from one block of linoleum, her relief prints have the color nuances and rich textural surfaces of an oil painting. For directions, visit www.towerhillbg.org.
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Saturday, July 20, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm – N.E. Daylily Society’s Daylily Exhibition
The New England Daylily Society will present a Daylily Show & Exhibition when daylily enthusiasts of New England show their best grown, best groomed daylily flowers. The show will feature hundreds of cut flowers of daylilies in their breathtaking variety of form and color. A wide variety of choice daylily plants will also be for sale from 11am-2pm, plus visitors will enjoy a “Cooking with Daylilies” demonstration with Chef John Lawrence of Pepper’s Fine Catering of Northborough, Mass.
Show Schedule:
11:15 – 12:15 pm: “Growing and Caring for the World’s Favorite Perennial: The Daylily,” presented by members of the New England Daylily Society
12:15 – 1:15 pm: “Ask the Experts,” Daylily experts will answer questions about growing, hybridizing, dividing, or general cultivation of daylilies.
1:15 – 1:30 pm: FREE Raffle, Enter a drawing to win a one-year membership to American Hemerocallis Society. Many daylily plants will also be raffled.
1:30 – 4:30 pm: The Daylily Exhibition opens to the public. See more than 300 cultivars of the finest daylilies grown in New England. Divisions include Extra Large 7+, Large, Small, Miniature, Double, Polymerous, Spider, and Unusual Form. The Exhibition presents a wonderful opportunity to view the incredible diversity of daylilies.
2 pm: Cooking Demonstration with Pepper’s Fine Foods Chef John Lawrence – “Cooking with Daylilies,” Classroom C.
All this will take place Saturday, July 20 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts. Free with admission. for more information, visit www.towerhillbg.org.
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Wednesday, July 24, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Tomato Celebration
Stonewall Kitchen in Maine conducts a full range of cooking classes throughout the year, and the Wednesday, July 24 class – Tomato Celebration – is perfect for gardeners. Red & orange, gold & green, there’s nothing like glorious summer tomatoes. The class is $50, and will be taught by Vanessa Seder. The menu will include:
Clams in Tomato, Fennel, and Shallot Broth
Fried Green Tomatoes in Tomato Sauce
Watermelon, Heirloom Tomato, Purple Basil and Almond Salad
Tomato Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Galette
Tomato Sorbet with Lemon-Thyme ShortbreadOpening a cooking school where others may learn and share in the enjoyment of preparing and presenting good food was a natural progression of the culinary talents and interest of Stonewall Kitchen founders, Jonathan King and Jim Stott. Sharing their passion for cooking, love of gardening and enjoyment of fine foods with others continues to be a fundamental part of the company’s culture and a personal mission of Jonathan and Jim’s.
The Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School located at our Company Headquarters in York, Maine offers great food and clear, concise instruction in an atmosphere that is relaxed, comfortable and friendly. You’ll go home with a clear understanding of how to recreate these recipes in your own kitchen and have the opportunity to learn about the finest tools, appliances and utensils used by our chefs.
Attendees in any of our classes receive a 10% discount on anything purchased in the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School Store. As you watch the cooks prepare their recipes, most of what you see used is for sale, and best of all, the experts who really use these items are right there to answer any questions you may have. This is a great time to purchase one of those small appliances or gadgets you’ve always wanted … you’ll go home ready to cook like a pro. And of course, our York Company Store is located just across the way in the same facility, where you will find our complete line of specialty foods and beautiful items for your kitchen and home.Register by calling 1-877-899-8363 Monday through Friday, 8 am – 5 pm. To see a full list of all classes, visit www.stonewallkitchen.com.
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Wednesday, July 17, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – The Stoddard Garden Talk with Matt Mattus
Many years ago, garden blogger Matt Mattus worked several summers as Mrs. Stoddard’s gardener. He’ll relive his experiences there and what he learned from working in a Fletcher Steele designed garden. He claims to remember every plant! There will be plenty of time for questions following the Wednesday, July 17 talk, which begins at 6:30 pm, and a chance to visit the current library exhibit, “When Fletcher Steele came to Worcester”, an exhibit that focuses on the Stoddard Garden designed by Fletcher Steele in the late 1940’s. The library will be open that evening from 5PM to 8PM. The talk is free with garden admission. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.
