Boston Flora

Month: August 2013

  • Monday, September 16, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm – Rolling Ridge Preservation Round Table and Workshop

    Monday, September 16, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm – Rolling Ridge Preservation Round Table and Workshop

    Rolling Ridge and the New England Landscape Design and History Association are excited and pleased to invite you to a Preservation Round Table and Workshop on the Fountains and Gardens of renowned landscape architect Fletcher Steele at Rolling Ridge, North Andover, Massachusetts on Monday, September 16, from 9:30- 3 pm.

    They are gathering some of the experts to help put Fletcher Steele and Rolling Ridge on the Massachusetts garden history map. As a destination place with a hidden gem up to this point, but it can be a showplace of the genius of one the nation’s great landscape architects. Two of Steele’s designs are designated National Historic Landmarks: Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and the Amphitheatre in Camden, Maine.

    Of the 500 plus gardens Fletcher Steele designed, Rolling Ridge ranks in the top three according to Robin Karson, author of Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect. The garden rooms, the fountains and the layout reflect the genius of Steele in one of his earliest designs. Yet years of New England weather have deteriorated the concrete and stopped the water flow. Five presentations from Steele experts will illuminate Steele at Rolling Ridge, lead us on a tour the garden and fountains and tell of plans for restoration.

    Come see this historic gem, view the plans and ideas for restoration and share in the conversation on the future of this significant landscape. Register online at www.rollingridge.org.  The $75 fee includes a delicious lunch, presentations and tour. Rain or shine.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members enjoyed a memorable tour and lunch last spring at Rolling Ridge, and everyone attending saw the need for an influx of money, time and expertise to put Rolling Ridge back on the map.  The Club enthusiastically endorses this effort.

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  • Friday, September 20, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, and Saturday, September 21, 8:00 am – 12:00 noon – Middlesex Conservation District Fall Plant Sale

    The Middlesex Conservation District will hold its annual Fall Plant Sale on Friday, September 20 from 3 – 6 pm, and on Saturday, September 21 from 8 am – noon at the 4H Fairgrounds, 51 South Chelmsford Road in Westford.  All items may be ordered in advance through August 30, including tulips, daffodils, specialty bulbs, perennials and garden supplies.  All proceeds support the District’s environmental programs protecting soils and waters in Middlesex County.  If you would like a sales brochure, please  visit www.middlesexconservation.org to obtain an order form and view selections.  Photo from www.burpee.com.

    http://www.burpee.com/images/content/adv/Bulbs_317x336.jpg

  • Tuesday, September 3, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Cocktails in the Garden and Tour

    On Tuesday, September 3, from 6 – 8, Volante Farms resident chef Todd Heberlein brings over a decade of farm to table cooking to Mass Hort for an evening of unique and flavorful, fresh from the garden small plates and refreshing drinks. Chef Todd will present guests with a selection of small plated, savory and sweet, that capitalize on the freshest tastes from Volante Farms Fields. Wander the gardens with seasonal treats in hand that might include some of Volante’s exclusive Cornetta peppers, house smoked bacon, heirloom tomatoes, and dozen of other unique flavors. Chef will also add a spark of local harvest to some refreshing beverages from water to wines to bubbly-all embellished by garden flavors. Join us for an evening to see the vegetable garden in its harvest glory and support and celebrate another season of horticultural and culinary cooperation for the benefit of our communities in need. Volante Farms has been a generous supporter of local food pantries and shelters for many years.

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

    http://2palaver.com/blog//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/WilsonFarm-1024x682.jpg

  • Thursday, September 12, 5:30 pm – Tower Hill Anniversary Event

    Save the date.  On Thursday, September 12, beginning at 5:30 pm – Tower Hill Botanic Garden invites you to an Anniversary Event featuring Director of Horticulture Joann Vieira.  Join them for a fun-filled evening of blues, good food, and great friends as they celebrate 25 years of growth and horticultural excellence.  For a mailed invitation, or for more details, call 508-869-6111, ext. 114.  Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Massachusetts, and you may find directions at www.towerhillbg.org.

    http://www.pepperscatering.com/Portals/86356/images/orangerie.jpg

  • Fruitlands Museum – Bricks, Benches and Blacktop

    In 2014, Fruitlands Museum would like to improve physical accessibility on site by focusing on the “3 Bs” – Bricks, Benches, and Blacktop. The goal is to make it easier for all guests to navigate and enjoy the campus.

    This initiative will allow the Museum to:

    Reinstall the brick walkway that leads into the Museum store and cafe.
    Offer more places to rest on campus by purchasing new benches.
    Repave the blacktop from the entryway down to the Farmhouse.

    Yes, these are big projects – which is why they are asking for your help today. The 3 “Bs” are part of a larger facilities improvement plan which they hope to have complete by the end of 2015.

    The first project is the brick walkway. They are halfway to their fundraising goal of $10,000 and hope to complete this challenge by the end of October.

    Can you help? Donate now to invest in the future of your museum community!

    Visit http://www.fruitlands.org/BBB to help Fruitlands pave the way to a smooth future.

    http://www.uphamscornernews.com/image-files/sidewalk-brick-repair-uphams-corner-081412-05.jpg

  • Thursday, August 15, 7:30 pm – Birthright: People and Nature in the Modern World

    Join Stephen R. Kellert, of Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies to learn more about biophilia, the theory that humans have an inherent need to affiliate with nature, at the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard Thursday, August 15, beginning at 7:30 pm. In this talk he discusses nature’s powerful influence on the quality of our lives and how we must learn to only sustain those things which contribute to our own well-being. Sponsored by SBS. Book signing to follow. $10/$5 for PHA members.

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  • Thursday, August 22, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Seed-Saving in Your New England Garden

    Join expert seed saver Randel Agrella from Baker Creek Seeds and New England’s premier heirloom seed company, Comstock-Ferre Seed Company for a talk and walk at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Thursday, August 22, from 10:30 – 12:30, with emphasis on saving seed for future gardens. This program will focus on correct planting, harvesting, extracting, and storing of seeds. Although the instructor will focus on heirloom fruits and vegetables, many of the techniques covered are applicable for ornamental heirloom flowers as well. Participants will take away the knowledge to save heirloom seeds as well as favorite seeds of the staff at the botanical garden. BBG members $25, nonmembers $30. Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    Randel Agrella is general manager of Comstock-Ferre in Wethersfield, CT and manager of rare seed grow-outs for Baker Creek Seeds in Mansfield, Missouri. He has been a heirloom grower and seed saver since 1982 and has written articles for Heirloom Gardener magazine, Natural Awakenings of SW Virginia, and Small Farm Today magazine. He runs his own website business Abundant Acres, www.abundantacres.net , which sells tomato, eggplant, pepper and herb plants throughout most of the US. Image from www.extension.oregonstate.edu.

    http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/imagecache/gardenstories_lightbox/gardenstories_images/seeds.jpg

  • Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s 15th Anniversary Run-Walk Challenge

    In celebration of our 15th anniversary, we have partnered with Great Runs in Boston author Mark Lowenstein to create the Emerald Necklace Challenge – a challenge to run or walk the entire Emerald Necklace, with connections to surrounding communities, using 15 custom-designed routes. The goal is to get folks out, active, and exploring the Emerald Necklace and its connections to nearby communities!

    How does it work:

    Register for the challenge on the form found at www.emeraldnecklace.org. Registration fee: $20.
    Once registered, you will be emailed your Run Passport
    Check off the routes on the Passport as you complete them (honor system!)
    Bring or Mail your completed card to the Shattuck Emerald Necklace Visitor Center 125 The Fenway | Boston, MA 021155. Challenge must be completed by September 29, 2013.

    Challenge Rules:

    The routes must be done by running or walking. No biking!
    The routes can be done in any order and started from any spot. All that matters is that you complete the miles! You can put together multiple segments for longer routes.
    This is honor system based!
    Challenge must be completed by September 29, 2013

    Complete the challenge and you’ll receive:

    A certificate of completion
    A special Emerald Necklace Challenge tote bag
    Your choice of one running book by local author Mark Lowenstein: Great Runs in Boston,Great Runs in Brookline & Vicinity,or Great Runs in Boston’s Burbs.

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  • Thursday, August 22 – Friday, August 23, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Painting with Watercolor Master Class with Carol Woodin

    Gain confidence and comfort in this Berkshire Botanical Garden class devoted to techniques of botanical painting in watercolor. Using anemones as subjects, students will learn to capture the vitality and drama of these flowers. After creating a base watercolor layer for guidance, artists will add a series of dry-brush layers, gradually increasing color intensity and form. Through demonstration and individualized attention, the instructor will guide students through mixing believable greens and maintaining color clarity.By the end of the class, each student will have a painting either finished or nearly so. Click here for Materials List.

    Carol Woodin has been painting botanicals in watercolor for over 20 years. Her focus is orchids, rare plants and heirlooms. Her work is included in collections around the world, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Shirley Sherwood Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Director of Exhibitions for the American Society of Botanical Artists, she has organized exhibitions of botanical art throughout the US.

    This is a two-day course, August 22 and 23, 10 – 4. BBG members $260, nonmembers $290. Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

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  • Tree Removals on the Esplanade

    If you have walked through the Esplanade lately you may have noticed that trees have been removed, or have been marked for removal, on either side of the Charles Circle Pedestrian Bridge. These tree removals are part of the rehabilitation of the historic and iconic Longfellow Bridge and construction of a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant pedestrian bridge across Storrow Drive to the Esplanade.

    The Esplanade Association participated in the Longfellow Bridge Task Force and lobbied for this new ADA compliant pedestrian bridge. On either side, the new Pedestrian Bridge will include new tree plantings and newly landscaped areas. If you have any questions regarding this construction work please call MassDOT at 617-519-9892, or email address, longfellowbridge@state.ma.us or contact The Esplanade Association at 617-227-0365, or email address, info@esplanadeassociation.org.  Image of proposed footbridge courtesy of Beacon Hill Times.

    http://beaconhilltimes.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BHT13.jpg