Daily Archives: October 12, 2013


Thursday, October 17, 7:00 pm – 114th Honorary Medals Dinner

Please join The Massachusetts Horticultural Society for an evening of cocktails and dinner and welcome  keynote speaker William Cullina, Executive Director of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens,  the 2013 George Robert White Medal of Honor Awardee.

The 114th Honorary Medals Dinner will take place Thursday, October 17, 2013 beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Hunnewell Building Carriage House,  900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts. The keynote address is Gardening On the Edge of the Continent.  Gardening in Coastal Maine has more than its share of challenges and opportunities. Close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean buffers the coast from the worst of winter cold and as importantly, summer’s heat. Still, winter is long and snow-cover unreliable. Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is trying out many, many perennial species and cultivars for suitability and adaptability. In this talk, William Cullina will detail some of the Gardens’ triumphs, failures, and “too soon to tells” in an informative, humorous, and visually rich presentation about gardening on the edge of the Continent.

Other award winners include Mary Ann Streeter, Allandale Farm, Art Scarpa, the Garden Club of America, the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, Katherine Tracey of Avant Gardens, and meteorologist David Epstein.  Tickets are $125, and may be ordered online at www.masshort.org.

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Mondays, October 21 – December 9, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Winter Garden Plants

Gardeners who strive for year-round interest do not ignore the months of dormancy, instead choosing plantings to seamlessly link the four landscape seasons. Discussions and projects in this Boston Architectural College course will heighten students’ awareness of the quiet beauty of the winter landscape. We will explore plants for the winter garden in depth, discussing evergreen and persistent foliage, winter buds, colorful winter twigs and bark, winter-flowering plants, grasses, and bamboo, as well as the use of weeping and contorted plants as sculptural elements and columnar plants as spatial accents. In addition, each class will explore architectural elements such as walls, fences, hedges, topiary, sculpture, and rocks, all of which enrich the experience of the winter garden. This course will meet Mondays, October 21 through December 9, from 6 – 8 at 100 Massachusetts Avenue, Room M512, and includes 4 Field Trips.  The instructor is Gary L. Koller, and the fee is $920.  Register on line at www.the-bac.edu.

Gary Koller is president of Koller and Associates, specializing in residential garden design. His award-winning gardens have been featured on tours conducted by the Perennial Plant Association, the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Garden Conservancy. Gary served for 22 years as Director of Horticulture for the Arnold Arboretum and is currently an instructor for the Landscape Institute of the Arnold Arboretum. He is an international lecturer and has published numerous articles. Gary has received many awards and medals for his skills in communicating about environmental horticulture. He serves on the Medals Committee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the awards committee of the New England Wild Flower Society and the Buildings and Grounds Committee of Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum.  Photo from www.valbourne.co.uk.

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Saturday, October 19, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bonsai at The Arnold Arboretum

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University presents Bonsai at The Arnold Arboretum with Rhoda Kubrick, Arboretum Docent, on Saturday, October 19, from 2 – 3 pm. The Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection turns one hundred this year. Discover the art of bonsai and the history of the Arnold Arboretum’s bonsai collection, which includes a core of seven, large compact hinoki cypresses (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chabo-hiba’)–each between 150 and 275 years old–as well as younger plants. Get a close-up look at these remarkable trees and gain a better understanding of bonsai maintenance. This activity is free. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209.  For directions visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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