The Vendome Condominium hangs two large fresh wreaths flanking its front door. The wreaths are mounted high, and are beneath an underhang, so nothing too subtle will be visible. Our decorator took large scale glittery fruits – apples, pears, and pomegranates – and accented them with gilded elements and a bright green sequined bow. If you are walking by 160 Commonwealth Avenue, please do take a moment to admire them.
Our old friend Judith Sumner, PhD, Botanist and Author, will speak at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday, January 26 from 2 – 4 on Exploring Victory Gardens: How a Nation of Vegetable Growers Helped to Win the War. During World War II, home front victory gardens flourished nationwide—in former lawns, flower gardens, school yards, public parks, ball fields, and abandoned lots. As part of the war effort, posters encouraged patriotic Americans to “Grow vitamins at your kitchen door†and “Eat what you can, and can what you cannot eat.†In fact, Americans needed to supplement their diets during a time of food rationing and shortages. Nearly 20 million gardeners answered the call, including many who had never wielded a hoe. Explore the role of 1940s vegetable gardens, ration-book cookery, and food preservation in wartime victory.
Fee $15 Arboretum member, $20 nonmember. Register online at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/SelectDate.aspx.
