Daily Archives: May 19, 2014

Sunday, May 25, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Commonwealth Avenue: Boston’s Grand Boulevard

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Boston’s grand boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, provides one of the city’s most enduring popular strolls.  The tour parallels the 19th-century filling and development of the Back Bay from its origin at Arlington Street.  The Avenue and its Promenade were planned to complement the transformation of the newly filled Back Bay into an elegant, upscale neighborhood.  Meet your guide on Sunday, May 25 at the George Washington Statue in the Public Garden, at the corner of Arlington and Commonwealth.  $15 per person ($5 for Boston by Foot members.)  For more information call 617-367-2345.

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Saturday, May 24, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – New England Daylily Society Spring Plant Sale & Auction

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New England Daylily Society (NEDS) is holding its SPRING PLANT SALE AND AUCTION on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the First Congregational Church, 1 Church Street, Wakefield, MA. from 10AM TO 12 noon; auction begins at 12:30 and continues until all daylilies are sold. Daylilies are the “PERFECT” perennial since they are low maintenance, tough, hardy, and drought-tolerant. They require some sun. Their diversity is in the color palette, the height, and the flower form and pattern. Every garden needs some daylilies. By planting both early blooming and late blooming daylilies, you can extend the bloom season from late spring to October. Three to four varieties of daylilies together can create a stunning garden. Smaller daylily cultivars can be suitable for container gardens. Most daylilies will be priced at $5 – $10; some slightly higher sell by vendors. More expensive daylilies will be in the auction. Visit the NEDS website at www.nedaylily.org for additional information.

NEDS is nonprofit organization and maintain gardens at the Elm Bank in Wellesley; Heritage Museum in Sandwich and Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston (meeting location). These daylilies cannot be bought at hardware stores and most garden stores; the plants come from club hybridizers. Photo courtesy of NE Daylily Society by Marlene Harmon.

Tuesday, May 27, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Circling the Squares: Open Space in the South End

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Situated among the Victorian row house architecture of the South End Landmark District lie some of Boston’s most interesting parks and open space.  From the neighborhood’s beginnings, a passion for the landscape within the South End was evident, as planners carefully considered proximity of open park space or the presence of a fenced-in “English” park found on some of the short residential blocks.  In true Boston fashion, few of these squares actually resemble their geometric form.  From the Charles Bulfinch-conceived Blackstone and Franklin Squares, to Union Park, Rutland, and Worcester Squares, and finally to some of the more recent, smaller open spaces nestled among brick row houses, this May 27th tour will explore the unity of landscape and architecture in this large historic district.  Tour will be led by Meghan Hanrahan Richard, Preservation Planner, South End Landmark District.  Meeting place will be confirmed at time of reservation.  Free and open to the public, pre-registration required.  Contact meghan.hanrahan@boston.gov before May 23. Past Garden Club of the Back Bay member Phebe Goodman’s excellent book on the squares of Boston is pictured below.

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