Boston Flora

Month: July 2014

  • Thursday, August 14, 4:30 pm – Dancing Flowers: The Gardens of Jacob’s Pillow

    Not only is Jacob’s Pillow one of the Berkshire’s most celebrated cultural institutions and famous dance festivals in the world, it is also home to an incredible display of annual and perennial gardens. On Thursday, August 14 at 4:30 pm, join garden designer Valerie Locher for a Berkshire Botanical Garden sponsored behind-the-scenes tour of these much admired gardens. Concentrating on annuals, Valerie will discuss her design concepts and will share tips and techniques for keeping gardens beautiful throughout the summer. Following the tour, participants are welcome to attend a free performance at the Pillow’s Inside/Out theater.

    Valerie Locher owns a local landscape design and gardening business and has been cultivating the grounds of Jacob’s Pillow since the early ’80s, when she first donated four hanging baskets to the Ted Shawn Theater. Since then she has worked to renovate the Tea Garden, the Meeker Garden and the Inside/Out theater, helping the gardens to become a beloved part of the spirit of Jacob’s Pillow. It is her way to contribute to the dance community and help set the stage for all of the great performances that occur there each summer. BBG members $20, nonmembers $25.  Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926, x 15.  Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket, Massachusetts.

  • Saturday, August 9, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Capture the Summer Harvest

    Learn to create delightful winter pleasures from summer’s abundant gardens: how to air dry, silica dry and dehydrate flowers for fall and winter decorating; the step-by-step tricks of preserving the green leaves of summer with glycerin; and the many ways to keep and package herbs for the winter kitchen and gift-giving season. It’s fun, easy and satisfying to capture the beauty, flavors and fragrance of summer for winter use! For our Garden Club of the Back Bay wreath project, these blossoms will be invaluable.  The class will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, August 9, from 9:30 – 12:30, and will be taught by Betsy Williams.  THBG members $60, nonmembers $75.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Friday, August 15, 11:00 am – Birds of Prey: Tom Ricardi, Wildlife Rehabilitator

    Join wildlife rehabilitator Tom Ricardi at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in West Stockbridge on Friday, August 15 at 11 am for his ever popular presentation on birds of prey. This program is designed for all ages. Tom will share the natural history of these magnificent birds, demonstrate some of their unique behaviors and inspire children of all ages to appreciate, respect and conserve these important members of our wild kingdom.

    Tom Ricardi is a licensed rehabilitator and wildlife biologist. He runs Massachusetts Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Center in Conway, MA, and is now retired after 40 years of service as a Massachusetts Environmental Conservation police officer. Free for members and children under 12, free for nonmembers with admission to the Gardens.  For directions, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/press/images/pr/jun/birds-prey-TomRicardi.jpg

  • Saturday and Sunday, August 9 & 10, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – The Art Drive

    Now in its seventh year, this open studio event, The Art Drive, organized by Dartmouth and Westport artists of diverse and unique talents emphasizes educating visitors in home studio environments in some very unusual and dramatic settings, spotted among the area’s villages, lovely farm land and sea coast. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the works of a guest artists at several of the studios. The event will take place Saturday and Sunday, August 9 & 10, from 10 – 5.

    Art Drive artists and invited other talented artists have created their own unique rendition of the winter flounder, all of which will be individually displayed for two weeks prior to the Art Drive at various sponsor and other locations, and offered for sale on eBay via our website Saturday, August 2 through Monday, August 11. The locations of individual fish will be indicated on our website along with bidding details.  The image below is by Wendy Goldsmith.

    Please check www.the-Art-Drive.com for more samples of participants’ work. Each year we ask each participating artist to individually donate 5 to 10% of proceeds from sales to the Lloyd Center for the Environment — a way to support an organization dedicated to education of our natural local environment and an inspiration to many of the artists who work and live in the area.

  • Sunday, August 17, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm – One Day University at Heritage Museum & Gardens

    One Day University returns to Heritage Museum & Gardens in East Sandwich on Sunday, August 17th (9:30am -1:00pm.) This unique event features three award-winning professors from three top-tier schools. Each one is renowned for their teaching ability, and each will give a fascinating 60-minute lecture – LIVE!

    Every school has a few professors who are wildly popular . . . the professors listed below have won dozens of teaching awards and earned the highest possible ratings from their students on campus. Now they’re coming to Heritage for a truly unique and exhilarating morning. There are no grades, no tests, and no homework – just the joy of lifelong learning.

    This year’s program:

    What Makes Mozart Great?

    Craig Wright/Yale University

    Why Public Opinion Polls Are So Often Wrong

    Jennifer Lawless/American University

    What Makes Shakespeare Great?

    Joseph Luzzi/Bard College

    To register for this Sunday, August 17th event, visit https://www.onedayu.com/events/detail/89 or call 1-800-300-3438.

    The fee is $159. Plus, your registration for One Day University includes admission to the museums and gardens, which you can enjoy after the program. This is a remarkable one-of-a-kind learning opportunity.

     

  • Sunday, August 3, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Architectural Boat Tour

    This 90-minute tour, hosted by Charles Riverboat Company, offers spectacular views of historic and contemporary architecture along Boston Harbor, the Charles River Locks, and the Charles River basin. The tour— narrated by a guide from Boston By Foot and co-sponsored by BSA Space, a center for architecture and design—includes landmarks such as Marriott’s Custom House, the Prudential Building, and the Hancock tower, as well as cutting-edge contemporary design by today’s top architects. These are simply the best waterfront views of Boston and Cambridge. Architecture Cruises depart from the CambridgeSide Galleria. 2014 Schedule: Now through – Sunday October 12 10:00am Friday, Saturday, Sunday 2:30pm Saturday, Sunday.  Ticket Rates $25 Adults $20 Seniors/Students/Children under 12 $20 BSA & BBF Members. Tickets are available online two weeks prior to scheduled cruise date. Due to popularity, they suggest reservations be made in advance. For more information: http://www.charlesriverboat.com/tours/architecture-cruises.

  • Emerald Necklace Tree Project

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is a contributor to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and we thought you might be interested in knowing a bit more about where our dollars are going.

    Contributions from many donors to establish the Olmsted Tree Society last year provided close to $1 million to begin the important work of assessing the condition of trees in the Emerald Necklace and planning to ensure their healthy future. Undertaken in collaboration with the Conservancy’s public partners, Boston Parks & Recreation, Brookline Parks and Open Space and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the initiative intends to preserve heritage trees in these historic parks, some of which are more than 100 years old. In addition, the project will protect healthy trees with selective pruning and soil enhancement; plant new trees where needed in the Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Olmsted Park, Franklin Park, around Jamaica Pond and along the parkways of the Necklace. Even more important, the effort will help educate the public about the critical relationship between trees and a healthy urban environment in order to sustain ongoing support for the project.

    In consultation with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s public partners, the Olmsted Tree Society advisors hired Kyle Zick Landscape Architects in June to lead the team of consultants who have completed the initial stages of the work. In little more than six months time, the Boston-based firm has identified and reviewed previous studies of conditions in the historic parkland; inventoried more than 7000 trees and 200 acres of woodland; developed accessible and comprehensive mapping using the latest Geographic Information System technology; and begun development of a comprehensive management plan including implementation strategies, timelines and cost estimates for the work that needs to be done.

    The recommendations will be shared with the conservancy’s public partners, Boston Parks & Recreation, Brookline Parks and Open Space and the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation and work will be coordinated through those agencies.

  • Tuesday, August 12, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Trouble with Earthworms

    The Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wildflower Society will sponsor The Trouble with Earthworms, a tour led by Mark Richardson, on Tuesday, August 12 from 6 – 8 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  $25 for ELA/NEWFS members, $35 for non-members.

    Leaf collection, hauling, and disposal are a large annual cost to property owners and a waste of resources ecologically.  Across the industry, many have adopted the practice of mulch-in-place, which eliminates the expense of hauling leaves off site and purchasing mulch.  Using leaf litter as mulch builds soil organic matter, and fosters a healthy soil food web.  It is a sound horticultural practice with many benefits.  However, it also may be encouraging localized populations of invasive earthworms, which in turn destroy soil structure, speed up nutrient cycles, and favor invasive plant growth.

    Part of the confusion surrounding earthworms might be explained best by Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies ecologist Peter Groffman, who states that “Earthworms are not necessarily making the soil healthy, but they are attracted to healthy soil.”  Earthworms can improve the physical condition of certain soil such as heavy clay soil or soil compacted by heavy equipment.  But if good soil management is being practiced, earthworms do not have a positive effect on aeration or the movement of water or air through the soil.

    Join tour guide Mark Richardson, who will discuss Garden in the Woods ecological management practices as well as research aimed at slowing down the booming population of earthworms in the Garden.  Register by calling 617-436-5838, or on line at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1011038.

     

  • Tuesday, August 12, 7:00 pm – Off the Leash: A Year at the Dog Park

    Porter Square Books at 25 White Street in Cambridge will host author Matthew Gilbert on Tuesday, August 12 beginning at 7 pm. Off the Leash is about the strange, wonderful, neurotic, and eccentric dog people who gather daily at Amory Park, overlooking Boston. And it’s about Matthew Gilbert’s transformation from dedicated homebody to joyful member of the dog park club: an oddball group of dog people with fur on their jackets and biscuits in their pockets. Gilbert, the TV critic at the Boston Globe, describes his reluctant journey into the park subculture, as the first-time dog owner of a yellow lab named Toby. Like so many Americans right now, he has been steeped in the virtual, digital world. At the park, though, amid the chaotic energy of dogs and people gathered in packs, he is unprotected by the screen and forced to let go. The dogs go off-leash, and so do the people.

    There is something eternal and deeply satisfying about both the group experience at the park and the simple pleasure of playing fetch with one’s canine companion in a large, green, open space. A charmingly written narrative that will appeal to anyone who has ever enjoyed watching a puppy scamper through a park, Off the Leash is a paean to dog lovers and their pets everywhere. (But especially the ones in the Boston area.)  Free, but sign up at www.portersquarebooks.com or by calling 617-491-2220.

  • Sunday, August 10, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Down to Earth: A How-To Tour of the Hamilton House Gardens

    Learn the inside scoop on the day-to-day work of maintaining the Hamilton House gardens from the gardeners themselves while you pick up valuable tips to implement in your own garden. Gardeners Mimi Demers and Kathy Gray share their knowledge and experiences, touching on a variety of how-to topics including buying plant material, feeding and fertilizing, favorite tools, dealing with bugs, and more. The program will take place Sunday, August 10, from 10:30 – 11:30 at Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick, Maine, and is sponsored by Historic New England. Free to HNE Garden and Landscape members, $8 to Historic New England members, and $15 to nonmembers.

    Registration is required. Please call 207-384-2454 for more information, or register online at http://shop.historicnewengland.org/p-6569-down-to-earth-a-how-to-tour-of-the-hamilton-house-gardens.aspx.