Daily Archives: July 8, 2014

Tuesdays, July 15 – July 29, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Great American Gardens Series at the MFA

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Tuesday mornings July 15-29 (see below for information on individual weeks,) take a break from the summer heat to hear the fascinating stories behind these monumental and luscious gardens, from their inceptions to recent renovations. Experience one of America’s first botanical gardens, Boston’s green oasis, the Public Garden; the magnificent mansion gardens of Newport, Rhode Island; and the gardens of Thomas Jefferson’s iconic Monticello. All sessions will be held in the Remis Auditorium of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from 10:30 – noon.

Three-session course tickets ($60, $75) are not available online. To order tickets by phone, call 1-800-440-6975; to order in person, visit any MFA ticket desk. The first price is for members, seniors, and students; the second is full price.

On July 15, Keith Morgan, director of Architectural Studies and professor of American and European Architecture at Boston University will discuss The Boston Public Garden: The Atypical Landscape. How many of us know the true story behind this Boston icon? From its origins as a private botanical garden built on filled marshland to the public horticultural and educational gem of the mid-Victorian era, see how the Public Garden has become a site for celebration and forgotten controversy.

On July 22, Jeffrey Curtis, Director of Gardens and Grounds at Newport Mansions will present Gardens of the Newport Mansions. Hear the inside story of the miraculous gardens of Newport, Rhode Island’s mansions. The Preservation Society of Newport County has worked tirelessly since the 1940s to preserve Newport’s sumptuous mansions and grounds. Take a visual walk through gardens including Miss Wetmore’s Secret Garden at Chateau-sur-Mer, Rosecliff, and the Sunken Gardens at The Elms.

Lastly, on July 29, the Museum welcomes Jane Amidon, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Research, and Professor and Director of the Urban Landscape Program at Northeastern University, who will speak on Jefferson’s Monticello: A Garden of Science and Art. Our third US president was also the founding father of quintessential American landscape practices. Examine the enduring legacy and fruitful lessons of his civic horticulture through the gardens of his estate in Virginia at Monticello, home to two centuries of innovation in botanical, agrarian, and aesthetic techniques.

Friday, August 1, 7:30 am – 5:00 pm – P. Allen Smith Day at Pleasant View Gardens

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Spend Friday, August 1 in New England’s Premier Proven Winners Garden, Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon, New Hampshire, and meet P. Allen Smith. Mahoney’s Garden Center is offering round-trip buses from Mahoney’s in Winchester. Feedback has been so positive the past two years that we’re offering the tour again. Join us as Mahoney’s chartered bus takes you to the area’s premier grower of Proven Winner annuals, perennials and shrubs. Meet and hear from award-winning garden and lifestyle expert, author and TV personality, P. Allen Smith. Day Includes:

Watch Allen transform ordinary landscapes into extraordinary landscapes in before-and-after presentations. Take a guided tour of New England’s premier Proven Winners® trial garden showcasing over 500 Proven Winners varieties. Participate in educational sessions in and around the garden and learn how to maintain containers at home, water and fertilize, prune hydrangeas, properly maintain shrubs and start an edible herb garden.
Join in the P. Allen Smith Container Design Throwdown contest. Take a chance to design your own container from plants in Allen’s Platinum Collection and other Proven Winners varieties. Photo opportunities and autographs with P. Allen Smith. Transportation to and from Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon, NH. Morning refreshments and box lunch (vegetarian and gluten-free available.)

Space is limited. Reserve your seat by July 11th. Cost is $40 per person, to cover the bus, morning refreshments and lunch. To make a reservation, visit any Mahoney’s location or call 781-729-5900. Credit card payment is accepted over the phone.
Details:

Winchester: Bus leaves at 7:30 am from Mahoney’s in Winchester, arrives at Pleasant View at 9:00 am, and returns to Winchester by 5:00 pm.

Thursday, August 7, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – The Beautiful Garden of Bunny Williams

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Join head gardener Eric Ruquist on Thursday, August 7, for a tour of the beautiful country garden of renowned interior designer and author Bunny Williams. Located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, the tour is timed to take advantage of the height of this magnificent garden’s flora display. In addition to an insider look at maintaining one of Connecticut’s most beautiful gardens, Mr. Ruquist will focus on the cutting garden and demonstrate how he brings the garden indoors with beautiful floral arrangements. Participants are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the property following the program.

Eric Ruquist is an artist, gardener and for 13 years the head gardener for Bunny Williams. He was curator of flower garden collection at Stonecrop Gardens, located in Cold Springs, NY, and greenhouse manager for a private estate in Westchester County. Eric thinks of himself as a plantsman and also gardens his own riverside property in Falls Village.

Bring a bag lunch and dress for the weather. Participants can choose to carpool or drive separately. Those joining the carpool should meet in the parking lot at Berkshire Botanical Garden for a 9:15 am departure. Carpool will return at approximately 1:30 pm. (Program time in Falls Village, CT, is 10am – noon.) BBG members $50, nonmembers $60. To register, visit http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ai1ec_event/the-beautiful-garden-of-bunny-williams/?instance_id=2618.

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