Daily Archives: August 4, 2014

Tuesday, August 12, 5:30 pm – Public Garden Tour

August 4, 2014 by Boston Flora

Join the Friends of the Public Garden for a walking tour of Bostonâ€™s iconic Public Garden. Learn about the history of Americaâ€™s first botanical garden, and celebrate the plantings, sculpture, and memorials that make this a favorite destination for local residents and visitors from near and far. The garden has won numerous awards through the years. Most recently, it ranked 5th on TripAdvisors list of top parks across the nation and was awarded an â€œEditorsâ€™ Choice 2014 Home & Garden Awardâ€ by Yankee Magazine.
Friends of the Public Garden Members: Free. Non-members: $15.00 Call 617-723-8144 for more information and to make reservations.

The Friends of the Public Garden has been caring for the Garden along with the Boston Common and Commonwealth Avenue Mall for 44 years, in partnership with the cityâ€™s Parks and Recreation Department.

Monday, August 18, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – The Edible Landscape at Wellesley College

August 4, 2014 by Boston Flora

The Ecological Landscaping Association will sponsor The Edible Landscape at Wellesley College with tour guide Tricia Diggins on Monday, August 18, from 5 – 7 on campus in Wellesley.Â $20 for ELA and Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden members, $25 for nonmembers, free for Wellesley College students.

Join Tricia to explore three main components of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens edible landscape.Â As part of its collection policy, the WCBG is collecting and interpreting plants as food for humans and other organisms.Â The tour will start in the kitchen garden courtyard that includes an herb garden, a vegetable garden, and other small fruit and nut plants.Â The design for the vegetable garden changes each year and this year will be modeled after a Russian dacha garden.

You will then move on to the Edible Ecosystem Teaching Garden and check on the progress of the garden started in 2010 and a new outdoor classroom.Â The garden was designed by forest and permaculture specialists Dave Jacke and Keith Zaltzberg.Â The garden features fruit and nut trees planted in association with herbaceous polycultures to maximize ecological functions using a wide diversity of pants.

Lastly, you will walk to the nut tree collection in the Alexandra Botanic Garden and see a variety of native nut trees (and a few non-native as well), along with a 9 year old grove of paw paws (see picture of cluster below.)Â Register on line at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010983.

Thursday and Friday, August 21 and 22, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Watercolor Painting with Carol Woodin

August 4, 2014 by Boston Flora

Gain confidence and comfort in this two day Berkshire Botanical Garden class devoted to techniques of botanical painting in watercolor. Using flowers as subjects, students will learn to capture the vitality and drama of these flowers. After creating a base watercolor layer for guidance, artists will add a series of dry-brush layers, gradually increasing color intensity and form. Through demonstration and individualized attention, the instructor will guide students through mixing believable greens and maintaining color clarity. By the end of the class, each student will have a painting either finished or nearly so. The class will be taught by Carol Woodin on August 21 and 22 from 10 – 4, and the cost is $260 for BBG members, $290 for nonmembers. Registration and a materials list may be found at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ai1ec_event/botanical-watercolor-painting-with-carol-woodin/?instance_id=2605.

Carol Woodin has been painting botanicals in watercolor for over 20 years. Her focus is orchids, rare plants and heirlooms. Her work is included in collections around the world, including those of the Smithsonian Institution, Shirley Sherwood Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK. Director of Exhibitions for the American Society of Botanical Artists, she has organized exhibitions of botanical art throughout the US.