Boston Flora

Month: March 2015

  • Saturday, April 11, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Invasive Plants in Massachusetts

    Randall Prostak, co-author of Pest Identification Guide for Weeds, Insects and Diseases of Woody Ornamentals, will speak on Invasive Plants in Massachusetts on Saturday, April 11, from 10 – 1 at French Hall, University of Massachusetts, 230 Stockbridge Road in Amherst. This presentation will explain the characteristics that make a plant invasive and where these plants are considered to be troublesome in New England. Suggestions for effective management of several of the most common invasive culprits will be provided. The talk is part of the Mass Aggie Seminar Series, and you may register and pay ($50) on line at https://classic.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=1670276.

  • Sunday, April 12, 11:00 am – 1:30 pm – Farmstead Cheese Tour

    Pull on your boots and head out to Appleton Farms in Ipswich to learn about cheese production from start to finish. Set off where cheese making begins with milk collection in our dairy barn. Then move on to our cheesemaking kitchen, and wind up in the farm kitchen for some hands-on country cooking. We’ll cover the basics of cheese making and make our own ricotta along with a couple of signature dishes that incorporate some of Appleton’s farmstead cheeses. This April 12 workshop, from 11 – 1:30, includes the farm tour, hands-on instructional workshop, printed recipes, and a light meal. Sponsored by The Trustees of Reservations as part of the Appleton Cooks! program, the fee is $50 for TTOR members, $65 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/northeast-ma/event-1056.html?srregion=&srrelated_property=&srevent_type=&dateType=srevent_start_date&srstartDate=04%2F01%2F2015&srendDate=04%2F30%2F2015&x=23&y=13 or call 978-356-5728, x 12.

  • Saturday, April 11, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Rejuvenating Shrubs – Lilacs, Weigela, Forsythia, and More

    Is that old lilac refusing to flower? Spring is a great time to assess your woody shrubs for shape and structure. This Berkshire Botanical Garden hands-on workshop on Saturday, April 11 from 9 – 12 will focus on when, why and how to renovate or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about tools, timing and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Following a lecture and several pruning demonstrations, participants will learn by doing. The program will take place at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, and is $35 for BBG members, $40 for nonmembers.

    Instructor Ron Yaple, A.A.S. Forestry, MCA/CLA, owner of Race Mountain Tree Services, has developed a regional reputation as one of the premier arborists. His company serves the tri-state region and is a full-service company. He is a dedicated and knowledgeable teacher of arboriculture. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/rejuvenating-shrubs-lilacs-weigela-forsythia-and-more-2/?instance_id=3280

  • Wednesday, March 25 – Wednesday, April 1 – COGdesign Online Auction

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to participate in this year’s COGdesign Online Auction, beginning March 25 at www.cogdesign.org.

  • Saturday, April 11, 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm – Girls Who Looked Under Rocks

    Meet author Jeannine Atkins On Saturday, April 11 and get a free behind-the-scenes peek at how she uncovers stories about real people for her nonfiction books. She’ll read from her book Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists at Williamsburg’s Meekins Library on Petticoat Hill, Williams Street in Williamsburg. Following the talk, there will be a guided exploratory hike up Petticoat Hill, where you will have the opportunity to uncover the natural world – perhaps it will be waiting for you under a rock.

    “I wrote Girls Who Looked Under Rocks to bring more attention to women who pushed past discouragement and used their curiosity and passionate intelligence to break into work studying and caring for fields, forests, and the creatures who make these their homes. I hope the naturalists who put animals — from bumble bees to chimpanzees — at the center of their lives will inspire girls to follow their lead as scientists, explorers, and conservationists.” – Jeannine Atkins

    The post-talk hike will be held at Petticoat Hill, across Route 9 from Meekins Library on Petticoat Hill Road. Trailhead is on the left. Parking is limited, and it is a short walking distance from downtown Williamsburg.

    For more info contact Nicole Rhodes at hltlandsteward@ttor.org or (413) 628-4485 x4.

  • Saturday, April 11, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Naming Flora: An Etymological Romp Through the Berkshire Botanical Garden

    Sure, Carl Linnaeus had a technical name for each of the flora, but where did we get all our common words for them, from aster to zinnia? This interactive and entertaining lecture on April 11, from 10:30 – 12:30 will enlighten you on the varied sources of our words for the flowers, trees and veggies that grow at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, giving you a fresh perspective as you enjoy nature’s bounty. We’ll explore the sources of names of the flora in our own little Garden of Eden – myths, metaphors, monikers, and more. BBG members $5, nonmembers $10. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/naming-flora-an-etymological-romp-through-the-berkshire-botanical-garden/?instance_id=3265

    Stewart Edelstein, a resident of Stockbridge, is the author of Dubious Doublets: A Delightful Compendium of Unlikely Word Pairs of Common Origin, from Aardvark/Porcelain to Zodiac/Whiskey (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

  • Sunday, April 12, 6:00 pm – Literary Lights

    The Associates of the Boston Public Library invite you to the 27th Annual Literary Lights Dinner on Sunday, April 12 beginning at 6 pm at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  This year the honorees are Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Author of Infidel, presented by Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, Katherine Boo, author of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, presented by Jill Ker Conway, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex, presented by Alan Lightman, Wendell and Florence Minor, husband and wife collaborators on children’s books (pictured below,) presented by Mary Higgins Clark, Amor Towles, author of Rules of Civility, presented by Claire Messud, and Niall Ferguson, Keynote Speaker and author of The War of the World, presented by David Gergen.  Tickets ($475 and up) are available on line at www.literarylights.org. Proceeds will support the David McCullough Conservation Fund, William O. Taylor Art Preservation Fund, Associates Endowment Fund, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s operations.

  • Thursday, April 9, 6:00 pm – Evolution in a Vortex: Fish Diversity in the Lower Congo River

    Join the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Thursday, April 9 at 6 pm for another in its Evolution Matters Lecture Series.  Melanie L. J. Stiassny, Axelrod Research Curator of Fishes at the American Museum of Natural History, will speak on Evolution in a Vortex: Fish Diversity in the Lower Congo River.  The talk will take place in the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge.

    Some of the most spectacular cataracts, falls, and gorges on Earth are found in the lower Congo River, in the heart of central Africa, near the twin Congolese capitals of Kinshasa and Brazzaville. This stretch of the river is also home to over 300 different species of fish, many with unique adaptations—including bizarre morphologies—that enable them to survive in an environment with intense rapids. Based on her many years collecting, documenting, and studying the fish in the lower Congo River, Melanie Stiassny will discuss the river’s unique hydrological and geographical characteristics and their role in driving the evolution and diversification of its exceptional fish fauna.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.  Free and open to the public.  Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

  • Saturday, April 18 – Sunday, April 19, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Hortlandia 2015

    In April of every year, The Hardy Plant Society of Oregon sponsors an event that is probably the largest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Vendors from far and wide – from nearly the Canadian border to the California border – come to Portland to offer the latest plant introductions as well as the time-tested (and hardiness-tested!) plants. Complementing the plant vendors are specialty garden art vendors bringing one-of-a-kind pieces made from metal, wood, glass, ceramic, fabric, and stone. Each work of art is handcrafted by the vendor. This is a wonderful event, and it’s particularly nice to have so many nurseries and artists, with so many plant choices and specialty works, all under one roof. If you’ve thought of visiting Portland, Oregon, this may be the weekend to do so.

    Hortlandia is held at the Portland EXPO Center, Saturday and Sunday, April 18 – 19 from 10 – 3. This event is open to both HPSO members and non-members, and admission is free. There is plenty of parking.

    A few things to keep in mind: No pets, wagons, strollers or carts are permitted inside the building. HPSO will make reasonable accommodation or will provide assistance for people with disabilities. Please contact the HPSO office in advance so arrangements can be made, and let a Greeter at the entrance know if you require assistance.
    – See more at: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/events/hortlandia-2015/#sthash.3yPCUByC.dpuf.

  • Thursday, May 21 – Sunday, May 24 – Second Wave of Modernism III: Leading with Landscape

    Join The Cultural Landscape Foundation for a What’s Out There weekend conference in Toronto May 21 – May 24 at the Isabel Bader Theatre, University of Toronto, 93 Charles Street West in Toronto. Leading with Landscape will tackle numerous issues including those that deal with the city’s identity – what does it mean for a 21st-century city to be historic and modern at the same time? – and stewardship – what new models for public/private financing and management are emerging?

    The international implications of this planning and development strategy will be to address whether a 21st-century city can be both regional and global, and whether we can we use landscape as an engine to meet market demands while cultivating a sustainable urbanism.

    Participating speakers, including internationally significant private-sector practitioners working on current and proposed projects in Toronto, municipal leaders, leading critics and thinkers, and academics from Canada, the US and the Netherlands, will also examine how existing parks and open spaces are adapted to accommodate contemporary and future needs and expectations, and how innovative landscape planning and design techniques developed in Toronto apply to other cities, and vice versa – and the impact of imported ideas on local conditions.

    The opening reception takes place Thursday May 21 at the Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park. This event will launch the conference, What’s Out There Weekend Toronto, and the What’s Out There Toronto Guide. The evening will also honor the tremendous efforts by students and faculty at Ryerson University, who have done extensive research and produced entries for the What’s Out There database, the inaugural site outside of the US. Finally, the evening will culminate in the presentation of TCLF’s Stewardship Excellence Award to an individual, group and/or organization that embodies and promotes sound stewardship of the city’s landscape legacy.

    Toronto – recently ranked by the Economist magazine as “the best place to live” and North America’s fourth largest city – is the center of world-class landscape architecture projects, the world’s largest ravine system and a substantial legacy of extant parks. These will all be the focus of a daylong conference, and other events including What’s Out There Weekend Toronto, featuring two days of free, expert-led tours, and the launch of a free, online What’s Out There Toronto City Guide.

    Much of the new activity, which is leading an unprecedented period of the city’s growth, is occurring along the Don River where parks by internationally significant practitioners that incorporate ecology, culture and design excellence have been built to the highest standards. Stewardship of these parks, designed and currently maintained by private enterprise, will eventually fall to the city.

    Second Wave of Modernism III: Leading with Landscape will tackle numerous issues including those that deal with the city’s identity – what does it mean for a 21st century city to be historic and modern at the same time? – and stewardship – what new models for public/private financing and management are emerging?

    The international implications of this planning and development strategy will address whether a 21st century city can be both regional and global, and whether we can use landscape as an engine to meet market demands while cultivating a sustainable urbanism.

    Participating speakers, including internationally significant private sector practitioners working on current and proposed projects in Toronto, municipal leaders, leading critics and thinkers, and academics from Canada, the US and the Netherlands, will also examine how existing parks and open spaces are adapted to accommodate contemporary and future needs and expectations, and how innovative landscape planning and design techniques developed in Toronto apply to other cities, and vice versa – and the impact of imported ideas on local conditions.

    On Friday, May 22 from 6:30 – 11, a Toronto the Good Reception at The Fermented Cellar, Historic Distiller District, 28 Distillery Lane, will be a highlight. In its eleventh year, Toronto the Good, an annual party hosted by ERA Architects, will take place at The Fermenting Cellar in the historic Distillery District. The restored red brick, Victorian-era complex that once housed the Gooderham & Worts whiskey distillery is now an exciting destination with more than 70 cultural and retail operations. Join us for free hors d’oeuvre, cash bar, and a lively crowd of people passionate about design and democracy in Toronto. Admission is free but registration is required.

    Saturday, May 23, from 6 – 9, join us for a late afternoon tour and twilight reception – featuring creative, local cuisine paired with Ontario’s top wines and craft beers – in the BMO Atrium at Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue. The former Don Valley Pressed Brick Works Company (see below,) which produced bricks that built many of Toronto’s landmark buildings, is now a global showcase for green design and urban sustainability – and it was named one of the world’s Top Ten geotourism sites by National Geographic.

    Speakers include Jane Amidon of Northeastern University, Paul J. Bedford, Charles A. Birnbaum, Geoff Cape, Claude Cormier, Adriaan Geuze, Jennifer Keesmaat, Bruce Kuwabara, Nina-Marie Lister, Janet Rosenberg, Marc Ryan, Elizabeth Silver, Brendan Steward, Mayor John Tory, and Thomas L. Woltz.  An early bird rate is available until April 1. Register at www.tclf.org.