Boston Flora

Month: October 2015

  • Thursday, November 12, 7:00 pm – Walter Hood

    Walter Hood is an artist, designer, and educator based in Oakland, California. His studio, Hood Design, has worked on landscape, architectural, urban design, and art installation projects since 1992, including the award-winning gardens at the new De Young Museum in San Francisco. Splash Pad Park in Oakland and his work with residents of the Hill District in Pittsburgh are considered transformative landscapes. His design for the University of Buffalo’s Solar Strand incorporates 5,000 solar panels into a large public space. Hood received the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Landscape in 2009. He will speak at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on Thursday, November 12 beginning at 7 pm in Calderwood Hall. Lectures include Museum admission and require a ticket. Tickets can be reserved online at www.gardnermuseum.org, in person at the door, or by phone: 617-278-5156. Adults $15, seniors $12, students $5, free for Museum members.

  • Saturday, October 24 – National Food Day

    On October 24th, Somerville will join other communities and institutions across the country to celebrate the 5th annual Food Day. This event was created with the intention of having “individuals and organizations come together to learn, debate and mobilize to improve our food system and the American diet”. This year’s theme is Towards a Greener Diet, encouraging more environmentally friendly approaches to eating.

    Food Day activities are designed to look at ways to “green up” our food choices throughout the food supply chain or from farm to landfill. We will be talking about everything from where and how our food is grown, to eating a more plant based diet, to reconsidering ways we can prevent edible food from being thrown out and wasted. In Somerville, you can look forward to neighborhood scavenger hunts, a harvest day at Groundwork Somerville’s farm, a community meal, and a local harvest day at the schools. For a complete schedule of activities visit http://somervillefoodday.blogspot.com/

  • Thursday, November 5, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Season’s End Summit: Digging Into the Layered Landscape

    Thursday, November 5, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm – Season’s End Summit: Digging Into the Layered Landscape

    Landscapes are a delightful blending of form and function. An ecological landscape is that and more. Join us for the 6th annual ELA Season’s End Summit to explore the many layers of the landscape with our distinguished lineup of presenters. On November 5th,from 8 – 4:30 at the Community Harvest Project Barn, 37 Wheeler Road in North Grafton, we will reconnect with colleagues, reflect on the past growing season, and get inspired for the next.

    Reviving the Naturalistic Garden presented by: Mark Richardson
    Exploring the Rich Layers in the Meadow presented by: Rebecca Lindenmeyr
    Optimizing Ecological Value in the Layered Landscape presented by: Lauren Chase Rowell
    Creating Beauty in Every Layer presented by: Julie Moir Messervy (pictured below)

    $85 – $110 per person registration – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/seasons-end-summit-digging-into-the-layered-landscape/#sthash.6nCgK2X8.dpuf

    Julie-Moir-Meservy-Ken-Burris-until-Dec-2016

  • Monday, April 4 – Monday, April 11 – The Gardens of Charleston/Savannah

    Visit lovely Charleston with the Pacific Horticulture Society April 4 – 11, 2016, and step back in time to a world of colonial mansions, antebellum homes, and peaceful public squares shaded by ancient live oaks.

    You’ll also explore Savannah, which has our country’s largest historic district. The city is built around gorgeous squares of live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and azaleas, ringed by Southern mansions. Your Savannah walking tour features the homes and gardens found in the popular book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

    Your visit is timed for peak bloom of magnolia, daffodil, iris, camellia, early azalea and rose, flowering fruit tree, and so much more.

    You will have exclusive access to private gardens not open to the public in both Charleston and Savannah and enjoy a private lunch in lovely Beaufort, hosted by the white-gloved ladies of the Beaufort Historical Society. For complete information visit www.pacifichorticulture.org.

  • Thursday, November 5, 6:00 pm – The Gilded Plate: A Culinary History of America, 1870 – 1920

    Based on her recent book, The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites, Dr. Libby H. O’Connell, Chief Historian, The History Channel, will present a slide lecture about food in America, beginning just after the Civil War and ending with the close of World War I. From Gilded Age gourmet dishes like Baked Alaska and Oysters Rockefeller to every day basics like steelworkers’ goulash and Oreo cookies, Dr. O’Connell highlights the stories of food (and a few drinks) that enrich your understanding of the past. The lecture will take place at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport on Thursday, November 5 beginning at 6 pm. Admission: Preservation Society members $10, General Admission $15. Advance registration is required. Please register online at www.newportmansions.org or call (401) 847-1851.

  • Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 pm – Common Loons in Massachusetts

    The wail of a common loon is often associated with the pristine lakes and deep woods of the north. However, Common Loons (Gavia immer) are also residents of Massachusetts and can be seen on a variety of lakes and ponds around the state. This Ware River Nature Club presentation, which includes many beautiful images and a few video segments, will follow common loons through the four seasons to get a glimpse into their lives as they move from the ocean in winter to their breeding lakes during spring and summer. We will also learn about the natural history of loons and some threats facing their small population. The event takes place Tuesday, October 27 beginning at 7 pm at the Rutland Public Library, 280 Main Street (Route 122A) in Rutland. The speaker is Dan Clark, Director, Natural Resources Section of the DCR – Division of Water Supply Protection. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will remember our interesting tour of the Waterworks Museum last spring, and the lively discussion concerning water safety issues – Dan Clark is the man in charge.  Photo from www.nature.org.

  • Saturday, October 24, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Contemporary Mixed Border

    Join Irish plantsman Jimi Blake at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, October 24 at 10 am for a virtual tour into his world of plants. This lecture on the contemporary mixed border is a comprehensive look at annuals, herbaceous perennials, shrubs and trees in Hunting Brook, County Wicklow, Ireland, and on how to create these breathtaking planting designs. BBG members $30, nonmembers $35. Register by telephoning 413-298-3926, or visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Thursday, November 12, 10:00 am – From Landscape Gardening to Landscape Urbanism

    The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America will hold its annual fall membership meeting, lecture and luncheon on Thursday, November 12 beginning at 10 am at The Country Club, 191 Clyde Street in Brookline.  Charles Waldheim will give a talk entitled From Landscape Gardening to Landscape Urbanism.

    Charles Waldheim is the John E. Irving Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. His lecture will focus on the evolution and current trends in ‘Landscape Urbanism’, a term coined by Waldheim to describe the recent emergence of landscape as a medium of urban order for the contemporary city. Professor Waldheim is a Canadian-American architect, urban theorist, and educator. His research examines the relations between landscape, ecology, and contemporary urbanism. At the same time that urban sprawl has distanced the population from the landscape, environmental literacy among designers and scholars has grown, giving rise to an architectural discourse known as ‘landscape urbanism’. In his lecture Waldheim, who is at the forefront of this movement, explores the origins, the current context and the aspirations of this relatively new field that is inspiring the future of city making. Waldheim is author, editor, or co-editor of numerous books on the subject, and his writing has been published and translated internationally. He has taught at Rice University, University of Toronto, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan. Charles is also the Ruettgers Consulting Curator of Landscape at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

    The event is open to members of Garden Clubs affiliated with The Boston Committee and their guests.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive separate invitations and a car pool notice in the mail.  For more information email info@bostoncommittee.org.

  • Sunday, October 25, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pmm – Bark: A Multi-Sensory Experience of Trees

    Explore the wonderful variety of bark textures, shapes, thicknesses and colors, visible in any season. Through presentations and a series of participatory exercises you’ll learn how to identify tree species by their bark, and uncover why such a variety of bark characteristics exist. As we practice seeing, touching, smelling and tracing the contours of bark, you will hone your perceptive skills and deepen your intimacy with trees and the forests they grow in. We will begin indoors, and then head out to explore the trees of Tower Hill. Open to naturalists at all levels of experience. Michael Wojtech will be available to sign copies of his book, Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast.

    Michael is a freelance writer, educator, photographer, and illustrator. He continues to focus his work on the identification, physiology, and ecology of trees. He is especially interested in the process of studying natural history-the keen observation, the discovery of nuance in infinite layers, the evocation of multiple senses-and the creative expressions that flow from these experiences. He spoke to The Garden Club of the Back Bay two years ago and for those who missed his presentation and walk on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, we highly recommend attending this Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture, walk, and book signing. $30 for Tower Hill members, $45 for non-members. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society’s 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we highlighted one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    This is our final promotion for AHS’s auction, and this time it’s a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens hosted by Bob Brackman, Executive Director. Your visit for up to four includes a private tour of the Garden’s 38 acres, including its latest expansion project, lunch with Executive Director Bob Brackman at the Carriage House Bistro on site, and admission to the Garden for up to four

    Located in San Antonio’s urban core, the San Antonio Botanical Garden celebrates South Texas – its plantings, its heritage, and its future. Native and adapted plantings give year-round color to the water-saving ethos the Garden exemplifies, from the Texas Native Trail native area to the Desert in Bloom, where cacti and succulents thrive. Designed by Emilio Ambasz, the futuristic Lucile Halsell Conservatory features five glasshouses and will be the focus of the Garden’s new entry plaza. Now underway, expansion plans for the Garden fold an additional eight acres into the Garden’s footprint, with a Family Adventure Garden, and Culinary Garden complete with outdoor kitchen, adding exciting promise to the Garden’s future.

    Executive Director of the Botanical Garden, Bob Brackman oversees the public/private partnership between the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden Society. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Prior to coming to San Antonio 10 years ago, Bob was VP and Director of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, 1993-2006. His botanical garden career began in 1981 at the brand-new Dallas Arboretum. Bob has been awarded the Professional Citation of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association.

    Best times to visit: Spring and fall are the best times to visit the Garden, which is located just north of downtown San Antonio. While in the city, visitors will want to explore the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk and the historic Spanish missions (five in total, including the Alamo), now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016.