Tower Hill Botanic Garden will conduct a tour led by floral designer Betsy Williams on Thursday, May 12, from 9:30 – 11:30 am. The tour will begin in Boston. See New England’s wholesale flower market, normally open only to floral professionals. Tower Hill members $45, nonmembers $60. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508- 869-6111 ext 124. Image from www.scoopnest.com.
View the creative original artworks commissioned for the Hudson Valley Seed Library’s newest seed packs. Each of the sixteen artists in the Tower Hill Botanic Garden show tells the story of a different seed, interpreting the history, flavor, and beauty of a flower, vegetable, or herb variety.
Join Ken Greene, Founder and Creative Director at the Hudson Valley Seed Library for the opening May 3 (6 – 8) and enjoy a guided gallery tour where we’ll explore the meanings of the artworks and the stories behind the seeds. Seed packs and prints featuring the artworks will be for sale in the gift shop. Free with admission to the Garden.
Carl Harmon, of New Hampshire’s Harmon Hill Farm (pictured below), will lead a presentation on the diverse world of daylily culture on Saturday, May 7 at 10 am at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.
Following a brief, indoor introduction, join him in the Daylily Display Garden to get your hands dirty as you learn how to divide these and other perennials. You’ll also get a chance to pot a plant to take home! Cost is $5 for Mass Hort members, $8 for nonmembers. Call 617-933-4973 to register.
On Saturday, May 7 beginning at 2 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, author and garden historian Marta McDowell will show us how the White House grounds reflect America’s enthusiasms, from George Washington’s obsession with collecting trees to Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden. The talk and book signing is free with admission, but pre-registration is required. Register at www.towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111, ext 124.
Join The Massachusetts Horticultural Society on Thursday, May 5 at 7 pm at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, as ethnobotanist Dr. Fred Wiseman shares his experiences tracking down the seeds of the agricultural and culinary history of the Wabanaki tribe from Northern New England. Dr. Wiseman has worked with indigenous communities for years to restore tribal food systems and increase food and seed sovereignty by reintroducing ancient crops, agricultural practices and cuisine. Learn about these ancient techniques and try them in your own food gardens at home. MHS members $12, nonmembers $20. Register at www.masshort.org. Map from www.pressherald.com.
Spring is finally here and with it, comes all of the left over sand and salt left behind from preemptive storm prep.
Alley Rally 2016 will sweep through the neighborhood on Saturday, April 30th, 2016, from 8:30 a.m. through noon. Coordinating with Mayor Walsh’s Citywide Cleanup, Boston Shines 365, come and join your neighbors, including groups from local fraternities and some of our Back Bay schools, in sweeping the alleys and side streets. Thanks to donations from our local businesses, The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay provides coffee, juice, bagels and doughnuts at the Clarendon Street Playground starting at 8:30 a.m. At 9:00 a.m., we will divide in groups and head off to clean with City-supplied tools. After we finish, there will be a picnic lunch and free raffle (also donated by Back Bay businesses) for the volunteers at the playground. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and spruce up the neighborhood at the same time. NABB has been conducting Alley Rally since 1967! All ages welcome & no RSVP necessary. For further information, please contact Jason at jason.b.post@gmail.com or call (617) 839-7185.
In this Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens workshop on Friday, May 6 from 1 – 3, herbalist Steph Zabel will join us in harvesting and sampling some of the first emerging plants of the season, including dandelions, chickweed, and violets. These often-overlooked plants are highly nutritive and beneficial for human health. We’ll focus on the medicinal and culinary uses of these herbs, how to prepare them, and practical ways to incorporate them into your daily life. There will also be a demonstration on how to make an herbal-infused vinegar. Please dress appropriately for the weather as we will be outside for part of the class. Friends $20, non-members $30. Register at www.wellesley.edu/wcbgfriends, or call 781-283-3094. Image from www.tastespotting.com.
Join Arnold Arboretum docent Rhoda Kubrick on Saturday, April 30 at 1 pm for this tour of the Arboretum’s large maple collection and adjacent Bradley Rosaceous Collection (rose garden). The tour combines a discussion of plant families and origins with the enjoyment of springtime — new leaves and flowers. If time permits, you will climb Beech Path to Explorers Garden and see another wonderful paperbark maple. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. Free. Meet at the Hunnewell Building.
Please join the Boston Park Advocates on the evening of Thursday, May 12 from 5:30 to 8 at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse, One Circuit Drive in Dorchester to learn more about opportunities to work together on two important campaigns this year.
BPA finally has an opportunity to fight for a dedicated park funding stream through the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Hear from Linda Orel of The Trust for Public Land on what Boston stands to gain and get answers to your CPA questions.
BPA wants to make sure that parks have strong representation in the Imagine Boston 2030 planning process. Take part in an activity to share your vision for Boston’s future.
If you are involved in any park-connected group, as staff or volunteer, you are encouraged to attend. You understand that parks and open space are important for public health as well as many kinds of activities and populations, such as sports, arts, gardening, youth, family, and seniors. Refreshments will be provided. Please click here by May 5 to RSVP for the Boston Park Advocates Summit. Free.
Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden Director Emeritus John Trexler for an Arbor Day Tree Walk at Tower Hill on Friday, April 29 at 1 pm. Discover the great diversity of habitats at Tower Hill and the tree species they support. Free with admission to the garden. Pre-register at www.towerhillbg.org.
