Boston Flora

Month: June 2016

  • Wednesday, July 13, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm – Mary Vaux Walcott: The Audubon of Botany

    The Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and the New England Wild Flower Society will co-sponsor Mary Vaux Walcott: The Audubon of Botany, on Wednesday, July 13 beginning at 7 pm in the Arnold Arboretum’s Hunnewell building, 125 Arborway in Boston.  Mary Morris Vaux Walcott (1860 – 1940) was a gifted artist whose stunning watercolors comprise a catalog of North American wildflowers.  This talk by biographer Marjorie Jones reveals rich intersections of history, religion, politics, women’s studies, science, and art during the transformative times in which Walcott lived.  View the “Woody Plants” exhibition by the New England Society of Botanical Artists, on display July 8 – September 11 in the Hunnewell Building lecture hall.  Members of sponsoring organizations – free; nonmembers $5.

  • Sunday, July 10, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Flower Arranging with Hydrangeas

    Join Anna Holmes at Highfield Hall & Gardens, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth on Sunday, July 10 at 1:30 pm in a flower arranging workshop. Create your own centerpiece arrangement using fresh hydrangeas and other seasonal flowers and greenery. All materials will be supplied for the class.

    Register on-line at www.highfieldhallandgardens.org or call, 508-495-1878, ext. 2. $35 for Highfield Hall members, $40 for nonmembers.

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  • Tuesday, July 12, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Nature Journaling at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

    Travel by Wellesley College van on Tuesday, July 12 to join Doreen Bolnick at the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary for a morning of sketching and nature journaling.  Then go to Doreen’s home for a box lunch, followed by an afternoon of adding ink, color and research notes to your sketches.  Return to Wellesley with a nature journal documenting a lovely habitat.  Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens $85, nonmembers $110.  Price includes transportation, admission and lunch.  Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Wednesday, June 29, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – The Ergonomics of Gardening

    Plan a trip to Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on Wednesday, June 29, and enjoy a free session in the Parkman Room of the Education Building at 10 am on The Ergonomics of Gardening. Meet Albert Samano for an introduction to stretches and exercises you can do to keep your body in peak gardening form. Samano has 10 years’ experience as a Master Trainer at the Wellesley Boston Sports Club. He will show you how you can garden with minimal strain on your body. Sign up at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursdays, July 7 – July 28, 9:30 am – 12:30 am – Calligraphy for the Botanical Artist

    You want to complement your beautiful pen and ink, watercolor, or graphite botanical illustration with equally beautiful lettering.  Through demonstrations, handouts, guided exercises, classroom projects, and homework critiques, professional calligrapher Nancy Galligan will introduce you to the stately, majestic, and versatile Roman Capital alphabet and its lowercase accompaniment Foundational.  Over the course of these four Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Garden sessions, we’ll discuss the history of these alphabets and quickly delve right in with nib and ink to gain an understanding of ideal proportions, spacing, and modern use.  No previous experience required, and all materials will be provided.  Friends members $150, non-members $200.  Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

  • Thursday, October 6 – Saturday, October 8 – America in Bloom: The Changing Environment … Reimagining Our Communities

    It is with great pride that The Arroyo Grande Host Committee invites you to join them in Arroyo Grande for the 2016 America in Bloom Symposium & Awards Program, October 6-8. Arroyo Grande is a 5-Bloom Circle of Champions America in Bloom city steeped in California history. Located close to the Pacific Ocean, it is just a short drive from San Luis Obispo where the host hotel, Embassy Suites, is located. To enhance your central California experience in October, they have put together three optional, fascinating pre-Symposium tours that include drives with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. During the Symposium, you will visit one of the many California flower production nurseries and tour the botanic garden at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo set in the coastal mountains. This year, you will have the opportunity to experience the beauty, grandeur, and charm of California’s central coast. For a complete schedule of events visit http://americainbloom.org/Symposium/Schedule-of-Events.aspx.  Full Symposium registration is $295 per person if registered by September 11, $345 thereafter.

     

  • Saturday and Sunday, July 16 – 17 – Twentieth Annual Pittsfield Garden Tour

    The Twentieth Annual Pittsfield Garden Tour, to be held this year on Saturday and Sunday, July 16 and 17, is a very easily navigated self-guided tour. First you need to obtain a ticket (passport), either before the tour or on the days of the tour.
    Although the tickets can be used on either day, they may not be transferred to another person. Each garden is numbered and the ticket will contain a map showing you where each of the gardens is located.

    Throughout the route there are pink Garden Tour signs – floating pink and white balloons – showing the direction; at each garden there is a large tent sign with balloons to let you know you have arrived.

    Upon arrival you will be greeted at the entrance by a volunteer who will stamp your passport with a rubber stamp unique to that garden. You need not attend the gardens in any particular order and you may attend each garden as many times as you wish during the two days of the tour. Usually the gardeners themselves will be on hand to answer any questions.

    Please have fun and enjoy this lovely garden tour. Passports (Non-transferrable tickets) go on sale Monday, June 8th. Buy early and save. Tickets are $16.00 prior to July 12th and from July 12th to the 17th tickets are $20.00 available during regular store hours at the following locations:

    Crown Jewelers, Allendale Shopping Center, Pittsfield
    Carr Hardware, 547 North Street, Pittsfield
    Different Drummer Kitchen, 374 Pittsfield Road, Lenox
    Berkshire Mountain Bakery-Pizza Cafe, 180A Elm St, Pittsfield
    The Bookstore, 11 Housatonic Street, Lenox
    Carr Hardware, 179 State Road, North Adams
    Carr Hardware, 256 Main Street, Great Barrington

    On the days of the Tour the passports (tickets) are available in a tent at the Pittsfield Common, Fenn Street from 9:30 – 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets on these days are $20.00. For more information and hours, email info@pittsfieldgardentour.org.  Image from www.theberkshireedge.com.

  • Friday, January 6 – Thursday, January 19 – Jungle Kingdoms of the Ancient Maya

    Discover spectacular ancient Maya art and architecture, today’s indigenous peoples, and exotic tropical plants and animals. This exclusive, 14-day itinerary sponsored by the travel, sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture,  is a true jungle adventure with a well-paced itinerary for you to explore ancient Maya sites in the tropical rain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. With a small group of no more than 12 participants,  you will take your time to see nine of the most remarkable ancient sites of the lowland Maya, enjoy lectures, and relax at comfortable hotels and remote jungle lodges.

    Gain fascinating insights about Maya art, architecture, and epigraphy with your outstanding Harvard study leader, Dr. Alexandre Tokovinine, and expert local guides. Marvel at huge temple-pyramids that soar above the rain forest, enormous stelae (carved monoliths), painted frescoes, stucco friezes, and carved lintels, plus tropical mammals and birds (such as howler monkeys and toucans). Highlights include the renowned UNESCO World Heritage site of Tikal, with a wonderful museum, and much more; Copán, the “Athens of the Maya” and the easternmost Maya capital, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a magnificent acropolis; Palenque, the “Paris of the Maya,” a UNESCO World Heritage site with outstanding ancient temples, a site museum, and a trail with waterfalls and hidden ruins. And stop at other outstanding, less visited sites such as Bonampak, Yaxchilán, and Yaxhá, which have distinctive features that make them well worth traveling “off the beaten path.”

    For complete itinerary, pricing, and information, call 617-495-2463, or email hmsctravel@hmsc.harvard.edu. Image of Palenque from www.aerosaab.com.

  • Friday, July 8 – Sunday, July 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival

    The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival is an annual celebration of the region’s blue, pink, and white signature flowers. The Second Annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival is happening this July 8 – 17, and the festival’s schedule is nearly overflowing with fun activities for the entire family. This ten day festival’s main attractions are the daily tours of private gardens, each designed and maintained by the individual homeowners and carrying a unique charm. Enjoy the exploration of gardens with intriguing titles such as, “For the Love of Trees,” “A Peaceful Sanctuary for All Seasons,” and “Where Nature and Nurture Meet.” You are sure to enjoy such eclectic spaces, not to mention the good feeling of supporting a variety of local nonprofits.

    Gardens are only one part of the festival. Enjoy workshops and lectures presented by leading international horticulturalists, discover promotions at participating nurseries and home centers, take a class to learn proper hydrangea pruning techniques, or even watch a painting demonstration by renowned Cape Cod artists both in-studio and in the gardens themselves.

    Garden tours are $5 per person per garden. Each garden is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and only on the days specified. All garden tours are rain or shine and nonrefundable.

    Each garden is open on select days only. View the EVENTS CALENDAR (http://www.capecodchamber.org/events/category/hydrangea-fest?from[value][date]=2016-07-07&to[value][date]=2016-07-17 ) for a complete list of garden tours and activities.  Keep checking our events calendar, new garden tours and events are being added daily.

    2016 Festival Kickoff Party at Cape Cod Beer:

    Thursday July 7, 2016 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
    1336 Phinney’s Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601
    Join gardeners, nonprofits and organizers of the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival at Cape Cod Beer for a celebratory kickoff party the night before the festival begins. Taste the 2016 Summer Ale and get a look at this year’s bottle label, featuring the festival prominently next to multicolored blooms! Free to attend! Register at http://www.whycapecod.org/

    Nonprofit participants:

    Barnstable Education Foundation
    Bourne Historical Society
    Cape Cod Hydrangea Society
    Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
    Cape Cod Synagogue
    Chatham Garden Club
    Eastham Library Building Fund
    Falmouth Garden Club
    Falmouth Museums On the Green
    Heritage Museums & Gardens
    Highfield Hall & Gardens
    Housing Assistance Corporation
    Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod
    Meetinghouse Farm
    Osterville Garden Club
    Sandwich Garden Club
    St. Peter’s Nursery School
    Sturgis Library
    The Garden Club of Hyannis
    Thornton Burgess Society Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen
    Unitarian Church of Barnstable

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  • Sunday, July 10, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – Connecticut Riverboat Tour

    Sunday afternoon, July 10, on the Connecticut Riverboat Quinnetukut II, take a trip with geologist Richard Little. This narrated tour will start in Northfield and head downriver to Barton Cove before returning. Climb aboard the charming 44-seat  Riverboat and enjoy a relaxing and informative journey down New England’s great river, the Connecticut River. The French King Gorge is one of the most scenic stretches of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. This 12 mile narrated cruise takes 1.5 hours. The river cruise is run by First Light Power and you can call 800-859-2960 for reservations or see their info page at http://www.gdfsuezna.com/riverboat-cruise/ There will be 2 afternoon sailings: 1 and 3 pm. Don’t delay as seating is limited.