Boston Flora

Month: August 2016

  • Thursday, August 25, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – StickWork with Patrick Dougherty

    In August Tower Hill Botanic Garden will host a site specific installation by internationally acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty, made entirely of locally-harvested saplings. The public is invited to watch the construction through to its completion on August 25. The installation will be on view through 2017. Dougherty’s sculpture has been seen worldwide; visit stickwork.net for more information on the artist.  On Thursday, August 25, celebrate with the artist at a reception from 6 – 9, free with admission to the garden.

  • Wednesday, August 17, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – The Art of Cut Flowers

    Come to the cutting garden at Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on Wednesday, August 17 at 10 am to learn about the flowers growing in season, and how to cut, care for and grow them in your own garden. Participants will leave with their own flower bouquet. Led by Naumkeag horticulturist Eric Ruquist, the program, run by The Trustees, is $9 for TTR members, $15 for nonmembers. Register by calling 413-298-3239, x 3013, or email cpetrikhuff@thetrustees.org.  Image from www.photosjoy.com.

  • Friday, August 26, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Forests for Monarchs

    Jose Luis Alvarez is a Mexican tree nurseryman, who has for decades been growing trees for reforestation projects. In 1997, he created Forests For Monarchs (FFM) also known as La Cruz Habitat Protection Program (LCHPP), an innovative non-profit designed to restore the Monarch’s forest habitat and at the same time give indigenous people a desperately needed source of wood for cooking, heating and building houses.

    On Friday, August 26 at 1:30 in the Parkman Room of the Education Building at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, Alvarez will discuss monarch evolution, migration and population changes. He will also review the science which led to the discovery of over-wintering grounds, and the effort to reforest them. The lecture will also bring this topic home as Alvarez addresses Monarch habitat issues in the US, and the work being done to stabilize the Monarch population.

    Vermont Woods Studios and founder Peggy Farabaugh are excited to sponsor his tour and hope to see the Monarch’s winter and summer habitats be restored. Learn more about Vermont Woods Studios at http://vermontwoodsstudios.com/monarchs and Forests for Monarchs at http://www.forestsformonarchs.org/.

    Lecture Fee: $12/member of Massachusetts Horticultural Society, $20/non-member. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Monday, October 31 – Sunday, November 6 – A Journey Through the Langhe: The Land of White Truffles

    Join Stir Boston October 31 – November 6 on a journey through one of Italy’s foremost regions for food, wine and beauty – at the very best time of the year – White Truffle Season!

    Your exclusive lodging will be in a villa on the estate of Ca’ Rapulin in Calosso  (pictured) – with luxury amenities and breathtaking views overlooking Langhe vineyards. The serenity of the compound serves as a truly relaxing home-base for the trip as we embark on once in a lifetime adventures throughout the region. Not only will you explore the very best wineries of Barolo and Barbaresco, you will also eat truffle-laden meals at Michelin starred restaurants and embark on an authentic truffle hunt led by a seasoned truffle hunter and his truffle dog!

    The trip will be the culinary experience of a lifetime. You will immerse yourself in the culinary traditions of Piemonte through hands-on pasta making demonstrations, baking workshops, chocolate shop visits and farm and dairy tours. After learning the techniques and tools of the trade, you’ll be treated to the finest truffle-centered feasts at multi-Michelin starred Piazza Duomo, Antica Corona Reale and Relais San Maurizio. You will also have a special night at Ristorante de Cesare, one of the Langhe’s most storied chef owned restaurant that will be all ours for an intimate evening.

    Every meal and each luxurious experience has been expertly curated by Barbara Lynch herself, so no detail is left unplanned. $7,850 per person. Pricing is based on a double-occupancy reservation and does not include flights. For a single occupancy reservation the pricing is $8,250 per person.

    To reserve:
    Reservations require a $2,000 deposit per person and full payment is required 90 days prior to departure. If payment is not made in full 90 days in advance guests will forfeit their reservation and deposit. Cancellations prior to 90 days in advance are eligible for a 100% refund (less a $125 fee). However, cancellations inside the 90 day period forfeit 100% of the deposit, unless it is for a life emergency. Travel insurance is strongly recommended. Please email piedmont@stirboston.com with your reservation requests. Emails will be responded to in the order in which they are received and should include the information listed below.

    First and Last Name
    Telephone number
    Number of guests in your party

    Reservations are not confirmed until you speak to a member of the Stir Team and we collect your payment information for the required deposit.

  • Thursday & Friday, August 18 & 19, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm, and Saturday & Sunday, August 20 & 21, 12:00 noon – 11:00 pm – Fisherman’s Feast of the Madonna Del Soccorso di Sciacca

    The Fisherman’s Feast is an annual event that began in Boston in 1910 and is based on a tradition that goes back to the 16th century in Sciacca, Sicily. The Feast is based on the devotion of the fishermen from Sciacca to the Madonna del Soccorso (Our Lady of Help). When the fishermen immigrated to America in the early 1900’s, they brought their traditions with them. Today’s Feast is much the same as it was over 100 years ago with lights adorning the street and the smell of sausage in the air. The current Feast is organized by the descendants of those original immigrants and still includes a procession of the Madonna through the streets of the North End. Events take place on Hanover & Battery Streets, and are free and open to the public. Thursday August 18 begins with the Blessing of the Fishing Waters at Christopher Columbus Park. On Sunday, the Grand Procession begins at 1 pm, and at 8 there is the Flight of the Angel Fleet at Lewis and North Streets. For more information visit www.northendboston.com.

  • From the Archives: Money Problems

    Today, The Garden Club of the Back Bay is fortunate to have a comfortable financial cushion to support our ongoing Boston-based horticultural, environmental, and educational projects, but this wasn’t always the case.  In September 1971, our original Treasurer Irene Pitz, who served in that capacity for over 25 years, wrote a plaintive letter to the then President of The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay concerning a verbal undertaking by NABB to help fund the budget in recompense for our forfeiture of Garden Club receipts from that year’s House and Garden Tour.  At the time, our dues were $5 per year, $.90 of which was remitted to the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts.  The balance was insufficient to cover general expenses, since we had only 60 members at the time.  Irene pointed out that our club’s activities were a substantial asset to the neighborhood and that raising the dues to $10 per year would restrict our membership, especially among younger residents.  The following January NABB voted to remit $350 to The Garden Club, which helped balance our budget that year.  Our expenses included such line items as chair rentals for six meetings at $.25 per chair, donations of floral arrangements to neighborhood functions ($45), and fees for speakers, along with the costs for Project HUB Box, which taught children in the Boston Public Schools how to grow plants.

  • Saturday, August 27, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Slow Flower Arranging: Bee and Pollinator Friendly Bouquets

    On Saturday, August 27, beginning at 10:30 am, fill a graceful glass vase with an abundant, naturalistic bouquet of lovely, freshly harvested, and locally sourced Slow Flowers. Slow Flowers are local, sustainably-grown flowers that are pollinator friendly and enjoyed in season. Gathered from the garden and the wayside or purchased at a near-by farm stand, Slow Flowers bring long-lasting natural beauty and delicate fragrance into your home. Learn when and how to cut garden and wayside flowers for arranging, which nectar rich herbal flowers add color and fragrance to seasonal bouquets and how to condition freshly picked stems for lasting beauty. Then, create your own personal, gardenesque bouquet to take home with you!

    Flowers, greens, mechanics and container are supplied by the instructor Betsy Williams. Class handouts include a list of garden and wild flowers that provide the most nourishment to pollinators. $60 for Tower Hill members, $75 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • August 20 – October 2 – Massachusetts Grange Fairs and The Big E

    Support your local Grange (or at least support one closest to you.)  August and September are harvest months and Grange fairs are taking place around the state.  Here is a sampling, and if you go you’ll find many prize winning vegetables, fruits and flowers, not to mention baked goods, available for purchase at the closing auction:

    Saturday, August 20 – Rochester Grange Fair, 205 Hartley Road, Rochester  (www.rochesterma.com)

    Friday and Saturday, August 26 & 27 – Ware Grange Fair, 297 Belchertown Road, Rt. 9, Ware

    Saturday, August 27 – South Middleborough Grange Fair, 570 Wareham Street, Middleborough

    Saturday, August 27 – Shelburne Grange Fair, Little Mohawk Road, Shelburne

    Friday and Saturday, September 9 & 10 – Dartmouth Grange Fair, Grange Hall, Dartmouth

    And, of course, the granddaddy of them all, the Eastern States Exposition, Friday, September 16 – Sunday, October 2, 1305 Memorial Avenue, West Springfield (www.thebige.com)

  • Saturday, August 20, 9:00 am – Morning in Our Garden

    On Saturday, August 20, join a growing group of landscape volunteers in weeding and cultivating the garden beds at the Emily Dickinson Museum, 280 Main Street in Amherst, Massachusetts for the second session of “Mornings in our Garden.” Become a part of a new generation of caretakers for this precious piece of land in the heart of Amherst. You do not need to be an expert gardener for this “all levels” program. Interested individuals and groups can visit www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org to register. Please telephone 413-542-8161 to confirm times, or email info@emilydickinsonmuseum.org.

  • Saturday, August 20, 6:30 pm – James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour in South Dartmouth

    The James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour dinner series brings a taste of what happens at the James Beard House in New York City to more than 20 cities across the country every  year. Each dinner begins with a cocktail reception followed by a one-night-only, multi-course dinner with wine pairings featuring a diverse group of JBF Award winners and local chefs, and ending with a decadent dessert course and a Q&A session with the evening’s chefs. Come alone, with a guest, or entertain a group at one of these unique culinary events. On Saturday, August 20 beginning at 6:30 pm, you are invited to The Wainer Family Farm, 445 Barneys Joy Road in South Dartmouth. Participating chefs will be Ashfer Biju, Perrine at the Pierre, a Taj Hotel, NYC / Daniel Bruce, Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston / Chris Cronin, Little Moss Restaurant, South Dartmouth, MA / Mary Dumont, Cultivar, Boston / Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Smoked & Stacked, Ripple, and Roofers Union, Washington, D.C. / Master Butcher Marc Pauvert, Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore / Pastry Chef Michael Mignano, Perrine at the Pierre, a Taj Hotel, NYC / U.S. Bank FlexPerks Rewards Cardholders $165, JBF members and general public $225. For reservations and more event information, please visit jamesbeard.org/celebrity-chef-tour.

    Save