Boston Flora

Month: November 2016

  • Saturday, December 10, 12:00 noon – Downtown Boston Gas Leak Tagging Event

    Come join Mothers Out Front at the DOWNTOWN BOSTON GAS LEAK TAGGING EVENT on Saturday, December 10th at noon – Mothers Out Front, an organization dedicated addressing climate change, will be gathering with volunteers and supporters from all over Boston at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Arlington Street in the Back Bay to raise awareness about the estimated 220 methane gas leaks in downtown Boston! These leaks have been identified and located by National Grid and are damaging our health, killing our trees, impacting our climate, and raising our utility bills – but they are not required to be fixed under current laws since they are not at risk for exploding. Come help us change this by raising awareness of this issue!
    After a brief talk by Mothers Out Front organizers, you will have the opportunity to join with other volunteers to go throughout your neighborhood (either into areas of the Back Bay, Beacon Hill or parts of the South End) to put small signs up near the locations of the leaks to share information about methane gas leaks.  For more information:
    www.mothersoutfront.org/we_re_working_to_fix_gas_leaks

  • Tuesday, December 13, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Herbs for Stress

    A fast paced, stressful lifestyle can wreak havoc upon our physical and emotional well-being. While lifestyle changes are often the key to managing stress levels, there are many wonderful herbs that can help support us in making positive life changes. Steph Zabel covers practical herbal remedies that support the nervous system and help us to shift from a “fight or flight” state of being into a more relaxed state. In this Wellesley College Botanic Gardens workshop on Tuesday, December 13 from 1 – 2:30, you will review and sample relaxing nervine herbs that many people find useful for dealing with stress, anxiety, and sleep issues. Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens members $20, nonmembers $30. Register by calling 781-283-3094.

  • Holiday Wreaths – Ordering Deadline Approaches

    Our official ordering deadline for fully decorated wreaths is tomorrow, November 30, so we hope you will all click through to https://bostonflora.com/products-page/ and order now.  Remember, all proceeds go to neighborhood beautification projects, specifically tree planting, pruning, and inoculation.  Let’s keep Back Bay green!

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  • Sunday, December 4, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – City Gardening with New England Natives

    The Ecological Landscape Alliance and the New England Wild Flower Society team up to present a class taught by David Falk, Horticulturist at NEWFS and owner of Wild City Gardens.  The session will take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, December 4 from 1 – 2:30. Gardening in the city can be a challenge, as gardeners often have to cope with hot, dry, and shady conditions. Learn about the tough and beautiful plants that thrive in the harsh conditions common in urban environments. David Falk will tell you where to find these plants and share some basic gardening techniques that will turn your landscape into a lush, colorful, healthy space.  Image from www.nababutterfly.com. $20 for members of sponsoring organizations, $24 for nonmembers.  See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/city-gardening-with-new-england-natives/#sthash.56LveGlN.dpuf

  • Thursday, December 1, 8:00 pm – Commonwealth Avenue Mall Tree Lighting

    The Commonwealth Avenue Mall Lighting will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 1st, at the Foot of Commonwealth Avenue (at the Public Garden). The trees along the mall will be lit after a festive gathering with the Taj Hotel Boston, friends, and neighbors. The Mall again will be illuminated with elegant lights made possible thanks to community support and private donations raised by the Committee to Light Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Photo from www.weekendpick.com.

  • Tuesday, December 6, 6:00 pm – Holiday Happenings

    The Friendly Garden Club presents Holiday Happenings with Robby Atherton of Rose Hip Farm on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 pm at the Cove Community Center, 19 East Corning Street in Beverly, Massachusetts.  This fundraiser will feature a design presentation plus greenery sales and refreshments.  For tickets call 978-381-3597.

  • Saturday, December 10, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Hidden Diversity: Amphibian Adaptations

    Hidden Diversity: Amphibian Adaptations is presented on Saturday, December 10 at 10:30 am by the Harvard Museum of Natural History in collaboration with Mara Laslo, Ph.D candidate in the Hanken Lab at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University.

    Explore the wonderful and wacky world of amphibians! Learn about amphibians that dig, crawl, swim, and glide; amphibians as big as dogs or smaller than a dime; and amphibians that go through metamorphosis once, twice, or not at all. See live amphibians, learn from museum specimens, and design your own experiment to understand how researchers are still discovering new amphibian knowledge. All activities are designed to be fun and interactive experiences for families with children aged 8-13 to learn together.

    Fees: $10 members/$20 nonmembers, per person, includes admission to the museum. Participants are encouraged to come early or stay late and explore the museum before or after class. These programs are not appropriate for children under 8 years of age.

    Advance registration required at http://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/hidden-diversity-amphibian-adaptations  Families must register at least one adult and one child for this program.

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  • Saturday, December 3 – Three Annual Wreath and Green Sales

    Saturday, December 3 is a busy day in our suburbs.  The Needham Garden Club will hold its annual sale of decorated wreaths, boxwood trees and holiday centerpieces from 9 – 2 at the Needham Public Library, 1139 Highland Avenue in Needham Heights. Contact Lori Markell at twosacharm@aol.com for complete details.  In the Endicott Park Carriage House on Forest Street in Danvers, also from 9 – 2, the Danvers Garden Club presents its annual greens sale which includes kissing balls, green baskets of various sizes, holiday arrangements, and baked goods and a raffle. Email Julie McCarriston at jmccarriston@verizon.net. Finally, the Salem Garden Club’s annual Christmas boutique will feature uniquely decorated wreaths, centerpieces, sprays, boxwood trees and much more.  Each item is handmade by their talented Club members, and funds raised are reinvested into the community through the Club’s civic endeavors. This sale takes place from 9:30 – 4 at the Hawthorne Hotel Library Function Room, 18 Washington Square West, Salem, Massachusetts. Call Tracy Rubin at 978-590-0650.   Of course, don’t forget The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s own wreath sale – https://bostonflora.com/products-page/

  • Saturday, December 10, 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Make Your Own Stained Glass Holiday Gifts

    Explore the basics of stained glass while creating handmade gifts.  This Tower Hill Botanic Garden class with Jeanne Kowal on Saturday, December 10 from 12:30 – 4 will provide all materials needed. Fee is $50 for Tower Hill members, $65 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, ext 124.

  • Thursday, December 8, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Webinar: Evaluating Conservation Landscape Design

    This Ecological Landscape Alliance on line presentation by Ann English on Thursday, December 8 from 7 – 8 pm will focus on evaluation of landscape design which includes environmental as well as aesthetic assessment. A Conservation Landscape can take many forms and can conform to standard aesthetic assessment while providing valuable ecosystem services, such as runoff reduction and pollinator support. The webinar will cover the key components of a conservation landscape, and how to create aesthetically pleasing landscape solutions that require fewer synthetic inputs while applying typical form, color, texture, concept analysis aspects of evaluation.

    Ann English, RLA, ASLA, LEED® AP BD+C is the Program Manager for the RainScapes Program in the Watershed Management Division of the Montgomery County, MD Department of Environmental Protection. The RainScapes program promotes and implements projects which reduce storm water runoff and improve water quality on properties within Montgomery County, MD. The County offers technical and financial assistance (in the form of RainScapes Rewards Rebates) to encourage property owners to implement eligible RainScapes techniques on their property and has developed a training program for professionals that has been used as a model for other jurisdictions and colleges. Her career spans private, non-profit and governmental sectors as well as several years teaching at two universities, with focus on plants, designing with plants and how they perform in the environment and she is the designer of the LID Center’s rain garden templates,(2007). She earned her BA in American History from U. Penn, a Master’s of Regional Planning from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmember.  See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-evaluating-conservation-landscape-designs/#sthash.AJaWupoS.dpuf