Boston Flora

Month: November 2016

  • Wednesday, November 30, 6:00 pm – Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet

    Megan Epler Wood, Director, International Sustainable Tourism Initiative, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, will speak on Wednesday, November 30 beginning at 6 pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

    Megan Epler Wood will draw from her new book, Sustainable Tourism on a Finite Planet, to explore how the growth of the global tourism economy over the next 20 years will affect vital natural and social treasures worldwide. She will present visualizations of the impact of unmanaged growth and present far-reaching thoughts on the type of reforms required to lower tourism’s impacts and protect the health of local populations, ecosystems, cultures, and monuments worldwide.

    Presented in collaboration with the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
    This program is located at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.
    Free and open to the public.

  • Monday, December 5, 6:30 pm – Keep Our Parks Sunny!

    Monday, December 5, 6:30 pm – Keep Our Parks Sunny!

    Protect our Parks! 115 Winthrop Square, a 775′ tower, has been proposed for the Winthrop Square Garage site in downtown Boston. The BRA has designated Millennium Partners to develop the site.  This proposal violates State shadow laws that have protected the Public Garden and the Common for decades.   A fast paced Article 80 process has begun.  The Project Notification Form has already been posted without any shadow or wind studies.  Comments are due December 26. The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has voted unanimously to support the existing shadow laws, supported by The Friends of the Public Garden and The Garden Club of the Back Bay.  But we need your help to assure that our precious parks are protected for future generations.

    Attend meetings, prepare comments, and contact your local officials.  The only scheduled public meeting on the project is Monday, December 5 at 6:30 pm at the Suffolk Law School Moot Court Room, 4th Floor, 120 Tremont Street in Boston.  It is critical that anyone who is able to attend this meeting do so, and voice his or her concerns about the project and the importance of protecting our open spaces.

    You may also send written comments to the City before December 26.  Comments should go to Christopher Tracy, Senior Project Manager, Boston Planning & Development Agency, One City Hall Square, Boston, MA 02201. You may also call him at 617-918-4259.

    Please share comments with NABB Development and Transportation Committee (dtcnabb@nabbonline.com) and our elected officials Michelle.Wu@boston.gov, Bill.Linehan@boston.gov, Josh.Zakim@boston.gov, Ayanna.Pressley@boston.gov, Annissa.Essaibi-george@boston.gov, william.brownsberger@masenate.gov, byron.rushing@mahouse.gov, jay.livingstone@mahouse.gov, and Aaron.M.Michlewitz@mahouse.gov.

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  • Wright-Locke Farm – Adult Education Program

    Wright-Locke Farm’s education programs for teens and adults are a great way to learn practical skills related to healthy living, small-scale agriculture, and the wonders of nature. All workshops take place on the Farm, 78 Ridge Street in Winchester, or at Saint Eulalia’s Parish (50 Ridge Street- right next door) and are open to individuals ages 14+ unless stated otherwise. Instructors are needed for future workshops. They are always seeking out local experts to lead workshops centered on the following subjects:

    backyard farm animal or beneficial insect care
    organic home gardening (edible and ornamental)
    soil health and composting
    herbalism
    flower arranging
    birdwatching
    foraging (especially mushrooms)
    culinary skills or healthy cooking techniques
    natural fiber and related crafts (especially wool)
    nutrition and health
    food preservation (especially pressure canning, cheese making, meat curing, and home brewing)
    outdoor fitness
    art and photography

    If you or someone you know might be interested in leading an adult workshop, please contact the Education Director, rcarter@wlfarm.org. Please mention your typical rate for a 2-3 hour workshop (with or without material cost estimates), or if you are willing to present as a volunteer. Workshop themes not mentioned above but relevant to our work are open for consideration.

  • Friday, November 25 – Sunday, January 8 – Winter Reimagined

    Marvel at glittering light displays indoors and out, decorated trees, fire pits, handcrafted ornaments, children’s activities, and more.  Find an extraordinary selection of gifts, books, tools, and garden supplies at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden gift shop.  The displays are open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 – 3 and 4 – 9.  Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Christmas Even, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.  For complete information visit www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Tuesday, November 29, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Giving Tuesday Bulb Planting

    Bring your friends to Elm Bank on Tuesday, November 29 from 7 – 8 and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society will have wine, music and cheer, plus everything you need to prepare two holiday bulb planters.  Take one home, and Mass Hort will give the other to a resident at a nearby assisted living home.  It’s the perfect way to partake in Giving Tuesday!  Elm Bank is located at 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. The cost is $25 for Mass Hort members, $35 for nonmembers.  To register call 617-933-4945, or email elawrence@masshort.org.  Image from www.thegardenglove.com.

  • Friday, November 25 – Sunday, November 27 – 22nd Annual Original Castleberry Faire

    A New England Tradition continues and the crafters are back in a big way for the 22nd Annual Castleberry Faire Arts & Craft Festival, taking place at the Shriner’s Auditorium, 99 Fordham Road in Wilmington, MA Thanksgiving Day weekend, November 25, 26 & 27. This three day shopping bonanza includes over 250 of the nation’s finest craftspeople and artisans. This is the big one, folks, with over 250 juried exhibitors from throughout the United States displaying and selling their American made works including pottery, scarves, tapestry, fine jewelry, candles, turned wood, quilts, basketry, photography, painted antiques, metal sculpture, doll clothes, ceramics, soap, wall hangings, puppets, hair accessories, hats, primitives and folk art, stone relief, carved birds, soft sculpture, Victorian wreaths, leather, oil paintings, calligraphy, silk & dried floral arrangements, fleece, watercolors, country wood crafts, slate, ornaments, porcelain dolls, cameos, music boxes, quilt-pillows, aromatherapy, snowmen, fragrance, stained glass, lampshades, old maps, sport plaques, miniatures, intarsia, chimes, wearable art, blown glass and so much more. A “food sampling” extravaganza will be presented with such gourmet delights as: herbal dips, sauces, jams & jellies, candies, peanut brittle, fudge, vinegars, finishing sauces, pastry, cooking oils, salsas, chutney, jerky, baked goods and so much more.

    The Castleberry Faire runs Friday, November 25 from 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday, November 26 and Sunday November 27 from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission $8.00 Adult, under age 14 free. One admission is good for all 3 days. Directions: From Route 93 take Exit 39 to Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. Ample Free Parking and free shuttle bus service provided. Held indoor, rain or shine. For more information call 603-332-2616 or print a discount admission coupon at www.castleberryfairs.com. Food Sales Benefit Aleppo Temple Shrine Activities.

  • Now Showing – Extreme Weather

    The Museum of Science is screening a 50 minute movie at its Mugar Omni Theater entitled Extreme Weather. Let famed storm chaser and award-winning giant screen filmmaker Sean Casey take you on a dramatic journey to places where few have gone before! Destinations include the edge of a 300-foot-tall calving glacier in Alaska, the front lines of massive wildfires in the Western United States, and directly in the path of deadly (yet mesmerizing) tornadoes in the plains.

    Also, follow the men and women on the forefront of climate research and the everyday heroes who put their lives on the line to help us understand and adapt to our ever-changing weather. Sponsored by MathWorks. Timed tickets are required. Order online at https://www.mos.org/imax/extreme-weather

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  • Tuesday, January 24, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Save The Date: Garden Club of the Back Bay Annual Tea

    Tuesday, January 24, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Save The Date: Garden Club of the Back Bay Annual Tea

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay will host its Annual Tea on Tuesday, January 24 from 3 – 5 pm, this year at the splendid Four Seasons Hotel on Boylston Street.  Our new Tea Committee Chair Mary Ryan has some surprises planned, and we will announce full details next month, but put it in your calendar now.  Guests will be welcome.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive an invitation, but if you are not a member and wish to be on the list, please email info@bostonflora.com.

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  • Friday, November 25 – Sunday, December 11 – Festival of Trees

    Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees showcases dozens of trees and the Snow Village at Elm Bank for children and adults to enjoy.

    This annual festival takes place from the end of November through the first two weeks of December at Mass Hort’s Elm Bank property.

    The Festival of Trees, displayed in the Hunnewell Carriage House, offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses, garden clubs, and individuals. Visitors vote with their raffle tickets, in hopes of being the tree winner at the end of the festival. Visitors can also enjoy the decorated buildings and grounds at Elm Bank with a stroll or a horse-drawn wagon ride. For the young at heart, there are Santa Visits and other activities.

    Snow Village at Elm Bank is a wonderful addition to the holiday spirit of the Festival of Trees. Bill Meagher of Needham graciously donated the product of his thirteen year “hobby” of building Christmas villages and trains. Massachusetts Horticultural Society is delighted to share his enchanting displays with model trains winding through villages and vignettes, including Christmas in the City (Boston of course!), Fenway Park, and hundreds of decorated houses and lights. This amazing scenery in miniature is sure to get kids of all ages excited about the holiday season.  Image from www.popsugar.com.

  • Friday, November 25, Saturday, November 26, & Sunday, November 27, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Gardeners Wreath Workshop

    Design a beautiful botanical wreath that highlights the variety and splendor of local evergreens with Karen Perkins at Tower Hill Botanical Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, in a workshop being held three separate days, November 25, 26, and 27, from 1 – 4. Tower Hill member price $60 per session, nonmembers $75 per session.  All materials included.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111, ext. 124.  Pictured is one of the Garden Club of the Back Bay holiday wreaths, since we couldn’t let an opportunity pass to showcase one of our beauties.

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