Boston Flora

Month: May 2017

  • Wednesday, May 31, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Hope in a New Ecology

    Anthropocence—the “Age of Humans”—is the scientific name for our new future, in which humankind is the dominant force of nature that stands to determine our ecology and therefore the fate of all life on Earth. To many, Anthropocence foreshadows widespread extinction of species and loss of global sustainability. But, this needn’t be. Scientist and author Oswald Schmitz, PhD, Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, will discuss how the science of ecology is evolving to provide new understanding about how humans can engage with the natural world to maintain and enhance our planet’s environmental performance and ensure a sustainable future for all life on Earth. His book, The New Ecology: Rethinking a Science for the Anthropocene will be available for purchase and signing. This Arnold Arboretum event will take place on Wednesday, May 31 at 7 pm in the Hunnewell Building. Fee: Free for Arboretum members and students, $5 nonmembers. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Garden How-To Free On Line Gardening Workshops

    Horticulture Magazine’s free online Smart Gardening Workshops give you access to great garden speakers from the comfort of your own home. They have no new workshops scheduled at this time, but you can access recordings of past workshops at http://www.hortmag.com/smart-gardening-workshops. Here is a sampling:

    Plants We Love

    You’ll discover great new plants as well as tried-and-true workhorses. You’ll also see which selections were award winners—they’re sure to be a success in your garden, too! Join Horticulture’s editor, Meghan Shinn, and Community Leader, Patty Craft, for this workshop.

    Grow a Rainbow Kitchen Garden

    Watch Renee Shepherd’s online workshop as she talks about choosing, growing and enjoying an internationally inspired Rainbow Kitchen Garden.  Image from www.heirloomgardener.com.

  • Sunday, May 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Collections Up Close: Magnificent Beeches

    The Fagus (beech) collection at the Arnold Arboretum comprises more than 100 individuals and has representatives from eight different species. It is an extremely rich collection with many specimens from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s as well as a number collected by E.H. Wilson. Witness the majestic outline, graceful branches, slender buds and beautiful leaves of the beech. Join us on Sunday, May 21 at 1 pm on the slope near the South Street Gate for a tour provided by Arboretum staff, chat with an Arboretum Interpreter about the differences between the American Beech and the European Beech, or participate in a family activity. Or, simply stand or lie under a tree and soak up the nobility of the beech. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. Free, no registration required.

  • Saturday, May 20, 9:00 am – 9:30 am – Combining Sun and Shade

    On Saturday, May 20 at 9 am, join Christie Dustman for a walk and talk through the Allandale Farm perennial yard at 259 Allandale Road in Boston. Explore the diverse offering of native and hardy perennials we grow here at the farm and gather design tips from a pro in the process. This event is free and open to all, but please pre-register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/combining-shade-and-sun-with-christie-dustman-tickets-33277227082 as space is limited.

    Christie is a life-long gardener and owner of Christie Dustman & Company, Inc., a company specializing in fine garden care, pruning, design and landscape installation. An dynamic teacher, Christie imbues her lectures with a unique love and admiration for plants and people who garden.

  • Thursday, June 1, 12:00 noon – Landscape Design Annual Luncheon Meeting

    The Landscape Design Annual Luncheon Meeting will take place beginning at noon on Thursday, June 1 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston.  The guest speaker will be Renata von Tscharner, Founder and President of the Charles River Conservancy.  For more information contact http://thecharles.org.

  • Saturday, May 20 – Garden Club Spring Plant Sales

    On Saturday, May 20, many Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts member clubs will hold plant sales with a full range of horticultural offerings, all to benefit their diverse public projects in their communities.  Please consider supporting these organizations when you are acquiring your spring plants. Image from www.growingcolors.com.

    The Friendly Garden Club Plant Sale – 9 – 12 at the Beverly Council on Aging, 90 Colon Street in Beverly.

    The Weymouth Garden Club Plant Sale – 9 – 1 at the Department of Public Works, 120 Winter Street in Weymouth.

    The Lexington Field & Garden Club Plant Sale – 7 – noon at the Hadley Public Works Facility, 201 Bedford Street in Lexington.

    The Scituate Garden Club Plant Sale – 9 – 1 at the Mann Farmhouse, 108 Greenfield Lane in Scituate.

    The Springfield Garden Club Annual Plant Sale – 9 – noon at the Springfield Museums at the Quandrangle, 21 Edwards Street in Springfield.

    The Reading Garden Club Annual Geraniums and More Plant Sale – 9 – 1 at the Reading Town Common (across from Town Hall), Rts. 28 & 129.

    The Stoneham Garden Club Plant Sale and Lobster Roll Luncheon – 10 – 2 at the First Congregational Church, Central Street in Stoneham.

    The Fairbanks Garden Club Plant Sale, 9 – noon at the Fairbanks House in Dedham.

    Also, on May 27 from 8 – noon, visit the Osterville Garden Club Annual Plant and Bake Sale at the Osterville Village Library.

     

  • Sunday, May 21, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Pollinator Friendly Gardening

    Pollinators are declining at an unprecedented rate worldwide due to human-induced rapid environmental change. These declines pose a significant threat to our food supply and consequently, there has been major focus on the development and implementation of conservation strategies to maintain pollination services to crop plants. However, the overwhelming majority of current strategies do not consider the keystone role that pollinators play in natural ecosystems, making them an ineffective tool for maintaining and restoring biodiversity. Dr. Robert Gegear of WPI Department of Biology and Biotechnology will discuss the importance of developing an ecologically-focused approach to developing and maintaining your garden, citing examples from his ongoing field research in Massachusetts. The lecture will take place Sunday, May 21 from 1 – 3 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. He will also provide information on how to identify local bumblebee species in order to help you assess the ecological ‘friendliness’ of your garden. After the presentation, join Dr. Gegear in a walk through the gardens to learn how your new knowledge can be put into practice. Free with admission to the Garden.  Image from www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

  • Tuesday, May 16, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Eco-tour of Lincoln Park

    Join tour guide Miles Connors on Tuesday, May 16 at 4 for a walking tour of Lincoln Park. The story of Lincoln Park in Lexington MA is one of land reclamation on what historically was a town dump. Today it is an evolving and powerful statement about a community’s ability to restore the landscape and create places of beauty and ecological value. The Lincoln Park Committee (a subcommittee of the Lexington Recreation Committee) stewards the 60-acres for the Town of Lexington as open space for the community.

    Lincoln Park offers visitors a system of boardwalks and woodland trails through native gardens. There are upland woodlands, red maple wetlands, native wildflower meadows, ponds, streams, and other native plant communities. Established groves of Rhododendron and Leucothoe beneath white pine, American Beech with Mountain Laurel, native Azalea varieties with Dogwood for spring flower, and establishing Cypress along the pond edge all contribute to the native plant communities. These native plant communities provide a range of habitat to support wildlife, and a rich experience for visitors.

    To maintain the native plant communities, there is a seasonal Maintenance Plan that is approved and implemented to enhance the ecological value of Lincoln Park each season. Site walks and oversight from a Landscape Architect and Arborists, combined with weekly stewardship from dedicated Horticulturalists, facilitate the ongoing maintenance. The Park has also implemented a comprehensive invasive plant management program designed to identify and manage common invasive plants, and raise public awareness of the negative environmental impact of invasive species.

    Miles Connors is the Director of Parterre Ecological Services, a locally owned business specializing in restoration services to sustain our native plant communities through invasive plant management and native restoration strategies, necessary permitting, and planning. Miles holds undergraduate degrees in Environmental Planning & Policy and Biology and a Masters in Sustainable Landscape Planning & Design. Ecological Landscape Alliance members $23, nonmembers $33. See more and register at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tour-lincoln-park/#sthash.02bfi3kY.dpuf

  • Saturday, May 20, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – From Sicily to the Arnold Arboretum: Sicilian Wildflowers in Art and Words

    From Sicily to the Arnold Arboretum: Sicilian Wildflowers in Art and Words brings together botanical artist Susan Pettee and writer Mary Taylor Simeti. Members of the Harvard Class of 1962, Pettee and Simeti, bring their creative vision and exploration of the wildflowers of Sicily to the Arboretum for this first look at an exciting watercolor illustration and research project that will eventually culminate in a book entitled The Garlands of the Gods: Wild Flowers from the Greek Ruins of Sicily. Working together for almost a decade, Pettee’s and Simeti’s sensibilities have evolved from sharing a passionate admiration for the Sicilian flora to an awareness of how climate change is affecting the flowering of these plants. The exquisite watercolor and rich, articulate text for each plant assume a more urgent relevance as the artists realize how the increased use of herbicides is threatening to alter forever the experience of visitors to the archeological parks of Sicily.

    A graduate of Radcliffe College, botanical artist, Susan Pettee has had her art included in the American Society of Botanical Artists’ International Juried Exhibition and has participated in exhibitions with New England Society of Botanical Art, including the 2016 show at the Arnold Arboretum. Her work has appeared in Washington, D. C., Paris, Périgueux, France, and in the Berkshires, where Pettee currently lives.

    Writer, Mary Taylor Simeti, is also a graduate of Radcliffe College. She has authored a number of books, including On Persephone’s Island: A Sicilian Journal and Pomp and Sustenance. Simeti writes travel and food articles that have appeared in The New York Times and various other American and British publications. She makes her home in Sicily, assisting on a family farm that produces wine, olive oil, and organic produce.

    Talk and Presentation by Mary Taylor Simeti, Sicilian Flora from the Grand Tour to the Present, Saturday, May 20, Noon-1:00pm
    Opening Reception with the artists, Saturday, May 20, 1:00-3:00pm
    The show will be on view from May 12 – July 16 in the Hunnewell Building at 125 Arborway.

  • Saturday, May 13, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum: NEW SATURDAY RAIN DATE

    Due to forecasts of severe showers, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University has elected to cancel all Lilac Sunday activities planned for Sunday, May 14, and will instead offer a modified slate of tours and family activities for the public on Saturday, May 13 from 10am–3pm. Although picnicking privileges—typically allowed only on Lilac Sunday—will be extended to Saturday, food truck vendors associated with Food Truck Festivals of America will not be participating in the event. Of the thousands of flowering plants in the Arnold Arboretum, only one, the lilac, is singled out each year for a daylong celebration. Mainly located on the edge of Bussey Hill Road in the heart of the landscape, the lilac collection at the Arnold Arboretum is among the premier collections of these plants in North America.  Be a part of this beloved Boston tradition on Saturday, May 13. Check https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/lilac-sunday/ for the day-of schedule of events.

    Design below copyright Mary Kocol.