Boston Flora

Month: August 2017

  • Thursday, September 14, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Cold Frame Gardening

    Cold frames and hoop houses are great season extenders, allowing vegetables to be planted 2-4 weeks earlier than unprotected plants. They also play a key role in the transition of seedlings of all kinds from the sheltered windowsill/greenhouse environment to the outdoors. Gretel Anspach will show you how, where and when to use these interesting tools in your own garden, in this Massachusetts Horticultural Society class at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on Thursday, September 14 at 7 pm.

    Gretel Anspach is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon. Gretel helped to establish and maintain two food production gardens that have provided fresh produce to the Marlboro Food Pantry for the last eight years. Gretel considers her gardening interests to be eclectic, which is to say she know a little about a lot of different areas, but not too much about any one thing in particular. Mass Hort Members: $12; General Admission: $20. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Sunday, September 10, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

    In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society workshop on Sunday, September 10 from 10:30 – noon, we will discuss both end of season garden tasks as well as planning for overwintering crops. Participants will learn about what type of debris to remove or leave behind and cover cropping and mulching options to improve your soil over the winter. Soil testing and other fall soil amendments will be considered. Finally, a demonstration will be given on how to construct a simple winter row cover to protect crops and extend your harvest season. Crop variety selection will be discussed. Meet at the Seed to Table Garden at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley.

    Hannah Traggis manages Mass Hort’s edible gardens throughout The Gardens at Elm Bank. She oversees the Seed to Table vegetable garden which produces more than 4,000 pounds of produce each year to support our educational mission and local food pantries.

    Mass Hort Members: $20; General Admission: $30. Register online at www.masshort.org.

  • Saturday, September 9, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, September 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Carnivorous Plant Show

    On Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, plant lovers and all those who enjoy something different will be able to get up close to hundreds of carnivorous plants exhibited by the members of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society. Most people would say carnivorous plants are unique, different, or even strange, but all would agree they are interesting and intriguing. Some are native to New England, and others are from as far away as Africa, South America or Australia, but these plants all share a common bond: they are carnivorous, which means they survive by catching and consuming other living things – in most cases, insects. More than 300 of these plants will be on display where visitors can see first-hand these unusual plants, and will have a chance to purchase their own from top vendors from the area. Free with admission to Tower Hill. For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.balconygardenweb.com.

  • Wednesday, September 13, 9:30 am – Bird Friendly Gardens

    Landscape designer Nanette Masi will talk about designing gardens with native plants to attract birds, butterflies,and other beneficial insects. She works with organic materials and techniques and designs gardens to be beautiful from spring through winter. This Lexington Field & Garden Club program is scheduled for Wednesday, September 13 at The Lexington Depot, 13 Depot Square, Lexington, MA. Coffee at 9:30 AM, Business Meeting at 10 AM followed by presentation. Meetings are free and open to the public.  Image from www.britishbirdlovers.co.uk.

  • Tuesday, September 5, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Building a Drought-Tolerant Garden

    There are drought-tolerant plants and then there are the drought-tolerant superstars. Join Dan Jaffe on Tuesday, September 5 at 6 pm to explore landscaping techniques for drought-proofing your garden. Learn which plants managed best during the worst drought on record—from bee balms for dry, sandy sites to the toughest black-eyed Susans.

    This class is part of our Urban Gardening Series a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). Photo from www.todayshomeowner.com.

  • Tuesday, October 17, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Introducing Small Fall Subjects

    Try your hand at painting a small autumnal subject in this Wellesley College Botanic Gardens one-day workshop on Tuesday, October 17 from 9:30 – 3:30 with British artist Dianne Sutherland and Irish artist Shevaun Doherty. You will learn to draw and paint one or two introductory subjects, such as a small fruit or leaf. You will first observe and interpret the fine details and tonal values in graphite before painting your subject. The class includes demonstrations and guidance on drawing color mixes and techniques. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens – $150; nonmembers $185. Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu. Image below copyright Dianne Sutherland.

  • Saturday, September 9, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Gardener’s Emporium

    Visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on Saturday, September 9 from 10 – 2 for the Annual Gardener’s Emporium, the one-day sale highlighting an extraordinary diversity of plants and featuring some of the region’s most exclusive plant societies and nurseries along with interesting accessories – together in one spectacular place!

    The regional plant societies, specialty nurseries, and purveyors of distinctive garden accessories will also offer expertise on their plant specialties, as well as hard-to-find specimen plants for sale. Fall is an excellent time for planting, and the Gardeners’ Emporium is a perfect opportunity to find just the right plant, or a garden accessory, to fill in an empty spot in the garden. The cooler days of September and October give new plants a chance to establish themselves before the onset of winter. A portion of the proceeds from the sale supports the ongoing development and maintenance of the Garden. Free with admission. For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org.

  • Thursdays, September 14, October 5, and November 16, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Sogetsu Ikebana

    Sogetsu Ikebana is an internationally recognized school of Japanese flower arranging. Garden Club of the Back Bay member Kaye Vosburgh will conduct a series of stand alone classes on three Thursdays, September 14, October 5, and November 16, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. Tower Hill member price $35 per class, non-members $50 per class. Some materials included.

    Kaye Vosburgh is a Master Judge and Design Instructor for the National Garden Club as well as a Sogetsu Ikebana teacher of the highest rank, Riji. She has won numerous medals and awards in the New England Spring Flower Show. She teaches in New York where she used to live and in Massachusetts where she now resides. She has demonstrated in New England, Central Atlantic Region, Florida and Ecuador. She has traveled to Japan on several occasions for conferences and lessons at the Sogetsu School. Her favorite activity is sharing creative moments with other designers and students.

    Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Monday, September 11, 6:30 pm – Jam Making 101

    Julia Hallman, jam buyer and avid home canning enthusiast, is leading a Formaggio Kitchen session on jam basics, just in time to prepare you for summer’s fruit and vegetable bounty. During this September 11 demonstration at the Classroom Annex beginning at 6:30 pm, Julia will take you through the jam-making process from start to finish. We’ll cook four different preserves, one traditional, single-fruit jam plus three more unusual preserves. Our focus will be on the preparation of the raw fruit, the cooking process, and how to jar your jam. She will examine key topics such as the role of sugar, the importance of lemon juice and how to add it, the stages of cooking, and how to test the jam accurately for doneness. During the class, participants will be able to enjoy several examples of jam (with accompaniments!) to educate their palate. Lastly, to get you started on your own jamming endeavors, you will receive your own “Jam Kit” with all of the ingredients necessary (including Weck Jars) to make your first small-batch jam! NOTE: This class is held at our Classroom Annex, not our retail location. The annex is located at 67 Smith Place in Cambridge, and we highly recommend reviewing the directions available on the website at http://www.formaggiokitchen.com/classes. Please be aware of our cancellation policy. General Admission, $65.00 per person. Register online.

  • Friday, November 3 and Saturday, November 4 – Taste America – Boston

    The renowned James Beard Foundation is coming to Boston. On Friday, November 3 beginning at 6 pm at the Taj Boston, enjoy a dinner created by Taste America All-Star Daniel Boulud of Bar Boulud (New York City), Local Star Karen Akunowicz of Myers + Chang (Boston), Pastry Chef Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana Restaurant (Cambridge), and Host Gurminder Gidda of Taj Boston (Boston).  Reception Tastings created by Carolyn Johnson of 80 Thoreau (Concord), Michael Lombardi and Kevin O’Donnell of SRV (Boston), Juan Pedrosa of Yvonne’s (Boston), Cassie Piuma of Sarma (Somerville), and Marc Sheehan of Loyal Nine (Cambridge). The Guest Master of Ceremony is Jenny Johnson, Producer and Co-Host of NESN’s Dining Playbook.

    Tickets (starting at $275) are available now on line at www.jamesbeard.org. The James Beard Foundation is proud to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America Scholarship Fund. From April 1 through May 15, 2018 local culinary students are invited to apply through jamesbeard.org.

    Two free demonstrations will also take place over the weekend. On Saturday, November 4 at 10:00 am, Daniel Boulud will conduct a cooking demonstration at Sur La Table at Copley Place, followed by a book signing at 11.  At noon, Karen Akunowicz will take over for another hour of cooking demonstrations, and she will sign books at 1 pm. Tickets are essential since space is limited, and reservations will be taken at www.jamesbeard.org starting Friday, October 20.