Boston Flora

Month: October 2017

  • Wednesday, October 18, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Herbs, Greens and Edible Flowers

    Ellen Ecker Ogden, author of The Complete Kitchen Garden, will speak on Wednesday, October 18 at 11 am at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston on the topic of Herbs, Greens and Edible Flowers. Discover the wide world of flavor packed and nutrient rich herbs, greens and edible flowers, while learning the six steps to successful kitchen garden design. Create a tapestry of color and flavor with favorite European heirlooms such as mache, wild arugula, chicories and endives, plus the best culinary herbs for gardeners who love to cook. You’ll learn what to sow for a continuous harvest of healthy herbs all summer long and into the fall, that should be in every cook’s garden. Co-sponsored with the New England Unit of the Herb Society of America. Free with admission to the garden, but registration recommended at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—herbs-greens-and-edible-flowers

    Garden Speaker Ellen Ecker Ogden is an award-winning food and garden writer and kitchen garden designer who is known for her informative and fun loving garden talks. Her kitchen garden designs combine artistic elements with classic garden design techniques that elevate a backyard vegetable garden into a European inspired kitchen garden.

  • Saturday, October 14, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm – Introduction to Lichens

    Discover the fascinating world of lichens. This New England Wild Flower Society session on Saturday, October 14 from 9 – 3:30 at both Garden in the Woods and a field site includes a work session in which stereoscopes, spot tests, and keys will be used to study collections of the three lichen growth forms. An afternoon walk to a local site where lichens are colonizing soil, rock, and bark will offer the class a chance to practice distinguishing lichens in the field. Bring a bag lunch and a 10x hand lens. Led by Elizabeth Kneiper, the cost is $86 for NEWFS members and $104 for nonmembers. Image from http://www.nhgardensolutions.files.wordpress.com.  Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/introduction-to-lichens

  • Tuesday, October 10, 5:15 pm – 7:30 pm – Early American Environmental Histories

    James D. Rice, Tufts University, will speak on Tuesday, October 10 at the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston,  beginning at 5:15 pm, with commentary by Christopher Parsons of Northeastern University. This presentation speaks to questions raised in a recent workshop at the Huntington on early American environmental history. How do timespan and scale change our understanding of historical relationships between people and their environments? What new light does environmental history shed on topics such as race, gender, or law? What can early Americanists contribute to the field of environmental history as a whole? Free and open to the public, but RSVP required. To RSVP: email seminars@masshist.org or call (617) 646-0579.

  • Friday, October 13, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm, and Saturday, October 14, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Field Study of New England Plant Communities

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden will present a two day Field Study of New England Plant Communities on October 13 and 14. Join Garden in the Woods ecologist Ted Elliman for an exploration of native New England plants. The Friday lecture will cover the habitats found in Berkshire County, topography, geology, soils, and moisture, as well as their characteristic plant associations. The Saturday field trip will cover forested, open, and wetland habitats, and we will take a close look at the flora and features of each of them. Ted will also discuss impacts of invasive species, and possible changes to natural communities in response to climate change. Cost: $150. For more information visit our website: http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/ Phone: 413-298-3926 Email: info@berkshirebotanical.org 

  • Saturday, October 14, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Foliage Photography in the Public Garden

    Saturday, October 14, 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Foliage Photography in the Public Garden

    Join Christopher Padgett for this special Boston Center for Adult Education class on Saturday, October 14 from noon – 3 that focuses on gaining technical skills while taking fun photographs of the Public Garden and Boston Common during the peak of leaf-peeping. Class will start at the BCAE at 122 Arlington Street and the group will move on to the Public Garden down the street. Students should be intermediate-level photographers and bring their own digital cameras. It is recommended that if students have a tripod they bring it to the class.

    Christopher Padgett is a photographer based in Salem, Massachusetts whose passion lies in landscape and architecture photography. Unfortunately, buildings usually don’t buy photos of themselves, so he does occasional weddings and family portraits as well. His work has been published online, in several Greater Boston magazines, and sold in North Shore boutiques. Chris also has twelve years of commercial radio experience, hosting morning shows in three different state capitols over ten years, podcasting to the world from friends’ homes and even running a pirate radio station from the top of Beacon Hill at one point, but don’t tell the FCC that part. $65. Register online at www.bcae.org.

  • Wednesday, October 11, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal

    Every private journal tells the story of a self, and Henry David Thoreau kept one of the most faithful, thoughtful, and provocative journals in American history. His everyday companion, the journal was an essential tool for mindful living, and grist for one of the world’s most influential books, Walden, or Life in the Woods. Two hundred years after Thoreau’s birth, his thoughts on the value of introspection, simple living, and self-sufficiency continue to challenge and inspire us.

    On Wednesday, October 11 beginning at 7 pm at the Arnold Arboretum, David Wood, curator of This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal, will discuss how the first major exhibition devoted to the life of one of America’s most influential citizens will bring contemporary audiences face to face with a man whose life continues to impact our modern world. The lecture is free but registration is necessary. Call 617-384-5277, or email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu.

    This Ever New Self, a joint exhibition with The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, will be on view at the Concord Museum through January 21, 2018.

  • Saturday, October 14 – Sunday, October 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Autumn Spirits

    Bring the kids in costumes to Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Octuber 14 and 15 and explore our Fairy House walk. Adults can enjoy brews and spirits while learning about the connections between plants and brewing as we revel in the witching hour soon to come. Enjoy food trucks – Home Grown on Saturday, October 14 and Say Cheese on Sunday, October 15. Kids of all ages are encouraged to wear woodland fairy or animal costumes. Free with admission. For more information, visit www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.onlyinyourstate.com.

    Schedule:
    10am–3pm / Fairy House Walk in Inner Park
    10am–4pm / Crafts
    10am–4pm / Face Painting
    10am–4pm / Beer, Cider, Wine Tastings
    11:30am–noon / Storytime
    1pm–3pm / Lawn Garden Relay Games

    Events on Saturday, October 14 only:
    10:30am–noon / Fairy Houses Workshop
    1pm and 3pm / Live music with Kieran McNally
    1pm–2pm / Free Family Walk
    2pm / Fall Foliage Tour

    Events on Sunday, October 15 only:
    1pm and 3pm / Live music with Tony Watt
    2pm / Garden Tour
    3pm / Chef Demo with Sally Vargas

  • Thursday, October 19, 10:30 am – The Gardens and Plants at Tower Hill

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay continues its monthly programs on Thursday, October 19 with a field trip to Boylston, Massachusetts. Joann Vieira, Director of Horticulture at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will lead a tour of The Gardens and Plants at Tower Hill. The tour will be followed by lunch at Twigs Restaurant and a little time for browsing in the lovely gift shop before returning to Boston. Depending on weather, we will either hear about and see The Plants of Tower Hill or enjoy an indoor illustrated lecture on Cary Award Winning Plants. Garden Club members will receive car pool notification of the trip. If nonmembers are interested in joining us, please email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Monday, October 9, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Artful Rainwater Design: Stormwater Designs that Enhance Aesthetics

    The concept of Artful Rainwater Design, a term coined by Dr. Sturart Echols and Ms. Eliza Pennypacker, is based on the premise that stormwater management can be designed such that new site amenities are created. These amenities result in greater user satisfaction and perceived value. Looking at rainwater-focused projects nationwide, the presenters  in this October 9 webinar will discuss how these designs transformed the treatment of stormwater into attractive landscapes with educational and recreational components. They will look at specific examples of built designs, explain the principles behind the idea, and discuss the barriers and challenges that need to be addressed for Artful Rainwater Design to become a typical approach to stormwater management. They will look at the work of other designers and offer ideas for future possibilities utilizing their creative, place-making approach to stormwater management.

    Dr. Stuart Echols, is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Penn State University. His interests focus on integrating two aspects of stormwater design: utility and amenity. Through his research, Dr. Echols has developed a method of stormwater design that integrates the landscape and stormwater and that seeks to restore and preserve natural hydrology. He received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in environmental design and planning. He coauthored the book Artful Rainwater Design: Creative Ways to Manage Stormwater.

    Eliza Pennypacker has been a faculty member in Penn State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture since 1982 and is currently the Head of the Department. She has taught a wide range of courses, including the History of Landscape Architecture and all levels of design studio. Professor Pennypacker’s research focuses on what she refers to as Artful Rainwater Design: stormwater management that not only mitigates quality and quantity of runoff, but that also celebrates rainwater in a way that educates or entertains visitors. She has written and presented on this topic extensively, and in collaboration with Stuart Echols, recently published a book, Artful Rainwater Design: Creative Ways to Manage Stormwater.

    The webinar is sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance and is free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-artful-rainwater-design-stormwater-designs-enhance-aesthetics/