Boston Flora

Month: November 2017

  • Holiday Wreaths 2017 – Deadline Today!

    We will be happy to sell plain wreaths and wreaths with bows, if supplies last, on site at The First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, during wreath week, December 4 – 7, but today is the final day to order one of our fully decorated wreaths and poinsettia plants. If you have procrastinated, now is the time to act. Our online store will accept orders until early tomorrow morning, after which the window closes. Go to https://bostonflora.com/shop/ immediately!  Thank you all for your support.

  • Sunday, June 10 – Monday, June 18 – England, Gardens of the West Country

    Cornwall, Devon, Somerset & Wiltshire — Come explore the enchanting West Country of England, with rich gardening traditions that have influenced Western horticulture, on June 10 – 18 with the American Horticultural Society. Our trip starts in coastal Cornwall, where the mild, maritime climate supports both subtropical and Mediterranean-style plantings. From there, we will continue on through equally lush and diverse garden settings in Devon, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Your AHS Hosts will be Holly and Osamu Shimizu, horticultural professionals who trained in England. Holly is an AHS Board member and is currently the Interim Executive Director of the AHS.

    Our itinerary begins on the picturesque Cornish coast with walks through the Lost Gardens of Heligan (pictured below), the Eden Project, Trelissick, and Glendurgan Garden. Crossing into Devon we will visit the Antony House and its gardens, the thatched cottages of Mothecombe, the gardens and interiors at Mothecombe House with its architectural additions by Sir Edward Lutyens, and the Garden House with a famed two-acre walled garden.More historic houses and gardens await us in Devon, including the Elizabethan manor, Cadhay, and Killerton House, where the landscape was created by Capability Brown and Scottish horticulturist John Veitch. In Somerset and Wiltshire we will see Wells Cathedral and nearby Milton Lodge, then the next day visit Bath, Bradford on Avon, and Iford Manor with its hillside garden by Harold Ainsworth Peto. At Claverton Manor we will tour the American Museum and its Mount Vernon Garden, a replica of the flower garden at George Washington’s home. Our tour organizer is Susie Orso, a native of Britain, who has arranged and led dozens of AHS Travel Study programs. Susie has created this special tour, offered exclusively to our AHS travelers. For complete itinerary and information visit http://ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/travel-study/england-gardens-of-the-west-country2018

  • Friday, December 8, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Make a Kissing Ball

    Come join Weston Nurseries of Chelmsford, 160 Pine Hill Road in Chelmsford, on Friday, December 8 from 6 – 8 for an evening of merriment and holiday creativity. Create your own outdoor holiday hanger with fragrant holiday greenery, ribbon, pine cones and colorful metallic ornaments. Want to add more bling? No problem! Weston Nurseries will be open for your shopping pleasure and will have holiday decorations available to purchase. Proceeds will benefit the Power of Flowers Project, and registration should be done in advance, directly with the Power of Flowers Project at powerofflowersproject.org Your hostess for the workshop will be Joyce Bellefuille. Since its beginning in 2009, with a few volunteers arranging flowers in floral designer Joyce Bellefeuille’s basement workshop, The Power of Flowers Project has grown to include over 100 volunteers donating thousands of hours each year and scores of recipient facilities serving the ill, the elderly, veterans, and others in need of a lift. Fee- $40.00

  • Holidays on Cape Cod – Selected Events

    Much is happening in Cape Cod over the next few weeks.

    A Seaside Christmas in Orleans is a month long celebration with shopkeepers, gallery owners and restaurants welcoming visitors with special events and tasty treats. Visit https://orleanscapecod.org/explore/a-seaside-christmas-in-orleans/

    Through December 30, the Annual Glassblowers’ Christmas takes place at the Sandwich Glass Museum on Main Street in Sandwich Village. In addition to the spectacular glass exhibits the Museum is known for worldwide, this time of year features special trees decorated with hundreds of unique glass ornaments created by some of the region’s foremost glass artists. Click on http://sandwichglassmuseum.org/

    On December 1 – 9, stop by the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum on Main Street in Hyannis.Throughout the Museum you’ll see rooms filled with Christmas trees – all festooned with lights and ornaments, and surrounded with decorations and gifts. They’re all waiting for lucky raffle winners to take them home. (Yes, if you have the winning ticket for your favorite tree, it’ll be yours to keep – decorations, gifts and all!)

    Falmouth Holidays By The Sea takes place December 1 – 3, and includes the arrival of Santa sailing into Falmouth Harbor, the Annual Lighting of the Falmouth Village Green with caroling and a downtown Holiday Stroll. Noon on Sunday is kick-off time for the annual Falmouth Christmas Parade. Renowned for being southeast Massachusetts’ largest Christmas parade, highlights include decorated floats, marching bands, live animals, costumed characters and Santa Claus, too. It’s one of the premier Cape Cod events in December – definitely not to be missed!

    Brewster won’t be left out. Brewster for the Holidays is a town-wide celebration is a long-standing tradition in the historic “Sea Captains Town” of Brewster. Festivities begin on Friday morning when local shops, galleries and inns open their doors for a weekend of family-friendly events, activities and promotions. Highlights of Brewster for the Holidays include the Tree Lighting and the Lighting of the Windmill at Drummer Boy Park, blacksmith demonstration and windmill tours, a Holiday band concert, Arts & Crafts Show, and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History’s Gala Family Party.

    That same weekend you can go to Christmas in Harwich. This weekend in Harwich begins with the Harwich Port Stroll where locals and visitors join together for the tree lighting ceremony and caroling. Also on Friday evening, have your photo taken with Santa (he arrives by fire truck), and take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Harwich Port. Complete details are at http://harwichcc.com/cape-cod-vacation/christmas-in-harwich/

    For the wow factor, attend Holly Folly Weekend December 1 – 3 in Provincetown. Holly Folly Weekend, the Provincetown Business Guild’s Gay and Lesbian Holiday Festival, kicks off on Friday with the “Holly Folly Shop Hop”, a great time to peruse Provincetown’s amazing variety of shops and galleries for unique gifts that’ll “Wow” everyone on your list – pets included!

    Throughout the weekend there’ll be events all over town. Open houses, dance parties, drag bingo, a Jingle Bell Bathing Suit Run down the center of town … that’s just a little sampling of the fun and frivolity in P’town on Holly Folly Weekend.

    The Yarmouthport Christmas Stroll is on December 3 from 1 – 4 on Route 6A. Information can be found at http://www.yarmouthcapecod.com/yarmouth-port-christmas-stroll/

    Chatham gets into the act December 8 – 9 with Christmas in Chatham. Christmas in Chatham will bring you back to days gone by. This weekend is part of a month-long celebration of the Holidays that includes a town light parade, caroling, visits with Santa, music and theater performances, sweet treats, Christmas fairs, open houses and shopping throughout the town.

    The Historic Bass River Holiday Cookie Stroll will take place December 9 from 10 – 3. Tour grand homes in the historic village of Bass River, see the sights, and pick up home-baked cookies along the way. What could be better?? When you purchase a ticket for the Cookie Stroll, your ticket is actually a cookbook with recipes for cookies served at the sites along this two-mile walking tour.  Tickets ($20)  to this popular event are limited and sell out quickly. All proceeds support the South Yarmouth Library. http://www.yarmouth.ma.us/1267/Annual-Holiday-Cookie-Stroll-and-Open-Ho

  • Sunday, June 3 – Saturday, June 9 – Philadelphia: Historic Gardens, Nurseries, & Private Landscapes

    The greater Philadelphia area boasts some of the most outstanding gardens in the United States. Join Pacific Horticulture June 3 – 9, 2018 for an inside look at historic gardens, exceptional nurseries, and private landscapes rarely open to the public.

    Our itinerary includes visits to estate gardens founded on fabulous wealth and a historic garden pre-dating American Independence, as well as a collection of delightful personal gardens. At Longwood Gardens we’ll attend the fabulous fountain show in the Italian-style outdoor theater. And we’ll enjoy a docent-led tour of Chanticleer, a pleasure garden that’s been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America (image below from www.pyours.com). The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College , Brandywine Cottage, Meadowbrook Farm, and many more sites will be included. PHS board member Sue Goetz will escort this tour. Your hotel is the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, in the heart of the historic Old City.

    Registration for this tour is now open. For complete itinerary details and information about booking this trip click http://www.sterlingtoursltd.com/Philadelphia2018.html

  • Holiday Wreaths 2017 – Final Week of Ordering

    The order window for fully decorated wreaths closes November 30. Don’t miss the opportunity today, Cyber Monday, to purchase one of our holiday wreaths or poinsettia plants for yourself or for holiday giving. Remember that all proceeds are funneled into City beautification projects.  Order now at https://bostonflora.com/shop/

  • Saturday, December 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Custom House Maritime Museum Holiday House Tour

    The Holiday House Tours come fast and furious at this time of year.  The Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport has scheduled its 2017 Holiday House Tour, which will take place Saturday, December 9 from 10 – 4. Learn more by calling 978-462-8681, email info@thechmm.org, or visit http://www.customhousemaritimemuseum.org/

  • Sunday, December 10, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bedford Holiday House Tour

    The Bedford Chamber of Commerce will be holding the Suzanne & Co. Holiday House Tour Sunday, December 10; 1-4 p.m. Get in the holiday spirit with a stroll through some of Bedford’s most beautiful homes, festively decorated for the season. Advance tickets are $20.00 for adults, $15.00 for seniors. On the day of the event they will be $25.00. Tickets are available Great Road Galleries, 363 Great Road, New England Nurseries, 216 Concord Road, Prince St. Cafe & Bakery 200 Great Road. Proceeds fund the Charles Hume Scholarship, given annually to a Bedford High School senior. For more information, please contact Maureen Sullivan, 781-275-8503.

  • Saturday, December 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Sippican Holiday House Tour

    The annual Holiday House Tour is the principal fund-raising activity of the Sippican Woman’s Club. All proceeds from the House Tour go towards scholarships to Marion students pursuing bachelor’s degrees. For more than 30 years, Marion’s homeowners have generously opened their homes to the Tour. Until Tour Day (this year on Saturday, Dec. 9), the list of houses on the Tour is kept secret from all but a few. The Tour begins at Handy’s Tavern, proceeds to several local homes selected for special historical or architectural interest, and ends with the hospitality of the Sippican Woman’s Club at the Tea held at the Parish Hall of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church (2 to 4 pm). Houses are open from 10 am until 4 pm.

    Ticket prices: advance $20 each, day of Tour $25 each

    Advance tickets may be purchased in Marion at the General Store, the Bookstall and Serendipity by the Sea and in Mattapoisett at Isabelle’s in the Ropewalk or by mail (send a check for the total amount to Tickets, Sippican Woman’s Club, PO Box 121, Marion, MA 02738). On Tour Day retrieve your “Will Call” Tour brochures or purchase your same day tickets at the Coldwell Banker Realty office next to Handy’s Tavern.

  • Saturday, December 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Holiday House Tour

    The Village Garden Club of Dennis presents Holiday House Tour on Saturday, December 9 between 10 – 4. The tour features 6 homes in Dennis and East Dennis that are festively decorated for the season, and the benefit event is open to the public.One home will have a small holiday boutique, another will feature a harpist. Tickets will be $30 the day of the tour at Carleton Hall, Old Bass River Road, Dennis. Advance tickets are $25 and may be purchased at Scout– 776 Rte 6A, Dennis, and Dennis Chamber of Commerce –242 Swan River Road, Dennisport, or by e-mailing villagegardenclubofdennis@gmail.com