Boston Flora

Month: March 2018

  • Thursday, March 22, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Rev Up For Spring: Seed Sowing, Growing and More

    The groundhog has spoken. It’s time to start the garden. On Thursday, March 22 in the Parkman Room of Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, flower farmer Evelyn Lee of Lovin’ Fresh Flowers will introduce you to an array of flowers you can grow for your next arrangement or simply to enjoy in your garden. Evelyn will focus on indoor and outdoor sowing, planting methods and timing for annuals, hardy annuals, tubers, bulbs, and more. Image below by Patri Feher Photography.

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society presentation will include a demonstration on the soil blocking method of starting seeds. $12 for Mass Hort members, $20 general admission. Register at http://www.masshort.org/education-classes.

  • Friday, March 16, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Soil & Water Conservation Society Winter Conference: Healthy Forests, Healthy Habitats

    The Southern New England Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society will hold its 2018 Winter Conference on Friday, March 16 from 8 – 5 at the Publick House Historic Inn in Sturbridge. Guest speakers include

    Lois Bruinooge, Executive Director, The Last Green Valley, & Coordinator, Southern New England Heritage Forest Project
    Partners Bring $6.1 Million to the Region for Forest Conservation!

    Michael Downey, MA DCR Service Forester
    Introduction to Agroforestry: The Science, Practice and Possibilities for Massachusetts

    Fern Graves, RI Department of Environmental Management, Forester & Stewardship Coordinator
    Healthy Forests

    Douglas Hutcheson, MA DCR Service Forester
    Forestry Best Management Practices

    Steve Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Ecologist, SWCA Environmental Consultants
    Rare and Endangered Species and Forest Cutting

    Christopher Martin, Forestry, CT DEEP
    Forestry and Water Quality

    John Scanlon, Habitat Program Supervisor, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
    Young Forest Habitats, Forest Reserves and Rare Species Habitats

    Thomas Worthley, Associate Extension Professor at the University of Connecticut
    Perspectives on Woodland Management in a Parcelizing World

    In keeping with the Forestry and Wildlife theme, we will be joined for the day by members of the Yankee Division of the Society of American Foresters (YDSAF), the professional forestry organization in Southern New England, for their Annual Meeting.

    $65 SWCS Members & SAF Members
    $65 Government Staff
    $90 Non-Members
    $40 Students
    Group Discounts (25% OFF)

    In conjunction with the conference, EnviroCert International, Inc. (ECI) will be leading review courses and a next day exam for several professional certifications including but not limited to the Certified Professional in Erosion & Sediment Control™ (CPESC®) and Certified Erosion, Sediment & Stormwater Inspector™ (CESSWI™) programs. Registration for these review courses and exams are available at http://booking.envirocertintl.org/ and is a separate registration.

    Contact Megan Myers, Executive Director, with questions at info@swcssnec.org

    Image result for southern new england heritage forest

  • Saturday, March 10, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Native Plants for Landscape Design

    Native plants offer as much design value as the traditional exotic plants used in most American landscapes – and they provide considerably more in terms of ecosystem value. This Ecological Landscape Alliance class at Garden in the Woods on Saturday, March 10 from 10 – 11 will identify native plants formerly unused in the designed landscape and discuss the characteristics they offer in specific site conditions.

    Instructor: Amy Nyman is a Landscape Designer and owner of Ruby Leaf Design providing landscape planning and ecological solutions including site analysis, landscape restoration, water management, native plant use, hardscaping, master plans, planting plans, and edible landscaping. Amy’s believes that design is a balance of function, beauty, and health. Her professional goal is to help people find that balance within their living spaces, whether those spaces are personal, business, or public. $15 for ELA members, $17 for nonmembers. register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/native-plants-landscape-design/

  • Monday, March 26, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Fingerprints of Sea Level Change in a Warming World

    Each winter, Director William (Ned) Friedman and the Arnold Arboretum present the Director’s Lecture Series, featuring nationally recognized experts addressing an array of topics related to Earth’s biodiversity and evolutionary history, the environment, conservation biology, and key social issues associated with current science. The Director’s Lecture Series is open to current Arnold Arboretum members only; visit http://arboretum.harvard.edu for information on becoming a member. Lectures take place in the Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall. Parking will be available along the Arborway and in front of the Hunnewell Building on lecture nights.

    On Monday, March 26 at 7 pm, Jerry X. Mitrovica, PhD, the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, will speak on The Fingerprints of Sea Level Change in a Warming World. Sea level changes are a particularly dramatic consequence of global warming and estimates of the average rise in sea level over the past decade are routinely reported in the media. However, such estimates obscure the fact that observed sea level changes vary dramatically around the globe. Professor Jerry Mitrovica will describe the sources of this variability and focus on the unique patterns – or fingerprints – of sea level change that follow the melting of ice sheets and glaciers. Those of us who live on the US east coast should be far more concerned about the fate of the distant Antarctic Ice Sheet than the future of our neighbor, the ice sheet that now covers Greenland.  Image from www.sciencedaily.com.

    Register at https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/news-events/directors-lecture-series/

  • Friday, March 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Meadows 1 2 3

    No one can grow an instant meadow, but in this one-day seminar you can quickly increase your understanding of what it takes to create one. The topics covered include: what a meadow is; what makes a good meadow site; how you can prepare for planting, select plant species, and find seeds or plugs; how to plant; and what to expect from your meadow in years one, two, and three.  Class, which takes place at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, will take place Friday, March 9 from 10 – 4, and is taught by Kathy Connolly, Landscape Designer at Speaking of Landscapes, LLC. Bring a bag lunch.

    Co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and the Ecological Landscape Alliance. $80 for members of sponsoring organizations, $96 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/meadows-1-2-3-2/

    Kathy Connolly has been involved with horticulture, land care, and landscape design for 30 years. As a landscape designer, she helps clients create functional, attractive outdoor spaces with a great deal of attention to plant health (and the health of the planet). Kathy’s specialties include meadows, waterside buffer gardens, woodland edge and shade plantings, deer-resistant designs, and foundation gardens. Her designs emphasize native plants and organic techniques.  Image from www.howtogeek.com.

  • Saturday, March 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Urban Gardening

    On Saturday, March 17 from 1 – 2:30, Tower Hill Botanic Garden will sponsor a lecture on Urban Gardening in the education building at 11 French Drive in Boylston.

    Urban gardening is about growing food and ornamentals in small spaces. Whether you have a huge yard without the time or desire to tend it all, or an apartment with no outdoor space at all, this comprehensive talk will give you tips and techniques to start and maintain a garden you can call your own.

    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.

    Tower Hill members – $10, nonmembers – $20. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Tuesday, March 13, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Preview Party: Boston Flower & Garden Show

    Tuesday, March 13, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Preview Party: Boston Flower & Garden Show

    On Tuesday night, March 13, enjoy an exclusive cocktail party among the beautiful and elaborate flower and garden displays and exhibits of the Boston Flower & Garden Show before it opens to the public at the Seaport World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard in Boston.

    2018 Boston Flower & Garden Show Theme: Savor Spring! As winter wanes, designers and exhibitors will whet your appetite for the sumptuous joys of the season ahead. Colorful gardens and floral designs will incorporate elements of the popular food gardening trend including organics, small-space gardens, homesteading hobbies, edibles as ornamentals and family-friendly spaces for outdoor dining and entertaining.

    Tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvre, drinks, dessert, surprise live musical entertainment from the Mix Lounge and more. Tickets for the Preview Party may be purchased at https://thegenesisfoundation.org/events/boston-flower-garden-show-preview-party/ Preview Party attendees will receive a ticket to return to the Boston Flower & Garden Show (March 14-18), a $20 value. All proceeds will benefit The Genesis Foundation for Children. This is a 21+ event.

    Image result for Boston Flower Show preview party

  • Tuesday, March 6, 6:15 pm – 8:00 pm – Greenovate Boston’s Second Climate Ready South Boston Open House

    Climate Ready Boston is Mayor Marty Walsh’s ongoing initiative to help the City grow and prosper in the face of climate change. Protecting South Boston from sea level rise and coastal flooding is a priority. On March 6th, join Greenovate Boston for a community open house, where we will update you on our work and discuss options for ensuring a Climate Ready South Boston. The event will take place in the 5th Floor Conference Room of the Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress Street, beginning at 6:15 pm. RSVP at http://www.greenovateboston.org

    Image result for greenovate boston climate action plan

  • Saturday, March 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Nature Art in Field and Studio

    This one day Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Saturday, March 17 from 10 – 4 will focus on Barry Van Dusen’s recent residency with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. For the past two years, Barry has been traveling around Massachusetts, creating paintings and drawings at Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. Barry will show a selection of the more 130 watercolors he has produced for the project and share his residency sketchbooks. You’ll learn about how the artist uses optics in the field, and how he organizes his art materials for efficient fieldwork. He’ll discuss the approaches he uses to create artwork on location and in his studio. Barry will lead students through basic drawing, tone and color exercises to help them get started with creating their own record of outdoor observations.

    PLEASE NOTE: A MATERIALS LIST WILL BE SENT UPON REGISTRATION. $95 for Tower Hill members, $110 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Barry W. Van Dusen is an internationally recognized and award-winning wildlife artist living in central Massachusetts. Barry’s illustrations and paintings have appeared in many publications and books. In recent years Barry has been Artist-in-Residence at Fruitlands Museums, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and Mass Audubon. See more of the artist’s work at www.barryvandusen.com

  • Friday, March 16, 10:00 am – Carl Linnaeus

    Carol Govan talks about the personal life, unusual philosophy, and important works of Carl Linnaeus on Friday, March 16 at 10 at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden. Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778) invented an easy method to identify and name all plants, including many previously unknown, sent to him from around the world. The modern system of scientific nomenclature is due to his work. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, free. Nonmembers $10. Register by calling 781-283-3094 or email bcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.