Boston Flora

Month: May 2018

  • Thursday, June 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Gardening for Us and Them: How Native Plants Can Feed Both Pollinators and Humans

    People typically begin to create gardens for aesthetic reasons. However, many soon find that they want more than simple beauty and look to incorporate plants that contribute on multiple levels. On Thursday, June 7 at 7 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, Dan Jaffe will address a current trend (one that we hope is lasting) for gardening with pollinator-friendly and edible plants. He’ll explain which flower shapes and colors attract insects, which edibles are more resistant to diseases and pests, and how to provide for pollinators across the growing season. Armed with a bit of knowledge and a selection of low-maintenance native plants, you can create a multi-tasking garden that nourishes the needs of both humans and pollinators. Dan’s book with co-author Mark Richardson, Native Plants for New England Gardens, will be available for purchase and signing. Fee is Free for Arboretum members; $10 nonmember. Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

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  • Friday, June 15 – Sunday, June 17, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Secret Garden Tours of Newport

    Take a self-guided walking tour of private gardens in historic Newport, Rhode Island on June 15, 16, and 17 from 10 – 5. Tickets are now available for the 2018 Spring tours. Tickets may be purchased for $25 on the day of the tour or $20 in advance. Proceeds support arts and cultural programs for Aquidneck Island public schools.

    To Purchase Ticket(s) on the Day of the Tour: Tickets may be purchased for $25 at the Newport Visitors’ Center at 23 America’s Cup Avenue (cash or credit card), or at the main ticket office under the tent in Storer Park at 32 Washington Street  (cash and personal check accepted).

    To Purchase Ticket(s) in Advance: You may purchase tickets in advance by calling (401) 439-7253 or by clicking on the “Purchase Ticket” buttons at http://www.secretgardentours.org/calendar.htm to order securely online. Tickets will be held for you at the tent in Storer Park in June, and can be picked up during tour hours.

    When You Arrive: Check in at the ticket office desk at 32 Washington Street and you will be given a program with a map and directions to each of the gardens. Your ticket will be honored for the purchaser on any or all days of the tour, allowing for inclement weather, schedule conflicts, or just a late start.

  • Saturday, June 9, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Flora of Bearsden Conservation Area

    On Saturday, June 9, join Nancy Goodman, Naturalist and Plant Conservation Volunteer with New England Wild Flower Society for this botanical exploration of the Bearsden Conservation Area. Trees surround us and support us in so many important ways. Though they’re rooted in one place, they are complex, fascinating, and beautiful living things. Plants are also fascinating to look at and identify. We will be looking at a mix of plants and trees to learn what we can. We will also be paying attention to what changes we see when we go from one habitat to another, and how subtle this can be. Plants and trees can tell you a lot about the habitats you might be in. Wear proper foot gear and bring Binoculars, camera, water, LUNCH and a sense of adventure. Meet 10:00 am at the Conservation area parking lot at the end of Bearsden Road in Athol (opposite Athol Hospital on Main Street). This is a moderate 3.5-mile round trip free walk sponsored by the Athol Bird & Nature Club. For more information visit http://atholbirdclub.org or email Dave@atholbirdclub.org.

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  • Saturday, June 9, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Cooking Up Compost

    Turn your yard wastes and household garbage into gardeners’ Brown Gold. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Saturday, June 9 from 10 – 11:30 will teach students how to select safe compost ingredients, and how to blend and process them into a finished product that will improve and enrich the soil to grow healthier flowers, herbs and vegetables.

    Christie Higginbottom has worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village since 1981. From 1984 to 2004 she coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re-created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum’s historic households. She also supervised the Village’s Herb Garden collection, a garden exhibiting over 300 varieties of historic herbs. From 2004 to 2006 she researched and developed a series of self-guided walking trails interpreting people and the environment in the early 1800s. She researched and designed the 2007-2009 exhibit “Taking Root: Gardening in Pots in the early 1800s.” Now retired from full-time work at OSV, she continues to work in costume part-time and to present garden programs for the Village. $15 for THBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—cooking-up-compost

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  • Tuesday, June 12, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Eco Printing: Fiber Art Workshop

    Leaves and flowers placed on specially treated fabric, and then steamed, release their pigments to create realistic prints on the fabric. Fiber artist Mary DeLano will teach students about which plants print reliably and will experiment with others. The class will take place in the Putnam Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on Tuesday, June 12 from 1 – 4:30 pm. Each student will take home four printed pieces of fabric, including one silk scarf and one vintage table linen (materials included).

    $75 Mass Hort members; $110 general admission. Register at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/664/eco-printing-fiber-art-workshop?filter_reset=1

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  • Saturday, June 23, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Orleans Secret Garden Tour

    The Orleans Improvement Association will hold its 30th Anniversary Secret Garden Tour on Saturday, June 23. Garden Tour highlights include seven lovely gardens hosting plein air painters and representatives of the Master Gardener Association of Cape Cod. Major sponsors will be at the gardens with displays and coupons. Many sponsors and lunch spots will be offering discounts with Garden Tour Tickets. After tour receptions will be held from 4 – 6 pm at the Alice Mongeau Gallery, Helen Addison Art Gallery, Gallery 31 and Tree’s Place Gallery. Tickets are available on line at http://www.orleansimprovement.org/special-events/garden-tour/, and at Agway of Cape Cod (Orleans, Chatham & Dennis locations), The Farm in Orleans, Friends Market Place, and Snow’s Home & Garden Center. On Line Tickets can be picked up at the Nauset Regional Middle School on the day of the tour starting at 9:30. Day of Ticket Purchases can be made at the Nauset Regional Middle School starting at 9:30. The Nauset Regional Middle School is located at 70 Route 28, Orleans. No tickets will be sold at the Gardens. Ticket prices $30 – $35.

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  • Memorial Day

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay wishes you all a peaceful day of remembrance.

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  • Thursday, June 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Bio-control of Lily Leaf Beetles

    The Lily Leaf Beetle is largely under control in our area thanks to the efforts of researchers at URI, including Massachusetts Horticultural Society presenter, Dr. Richard Casagrande. On Thursday, June 7 from 7 – 8:30 at The Gardens at Elm Bank’s Parkman Room, Dr. Casagrande will discuss the lily leaf beetle project and its connection to early research at The Gardens at Elm Bank and abroad. He will also review biological control programs underway in this region to find biological controls of invasive insects and plants that are important in Southern New England.

    Richard Casagrande, Emeritus Professor of Entomology, joined the University of Rhode Island faculty in 1976. He taught courses in biological control, integrated pest management, insects and society and gave innumerable lectures to Master Gardeners and landscape practitioners throughout the region. In retirement, he continues to work with colleagues at URI and throughout the world on biological control of invasive insects and plants that are important in Southern New England. Past and current projects include the lily leaf beetle, hemlock woolly adelgid, birch leafminer, Cypress spurge, purple loosestrife, black swallow-wort and common reed.

    $12 Mass Hort members; $20 general admission. Register at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/663/bio-control-of-lily-leaf-beetles?filter_reset=1

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  • Wednesdays, June 6, 13 & 20, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Hands-On Floral Design

    Bring a little bit of your garden indoors. In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society three-session class, in the Cheney Room of the Education Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank, learn how to arrange flowers that you may find in your garden and yard. Barbara Rietscha, owner of Stow Greenhouses in Stow, will bring seasonal flowers from her farm to the class and teach you how to condition and arrange them. In the first class, you will be creating an arrangement in a glass cylinder vase. The second class will teach you how to create a dining table centerpiece and for the third class bring your own vase to arrange in. Flowers for all sessions are provided as are vases for sessions 1 and 2. Bring your own flower cutters/scissors and a vase for session 3. Each evening you will go home with a beautiful arrangement of fresh, locally grown flowers. The dates of the class are Wednesdays, June 6, 13, and 20 from 7 – 9.

    Stow Greenhouses is a cut flower farm and floral design studio specializing in fresh-from-the-garden arrangements for weddings and special life events. They sell retail at many area farmers’ markets and at the Boston Public Market. Stow Greenhouses brings the best of what is blooming from their garden to your vase.

    MUST PRE-REGISTER: $150 Mass Hort members; $200 general admission. Register at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/662/hands-on-floral-design?filter_reset=1

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  • Tuesday, June 12, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm – Serenity on the Hudson at Wave Hill

    Join the staff of Berkshire Botanical Garden for a special tour of Wave Hill, a public garden and cultural center in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. With a notable tree collection serving as the cornerstone of the landscape, Wave Hill consists of 13 designed garden areas on 28 acres. An aquatic garden hugged with tropical plants. A wild garden championed by William Robinson offers winding pathways and spectacular river views. A conservatory filled with ferns, bromeliads, rainforest cacti plus The Cactus and Succulent House which displays plump and spiny plants from arid regions of the world. And the Elliptical Garden featuring primarily native plants using a formal design pattern. This trip, a great way to spend a day with like-minded garden and art lovers, is not to be missed.

    Coach bus leaves Berkshire Botanical Garden promptly at 8am. Dress for the weather: comfortable, sturdy footwear; warm, waterproof outerwear, umbrella. Bring a bag lunch (limited access to a garden cafe is available for those wishing to purchase lunch). $130 for BBG members, $150 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/annual-field-trip-serenity-hudson-wave-hill

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