Boston Flora

Month: October 2018

  • Thursday, October 25, and Saturday, October 27, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Framework Trees of New England

    Forests are a dominant feature of the New England landscape. This two day New England Wild Flower Society course on October 25 and 27 from 10 – 5 at Nasami Farm in Whately, and other field sites, covers the history, changes in composition, and ecology of the region’s forest from the Ice Age through European settlement. Learn to identify native trees, their habitats, and their communities. Explore the impact of past natural and human disturbances on the landscape and learn how current forestry practices shape forest communities. Taught by forester Jonathan “Yoni” Glogower, and co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, the cost is $216 for sponsor members, $254 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Monday, October 22, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – Marty Poirier

    For 40 years, Marty Poirier has combined insatiable curiosity with love of community life to practice landscape architecture fused with urbanity, social purpose, and aesthetics. His designs strive to shape expressive places that people connect with. Marty’s career is filled with assignments informed by the downtown centers in which he has lived and worked – Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cambridge, New York, and San Diego. His work has focused on places of dense human interaction – parks, college campuses, and city centers – where rigorous site analysis and program definition are masterfully transformed into remarkable landscapes.

    After 27 years of co-directing SPURLOCK POIRIER Landscape Architects, Marty rejoined mentor Peter Walker, to practice with PWP Landscape Architecture. The recipient of numerous design awards, Poirier has lectured widely throughout North America. He serves on the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council, and co-founded the Harvard DISrupt! conference series.

    Poirier finds great inspiration for his aesthetic pursuits through dialogue and collaborative projects with a diverse range of artists including Robert Irwin, Alexis Smith, Quincy Troupe, Ned Kahn, and Tim Hawkinson. This passion for aesthetics – conditioned to each setting – shapes his ongoing collaboration with Chef Thomas Keller and Laura Cunningham at The French Laundry and Bouchon. He will speak on Monday, October 22 at noon in Gund Hall, 112 Stubbins, at the Harvard School of Graduate Design. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/marty-poirier/

  • Sunday, October 28, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm – Lightroom

    Do you have a ton of images you need to manage? Then this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class on Sunday, October 28 from 10:30 – 2:30 is for you. Join Steve as he uncovers some of the mysteries of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, a fantastic tool for any digital photographer who needs to edit and manage images quickly. In this class you will discover techniques for cropping, adding effects, showcasing your work in slideshows, and creating beautiful prints. Bring your laptop for this intermediate level class and discover a new way to manage you photography. $45 for Tower Hill members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Steve McGrath is a professional freelance photographer and photography teacher who has been creating images for 20 years. Steve first began by shooting sports photography for local high schools, then weddings, and stock agencies. Then his love of the outdoors led him to focusing more on his true passion, “nature photography”. Steve was an active member of the Gateway Camera Club for many years, and has won many ribbons and awards at fairs and competitions through the group and on his own. Several of his images have been published in school text books. His favorite places to shoot are Acadia National Park in Maine, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the Cape Cod National Seashore.

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  • Tuesday, October 23, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Designing a Garden for All Seasons: Autumn Edition

    Tuesday, October 23, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Designing a Garden for All Seasons: Autumn Edition

    How do you both captivate people and provide for wildlife year-round in a garden for all seasons? Anna Fialkoff will discuss garden designs that focus your plant palette on structure and seasonal themes to carry you through the year. This New England Wild Flower Society class will take place Tuesday, October 23 from 1 – 3. Afterward, you will walk through Garden in the Woods to see how the horticulture team tackles the autumn season at Garden in the Woods. $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Sunday, October 28, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Raise The Roof

    Celebrate all the best that fall has to offer at Historic New England’s Save The Roof fundraiser on Sunday, October 28 from 3 – 6 at The Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham. It’s a twist on a county fair – there will be lots of food, drink, music, demonstrations, and more than a few surprises. It’s going to be blue jeans and bluegrass with a down-home vibe you won’t want to miss, all in the name of raising funds for roof projects on ten historic properties. For tickets and more information call 617-994-5965 or email events@historicnewengland.org.

  • Saturday, October 27, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Ellen Shipman and the American Garden

    Ellen Shipman (1869-1950) was one of the leading landscape architects of the Country House era, designing over 600 gardens, often in collaboration with leading architects, such as Charles Platt and Harrie T. Lindeberg. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture and book signing on October 27 at 1 pm will explore Shipman’s career and recent restorations of her gardens, such as Longue Vue House and Gardens, Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, and several private commissions. Free with admission to Tower Hill.

    Judith B. Tankard is an art historian specializing in American and British landscape history. She is the author of ten books, including Beatrix Farrand: Private Gardens, Public Landscapes and Gertrude Jekyll and the Country House Garden. She is a Fellow of the Garden Conservancy and an advisor for several landscape preservation organizations. She taught at the Landscape Institute, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, for more than twenty years. Most importantly, in our view, she is a member of The Garden Club of the Back Bay. For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Thursday, October 18, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Seed and Fruit Morphology

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society’s Seed Bank Coordinator, Michael Piantedosi, on October 18 from 6 – 9 at Garden in the Woods to explore the variety of plant reproduction forms in the New England flora. Participants examine the wide array of fruiting morphologies in various plant families and gain a comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary advantages of fruit and seed physiology for distribution, germination, and perpetuation of species. $40 for NEWFS members, $48 for non members. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Sunday, October 21, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – New England Plant Diversity, Session 1

    This New England Wild Flower Society class with Arthur Haines on October 21 from 1 – 4 at Garden in the Woods addresses the vocabulary needed to understand plant identification and classification based on vegetative and reproductive structures. An introduction to plant nomenclature, phylogeny, and scientific names is also provided. Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissioners. $46 for NEWFS members, $54 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org.

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  • Tuesday, October 16, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Ex-situ Conservation: Global Initiatives and Context Webinar

    Ex-situ (or off-site) conservation is a means of preserving genetic materials outside of a plant’s natural habitat. Among the many methods of ex-situ conservation, the New England Wild Flower Society’s regional Seed Bank is a local example of an effort to preserve rare and endangered species. Many other plant materials can be stored this way, including rare heirloom vegetables. There are also other ways to store seeds. Join Seed Bank Coordinator Michael Piantedosi on line on Tuesday, October 16 from 2 – 3 to discuss the many efforts to preserve given genotypes throughout the world and close to home. $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Register at www.newenglandwild.org.

  • Saturday, October 20, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Tracing Conservation History: Back Bay

    Saturday, October 20, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Tracing Conservation History: Back Bay

    Who and what inspired current practices and perspectives in plant protection? This October 20th walking tour from 1:30 – 3 with landscape historian Courtney Allen leads participants on a journey of the conservation movement at the turn of the twentieth century. Discover historic local efforts and their impact on the national conversation, right at the Society’s birthplace. Wear walking shoes and dress for the weather. Meeting place will be sent upon registration. $24 for New England Wild Flower Society members, $28 for nonmembers. Register online at www.newenglandwild.org.

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