Boston Flora

Month: December 2018

  • Tuesday, January 15, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Diversity Your Lawn

    Who says lawns need to be monocultures or only made of grasses? Enrich the traditional lawn with other complementary plants that bloom at different times and add intrigue. Learn how to identify the plants that already grow in lawn as “weeds,” and to incorporate new plants that create a rich, wildlife-friendly tapestry. This New England Wild Flower Society and Ecological Landscape Alliance class will take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Tuesday, January 15 from 1 – 2:30, and will be taught by Anna Fialkoff. $20 if you are a member of one of the sponsoring organizations, $24 if not. Register online at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/diversify-your-lawn

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  • Wreath of the Day – A Woodland Look

    While the pictured wreath looks very natural and woodsy, if you look closely you’ll see velvet poinsettia leaves (scavenged from some artificial flowers purchased at one of our wholesale supplier’s stores), glass balls, and glittery sparkling artificial branches in a copper/burgundy color, all mixed in with a variety of natural greens, and highlighted by a gorgeous tapestry ribbon. This wreath is meant to be hung indoors or in a sheltered location due to the fabrics involved.

  • Merry Christmas to All

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay wishes you all a joyous and Merry Christmas!

  • Wreath of the Day – The Day Lunch Went Missing

    For only the second time in twenty-plus years, lunch failed to arrive on time one day during wreath week. Deliveries of sandwich platters, wraps, pizza, or whatever menu items we choose to try in the run up to the project, are set out around noon each day.  Chips, popcorn, fruit, and drinks augment the selection. So, when nothing was offered by one o’clock on Tuesday, the natives were restless. We don’t want to lose a single volunteer because they need to go home or out to eat. Our intrepid desk chairs began to call both GrubHub, through which the orders were placed, and eventually Viga, the restaurant charged with supplying the sandwiches. Perhaps it’s best to say that calling about an online transaction mid-day during the holidays is the least satisfactory way to spend your time. After endless waits and transfers, we were offered the opportunity to cancel the order (no!) or wait another 45 minutes for the order, which is the option we chose. Never have sandwiches tasted so good when they finally arrived after 2 pm.  It’s said that armies travel on their stomachs. We can attest to that.

     

  • Thursday, January 17, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Potager Gardens

    Starting with a presentation of images illustrating the different elements of the Potager garden and of containers that also follow the same elements of design, and with the design elements of the typical Potager garden in mind, instructor Betsy Grecoe will guide participants through a design process for what they would like to plant.

    Participants will use graph paper, rulers, and colored markers to design what they would like to plant when they get home. Several books will also be available to provide more suggestions and illustrations of the design elements. As some of us do not have the space, or the desire to uproot the entire yard and plant a new garden, this design exercise can be adapted to container gardens as well. The class takes place January 17 from 7 – 8:30 at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. $12 for Mass Hort members, $20 for general public.

    Betsy Grecoe is a past-president of the Tewksbury Garden Club and former English teacher who has traveled extensively, visiting gardens across the United States. Register at https://masshort.org/education-events/potager-gardens/

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  • Wreath of the Day – Matched or Mirror?

    We had an interesting comment from one of our recipients this year, who needed a pair of matched decorated wreaths for her front doors. In the past, the bows had been placed either on top, or at the clock positions we refer to as 10 and 2, but those choices were made by the decorator and were not specified by the client, or by our in-house procedures. This year she received a matched pair with both bows at the 10 o’clock position. We thought the wreaths were beautiful, but she thought a mistake had occurred, and was wily enough to rehang one wreath so the bow was where she wanted it to be, although we believe some of the decorations may now look as if they are upside down. Our decorating team exchanged emails and decided we didn’t think matching ribbon positions  in this way is wrong or unattractive, but of course we made a note to make our distraught customer’s wreaths differently in future.  What do you think? Should all matched pairs be done with bows on top, or as mirror image?

  • Wednesday, January 9, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – The Power of Public Monuments and Why They Matter

    The Committee to Renew the Shaw 54th Memorial cordially invites you to join them for a community conversation on The Power of Public Monuments and Why They Matter, featuring a dynamic panel of speakers moderated by Beverly Morgan-Welch, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The event takes place Wednesday, January 9 from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Tremont Temple Baptist Church, 88 Tremont Street in Boston. Emcee Karen Holmes Ward of WCVB Boston welcomes DeRay McKessen, civil rights activist, Renee Ater, American public art historian, and F. Sheffield Hale of the Atlanta History Center. The event is in part sponsored by The Salah Foundation and The Friends of the Public Garden.  Free, but registration required by clicking HERE.

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  • Wreath of the Day – Pine Street Inn

    We decorate wreaths for raffle winners and high auction bidders to benefit various not for profit organizations, and this year we received a heartwarming note from a member of the Noannet Garden Club, who, unbeknownst to us, planned to donate her wreath to the Pine Street Inn. Pine Street Inn provides a comprehensive range of services, including permanent supportive housing, job training and placement, emergency shelter and street outreach to nearly 2,000 homeless men and women each day. Founded in 1969, Pine Street is the largest resource for homeless men and women in New England. The wreath pictured below now hangs on the door leading to the men’s dining hall there. She reports the men and the staff were thrilled to receive it. The only decorations they had were a couple of tin Christmas trees, and this wreath has brought joy to all who see it.

  • Wreath of the Day – The Walking Wounded

    This was a year of aches and pains, accidents, colds, you name it. One of our most prolific decorators had shoulder surgery and was unable to work, although she came in and did her best to help in other ways.  Our past co-chair of the Twilight Garden Party helped Sunday and Monday, had cataract surgery Tuesday, and was back on Wednesday. A couple were suffering from bad colds, and another worked with an arm brace due to a stretched ligament (total rest for one month recommended.) Another designer was only able to come for one day, but her work that day was exquisite, and we hope to have her back in full swing next year.

  • Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit – Annual Update

    We received the following letter from Chief Gene Survillo and wish to share part of it with our readers:

    We offer you an update on “Jacob” (BPR Mount #598) and his rehabilitation. For Park Ranger trivia buffs, “Jake” was originally sponsored in 1998 by Mr. Kevin Fitzgerald, the owner and operator of Jacob Wirth’s Restaurant!

    In late July Jake was diagnosed with a serious and debilitating hoof disease referred to as “canker.” His treatment began immediately at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine under the care of Dr. Thomas Jenei and their incredible staff. His care then continued with extensive rehabilitation at the Ross Haven Farm in Sturbridge under the direction of Dr. Carl Kirkerhead.

    Despite daily treatments and a level of care by Dr. Kirkerhead and his staff (care that can only be described as amazing and inspirational), his condition worsened in September. Another intensive procedure was performed at Tufts and he returned to Ross Haven in October for further rehabilitation. The prognosis held serious concern but, nonetheless, cautious optimism. We are now thrilled to report that Jake has finally (and somewhat miraculously!) been cleared to return home and is now back in the comfort of his stall at our barn.

    Jake’s history as one of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit’s great horses is legendary. We share this update if for no other reason than to add to his storied past as well as to magnify his incredible character, personality, and trustworthiness as a Park Ranger mount and his service to The City of Boston. Anyone who has experienced his gentle yet bold behavior understands that Jake possesses traits that you simply cannot train into a horse. In his retirement, it’s these very character traits that have contributed to his being a favorite among those dedicated and committed to his care and recovery.

    We now face the challenge of finding the appropriate retirement setting for Jake. It will take a special environment along with special caretakers for this very, very special partner. We are confident we will find that home and in the meantime, Jake will continue his recovery here at our Mounted Operations in Franklin Park among his old friends and partners – both equine and human!

    Anyone wishing to donate to the Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit on Jacob’s behalf may do so at https://friendsofthebprmountedunit.org/donate/