Boston Flora

Month: June 2019

  • Tuesday, June 11, 6:30 pm – Sonic Sea Screening and Conversation

    Join WBUR on June 11 at 6:30 pm at WBUR CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, for a screening of the award-winning documentary Sonic Sea, followed by a conversation with Dr. Leila Hatch, Marine Ecologist, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA and Barbara Moran, WBUR Senior Producing Editor, Environment.  Sonic Sea, narrated by Rachel McAdams, is about protecting life in our waters from the destructive effects of oceanic noise pollution.

    Hatch is a marine ecologist with the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay and featured in the film. This area has experienced dramatic increases in shipping and she studies how low frequency noise emitted by large ships and other vessels impacts marine mammals who also rely on low frequency signals for communication, foraging, navigating and caring for their young.

    Ticket price is $10 and may be purchased online at www.wbur.org.

  • Saturday, June 15, 10:00 am – 12:15 pm, and Wednesday, June 19, 5:30 pm – 7:45 pm – The Diversity and Ecological Value of Native Shrubs

    This Grow Native Massachusetts workshop at Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park on either June 15 or June 19 will be conducted entirely in the field. Enrollment at each session is limited to 15.

    June is the peak time for some of our loveliest flowering shrubs, many of which also have tremendous value as host plants for the larvae of moths and butterflies.  Join Meredith to learn about the diverse mix of native shrub species found in Stony Brook Reservation, the largest green space in the city of Boston and a hidden gem for plant lovers. This program will cover the basics of woody plant identification, and highlight underutilized species that have tremendous potential for use in challenging landscape settings. $28 for Grow Native Massachusetts members, $38 for nonmembers.

    Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

    https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/ccd47926-2e10-4e60-8f02-b987b6a58180

  • Saturday, June 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – South End Garden Tour

    This year’s South End Garden Tour on June 15 from 10 – 4 is centered on gardens and green spaces in and around the Rutland Square, Pilot Block, Claremont Park, and the Chester Square neighborhoods. A mix of public and private spaces including  private back yards, front gardens, roof deck gardens, community gardens, and neighborhood ‘pocket parks.’ Artists will return to the gardens this year and the tour will be followed by a reception and sale of their wet works. Admission to the reception and sale is included in the tour admission.

    Yes, we’ll start celebrating Father’s Day a day early with deals for Dads at the tour!

    Proceeds of the tour exclusively benefit the South End and Lower Roxbury Gardens through The Trustees. Register for the tour here.

  • Wednesday, June 12, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Brainstorming Meeting for a Dog Park – NEW LOCATION

    The Charlesgate Alliance and Landing Studio will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, June 12th, in conjunction with the Back Bay Dog Park group, from 5:30 to 7:00pm at a meeting room at 91 Bay State Road (to the right as you enter the building) for a brainstorming session about a dog park. This is the first Charlesgate Alliance meeting devoted solely to the dog park element of the future Charlesgate Park. If you are interested in attending this or future meetings, please e-mail Rachel Bakish at charlesgatealliance@gmail.com who will be chairing a Dog Park committee for the Alliance.

  • Saturday, June 22, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm – Laura LeBoutillier

    Enjoy an elegant, seated luncheon on the grounds of the Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff on June 22 at 11:30 am and then remain for an entertaining presentation with Laura LeBoutillier.

    Get to know Laura LeBoutillier of Garden Answer in this Q&A style presentation. During the presentation you’ll learn about Laura’s journey to video fame and the passion for gardening that inspires her videos.

    Laura grew up around her parent’s garden center in Eastern Oregon. She worked there for 10 years and in 2014 started making gardening YouTube videos as a hobby along with her husband Aaron. After 2 short years of creating online videos she amassed over 1 million followers. Today she has over 2.5 million followers on Facebook and approaching half a million on Youtube. This easily makes her the most watched gardener on the internet.

    Admission:  Luncheon & Lecture $100/Lecture Only $50 (Both include one-day Show admission) Purchase at https://www.newportmansions.org/events/newport-flower-show/lectures-and-demonstrations

  • Saturday, June 8, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm (rain date Sunday, June 9) – Wonderful Water

    Come to The Gardens at Elm Bank on June 8 from 10 – 4 and enjoy family activities in the gardens that will help kids learn about the water cycle, the differences between water-loving and desert plants, and more. There will be fun and games, and presentations to help adults find ways to garden in water-savvy ways.  Bring a picnic to enjoy a special day at The Gardens at Elm Bank! Rain date Sunday, June 9.

    If you’re interested in volunteering at the event, please contact education@masshort.org

    Admission: Members: Free; Children 12 and under: Free; General Public: $10 

  • Wednesday, June 5, 7:30 pm – Sacred Cow: The Nutritional, Environmental, and Ethical Case for Better Meat

    Red meat is vilified as unhealthy and unsustainable while the plant-based diet is seen as ideal. But is there more to the story? Could there be nuance to this conversation that’s not being discussed? Does eating beef really cause diabetes and will grazing animals destroy the planet? Diana Rodgers, an author, podcast host and dietitian living on a working organic farm, will review the evidence against red meat and illustrate why raising animals for meat is not only healthy, but can be beneficial for the environment. The June 5 free program at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester begins at 7:30, but if you’d like, come for a casual picnic supper from Clover Food Lab for around $20, beginning at 6:30. You must email or register to reserve your meal and place at the talk at www.wlfarm.org.

    Diana Rogers RD, LDN, NTP

    Diana Rodgers, RD, LDN, NTP is a “real food” nutritionist living on a working organic farm near Boston, Massachusetts that runs a vegetable and meat CSA. She is the author of two bestselling cookbooks and runs a clinical nutrition practice. Diana writes and speaks about the intersection of optimal human nutrition, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and social justice. She is also the producer of The Sustainable Dish Podcast, interviewing experts in the environmental and health movement. Her new book and film project examines the environmental, nutritional and ethical case for “better meat’. She can be found at www.sustainabledish.com.

  • Wednesday, June 5, 1:30 pm – Garden Herbs: Their Cultivation, Cookery, Cures, and Caveats

    Many medicinal plants brought to the New World escaped dooryard gardens and naturalized in our local flora, which now includes many plants with legitimate or presumed curative properties. A number of these same medicinal herbs were used in cookery and food preservation, revealing the ethnobotanical wisdom of herbal antibiotic properties. On June 5 at 1:30 pm, Judith Sumner, a specialist in ethnobotany, flowering plants, plant adaptations, and garden history,  will present an intriguing overview of medicinal and culinary plants—from ancient traditions to gourmet cookery, military history, and modern medicine.

    Sought after as a speaker, Sumner has been  guest on the “Martha Stewart Living” TV show, the PBS program “Cultivating Life,” and various other PBS and educational programs. She lectures widely at botanical gardens, universities, and various symposia. The talk will be held at the Lexington Depot, followed by a tour of the Lexington Historical Society’s Hancock-Clarke House herb gardens and refreshments in Hancock-Clarke Barn.  Tickets available at https://www.lexingtonhistory.org/events.html

    An optional private tour of the Hancock-Clarke House is available after the presentation at 4:30 PM. LHS/LFGC members free, $10 for non-members. This add-on is available at the ticket link above.
    ​This tour is limited to 30 people.

  • Saturday, June 8, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – The 26th Annual Northampton Garden Tour

    The 26th Annual Northampton Garden Tour, benefiting the Forbes Library, will take place June 8 from 10 – 3, rain or shine.

    In advance: $15 at Forbes Library, Bay State Perennial Farm, Cooper’s Corner, Hadley Garden Center, North Country Landscapes & Garden Center and State Street Fruit Store. Day of the tour: $20 at Forbes Library only.

    Raffle: 2 tickets/$5, 5 tickets/$10, or 12 ticket/$20. Raffle display and tickets for sale at Forbes Library, now – June 8 & on the day of the tour, at one of the gardens. Raffle items include compost, gift certificates, landscape consultation & gardening supplies. For more details visit https://forbeslibrary.org/friends/events/garden-tour/