Boston Flora

Month: July 2019

  • AHS Podcasts

    The American Horticultural Society (AHS) has launched a series of podcasts in collaboration with the Green Industry Leaders Network. The debut podcast features a conversation between AHS President and CEO Beth Tuttle and David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, about creating gardens for pollinators and other wildlife.

    In another episode, Seattle-based garden communicator Debra Prinzing discusses the Slow Flowers movement with David J. Ellis, AHS director of communications, and another podcast focuses on the work of Kayri Havens, director of plant science and conservation and senior scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The most recent is a chat with gardening expert Melinda Myers (pictured below) about how to get kids excited about gardening.

    The podcasts can be accessed at http://ahsgardening.org/gardening-resources/gardening-podcasts, and are also available on iTunes and Google Play by searching “Green Industry Leaders Network.”

  • Thursday, August 16 – Sunday, August 25 – The 152nd Marshfield Fair

    The Marshfield Agricultural and Horticultural Society, sponsors of the Marshfield Fair, is dedicated to making the 152nd Annual Marshfield Fair, this year to be held August 16 – 25, the premier event of Southeastern Massachusetts. Gates will be open noon – 10 pm each day. Hundreds of competitors will compete in 4-H, arts and crafts, agricultural, and horticultural events. For directions to the Marshfield Fairgrounds, and information on tickets, visit www.marshfieldfair.org.

  • Thursday, August 15, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Arts on the Green

    Thursday, August 15, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Arts on the Green

    On Thursday, August 15 from 5 – 7:30, wander The Gardens at Elm Bank, enjoy live music, and stroll through an Art Walk. Support local artists showcasing and selling their work throughout the grounds. There will be family art activities and garden tours, too. Free to all. Bring a picnic, chairs, or blanket to enjoy the evening in the gardens. Food, wine, beer, and other beverages will be for sale. Rain date August 22. For more information visit www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday, August 15, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Eco-Tour: Sustainable Production at Amherst Nurseries

    Since 2001, when John Kinchla began growing nursery stock in addition to providing landscape construction and maintenance services, Amherst Nurseries has focused on sustainable production systems. The nursery now grows thousands of trees and shrubs on over 100 acres of farmland in western MA. The business strives to provide exemplary service while minimizing use of resources and environmental impacts. Sustainable measures include reducing water use; moving away from ball and burlap to grow bags, a process that reduces soil removal, fuel use, and labor costs; utilizing compost made from local resources of leaf litter and manure; and using electric equipment fueled by solar panels.

    Join John on August 15 from 10 – 12 for a guided walk through the growing areas, following the early life of a tree at the nursery. You’ll see equipment and practices in use now and learn about sustainable options the nursery is exploring for the future.

    Bring a bag lunch to enjoy following the tour. The nursery is located at 200 Bay Road in Hadley, Massachusetts, and the event is $23 for Ecological Landscape Alliance members, $33 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

    John Kinchla, owner of Amherst Nurseries, began working in the landscape as a teenager. He opened the nursery in 2001 after earning a BS in Horticulture and an MS in Resource Economics from UMass Amherst. Using fewer resources to increase company profitability has been an overriding principle of his business. Amherst Nurseries grows trees, shrubs, and perennials on over 100 acres in and around Amherst, MA and offers both retail and wholesale sales. The company also offers complete landscaping services from design through construction and maintenance.

  • Tuesday, August 6, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Woodland Gardens Beyond Spring Webinar

    Let’s face it, woodland and other shade-heavy gardens peak in early spring when ephemerals cover the ground, shrubs and small trees bloom, and wildflowers show off yellows, blues, pinks, and whites. How can we extend beauty and interest in these gardens throughout the rest of the growing season? From her years of experience practicing native plant horticulture at Garden in the Woods, Anna Fialkoff will provide insights into the successional staging of plants for colors, textures, nectar sources, and oomph into summer and fall. This Native Plant Trust webinar takes place August 6 from 6 – 7, and is $10 for NPT members, $13 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Tuesday, August 13, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Eco Printing: Botanical Prints on Dyed Fabric

    Record your visit to Mass Hort by printing our plants on fabric. Learn how to combine eco printing with natural and synthetic dyes to create amazing botanical images. In this August 13 class at The Gardens at Elm Bank, you will first dye fabric (a few small samples as well as two silk scarves) with natural dyes. Then you will create a few eco prints by placing leaves and flowers directly on fabric and steaming them to collect images from the plants. Finally, you will combine the two techniques by taking naturally dyed fabric, arranging plants on it, and then covering it with another a different color of dye. The results will amaze and delight you. The class will be from 9 – 3, and is $140 for Mass Hort members, $200 general admission. Register at www.masshort.org.

    Mary DeLano is a fiber explorer who loves eco printing, natural dying, stitching, wool applique, and rug making. Mary enjoys sharing her passion for fiber arts with new students.  She teaches throughout New England, including at Maine Fiber College, where she also serves on the organizing committee.

  • Thursday, October 3 – Saturday, October 5 – Second Wave of Modernism IV: Making Space within Place Conference

    Although Dallas, Texas, is the ninth largest city in the United States, the number of residents in the Dallas-Fort Worth area increased more than in any other metropolitan area in the nation from 2017 to 2018, according to recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. To explore the choices that will shape Dallas’ future, and to initiate and inspire broad community-based participation in decision-making, The Cultural Landscape Foundation will curate a conference and surrounding events October 3-5, 2019.

    Second Wave of Modernism IV: Making Space within Place will highlight the city’s leadership with projects that balance design with natural and cultural values and the imperative to deal with climate change. It will also showcase the city’s public-private initiatives and recent innovations in creative management land stewardship.

    Introductory presentations (by Peter Walker, Peter Ker Walker, and James Burnett) will illuminate the role that landscape architects have played in laying the foundation for today’s planning and design work by exploring several iconic projects completed in the Dallas Arts District over the past 35 years. A morning panel, titled “Transforming the Downtown Core,” will examine four projects (by Field Operations, Hargreaves Associates, Ten Eyck Landscape Architects and SWA) that are currently in the design or construction phase in downtown Dallas, revealing how a public-private partnership was able to facilitate the development of these priority parks in the urban core. The afternoon panel, “Transforming and Connecting the City,” will be a forward-looking discussion of larger-scale projects currently underway (i.e., in the planning, design, or execution phase) that aim to balance, leverage, and steward both natural and cultural resources. The closing panel, featuring leaders in landscape architecture, planning, journalism, patronage, and stewardship, will reflect on the day’s presentations.

    For complete information and schedule, visit www.tclf.org

  • Thursday, August 8, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Best Weeds

    Thursday, August 8, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Best Weeds

    What are weeds? Why do they exist and how can we make use of them? What roles do these plants play in our ecosystems? There is a vast difference between Japanese knotweed and a native violet or goldenrod. Join Dan Jaffe, photographer and author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, at Garden in the Woods on August 8 from 1 – 3 for a fascinating discussion about which weeds to love and how to avoid the rest. $26 for NPT members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Saturday, August 10, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Gardens and Grounds Seasonal Stroll

    Tiptoe through the tulips…or whatever plants are in bloom at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Crane horticulturalist Beth Walsh leads visitors on an August 10 walking tour of the grounds beginning at 10:30 am, including the woodland path, Italian Garden, and Rose Garden. Learn about what’s in bloom and what it takes to keep these restored gardens historically appropriate to the original landscape design and adaptable to modern usage. Trustees members $12, nonmembers $20. Register at www.thetrustees.org, or call 978-356-4351, x 4015.

  • Sunday, November 17 – Monday, December 2 – New Zealand Expedition

    Join Pacific Horticulture Society for an expedition to New Zealand. Lloyd Esler, one of New Zealand’s top naturalists, will be our guide to the cultural and natural delights of this fascinating island nation. From kiwis to kakas, temperate rainforests to glacial valleys, New Zealand possesses a rich heritage. The geologic forces are as dynamic as anywhere on earth, and can be seen in the fascinating geyser fields in Rotorua. We will explore splendid botanic gardens in Auckland, Christchurch, Fisherman’s Bay, and Dunedin. Some of the most spectacular scenery in the world is preserved in New Zealand’s national parks, many of which we will visit on this trip. $4,995 plus air. For complete itinerary details and information about booking this trip, click http://www.betchartexpeditions.com/aus-nz_nz2019.htm