Daily Archives: July 2, 2019

Remembering Susan G. Loring

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Former and long time Garden Club of the Back Bay member Susan G. Loring passed away June 16 at the Herrick House in Beverly, at age 95. She attended Chestnut Hill and Winsor Schools, and graduated with a degree in Social Work from Vassar College. From her obituary in The Boston Globe: “Her love of the natural world and her deep social consciousness led her to support and volunteer for decades at numerous ecological and social service organizations, including the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, Friendship Works, Recording for the Blind, to name but a few. She was an active member of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Boston, and of many service and social justice organizations associated with that church and the U.U. denomination. Most of her career was spent at the Audubon Society of Massachusetts, where she worked in publications and retail, and was eventually Assistant to the Director. A music lover, she attended countless concerts at Symphony, New England Conservatory (where she sang in a chorus) and churches and halls around the Boston area.” There will be a memorial service at 3 pm on Friday, July 5, as part of visiting hours (1 – 5) at Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street in Beverly. Donations in Sue’s memory may be made, in lieu of flowers, to the Beverly Historical Society, First Church UU Boston, Massachusetts, Audubon Society, or the charity of your choice.

Our most vivid recent memory is Sue driving around Back Bay at an age which, in retrospect, was perhaps too advanced to be altogether safe, delivering holiday wreaths to our always satisfied customers, and regaling her in-vehicle assistants with tales of Back Bay from years past.

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Friday, July 19, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Cocktails in Great Gardens: Rockland Farm

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Rockland Farm comprises a variety of areas that flow one from another over about ten acres of the Canaan, New York property. A 450-foot-long rock ledge runs parallel to the front drive and is topped by a dry garden in silver, gray and blue, with a thyme walk along one edge. Raised areas on the west side of the house feature exotic and tropical plants, many in containers. Behind the house is a sequence of garden rooms: a lavender garden contained within a raised hornbeam hedge; a perennial garden in pastels surrounding our pool; a water garden, fronted by a white garden and with a shade garden and rhododendron walk behind; a hot sundial and rock garden; and a fenced vegetable and cutting garden. From here, a hydrangea allée leads to a lawn with sweeps of perennials on one side and a mixed garden containing a faux-bois set on the other—or to steps up to a small, wooded knoll, where paths offer intermittent views of the garden and the hills beyond and connect a folly, a water feature and a stumpery. Where the garden meets open land, a Tim Prentice kinetic piece snakes its way through the trees, and a massive carved bench in a pine grove overlooks a three-acre lake in the middle-distance. Rockland Farm has been featured in magazines and in the books Great Gardens of the Berkshires, Private Edens, and Private Gardens of The Hudson Valley.

Berkshire Botanical Garden will host Cocktails at Rockland Farm on July 19 from 5 – 7. $40 for BBG members, $55 for nonmembers. Address and directions will be provided upon Registration. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

photo by Rich Pomerantz

Wednesday, July 17, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Terrific Tropicals: Power of a Flower

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Be whisked away by exotic tropicals on Wednesday, July 17 from 7 – 9.

This Cass School of Floral Design class focuses the unique textures, shapes and lines of exotic tropical flowers and greenery. While learning how to design a sophisticated and dramatic arrangement with a single category of flower you will be introduced to current floral trends and construction techniques. If you want to be able to fashion the stunning arrangements you see in your favorite design magazines and social media posts, this is the class for you! The location is 531 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown, and costs $150. Register by calling 617-926-2277, or visit www.cassflowers.com.

Wednesday, July 10, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Substance of Soil

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Soil is the basis of survival. Without soil, humans and most other living beings could not exist. Conor Guidarelli, who has dug deep into the soils of the Arnold Arboretum, will present an overview of soil, from its formation and components to its properties. He will discuss ways to analyze soil quality and health to determine whether or not amendments are needed based on the soil outcome/use desired. Participants are encouraged to bring a pint glass jar with about a cup of soil in it to class. The event takes place Wednesday, July 10 from 6 – 8 in the Hunnewell Building of the Arboretum. Fee $20 Arboretum member, $30 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.