Boston Flora

Month: August 2019

  • Thursday, September 12 – Sunday, September 15 – 40th Annual American Community Gardening Association Conference

    The 2019 40th Annual ACGA Conference – Gardening at the Crossroads – will be held at Ivy Tech Community College in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana September 12 – 15, 2019. The annual conference brings together hundreds of people from across the US and Canada, who are engaged in all aspects of gardening, community building, and greening. Participate in hands-on workshops, presentations, keynote speakers, and visits to community gardens, urban farms, food security projects, schools, parks, and other green spaces in Indianapolis. This conference is an opportunity to share, address, explore, and dialogue with like-minded people regarding food equity, access to quality food, and the evolution of community gardening. Register at https://communitygarden.org/registration/

  • Tuesday, August 13, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – An Herbalist’s Approach: Mood

    Feeling cranky, irritable, moody? Consider an herbalist’s approach to balance hormones and boost mood. Herbalists cannot diagnose or cure conditions. They help guide you to a healthier lifestyle, and it is always important to work with your medical or naturopathic doctor for serious health conditions. 

    Sometimes we all feel grumpy, snappy, irritated or just plain down.  In this August 13 presentation beginning at 6:30 pm at Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover, Clinical Herbalist Liane Moccia will help participants explore natural ways to feel more joyful and vibrant so we can feel like ourselves again, only better.  

    Liane is a Certified Herbalist who specializes in stress, energy and mental clarity, mood, and healthy sleep. Her approach to health is simple and holistic. Using traditional herbal knowledge and the latest scientific research, she combines herbs with lifestyle and dietary changes to help bring the body back into balance. Liane works with clients to help them live a life of less stress, more energy, mental clarity, and deep joy.

    Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. $9 for Trustees members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.thetrustees.org.


  • Wednesday, August 14, 5:30 pm – Connect to Protect for Biodiversity

    The Annual David H. Smith Memorial Lecture at the Polly Hill Arboretum will take place Wednesday, August 14 at 5:30 pm and is funded by a grant from The Nature Conservancy, and sponsored by the Dukes Soil Conservation District.

    Jennifer Ceska, Conservation Coordinator at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, will share the Connect to Protect philosophy and gardening methodology. All gardeners have an opportunity to help support wildlife by layering native plants into their displays, even with potted plants on a patio or cheerful mailbox gardens. Displays can also be larger like grand formal borders, looser cottage style compositions, and even pocket prairies along roadsides, driveways, and rights-of-way. Grasslands, prairies, and meadows are essential on the land or we face losing bird and insect species within our lifetimes. We garden for ourselves and for the bees, butterflies, beetles, birds, bats, and box turtles that rely upon those plants. Native species have looks and personality; they have ecological relevance; and they warrant a spot in your garden.

    $10 / $5 for PHA members.

  • Saturday, August 10, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, August 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – The Grow Show

    Floral Designers and backyard gardeners are the celebrities at the 49th annual Grow Show at Berkshire Botanical Gardens, where  beautiful floral arrangements and the peak summer harvest are spotlighted in this upbeat, judged event featuring six design and nearly 80 horticulture classes on display in the Exhibition Hall.

    Anyone can enter! Whether you bring a single bloom or enter every category, there is no charge to participate in the Grow Show!

    New this year: “Considering Gardens,” a weekend-long digital on-screen exhibition presented by the BBG Photography Group, and “Game of Flowers,” an epic live battle of floral designers on Saturday, August 10 at 3 p.m. Both events will be held in the Center House classroom.

    Floral Design Division:
    Presenting “Gardens of the World”, where inspiration is derived from garden styles representing cultures from near and far. 
    Learn more and register!

    Horticulture Division:
    Enter divisions including annuals, perennials, biennials, vegetables, fruits and berries, container grown plants and dish gardens, among others. 
    Learn more and register!

    Entrance to the Grow Show is free with Garden admission.
    Hours: Saturday, August 10, 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 11, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

  • Saturday, August 10, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Preserve Culinary Herbs

    Learn the best techniques to keep the flavor and nutrition of garden herbs going all year long. In this August 10 free class with The Trustees at Rutland Washington Community Garden, 1561 Washington Street in Boston, we’ll cover freezing and drying along with making herbal vinegar, oil, tea, pesto, and syrup. Enjoy samples and leave with the recipes and knowledge you need for your own kitchen experiments. Growing tips will be included as time allows. To register, visit http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/metro-boston/event-47569.html

  • Tuesday, August 27, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Perennial Plant Symposium

    Presented by Massachusetts Horticultural Society & the Perennial Plant Association, the regional PPA symposium on August 27 from 9 – 3 at The Gardens at Elm Bank is open to all levels of gardeners and professionals. This year’s symposium includes four presentations led by some of the perennial industry’s best. Pre-registration required by visiting www.masshort.org. Early Bird: $99. After August 18: $125

    Presenters Mike & Angelina Chute (they have spoken to The Garden Club of the Back Bay) will speak on Selecting Sustainable Roses. Sustainable roses are sturdy, attractive plants that can hold their own in a pesticide-free landscape. This program features modern, recently-introduced varieties as well as old favorites that are disease-resistant, winter hardy, easy to grow and bloom all season. Selecting Sustainable Roses delves into the core of sustainability, explains the different grades and types of roses, their growth habits and how to select the best varieties for your garden. We use the experience gained in our own sustainable rose garden as a practical model to share tips on sustainable and basic rose gardening. Be amazed at the wide choices of color, size, and fragrance that are available and will fit into any New England garden. 

    Stephanie Cohen, author, gardener and Perennial Diva, entitles her talk Cutting Edge Perennials: No Bandages Provided! The Diva loves new plants and will show you new in non-natives and natives. The word “new” does not necessarily mean better. It should just mean different flower size, color of flower or  leaf, immunity to pests and diseases, and even lower maintenance. Some good plants slip through the cracks and others are worthy candidates for the compost pile. Be prepared as the Diva does not mince words  and the dirt will fly during this presentation

    Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum William Cullina’s lecture is Beyond Black-eyed Susans and Border Phlox: Exceptional Native Perennials for Creative Gardening. Though gardening with native plants has truly come of age in this country, the nursery industry has barely begun to tap the amazing diversity within our flora. You don’t need to travel to Tibet to find plants that will thrill the eye and feed the soul. In this program, Bill Cullina will profile some of the outstanding native perennials yet to be discovered by the gardening public.

    Finally, Dan Jaffe, photographer and landscape consultant, will offer For Us and Them, Perennial Edible Plants for Pollinators and Ourselves.

  • Saturday, August 10, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Walking Tour of Jamaica Pond

    Travel around the Pond with the Jamaica Plain Historical Society on Saturday, August 10 from 11 – 12:30. Once a district that only included the houses of Boston’s elite, the Pond later was put to industrial use as tons of ice were harvested each winter. Learn about the movers and shakers such as Francis Parkman and James Michael Curley who made their homes on the Pond’s shores. Discover how the Pond was transformed from private estates and warehouses into the parkland we know today. 

    The tour is free to the public. Tours last between 60 and 90 minutes and are canceled in case of heavy rain. No reservations are required, just meet the guide at the bandstand, 507 Jamaicaway in Jamaica Plain.

  • Saturday, August 10, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Hayward Brook Farm Garden

    Join Alan Smith on August 10 from 10 – 11:30 for a tour of his gorgeous 16-acre property in Wayland, Massachusetts. This well-established site features walled flower gardens, native wildflower meadows, pasture, woodlands, wetland, a pond, a stream, a vegetable garden with greenhouse, and magnificent specimen trees. The tour is sponsored by Native Plant Trust, and is $18 for NPT members, $21 for nonmembers. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Monday, August 12, 11:30 am – Lunch ‘n Learn: Fall Migration Magic

    Most of the Cape’s birds move southward from July to November where they will find more food and a warmer climate. This Cape Cod Museum of Natural History program on August 12 with naturalist Phil Kyle will present what Fall migrants look like, and how Winter migrants appear along with year-rounders. Once breeding season is over, a male’s spectacular display of springtime plumage reverts to their alternate plumage and changes back to the basic look. It is taxing to produce showy feathers, and bright colors attract predators and unwanted rivals. This is why migratory species like Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, and some shorebirds and warblers look different when they’re traveling south versus north.

    Phil Kyle has dedicated his life to the study and public education of the natural world. After obtaining his B.S. in Biology from Cornell University, he has served in a wide variety of capacities including: presently a Columnist for the Cape Cod Times – Birding ; and formerly Director of Education, South Shore Natural Science Center; President, Cape Cod Bird Club;  Head Naturalist, Green Briar Nature Center; Interpretive Park Ranger, Cape Cod National Seashore; Whale Watching Naturalist, Barnstable Whale Watcher; Whale Watching Naturalist, Captain John Boats; High Teacher Biology & Anatomy and Physiology, Barnstable HS. 

    Admission: Non-Member $25 / Member $15 / Includes Program, Box Lunch & Museum. Lecture only: $5 at the door (Does not include Lunch or Museum Admission) Advance Tickets Recommended: 508-896-3867, ext. 133  Sandwich choices include Roast Beef, Turkey Club or Tomato Basil. For more information please call: 508-896-3867, ext. 133