The advent of agriculture was approximately 25,000 years ago. What has happened since then? Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Senior Horticulturist Hannah Traggis will discuss how agriculture influenced civilization, and how changes in the last century have impacted our food and environment. She will also look at how the choices we make as consumers influence the future of food. This Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens talk will be held October 21 at 1 – 2 at the Wellesley College Club, 727 Washington Street in Wellesley, and is free for FWBG members, $10 for nonmembers. Call 781-283-3094 for more information or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.
Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden Conservatory Horticulturist Matt Tetreault and learn how to create a beautiful forced bulb display to bring home with you for an early taste of spring. In this workshop you will learn the basics of forcing bulbs, how to layer different bulbs in a pot to make a beautiful display, and how to care for your bulbs while in their dormant period. In this workshop we will layer a mix of Daffodil, Tulip, Hyacinth, and Grape Hyacinth in an 8” pot to take home. The workshop will be offered twice: October 17 from 6:30 – 8, and October 31 from 1 – 2:30. The fee ($35 for Tower Hill members, $45 for nonmembers) includes materials. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.
Matt Tetreault graduated from Worcester State with degrees in biology and chemistry. His diverse experience includes studying mangroves and other subtropical plants in the Dominican Republic, sequencing tropical spider DNA, and working on a salamander population study. After working as an intern at Tower Hill, he was brought on as a conservatory gardener in January 2018 and was promoted to conservatory horticulturist in December 2018. Matt was responsible for all the beautiful forced bulb displays at Tower Hill in the early months of 2019.
Vanishing Bees takes readers inside the debates over widespread honeybee deaths, introducing the various groups with a stake in solving the mystery of colony collapse disorder (CCD), including beekeepers, entomologists, growers, agrichemical companies, and government regulators. Drawing from extensive interviews and first-hand observations, Sainath Suryanarayanan and Daniel Lee Kleinman examine how members of each group have acquired, disseminated, and evaluated knowledge about CCD and exploring the often-contentious interactions among different groups, detailing how they assert authority, gain trust, and build alliances. At this Boston University Pepin Lecture Series free event at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 117, on October 24 at 6 pm, Kleinman—author and associate provost for graduate affairs as well as College of Arts & Sciences professor of sociology—will lead a discussion about his book, and Janine Sciarappa, a core chef instructor in pastry for the Certificate Program in Culinary Arts at BU, will provide a honey-based treat to sample. To sign up, visit www.bu.edu/foodandwine
A 615-acre area in Sudbury is known as The Desert because of its well-drained sandy soils, which were originally deposited by glacial activity. The soils support an unusual patch of pitch pine and scrub oak in the midst of forest, wetlands, and waterways. Come with Neela de Zoysa of the Native Plants Trust on Friday. October 11 from 10:30 – 2:30 to observe the special features of this habitat and the abundance of food for wildlife, as well as the surrounding forests and wetlands. Learn about the restoration efforts of this unique area. The walk is easy, and the fee is $48 for NPT members $60 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/desert-memorial-forest-reservation/
Are there fairies at the bottom of your garden? (Even if there aren’t it’s great fun to pretend!) Build a house and little garden that just might entice the wee people to come and play. Begin by planting lacy ferns and trailing ivy to ensure the little people a bit of privacy. Then, using bark, leaves, twigs and other natural materials, create a charming little home that any fairy would be pleased to live in. The construction site is an attractive basket that is easily carried home. Once the house is built, begin landscaping – lay out paths, design a garden, build a twig fence or install a small pond. When finished your Fairy House and Garden can be enjoyed in a secluded, shady spot in your garden or in your home. The October 13 Tower Hill Botanic Garden class includes all materials, plants and decorative accents. Please bring a pair garden/floral scissors with you. This class is geared to adults but teens are welcome. Time is 1:30 – 4, and the cost is $65 for Tower Hill members $79 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org
Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally.
Often, gardeners think they must choose between archetypes of the wild, native plant garden and the formal, classic garden, but there are ecologically friendly ways to create an elegant effect. Explore the Lyman Estate Greenhouses and 37-acre property on this interdisciplinary walk and discussion on October 5 at 10:30 am. Delve into the history of greenhouses and current plant nursery practices, and examine their historical and contemporary influences on naturalistic landscapes. Learn various ways to apply the visual sophistication of grand estates to your own property, using native plants. This program will also reference Native Plant Trust’s native plant nursery, Nasami Farm. $30 for NPT members, $36 nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/new-takes-historic-landscapes-lyman-estate/
Traditional design of electronics has always had a human-centric view. The thought process of designing with silicon has been less efficient, durable, and sustainable for the long term. In contrast, lecturer Harpreet Sareen coined ‘Convergent Design’ – to design with the capabilities of nature. Plants fit into the first stage of this vision – they are self-powered, self-repairing and active signal networks in the environment. Harpreet designs systems that are placed in conjunction with plant capabilities and powered naturally. Some of these are water monitoring sensors inside plants, robots living on plants that shape them automatically for architecture and more.
Harpreet Sareen is a scientist, artist and educator based in New York City. His work is situated at the intersection of Material Science, Biology and Electronics and draws on the complementary abilities of the biological and artificial worlds. Harpreet terms this as ‘Convergent Design’ to create hybrid substrates and bionic materials that lend themselves for future ecological machinery, sensing systems and interaction design.
Harpreet is an Assistant Professor of Interaction and Media Design at Parsons School of Design, New York. He also directs the Synthetic Ecosystems Lab that focuses on biological futures, their implications in interaction design, and the cybernetics of organisms and materials.
Harpreet earned a graduate degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media Lab and has previously lived and worked in the Austria, India, Japan, Singapore and USA. His experience spans corporate research wings, studios, museums to academic centers having previously worked at Google Creative Lab, Microsoft Research, MIT Media Lab, Ars Electronica Museum, National University of Singapore, Keio University and more. His projects are often a synergistic integration of robotics, software, electronics for prototype or final interactive experiences.
Harpreet has previously been named as MIT Technology Review Under 35 Innovator (2013), awarded Genpact-NASSCOM National Social Innovation Honour and other recognitions from Microsoft. His academic work has been published at peer-reviewed conferences like CHI, UIST and HCI journals; and his artwork has been showcased at Beijing Biennale, Ars Electronica Festival, MIT Museum and more. He has also been invited to TEDx venues and lectures internationally in universities or innovation centers.
This talk at Tower Hill Botanic Garden takes place Saturday, October 12 from 2 – 3 pm and is free with admission to the garden.
Come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden on October 12 at 1:30 pm and learn about selecting and cultivating grape varieties which thrive in Massachusetts and the rest of New England, for fresh grapes, juice, or wine. The talk will cover how to select the perfect site for your vineyard, whether on a farm, suburban home, or village/city lot, as well as how to plant, prune, and manage your new vineyard, and how to harvest your grapes. The grape varieties covered will include disease resistant and cold hardy varieties, including 19th century heirloom varieties that were developed in New England, such as Agawam, Salem, and Massasoit and in the Hudson Valley, such as Jefferson, Empire State, and Bacchus, and varieties developed in France and other parts of the United States. Wines will be poured to during the class to highlight the kinds of wines that you will be able to make from these grapes.
Must be 21 years or older. Tower Hill member price $30, nonmembers $44. Register at www.towerhillbg.org
J. Stephen Casscles is an accomplished author, grape grower, winemaker, horticultural historian, and lawyer. Stephen has been a winemaker at the Hudson-Chatham Winery, in the Hudson Valley for the past 10 years, but has been making wines from grapes, apples, and other fruits for the past 40 years. In addition, he has a 12 acre fruit farm, Cedar Cliff, in Athens, NY. At Cedar Cliff, he grows over 75 different grape varieties which he evaluates for their prowess in the field and potential to make quality wines. For the past 15 years, Mr. Casscles has been concentrating on growing and evaluating 19th century Heirloom grape varieties that were developed in the Hudson Valley and on Cape Ann and Boston’s North Shore. As an author, Stephen wrote Grapes of the Hudson Valley, which includes chapters on how to make and bottle wines. Further, he writes wine and grape growing articles for regional and national horticultural and wine industry journals. His research and interest has recently expanded to include the study of grape culture and winemaking activities in Korea.
Knowing how to set up your specimen with correct lighting to reveal all the nuances of form, color and texture is essential to capturing realism in your botanical art. In this one day Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens workshop on October 22 from 9:30 – 3:30, Elaine Searle will demonstrate her technique and guide you in getting the best results. The day will start with a short presentation and you will partner up to try out the lighting rig. Having lit and photographed specimens, we will do some practical work on painting realistic light and shadow on varying reflective surfaces. This workshop is suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced. Friends members $150, nonmembers $200. The class will be held in the Cheney classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.
