Boston Flora

Month: May 2020

  • Friday, May 29, 1:00 pm – Home Composting Webinar

    Cooking at home more often these days? Want to learn how to reduce household trash and improve garden soil health by composting food and yard waste? Tune in on May 29 at 1 pm to this FREE, fun webinar that will provide tips, how-to’s, and local resources to start or improve your own composting system in Central and Western Mass, followed by a question and answer session with local composting experts.

    Hosted by the Food Waste Reduction and Composting Working Group of the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance.  

    Registration is required and open to the first 100 participants. Register in advance for this meeting by clicking this link: 

    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElfuyurDsiE9GdDvBMzpDkbjYr1iip7Znm

    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

    For more information, visit: https://www.mountgrace.org/get-involved/events/event/home-composting-webinar   

  • Sunday, May 31, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Writing in the Garden Webinar

    Writers from Emily Dickinson to Edith Wharton and Eudora Welty have found their gardens to be wellsprings of sensory experience that stimulated their writing. In this two-hour online Native Plant Trust workshop with Jane Roy Brown on May 31 from 1 – 3, virtually visit the fields and designed gardens at Nasami Farm and write spontaneously in response to prompts—verbal or visual cues provided by the workshop leader—inspired by the surroundings. No previous writing experience required. Please have a notebook and pen or pencil available. This class is now offered as a live webinar. NPT members $30, nonmembers $36. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/writing-garden/

  • Saturday, May 30, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Landscape Design for Changing Site Conditions Webinar

    How do we embrace and work in alignment with landscape changes? Moreover, in what instances should we alter site conditions, and how can we do so in a sustainable way? In this May 30 Native Plant Trust online workshop, we will learn how to create specific garden design outcomes using shapes, sizes, and plant varieties. This advanced design session with Cheryl Salatino includes a set of hands-on exercises to challenge our perspectives and to instill flexibility in our approach. The session will run from 1 – 4 and is cosponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Sponsor members $45, nonmembers $54. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/landscape-design-changing-site-conditions/

  • Summer CSA Share at Boston Nature Center

    You can still register for a 2020 Summer CSA share! Boston Nature Center is once again teaming up with Moose Hill, its sister wildlife sanctuary in Sharon, to offer Mass Audubon members the opportunity to get approximately 18 weeks of fresh, organic vegetables.

    With weekly pick-ups at the BNC on Friday afternoons, summer just couldn’t be any sweeter. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary partners with Ward’s Berry Farm to grow certified organic produce on 17 acres of sustainably farmed land. Moose Hill oversees the management, harvesting, and distribution of the crops, and also maintains the organic standards for annual certification.

    Please Note: Mass Audubon is actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation. Should it extend into the CSA season, we will make changes to our pick-up process that ensure the safety and health of our shareholders and staff.

    For complete information on how it works, and variety of pricing options, visit www.massaudubon.org.

  • Friday, May 29, 10:30 am – 1;30 PM – Our Future with Water: Stormwater Management Strategies Webinar

    Based on decades of experience, this Native Plan Trust stormwater management guide will address rain harvesting, permeable pavements, green roofs, bioswales and rain gardens, and tree planting. You will learn simple methods to capture and reuse stormwater and to slow stormwater runoff for the healthiest plants and landscapes. This May 29 class at 10:30 – 1:30 is now offered as a live webinar, led by Trevor Smith. $45 for NPT members, $54 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/our-future-water-stormwater-management-strategies/

  • Wednesday, May 27 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Mountain Top Arboretum: Timber Frame Education Center from Catskill Native Trees Webinar

    Join Marc Wolf on May 27 from 12 – 1 Eastern Time for an inspiring visit to the Mountain Top Arboretum forest. The forest provided the timber for the construction of the Arboretum’s new timber frame Education Center. This unique building demonstrates the beauty of 21 different tree species and the talent of local artisans, including the noted timber frame architect Jack Sobon.

    The landscape phase of the project, designed by landscape architect Jamie Purinton, uses plants native to the Catskill Mountains and a system of six separate Rain Gardens that catch and filter water runoff. Marc will discuss the different plant communities represented and individual favorite trees, shrubs and perennials chosen.

    The goal is that these beautiful plantings will inspire and educate visitors about native plants as well as water and land stewardship, important tenets of the Arboretum’s mission.

    A short documentary on the building of the Education Center captures the essence of the project.

    Marc Wolf joined Mountain Top Arboretum in 2016 as Director of Horticulture and became Executive Director in 2017.  He received his BA from Williams College, is a graduate of New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture and interned at Chanticleer Garden. Marc studied with the noted landscape architect Darrel Morrison and worked as his field assistant on projects at New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden and for private clients.  As a writer and performer working in theater, film and television, Marc received OBIE and National Endowment for the Arts Awards, among others. Marc enjoys hiking, skiing, fishing and exploring the native plant communities of the Catskills. Marc agrees with the late, great poet Mary Oliver that “the song you heard singing in the leaf when you / were a child / is singing still.”

    The webinar is free. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-mountain-top-arboretum-timber-frame-education-center-from-catskill-native-trees/

  • Wednesday, May 27, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Basil & Herb Butter Online

    Spending more time cooking from home? Join beloved gardener, herb grower and cook, Betsy Williams and the Stevens-Coolidge Place to learn the secret to growing, using and preserving savory herbs to enhance your daily meals.

    During this new online offering on May 27 from 10 – 11, Betsy will explore the following topics in a brief 30-minute presentation followed by a Q&A moderated by Trustees staff.

    The Trustees will be using Zoom for this online program. A $5 donation is requested, but all interested parties are welcome regardless of donation ability. Sign up at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/northeast/event-55714.html. Full length, hands-on workshops with Betsy will resume when safe to do so.

  • Saturday, May 23 – Sunday, May 31 – Virtual Run for the Rhodies 5K

    Support the care and preservation of Heritage Museums and Garden’s world-famous rhododendron collection by participating in the Virtual Run for the Rhodies 5K Trail Race this year! Any day throughout the Rhododendron Festival, May 23-31, walk, jog, or run a 5K at your own pace, in a location of your choosing. Register below to get your digital swag bag filled with horticulture tips, Rhodie-themed activity ideas, and printable race bib and commemorative finisher’s certificate. Race registrants may enjoy free admission to Heritage’s grounds and gardens on either May 30 or 31 (details below). Share your accomplishment on social media with #RhodieFest and #RhodieRun. Look out for Heritage staff daily on Facebook, who will be participating along with you!

    Register Here

    Heritage Members: $15
    Non-Members: $20

    All proceeds directly support Heritage Museums & Gardens.

  • Tuesday, May 23 – Sunday, May 31 – Virtual Rhododendron Festival

    Heritage Museums and Gardens is renowned for its collection of thousands of world-famous rhododendrons in over 175 varieties. The Rhododendron Festival is often a sign of summer’s approach and our gardens awakening here at Heritage. While the museums and gardens are closed, we are very proud to offer our first ever Virtual Rhododendron Festival! We have compiled a trove of online resources you can enjoy from home!

    Check out the Rhododendron Festival Youtube Playlist to learn about proper plant care and pruning techniques via video demonstrations with our Director of Horticulture, Les Lutz. Manager of Interpretation, Alexandra Mulrow, shares the story of Heritage’s fascinating rhododendron legacy and much more.

    Also visit www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org for all things Rhododendron with fun from home activities, blogs, and challenges.

  • Berkshire Botanical Garden Appoints New Director of Horticulture

    Berkshire Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Turnbull as Director of Horticulture at the Garden, located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, following an intensive nationwide search. Turnbull will fill the position being vacated in May by retiring Director of Horticulture Dorthe Hviid, who has served in that capacity since 1992. 

    Turnbull, who joined Berkshire Botanical Garden on April 20, is a graduate of the Professional Gardener Program at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He was the Natural Heritage Garden Manager at the South Carolina Botanical Garden in Clemson, SC. Turnbull went on to become Assistant Director of Horticulture at Wave Hill, Bronx, NY, and most recently took on the role of Greenhouse and Gardens Manager at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. In his new position at BBG he will manage the continuing growth and transformation of one of the oldest public gardens in New England through implementation of a multi-year Master Site Plan, while working closely with BBG’s other senior management on realizing the Garden’s long-term strategic plans. “I am thrilled to join the team at Berkshire Botanical Garden,” said Turnbull, “The Berkshires are a beautiful region of the country and the Garden is a great intersection of horticulture, education, arts and culture with a bright and exciting future,” he added.


    “We all look forward to having Matt join our excellent team of Garden professionals and continue the terrific work accomplished by Dorthe and the Horticulture Department over many years. We have big plans for the future of BBG, and I know Matt will bring invaluable experience and talent to his new role,” said BBG Executive Director Mike Beck.

    Established in 1934 and revered as one of the older public display gardens in the United States, Berkshire Botanical Garden encompasses 24 acres of land in the heart of the Berkshires. Visitors to the Garden enjoy more than 3,000 species and varieties of herbaceous and woody plants that thrive in zone 5A. The Garden’s mission to fulfill the community’s need for information, education and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of our local environment is emulated by a robust education program as well as a full schedule of events planned throughout the year. For additional information visit the Garden’s website, berkshirebotanical.org