Boston Flora

Month: October 2020

  • Tuesdays, November 3, 10, 17, and December 1 & 8, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Residential Landscape Design

    This Native Plant Trust multisession course tackles the different aspects of the landscape design process. Workshop sessions focus on design methods using site analysis techniques and schematic design tools. Participants consult with the instructor and work on projects of their own choosing. Discussions about plants and habitats are interspersed with lectures on design principles, including criteria for making plant choices and determining placement in the landscape. Led by Cheryl Salatino, the class will be held at Garden in the Woods on November 3, 10, 17, and December 1 & 8,  from 1 – 4. $225 for members of sponsoring organizations, $270 for nonmembers. Register online at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

    Image result for Cheryl Salatino

  • Thursday, October 22, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Spooky Spirits Mixology Class, Online

    Learn to make seasonal cocktails featuring fresh ingredients in the Halloween edition of Boston Community Garden’s popular virtual Garden Mixology series. This month’s drinks feature witchy herbal ingredients and adult takes on autumnal classics like caramel apples. Never fear, the cocktails will, as always, be well-balanced and complex and highlight locally grown or foraged ingredients.

    You’ll pick up a bundle of fresh ingredients on October 22 from one of three locations (JP, Quincy, or Medford) and return home for a Zoom class using your own spirits. Trustees members $24, nonmembers $30. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/57729/

    All proceeds directly support Boston Community Gardens. Tickets sales stop at 3pm on Wednesday October 21. Members get a 20% discount. For any questions, please reach out to mdelima@thetrustees.org.

  • Muddy River WATERGOAT

    Flowing through the heart of Boston, the Muddy River is one of the top two most polluted tributaries of the Charles River and a critical link in urban Boston’s flood control system. With the approval of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the active engagement of water quality experts, water scientists, trash boom providers, engineers, and a host of eco-activist volunteers, The Muddy River Water Initiative is embarking on a pilot project to rid the Muddy River of the trash—old bottles, clothing, shoes, balls, scrap plastic and fencing, and other toxic and unsightly debris—that currently pollutes the ecosystem.

    The WATERGOAT Pilot Project will install a safe, heavily tested, and effective raw trash barrier and clean-up device at the critical Charlesgate East and Ipswich Streets juncture of the Muddy and Charles Rivers. This will be the 92nd WATERGOAT system implementation in the US and a model for ongoing river clean-up efforts in Boston and beyond.

    Thanks to New England Grassroots Environmental Fund for its fiscal sponsorship. For more information on the Muddy Water Initiative, an advocacy and educational clearinghouse for Boston’s Muddy River, visit http://muddyriverinitiative.org

    Photo by Mark Maksimowicz
  • Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to host its November 5 meeting online on Zoom, beginning at 10 am, with Frederick (Bud) Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator with Native Plant Trust. The lecture addresses the identification and control of many of the invasive plant species that are an unwelcome and persistent presence in forests, fields, and wetlands. Through this visual virtual presentation, we will examine the impacts of several invasive species and discuss methods for managing invasive plant populations.

    Before joining Native Plant Trust, Bud was ecologist at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy. He studied conservation biology at Antioch University New England.

    An email notification will be sent to Garden Club of the Back Bay members. If you are not a member and are interested in participating, email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Landscaping for Healthy Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and Ponds Webinar

    Rain gardens and waterside buffer gardens are a joy to see, but beauty is only where their benefits begin. If properly designed, these landscapes protect water bodies from polluted runoff and help control erosion. When designed with native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees, waterside gardens can also provide extraordinary support for native birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife. This online presentation offers an introduction to how we can manage stormwater to benefit of ourselves, our communities, and wildlife. Extensive resource handout and plant lists included. This program will be held virtually on October 28 at 6:30 pm. Once you register you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for non-members. Register at www.towerhillbg.org


    Kathy Connolly is a landscape designer who specializes in naturalized designs, low-impact techniques, and native plants for homeowners, municipalities, and other organizations. Kathy has a master’s degree in landscape planning and design from the Conway School in Easthampton, MA. She completed the advanced master gardener program and is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional through NOFA. She is an active member of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG). She is a regular columnist for The Day community papers which circulate throughout southeastern Connecticut and has written about lawn alternatives for The Spruce/About.com. She gives about 25 talks and workshops each year for conservation organizations, master gardeners, museums, libraries, land trusts, and garden clubs. Her website is www.SpeakingofLandscapes.com.

  • Holiday Wreaths 2020

    We are sad to announce that The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2020 Holiday Wreath Project must be suspended due to COVID-19 concerns.  We will return in 2021.   We are disappointed the neighborhood will be a little less festive in December without our beautiful wreaths.

    Gift certificates will be honored next year – just ignore the stated expiration date if you are a lucky winner or bidder.

    Proceeds from our wreath sale have always gone directly to neighborhood tree care. To continue to support that program, we invite you to visit www.gardenclubbackbay.org/donate/  to make a donation.  If you don’t wish to give online, a check is always welcome at PO Box 991017, Boston, MA 02199. 

    Whether or not you choose to donate, please be sure to follow us on our website, on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our Daily Digest, where we will feature From the Archives: Wreath of the Day beginning after Thanksgiving.  We can offer sponsorships for Wreath of the Day posts as well – perhaps your family or your business would like to be associated with this annual and very well followed tradition? If so, email info@bostonflora.com for more information.

  • Saturday, October 31, 5:00 pm – Deadline for COG Call for Projects

    It’s time for our annual Call for Projects. We’re accepting applications now through Halloween. Please spread the word. There are three ways you can apply: online from our website, email to us as a pdf downloaded HERE or print and mail. Please do send photos of your site. If you don’t know who owns the land or you don’t have a future maintenance plan for this project we still look forward to receiving your application. Get in touch anytime with questions:781-642-6662 or email info@cogdesign.org. Mailing address:
    COGdesign PO Box 380275 Cambridge, MA 02238

  • Saturday, October 24, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Eco-restorative Garden Design, Online

    What does it take to create a conservation and restoration landscape project in your own backyard? In this October 24 half-day Native Plant Trust workshop with Staci Jasin, we will explore the principles and specific steps to keep you engaged and confident in small-scale projects. You will learn tips, techniques, and a well-defined process for transforming a small plot of land to a native plant landscape. Topics cover everything from removing invasives to analyzing the site, conserving resources, and enhancing aesthetics and wildlife habitat. $38 for NPT members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/eco-restorative-garden-design/

  • Sunday, October 25, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – The Ecology of Coffee

    Lisa Landry and Flavio Lichtenthal, founders and co-owners of No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe in West Stockbridge, will share an interactive lecture on the production, sourcing and cultivation of coffee. The talk will take place on October 25 from 11 – 1 at Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge. Learn about the social and ecological impacts of coffee production, including environmental factors and concerns related to climate change and organic growing methods. Sample three of their coffees, tasting for the flavor nuances that come from different regions. 

    Flavio Lichtenthal and Lisa Landry come from the world of food, music, and art. Flavio—a  musician and veteran of New York’s most successful restaurants—along with his wife, Lisa, an art director at a design agency, moved to the Berkshires 18 years ago; Flavio took over food operations at Gould Farm and Lisa continued with her writing and design work in NYC. They joined their passions and talents in creating No. Six Depot Roastery, Cafe and Gallery, informed by Flavio’s upbringing in Buenos Aires and Lisa’s time living in Italy—combining food, coffee, travel and art. Lisa and Flavio travel multiple times a year to origin countries to directly source and select coffee that is not only delicious but has a strong social mission.

    Pre-registration is Required. BBG members $20, nonmembers $25.

  • Saturday, October 24, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Tree Ring Print Making

    In this Massachusetts Horticultural workshop, students will explore the history, culture & practice of traditional relief printing. This October 24 course (rescheduled from March) in the Putnam Building at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, explores not only the techniques and applied styles of relief printing, but the botanical significance of working with woody stems. A demonstration of inking and burning materials will begin the course, then students will apply their understanding of materials, techniques, and styles of relief printing to complete their own final piece. Participants will take home a hanging wall art piece & stationery cards which highlight the cross section of a tree. The class begins at 9 am and is taught by Ian T. Meli. Ian Meli is a lifelong artist, woodworker, sculptor, & designer, creating work professionally since 1989. He earned his Bachelor’s in Visual Arts from UMass Boston in 2018. Ian has experience teaching both at the adult education level, as well as the high school vocational level as a carpentry instructor. He has had work displayed at the Harbor Gallery at UMass Boston, as well as in several publications. Ian currently resides in Jamaica Plain, and enjoys riding his bicycle, whether it’s through the Arnold Arboretum for pleasure or commuting to work alongside the Emerald Necklace.

    $85 for Mass Hort members, $110 general admission Register at www.masshort.org, or call Allison Dush at 617-933-4973.