Boston Flora

Month: November 2020

  • Tuesday, December 8, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – What’s Growing On at Monticello?

    Big changes are coming soon to Monticello! In the years ahead, we are developing an innovative farming center highlighting Thomas Jefferson’s connection to food, farming, and civic agriculture. Learn about our goal of connecting guests to a national farm model for regenerative agriculture, a landscape that simultaneously supports diverse crop enterprises and ecological restoration goals. Monticello Center for Food and Farming will involve academic partnerships and public programming to educate people on the challenges and opportunities facing American agriculture today. A major focus will consider how Jefferson’s horticultural pursuits and experiments in the garden have relevance to issues faced today, from addressing climate change to promoting native plants and healthy habitats.

    Keith Nevison serves as Manager of Farm and Nursery Operations for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello. In this role, he oversees a thriving nursery business at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and is working to successfully launch a 21st century center for innovative farming, which aims to engage a broad audience in discussion on food, public health, and regenerative agricultural issues. Mr. Nevison earned his MS in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware through the Longwood Graduate Program and his BS cum laude in Environmental Studies from Portland State University, Oregon. For 15 years, his work has included landscape management, organic food production, nursery horticulture, and ecological restoration.

    This Ecological Landscape Alliance Webinar will take place Tuesday, December 8 at noon. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-whats-growing-on-at-monticello/

  • Friday, December 4, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – ELA Virtual Ecological Plant Conference

    Friday, December 4, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm – ELA Virtual Ecological Plant Conference

    As greenery unfurls in spring, our deep relationship with nature renews us and lifts our spirits. But this spring with COVID threats and uncertainties, reconnecting with nature took on more significance than ever.

    On the most basic level, plants nurture our bodies and souls. Our relationship with plants, however, is more complex than simply food and survival. For millennia, plant-based medicines have been used for healing and time spent in the forest or garden has been recognized for its ability to reduce stress while improving health and well-being.

    On December 4th, The Ecological Landscape Alliance invites you to spend a day reconnecting with familiar plants, learning about new plant options, exploring garden insects, and reconsidering our relationship to plants. Five experts will invite us to examine different attributes, uses, and values of plants and the insects that inhabit our gardens.

    Innovative tools and interactive collaborations will ensure that this online conference provides participants with an engaging and inspiring experience. Dan Jaffe Wilder will speak on How To Grow Food Anywhere, Nadia Ruffin will present Garden Insects: Good Bug? Bad Bug? Who’s Who and What Do They Do?, Uli Lorimer will discuss Native Species, Hybrids, Selections and Cultivars, Abra Lee’s lecture is entitled Power to the Trees, and finally, Rebecca McMackin presents Pollinator Ecology. Full descriptions and biographies, and registration links, are found at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-ecological-plant-conference-2020/ $139 for nonmembers.

  • Wednesday, December 9, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Virtual Tour of Baltimore’s Mount Auburn Cemetery with Dr. Kami Fletcher

    Join Cambridge’s Mount Auburn Cemetery on Zoom on December 9 from 5 – 6 where Dr. Kami Fletcher will explore Baltimore, Maryland’s Mount Auburn Cemetery – a historic African-American cemetery. The talk is free but registration is required at https://mountauburn.org/event/virtual-event-baltimores-mount-auburn-cemetery-with-dr-kami-fletcher/

    Nineteenth century black folks fought for burial rights, which was all about these women and men wanting protected, autonomous space to memorialize their dead. Autonomous black burial grounds led to individual black persons owning land and developing savvy business ventures. In Baltimore this led to the African Burying Ground, the first phase of Mount Auburn Cemetery. Pouring over 3, 170 pages of microfilm at the Maryland State Archives, in Dr. Fletcher’s research she uncovered that Mount Auburn Cemetery went through four distinct phases, each time growing, developing, and changing with the needs of Black Baltimoreans and the collective Black Baltimore community.

    Please join her as she talks about how Baltimore’s African Burying Ground was founded by the seven Black trustees at Sharp Street (the first African Methodist Church in Baltimore whose roots that go back to 1787) established the African Burying Ground which metamorphosed into Mount Auburn Cemetery that still stands today.

    Dr. Kami Fletcher is co-editor of Till Death Do Us Part: American Ethnic Cemeteries as Borders Uncrossed. She is a history professor at Albright College and the president of the Collective for Radical Death Studies. She researches and writes on African American deathways and death work, more specifically: 19th/20th century Black undertakers/undertaking; autonomous Black cemeteries; and contemporary Black mourning rituals.

    She is the currently working on Grave History: Death & Race in Southern Cemeteries from the Antebellum to the Post-Civil Rights Era – a co-edited volume that investigates the southern places where cemeteries take root probing the interplay of southern history, culture, race, class, and gender in these cities of the dead (under contract with University Press of Georgia).

    For more on Dr. Fletcher visit her website: www.kamifletcher.weebly.com and contact her on Twitter using @kamifletcher36

    Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

  • Christmas Stroll Updates

    With community safety as its top priority, the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce has postponed the 47th Annual Christmas Stroll until 2021. There will be no organized Christmas Stroll for 2020. In its place, Nantucket Noel, a shop local initiative, will run from 27 November through 31 December 2020, allowing Nantucket’s residents to safely enjoy the magic of the season virtually, while still supporting local businesses for their holiday shopping.

    Kennebunkport’s Christmas Prelude, December 3 – 13, will be primarily virtual, with tree lighting, caroling, Santa’s arrival, but the town will be decorated as always and there will be a special Outdoor Christmas Market. Updated 2020 Modified Schedule on the Official Kennebunkport Business Association Website

    Chatham’s Christmas by the Sea Stroll 2020 was scheduled to be held Friday, December 11 – Sunday, December 13. While Chatham is unable to host this year, they invite you to visit throughout the entire season. Smaller events, sales and promotions may be viewed at https://chathammerchants.com/christmasbythesea

    Other locations which traditionally host holiday strolls have either cancelled or have not yet announced plans, but I think we can safely assume most towns will be cautious. Tree lighting ceremonies in the Boston Parks are still on the calendar, but we will update as we learn more. Visit https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/christmas-tree-lighting-ceremonies.html

  • Tuesday, June 15 – Monday, June 21, 2021 – Gardens of Seattle

    Glacial and volcanic events have blessed northwestern Washington with rich soil. Add in abundant rainfall, a temperate climate and the result is an amazing diversity of plant life that enjoys stellar growing conditions.

    This Pacific Horticulture trip will take place on June 15 – 21, 2021. We’ll explore an extraordinary collection of exclusive private gardens and top public gardens in and around Seattle with visits to the Miller Botanical Garden, Heronswood, Bellevue Botanic Garden and more! Includes full day trips to Vashon and Bainbridge Islands.

    Our tour concludes with a farewell dinner hosted by tour escort, Greg Graves, at his home garden & nursery, Old Goat Farm.

    View Seattle tour brochure.

    For complete itinerary details and information about booking this trip, click https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/tours/gardens-of-seattle/

  • Saturday, November 21, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Autumn Twig Wreath Online Workshop

    Learn to make your own unique autumn twig wreath using natural and local materials, with Wright-Locke Farm, online, on November 21 from 10:30 – 11:30. Instructor Ferriss Donham will walk you through the basics of assembling your wreath and share ideas for decorating, Kits will be available for pick-up at the farm the week prior. Cost is $40 per person and includes all materials. Learn more and register at http://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Friday, November 27 – Sunday, December 20 – Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees 2020

    Friday, November 27 – Sunday, December 20 – Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees 2020

    As many of you know Festival of Trees will look different than in years past, we will be offering reserved, timed ticket entry limited to 22 guests for each session. With complimentary hot chocolate in hand, a dedicated tour leader will escort each group through Snow Village, TWO rooms of beautiful and whimsical holiday trees, and send you to the fire pits with packaged s’mores to roast at the end of the visit. Visits are limited to 1.5 – 2 hours to help ensure safe numbers and minimal interactions.  Your tour will not mix with other guests outside of your time slot so you can book with confidence that you will never be part of a large crowd. To give you a safe and secure experience tickets are extremely limited and we expect to sell out early.  As always, we will still raffle the trees off on the final Sunday, so come prepared to choose your favorites! We will open at 10am on November 27th and run Wednesday to Sunday, ending on December 20th. Advanced purchase of timed tickets is required for both Mass Hort members and general admission. Tickets will not be sold on site. Mass Hort members receive a discount on tickets, join today to receive your discount.   

    Bring your family, meet up with your social bubble, grab a slot for your end of year office party; get together in a safe way and enjoy the holidays! Click the button to learn more about this event.  Book your slot HERE.

  • Esplanade Usage Survey

    The Esplanade Association is looking to understand your usage of public parks in downtown Boston, MA. We ask you to answer these questions based on your typical behavior. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your participation enters you into a raffle, as a token of our appreciation – 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 (𝟯) $𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨! The winners will be randomly selected and contacted by the end of November 2020 with their prize.

    All responses will be used in aggregate. Contact information will only be used to alert you if you win the raffle, if you opt-in to join our e-newsletter listserv, or if you opt-in to be contacted for a follow-up interview. Data will be collected by the Esplanade Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to revitalize, enhance, program, and maintain the Charles River Esplanade in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

    Thank you for your time, and for supporting the Esplanade Association’s efforts! To take the survey, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhBIfdkFi_eCwQrfiBIz020LQmDm7ZR8GN3flv8N-koViw9w/viewform

  • Thursday, November 19, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Bizarre Birds of the World, Online

    With over 10,000 bird species in the world, there are some extreme examples that stretch our understanding of what it means to be a bird. This entertaining and educational Zoom program with Steve Hale on Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm features exciting and fantastic examples of birds and bird biology. Birds discussed include the Hoatzin, Kakapo, Oilbird, Standard Wing Nightjar, and more.

    Registration Required. The program is sponsored by the Noethfield Public Library. Email dmemlib@gmail.com to register.

  • Saturday, November 21, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Apartment Gardener’s Saturday – Growing Herbs Indoors, Online

    Enjoy fresh herbs year-round by learning specific techniques for growing them indoors. Whether you want to transplant your outdoor herb garden inside, or start your kitchen herb garden from scratch, this New York Botanical Garden online class on November 21 from 9:30 – 11:30 teaches you the essentials of managing indoor growing conditions, the best ways to harvest herbs, and how to store them for maximum flavor and fragrance. Nicholas Storrs leads, and the fee is $39 for NYBG members, $45 for nonmembers. Register HERE.