Boston Flora

Month: March 2021

  • The Garden Club of the Back Bay Self-Guided Magnolia Tour

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay Self-Guided Magnolia Tour

    On this self-guided Magnolia Tree Tour, created by The Garden Club of the Back Bay Tree Committee, you’ll walk the length of Commonwealth Avenue, starting at Arlington Street spanning up to Massachusetts Avenue and beyond. Along the way, you’ll learn interesting facts ranging from history, to tree-specific facts, to what our Club’s Tree Committee is currently working on as it relates to these beloved historical trees.

    A PDF of the tour may be downloaded free of charge by registering on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-bay-magnolias-self-guided-tour-tickets-148494706665 Your confirmation email from Eventbrite will contain the link There is also the option of adding a tax deductible donation to help finance the tree canopy work of the Garden Club of the Back Bay, but it’s not a requirement.

  • Friday, April 9, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Seed Dormancy, Online

    he origin of the seed was a pivotal event in plant evolution. Seeds, brilliantly described by Jonathan Silvertown as “embryos in picnic baskets,” determine where, how, and when plants move across the landscape. In addition to dispersal in space, seeds have also evolved a mechanism for dispersing through time, an adaptation known as seed dormancy. This April 9 Native Plant Trust online program from 10 – 11 will introduce you to seed dormancy types and classification, the evolutionary history and biogeography of dormancy mechanisms, and current topics in seed research relevant to plant conservation and ecological restoration. $12 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Jessamine Finch is the instructor. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/seed-dormancy/

  • Tuesday, April 13, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Harriet Tubman: The Ultimate Outdoorswoman, Online

    As a young enslaved girl in the swampy wetlands and upland forests of Dorchester County, Maryland, Harriet Tubman learned to navigate different ecosystems, mimic the sounds of birds, trap animals, and utilize plants for medicine and food.

    In a New York Botanical Garden lecture at 11 am on April 13, Maryland Park Ranger Angela Crenshaw reveals how Tubman, whom she calls “the ultimate outdoorswoman,” gained the expert naturalist skills that later helped her guide more than 70 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad.

    $18. Register HERE.

  • Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay April Meeting, Online: Container Garden Demonstration by Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens

    Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay April Meeting, Online: Container Garden Demonstration by Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens

    Sean Murphy and Emily Montany from Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens will present several approaches to container gardening in the city and under various conditions, during the April meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

    Sean and Emily are co-owners of Rouvalis, located on West Cedar Street, in Beacon Hill.  Rouvalis is a premier boutique floral shop that provides creative and unique arrangements with a signature style that is well known. Their flowers are sourced and hand picked from local farms or imported from destinations like Holland, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. Their award-winning design team uses the finest quality flowers available throughout the world and create stunning pieces, ever-changing with the seasons. 

    Please RSVP by April 11 to Christine Hirshland by clicking here: chirshland@aol.com

    A ZOOM link will be sent a few days before the program. Free and open to the public. The session begins at 2 pm Eastern time.

  • Wednesday, April 7, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Unforgettable Gardens, Hafod, Wales, Online

    Hafod has been described as the finest example in Europe of a landscape designed purely in the style of the Picturesque. A remote manor house and poor estate occupying a valley on the western side of the Cambrian Mountains, it was inherited in 1780 by Thomas Johnes. He set about interpreting the genius of the place and making it accessible to visitors. It became an essential destination on a tour of Wales, and the subject of numerous sketches and rhapsodic descriptions by late 18th century tourists.

    The estate changed hands several times in the following two hundred years, but although private owners and the Forestry Commission increased the extent of plantations, little was done to change the underlying structure. Its remoteness helped to protect it from development or unsympathetic use. During the conservation project, begun in 1991, the landscape features have been revealed and some ten miles of walks restored, taking visitors to meadows, old woodlands, gardens, waterfalls, caves, and wonderful views. You may purchase a ticket through Eventbrite for the individual session, costing £5 via the link here..

    Jennie Macve has a degree in Geography from Oxford and, after moving to Aberystwyth in the late 1970s, became interested in garden and landscape history. She has been involved with the Hafod project since its outset, firstly as a volunteer. With the formation of the Hafod Trust in 1994, she became its Secretary and later its part-time administrator and research officer .She was a major contributor to its successful application to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1998. She is the author of the guidebook, The Hafod Landscape, published in 2004 and has written or edited other publications on Hafod and local history.

    Working with Debois Landscape Survey Group, she has carried out archive and field research at historic landscapes in Devon , Hampshire and Hertforshire. Although now retired, she remains a trustee of the Hafod Trust and also of Welsh Historic Gardens Trust. She has recently moved to south Shropshire.

  • Sunday, April 11, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Seed Starting for the New Cutting Garden

    Seed starting can be intimidating stuff, with calendar complications and lots of equipment. Streamline your process in this Berkshire Botanical Garden in person course on April 11 at 11 am from Colie Collen of Flower Scout, who will review the optimal start dates and conditions for a wide range of cut flowers, herbs and veggies, and guide you through the best ways to start your own seeds at home.  Colie Collen, founder, farmer and designer at Flower Scout, brings her love of all things wild and seasonal to her work. After many years of farming on the west and east coasts, her interest turned to flower production in 2012, and subsequently, to design. Colie seeks to create individual experiences for clients based on the colors, textures and shapes the land/garden/season is creating at a particular moment, with customers’ aesthetic preferences continually in mind. $12 for BBG members, $18 for nonmembers.

    To register, and for more information, visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/seed-starting-new-cutting-garden

  • Friday, April 9, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – How to Use Your Tools the Right Way

    Expand beyond the spade. A wide variety of tools exist on the market for modern gardeners. But what is really essential and how can you feel confident and competent using the tools you have on hand? Learn about the different tools used for planting, garden maintenance and invasive removal, considering the pros and cons to different tools for particular tasks. Proper tool use and maintenance will be addressed. Students will receive hands-on experience with the tools presented.
    This Berkshire Botanical Garden in person class on April 9 at 2 pm is led by Bridghe McCracken and Calisha Croney of Helia Nursery.

    Bridghe McCracken, founder of Helia Land Design, has over 20 years of experience in land stewardship and designing landscapes, gardens and beautiful food systems. Bridge has a BA in biology from Colorado College, is a Certified Organic Landcare Professional from the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, a Certified Horticulturist from MCLA, a Massachusetts Master Gardener and a graduate and advanced practitioner of the Four Winds Society.

    Calisha Croney is the Sustainable Land Care Manager at Helia Land Design and has extensive experience in native garden planting and care.

    $20 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/how-use-your-tools-right-way

  • Saturday, April 10, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Spring/Summer Hive Management

    Join 6th-generation beekeeper Ken Warchol for an in-depth Berkshire Botanical Garden program on spring honeybee hive management. This in person lecture and demonstration on April 10 at 11 am will focus on how to open up your hives from the winter, including feeding and pest control. Ken will provide beekeepers with critical information and, most especially, timing of important management techniques to prepare hives for the spring and summer. Weather permitting, he will do a hive inspection in the BBG apiary. Bring protective equipment. Ken Warchol is a long-time beekeeper and former teacher whose lectures are enjoyed by expert and novice beekeepers alike. He has served as a Massachusetts State Bee Inspector. $15 for BBG members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/springsummer-hive-management

  • Thursday, April 1, 3:30 pm – Hidden Gems: Revival of the Muddy River within the Emerald Necklace, Online

    The story of the Emerald Necklace, (aka Muddy River riparian corridor) reveals how landscapes along urban waterways provide essential ecosystem connectivity. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy fulfills the aspirations of Hartford native, Frederick Law Olmsted, by hosting a spectrum of activities along the irregular path of the Muddy River. Revitalization of Boston’s Emerald Necklace is rooted in ambitious conservation goals of the late 19th and early 20th century. The impressive, historic scale of conservation can inspire communities to respond to the climate crisis with a new, 21st century parks movement.

    This free April 1 online event beginning at 3:30 pm will review the history of the Muddy River within the Emerald Necklace with guest Karen Mauney-Brodek of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and will summarize the efforts of the Olmsted 200 movement with guest Barbara A. Yaeger of the National Association of Olmsted Parks. Hosted by Park Watershed. Register at https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/event/hidden-gems/

  • Wednesday, April 7, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Proper Planting Practices: Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model? Online

    In the Nursery and Landscape Industry, there is an overabundance of clouded misinformation that is passed down to the general public on how to design and maintain their landscape. From every direction, inaccurate or antiquated information flows. From big box stores and local Mom and Pop nurseries to examples, images, and text on the internet.

    There are visual examples that exist everywhere of ill-managed landscapes in both commercial properties and private residences.

    There are significant differences in training and quality between companies that offer services based on best practices. So how do we improve our company standards or how do you, as a consumer, know if you’re getting the best quality for your money?

    In this free online Ecological Landscape Alliance presentation on April 7 at noon, Richard McCoy will provide information on current techniques of proper planting, how to correct unseen issues that are borne in the landscape nursery, the importance of the plant root collar, plant placement by matching site conditions to a plant’s cultural needs, and how these efforts add value vs. “cheap’ alternatives.

    Discussion points:
    • Are We Landscaping in a Deficit Model?
    • The Root (collar) of the problem
    • Right Plant – Right Place
    • Proper Planting B&B and Container plants
    • Value vs. Cheap – You get what you pay for

    Richard McCoy has over 30-years’ experience in the green industry. He is the visionary behind Richard A. McCoy Horticultural Services Inc., which he established in 1993. Since transitioning from conventional to organic and ecological methods in 2005, McCoy Horticultural has been offering environmentally and sustainably responsible, fine-gardening ecological design, green infrastructure installations, maintenance, and organic lawn care.

    Richard’s work includes Stony Wood Garden, a 3.5-acre private woodland garden in Princeton, NJ, that has been recognized by The Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Gardens.

    Richard is an advisor and practitioner council member for The Organic Landscape Association, a nationally recognized organization. Additionally, Richard is a member of Rutgers University’s Organic Land Care Working Group. He holds a Certificate of Organic Land Care through the Rutgers Organic Land Care Program, is a certified Natural Turf and Landscape Manager, is an organic Lawn Care Accredited Professional, and a NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Accredited Organic Land Care Professional.

    Register at www.ecolandscaping.org