Boston Flora

Month: April 2021

  • Saturday, April 17, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Primrose & Muscari Bulb Propagation Workshop, Online

    Learn how to make more flowers from one little plant or batch of bulbs to expand your spring garden. Ferriss Donham provides kits that contain all the plants and materials necessary to learn how to divide one clump of primroses and one clump of muscari bulbs. These perennials can then be planted into your spring garden to bloom for many years to come with the acquired knowledge of how to divide and share them as well. Both plants make lovely fragrant cut flowers for a spring bedside bouquet. 


    Kits will be available for pick-up at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester on Thursday and Friday, April 15th and 16th. Cost is $45 per person and includes the kit with all necessary materials. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

  • Thursday, April 22, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Clean Water, Green Space, and Social Equity, Online

    The chain of green spaces and waterways that comprise the Emerald Necklace park system is an invaluable urban oasis. Described as “the lungs of the city” this parkland and its rivers and ponds clean the city air, provide habitats for birds and other wildlife, and greatly improve quality of life for Boston residents. Our panel, Karen Mauney-Brodek, Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Representative Nika Elugardo; Chris Reed, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and moderator Sarah Glazer will explore the past, present, and future of this urban wild, beginning with Olmsted’s vision, through the lens of social equity and environmental justice.

    Please note, this free April 22 program is an online event hosted by the Green Committee of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and the Massachusetts Historical Society and held on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive an email with links to join the program. Registration is required at https://www.masshist.org/calendar/event?event=3461

  • Thursday, April 15, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Drought Tolerant Plants for Climate Change, Online

    When the dog days of summer hit, many of us are faced with water bans that limit our ability to water our lush gardens. We find ourselves carefully monitoring the water level in rain barrels and hoping for the next rainfall. What if we started to incorporate plants that simply need less water? In this online Massachusetts Horticultural Society lecture on April 15 at 7 pm, Jen Kettell will share the effects of drought on woody plants and describe plant adaptations for dealing with drought. Most importantly, she will introduce you to a new palette of plant material that will decrease your water use while increasing species diversity and beauty in your home landscape. 

    Jen Kettell is an arborist and horticulturist serving the New England area. She is a recent graduate of the American Society for Consulting Arborists (ASCA) Academy, an advanced professional training for experienced arborists. As the owner of Radiant Leaf Consulting, she shares her passion for horticulture through the training she provides to both homeowners and green industry professionals.

    Currently, she is a consultant for The Trustees’ public gardens, and a guest lecturer and trainer at the University of Massachusetts, the Arnold Arboretum, and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). In addition, she collaborates with other professionals through volunteer appointments on the Landscape Advisory Committee for the Wakefield Estate and Arboretum and the Board of Directors at Stearns Organic Farm.

    Prior to starting Radiant Leaf Consulting in 2013, she worked as a staff horticulturist at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum for more than ten years, and served on the board of directors for the International Society of Arboriculture’s local chapter for five years.

  • Tuesday, April 13, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Virtual Vegetable Gardening 101

    To have a bountiful garden, “all” you need to do is provide your plants what they need. But what do they need?  And how do you provide it? Learn about sunlight, space, water and most of all soil, and you’ll have the basics to develop the garden you’ve always wanted. 

    This online Massachusetts Horticultural Society class on April 13 at 7 is part of its spring Introduction to Gardening series.

    Instructor: Gretel Anspach is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon. Gretel helped to establish and maintain two food production gardens that have provided fresh produce to the Marlboro Food Pantry for the last eight years. $20 for Mass Hort members, $30 for general public. Register at https://masshort.org/education-events/vegetable-gardening-101/

  • Saturday, April 17, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – University of Oxford Botanic Garden: 400 Years of Gardening and Botany, Online

    Essex Gardens Trust, in association with The Gardens Trust, presents an online talk with Timothy Walker on Saturday 17th April @ 5.30 pm Eastern Time. Tickets £5, available through Eventbrite by clicking HERE.

    The University of Oxford can lay claim to the oldest botanic garden in Britain, now in its 400th year. Since 1621, the Oxford Botanic Garden has stood on the banks of the River Cherwell in the centre of Oxford. It has evolved from a collection of medicinal herbs for seventeenth century physicians into the most compact, diverse collection of plants in the world, where 4,500 species can be seen in its 4½ acres, which support teaching and research at Oxford and beyond. This glorious garden is surrounded by a high stone wall, set off by a lovely gateway, and within which there are many ornamental trees and shrubs as well as rectangular ‘order’ beds and a wealth of other features.

    Timothy Walker is a former director of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden & Harcourt Arboretum, having started as General Foreman. He is a lecturer, botanist, gardener, Fellow of the Linnaean Society, and author of Plant Conservation; Plants: A very short Introduction; and the RHS handbook on Euphorbias.

    Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session, available for one week, will be sent shortly afterwards.

  • Tuesday, April 20, 2:00 pm – The Naturally Beautiful Garden: Designs That Engage with Wildlife and Nature, Online

    Drawing from her new book The Naturally Beautiful Garden: Designs That Engage with Wildlife and Nature (Rizzoli, April 2021), Kathryn Bradley-Hole will consider ‘what makes a naturally beautiful garden?’ Interest in growing plants and creating attractive spaces that support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife is a recurrent theme in garden-making today. This online illustrated lecture will be held on April 20 at 2 pm and sponsored by The Royal Oak Foundation. $15 Royal Oak members, $20 general public. Register at https://www.royal-oak.org/events/spring-2021-online/naturally-beautiful-garden/

    Often it goes hand in hand with organic principles that shun the use of short-term, quick-fix chemical solutions. Kathryn will illustrate inspiring contemporary gardens that exemplify these principles from the UK and across the globe.

    These gorgeous gardens are located in a broad variety of climates and feature correspondingly varied flora, which support their local fauna in engaging ways! From 21st century public green spaces to modern cottage gardens, and from large country gardens to intimate city courtyards these gardens benefit people of all ages who use them, bringing the beauties of Nature close to hand.

    Kathryn Bradley-Hole’s distinguished career as a horticultural writer includes 18 years as Gardens Editor of the iconic English weekly magazine, Country Life, between 2000 and 2018. She has authored six books on a variety of garden subjects, including the bestselling BBC “Gardeners’ World” Garden Lovers’ Guide to Britain and Lost Gardens of England from the Archives of Country Life; and English Gardens from the Archives of Country Life Magazine (October 2020).

    A Fellow of the Linnean Society, her personal gardening interests focus in achieving visual harmony with the broader landscape and creating environments that assist wildlife. Her personal gardening interests focus on achieving visual harmony with the broader landscape and creating environments that assist wildlife

  • Thursday, April 15, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Native Spring Ephemerals Webinar

    Spring is a magical time of year when the forest floor comes to life with colorful and complex wildflowers. Join Amy Mawby and Tower Hill Botanic Garden online on April 15 at 6:30 pm for an ecological exploration of the season with a focus on its harbingers, our native spring ephemerals. Go on a photographic journey of our most fleeting flowers while discovering cultural information and fun facts. Combat ‘plant blindness’ by learning identification tips to help you get outside and enjoy the spring ephemerals in your home garden, neighborhood and local natural areas.

    Amy Mawby is a garden educator and photographer. Her roots are buried deep in horticulture and she has spent 12+ years leading education and visitor experience teams at public gardens. She has most recently worked at Tyler Arboretum and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (BHWP). Amy nurtured her passion for native plants during her time at BHWP and fell head over heels for the spring ephemerals on-site. She is also a visual storyteller and nature shutterbug. Amy holds a M.S. in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware and a B.S. in Plant Science from Cornell University. This program will be held virtually. 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 nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – StudioXero, Online

    StudioXero is an internationally recognized garden design firm founded and led by Chilean garden designer Ximena Nazal. The firm pushes the boundaries of innovation to create gardens that take their lessons and inspiration from the natural world. 

    In this April 15 Garden Conservancy webinar at 2 pm, Ximena will discuss how StudioXero responds to the realities of desert encroachment, climate change, and anthropogenic factors and strives to be part of the solution to our global challenges. Please note that registration will end 24 hours prior to this webinar.
    $5 Garden Conservancy members 
    $15 General admission

  • Wednesday, April 14, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Unforgettable Gardens, Wales: Plas Cadnant, Online

    Just across the Menai Suspension Bridge that connects Anglesey to the North Wales mainland. lies Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens which under the ownership of Anthony Tavernor have undergone a dramatic transformation over the last quarter of a century, taking the near-derelict property back to its breath-taking former glory. The gardens contain contrasting formal and picturesque elements and extend to some 10 acres. Journey through Plas Cadnant’s history from the early 19th Century, through to its decline, and to the rediscovery and restoration of the gardens over the last 25 years. Also learn about the Boxing Day flood of 2015; Royal visit in 2017; and plans for the future of the gardens.

    This ticket is for this individual Garden Trust session and costs £5, and you may purchase tickets for other individual sessions, or you may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 4 sessions at a cost of £16 through Eventbrite via the link here.

    Anthony Tavernor has said: ‘Sometimes, you follow your heart, not your head.’ A farmer from Staffordshire with a longstanding love of gardens (he’s proud to recall that he became a life member of the National Trust when he was a teenager), spotting the property in Country Life was a chance to bring something beautiful back to life. After a 20-minute viewing of the house in 1996 and a rough attempt to work out what might remain as a garden, he made an offer and has never looked back; and on the way he has won an award from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales and gained a place for the garden in the book Discovering Welsh Gardens.

  • Tuesdays, April 13 – May 18, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Ikebana

    Learn the art of Japanese Flower Arranging from Joanne Caccavale, Komon, Sogetsu School.  

    In this six-week Massachusetts Horticultural Society in person course beginning April 13, you will be taught the basic curriculum and receive a certificate from Tokyo upon completion of course books. Students will be provided with school books, plant material, containers and pin frogs when you come to class. Please bring garden scissors or ikebana scissors.

    Classes will be held on Tuesday evenings 6-8:30pm in the Putnam Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank.

    Joanne was born and raised in Singapore. She came to school in the US in 1985 and stayed.  Educated and trained as an attorney, she prefers flowers to law. A professionally trained floral designer, she switched to Japanese flower arranging twenty years ago and has been teaching for fourteen years. She is a perennial exhibitor in the New England/Boston Flower Show and did the MFA Art in Bloom for many years for her Garden Club.  She is a Past President and is now again  President of Ikebana International Boston Chapter and Director elect of the Boston Chapter of the Sogetsu School. She holds the rank of Riji (highest ran) from the Sogetsu School.

    She holds regular classes at her studio at home and also teaches at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.  She regularly conducts workshops for the Sogetsu School in Massachusetts.  On a yearly basis, she has made the Ikebana stage installation for the Japanese Emperor’s Birthday Reception at the Massachusetts State House.

    Classes run April 13-May 18th. Class size is EXTREMELY LIMITED, facial masks covering both nose and mouth are required at all times. $270 for Mass Hort members, $325 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org.