The Winter Solstice is here, the Shortest Day, the Longest Night, a time for Christmas Revels or Wiccan Celebrations or maybe just an evening of chestnuts roasting on an open fire. From 2016, here is an all natural wreath symbolizing all of the above. The word wreath comes from the word “writhen” that was an old English word meaning “to writhe” or “to twist.” Just a little bit of information for your day. Welcome, Yule!
This fall two new properties have come into the care of The Trustees. Armstrong-Kelley Park, in Cape Cod, has become The Trustees’ twelfth public garden, and Becket Quarry and Historic Forest, in the Berkshires, joins their many woodland properties.
A recent merger between The Trustees and the Cape Cod Horticultural Society (CCHS), officially brought Armstrong-Kelley Park in Osterville under The Trustees’ umbrella. The 8.5-acre Osterville Village property is Cape Cod’s oldest and largest privately-owned park, featuring an arboretum, central green, garden rooms, a boardwalk, trails, and beloved features such as Liam’s Train and the John Folk Water Garden.
A recent partnership between The Trustees and the Becket Land Trust has brought the Becket Quarry and Historic Forest property into care, ensuring a place for this unique natural and cultural landscape.
This 300-acre property is the former site of the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry. It was acquired by the Becket Land Trust more than 20 years ago, when the quarry was proposed to be re-activated to provide crushed stone for use in the Big Dig project. Visited by more than 14,000 people in the last year, Becket Quarry’s popularity and stewardship challenges led the Land Trust to seek a partner entity to take over the management of the property.
After more than 100 years of operation, the Chester-Hudson Granite Quarry ceased full operation in the late 1940s, and a variety of vehicles and industrial equipment were abandoned. These artifacts from a bygone age are still there, and slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Planned improvements to Becket Quarry under Trustees stewardship include work on the extensive trail system which laces the interior of the property, signage updates, and upgrades to the main access trail (the former rail bed for the quarry railroad). An unofficial opening will be planned for 2022. For more information on both these properties, visit http://thetrustees.org
Pin frogs—also known as kenzans or floral frogs—are a popular tool among floral designers. Pin frogs allow you to securely style and place a variety of flowers, creating shape and movement within an arrangement. Learn the ins and outs of using this tool through demonstration and hands-on practice. Aluminum wire is a malleable material that is easy to use in floral design. Learn how to properly manipulate aluminum craft wire (16 gauge) to create a supportive metal framework for contemporary arrangements. Branches are a natural support for floral creations. Discover the best types of branches (think pliable, like curly willow) and how to properly use them in and around your container. Supple fresh branches not only give support to the plant material in a container, they are also used as an accent to give height and fullness. You’ll practice this technique using flowers at home.This New York Botanical Society online class on January 11 from 6 – 8 requires the purchase of materials. Please visit www.nybg.org for complete information. The instructor is Rose Edinger.
Rose G. Edinger is founder of RGE Designs, a floral design company which specializes in integrating event and party themes with floral constructions. Her 35 years of experience in the floral industry include ownership of Aalseemer Flower Market, a flower shop located on the upper Westside of Manhattan. She has been an instructor at Parsons School of Art and Design, The Horticultural Society of New York, and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
You may register for each webinar separately: NYBG members $55, nonmembers $59. There is a discount for signing up for all three as a series. Register HERE.
