Boston Flora

Month: January 2022

  • Wednesday, January 5, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – The Gardens at Walmer Castle, Online

    We know this lecture is today, but if you sign up you may access it for a full week following. This lecture is organized by The Gardens Trust in partnership with Kent Gardens Trust and is the first of a four week series on Wednesdays. The price is £5 each or all 4 for £16. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards. Register through Eventbrite HERE.

    Philip Oostenbrink will discuss The Gardens at Walmer Castle on January 5 from 1 – 2:30.

    There are over eight acres of park and gardens surrounding Walmer Castle, the Tudor Fort in Deal that is now the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Philip Oostenbrink will look at both the castle itself and the evolution of the gardens from the 16th century, noting in particular the contributions of the Lord Wardens. Key contributions have been made by the first Duke of Dorset between 1727 and 1765 who enclosed the captain’s kitchen garden and added ornamental flower beds; by William Pitt between 1802 and 1806 who planted extensively in the park surrounding the castle, adding a second walled garden, and an evergreen shrubbery. Pitt’s work was continued by Lord Hawkesbury who fashioned the gardens into the shape evident at Walmer today. When the 2nd Earl Granville became Lord Warden he revitalised Pitt’s tree planting and added the striking Boardwalk, and a serpentine walk around the bottom of the moat. From 1913 to 1931, the family of Earl Beauchamp made the castle a summer home and altered the planting style to reflect the then contemporary manner of Gertrude Jekyll. The last major alteration was made in 1997 when Penelope Hobhouse was commissioned to create an entirely new garden within Pitt’s walled garden to commemorate the 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

    Philip Oostenbrink became Head Gardener at Walmer in 2020. Born in the Netherlands he moved to the UK in 2008 to set up his own garden maintenance company. In 2011 he became Deputy Head Gardener at Hadlow College, then Head Gardener at Canterbury Cathedral in 2015. He has recently published a book The Jungle Garden. He nurtures four National Plant Collections.

  • Wednesday, June 1 – Wednesday, June 8 – Great Gardens of Scotland

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden is sponsoring a one week garden tour to Scotland June 1 – 8. Highlights include:

    • A stop by Calton Hill, ‘The Athens of the North’, to see many of its famous landmark buildings.
    • A visit to the Edinburgh Botanical Garden with a talk about the history of the gardens.
    • Manderston House, home of The Lord Palmer, where we will be entertained to lunch,
    • followed by a tour of this grand Edwardian house and a visit to the gardens with the head
    • gardener.
    • Floors Castle & Gardens, in Roxburghshire, is the seat of the Dukes of Roxburgh. The grounds are listed in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, the national listing of significant gardens in Scotland.
    • Balcarres House & Gardens, pictured below, the ancestral home of the Earls of Crawford, this house eventually became the family seat of the Earl of Crawford and its grounds are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens.

    These are just a selection of highlights; please inquire about the full itinerary! To register or learn more contact Lani at lani@classicalexcursions.com

    Please note in an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health of our community and the communities we visit proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for all participants taking part in Berkshire Botanical Garden’s overnight trips.  An image of your vaccination card, alongside a photo ID, must be presented in order to complete registration. Additional health and COVID-based safety measures at our destinations may be in place as well. Lani Summerville will communicate updates regarding health guidelines as needed.

  • Fridays – Sundays, Through February 13, 10:00 am and 2:00 pm – Tours of Berlin Farms

    To celebrate the completion of a multi-year restoration, Berlin Farms is hosting a limited-time docent-guided tour of the interior of the former farmstead of Charles Edward Cotting in Berlin, MA. This agricultural landmark is local and decorated for the season. Families can avoid the crowds, keep warm and enjoy a special event. .


    Tickets at (617)710-8810 or https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-farm-tour-tickets-221425097427


    Details are as follows:A festive guided tour of an historic New England farmstead and agricultural landmark. Now open to the public for a limited time! Step into an historic farmstead and relive your agricultural roots. This quintessential New England farm is now open to the public after years of restoration.
    Highlights include:  A warm and welcoming docent-guided tour • An educational and fun visit about rural life from the 18th century to present day. Enjoy “Tales of Yore” about the Starlette, the Patriot and Maxine…the cow. A collection of American and European art including period furnishings. Meet-and-greet with a rare barnyard friend. Complementary memento & hot beverages. Tours run now through February 13 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10am and 2pm.

    There is a Back Bay connection to Charles Edward Cotting. According to Thomas High’s excellent website Back Bay Houses:

    Charles Cotting was an investment banker, a partner in the firm of Lee, Higginson and Company.  In 1922, he had purchased land in Berlin, Massachusetts, where he founded the Chedco Farm, where he established one of the first Guernsey cattle herds in America. He purchased 410 Beacon in anticipation of his upcoming marriage in June of 1926 to former stage and silent film actress Constance Binney.  After their marriage, they made 410 Beacon their Boston home and also maintained a home in Manchester.

    We include a photo of Ms. Binney because she is arguably more attractive than the cow.

  • Thursday, January 13, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – A Brief History of Earth, Online

    How well do you know the ground beneath your feet? Odds are, where you’re standing was once cooking under a roiling sea of lava, crushed by a towering sheet of ice, rocked by a nearby meteor strike, or perhaps choked by poison gases, drowned beneath ocean, perched atop a mountain range, or roamed by fearsome monsters. Probably most—or even all—of the above.

    The story of our home planet and the organisms spread across its surface is far more spectacular than any Hollywood blockbuster, filled with enough plot twists to rival a bestselling thriller. But only recently have we begun to piece together the whole mystery into a coherent narrative.

    Drawing on his decades of field research and up-to-the-minute understanding of the latest science, Andrew H. Knoll, a geologist and professor at Harvard University, offers a short biography of Earth, charting our home planet’s epic 4.6 billion-year story and placing 21st-century climate change in deep context. This Smithsonian Associates online lecture will take place January 13 from 6:46 – 8:15. $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

    His book, A Brief History of Earth: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters (Custom House), is available for purchase.

    Book Sale Information

  • Saturday, April 30 – Sunday, May 8 – Treasures of Japan

    The American Horticultural Society is sponsoring a Ponant Cruise with AHS hosts Holly and Osamu Shimizu on April 30 – May 8, having been rescheduled from 2021. At its core, Japan is a place of tranquility and spirituality, where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoiled. Tour the Land of the Rising Sun via a beautifully appointed small ship and experience some of the most serene and breathtaking gardens in the world.

    Highlights include a visit to the Korakuen Garden, considered one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan, a special performance of the Kagura dance at Itsukushima Shrine, a tour of Matsue Castle made entirely of pine and built in 1611, and the opportunity to be a guest of the Abbot at Kofukuji Temple in the heart of Nagasaki. You will also see an old sake brewery, the Amazake Chaya Teahouse, the Uchikoza Theater, and the Kami Hagitei, the former home and workshop of one of Uchiko’s most influential families. There will also be an exploration of scenic tea plantations en route to Chiran, a small town known for its fine collection of samurai houses and their enclosed gardens.

    For more information and to make reservations, please contact Susan Klejst, Director of Development & Engagement at (703) 768-5700 ext. 127, or email development@ahsgardening.org. Itinerary may be found at www.ahsgardening.org.

  • Tuesday, January 4, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – The Cloisters Museum and Gardens: Medieval Europe in Manhattan Webinar

    While New York City is well known for its towering modern skyscrapers, one of its most famous museums contains rooms and art that date back hundreds of years. But how exactly did a collection of old European chapels and structures find their way to New York, and what historic items were acquired to fill the gothic spaces to make it the premier collections of medieval art in America? It’s time to uncover the story behind the incredible art, architecture, and gardens of New York’s very own European medieval monastery.

    Join New York Adventure Club on January 4 as we explore the Cloisters museum and gardens in Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park — owned and governed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this museum in the neighborhood of Washington Heights is composed of architectural elements from various historic structures mostly in France and Spain along with prized medieval artworks including paintings and sculptures, stained glass windows, illuminated books, and more.

    Led by Sylvia Laudien-Meo — art historian, museum educator, and NYC tour guide — this virtual journey surrounding the MET Cloisters, which gives great insight into life during medieval times, will include:

    • The history of The Cloisters’ foundation and its general architecture within Fort Tryon Park
    • A virtual slideshow through the museum with its beautiful gardens and vistas
    • A discussion of the museum’s collection of medieval architecture and sculpture, artfully integrated into the modern museum architecture
    • An overview of the enchanting cloister gardens, planted with culinary and medicinal plants, as well as those used for dyeing fabrics like tapestries
    • A close look at many of the masterpieces of the collection, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts
    • A special focus on the Unicorn Tapestries and Robert Campin’s Merode Altarpiece

    Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Sylvia — any and all questions about the Cloisters are welcomed and encouraged!

    Can’t make it live? Don’t worry, you’ll have access to the full replay for one week!

    See you there, virtually! $10. Register HERE.

    *Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

  • Wreath of the Day – Happy New Year

    Wishing you all the best in 2022. May we all be able to gather again safely and see each other in person. Our January tea is upcoming, for members only this year, so join us today at https://bostonflora.com/membership/