Daily Archives: April 30, 2022

Saturday, May 7, 7:00 pm – Public Gardens in Today’s World, Online

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The New England Botanical Club will hold its next meeting on Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 pm Eastern Time via Zoom. Non-members may register for the meeting access link here. William Cullina will speak on Public Gardens in Today’s World.

William Cullina is the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. For eleven years prior, Bill was at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, as Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator and then as President and CEO. Cullina holds degrees in plant science and psychology; he has been working in public horticulture for 25 years. He has extensive experience in horticultural and forestry research and commercial nursery production, including, I’m sure you will remember, at The New England Wild Flower Society, now the Native Plants Trust.

A well-known author and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and Understanding Perennials. Bill Cullina will discuss the increasingly critical role that public gardens play in American society. He will consider biophilia: the affinity of human beings for other life forms and what this means for public gardens. He will also reflect on ways that gardens provide accessibility, improve physical and mental health, engage in critical research, and provide space for quiet joy and transcendence.

Monday, May 2, 1:00 pm – The History of the Rose, Online

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The rose is the world’s favorite flower and always has been. It is the greatest floral symbol of love and romance the world over and touches people’s hearts at many points in their lives: the flower most often chosen to celebrate significant milestones, such as weddings or anniversaries, and to mark births and deaths. This talk will trace the journey of the rose across the centuries, from battles to bouquets, charting its botanical, religious, literary and artistic history. Dr Catherine Horwood will explore the story of what makes this botanical family so loved: from Cleopatra’s rose-petal-filled bed to Nijinsky’s Spectre de la rose ballet; from the highly-prized attar of rose oil so believed by the ancient Persians to top-brand perfume labels today; and from Shakespearean myths about the Wars of the Roses to the significance of Queen Elizabeth’s I’s embroidered dresses.

The Gardens Trust in association with the Historic Roses Group presents this online talk on May 2 at 1 pm Eastern time. £5. Register through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-rose-the-history-of-the-rose-tickets-305563497647

Dr Catherine Horwood is an experienced speaker and the author of many books on social history including Gardening Women: Their Stories from 1600 to the Present (Virago, 2010) and Potted History – How Houseplants Took Over Our Homes (Pimpernel Press, 2020). Her biography Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants (Pimpernel Press, 2019) was selected as the European Garden Book of the Year in 2020. She is also author of Rose (Reaktion Books, 2018), which was described by Gardens Illustrated as ‘a clearly-written, information-packed review of the historical, religious, cultural and artistic significance of the world’s favourite flower’.