Boston Flora

Month: August 2022

  • Sunday, September 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Chinese Brush Painting: Plum Blossoms

    This New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill course on September 11 introduces you to “the four treasures” of Chinese brush painting—ink stone, ink sticks, brush, and paper—allows you to explore a variety of techniques. Through demonstration and hands-on practice, you will learn the Chinese brush methods of painting Plum Blossoms as well as compositional development.  Because the plum is the first flower to bloom while the winter air still bites, it represents the vitality and vigor of nature. And in classical Chinese writing, the character for plum blossom expresses the virtues of courage and strength. Take this two hour class to relax, create, and meditate with Chinese brush painting inspired by the beautiful garden at Tower Hill. Material required, not included with registration, are two containers (one for clean water and the other for cleaning brushes, minimum size 2 cups) and two flat white 6 – 8 inch plates (small dinner plate will be ok.)

    Sau-Mei Leung is a graduate with the Natural Science Illustration Certificate from Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education. She also has a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Connecticut. Her interest in art was sparked by studying Chinese calligraphy in primary school in Hong Kong. Mei has exhibited in many shows including Davis Art Gallery, Tower Hill Botanical Garden, and Art Providence. One of her watercolor paintings was also featured in Scenes and Seasons of a Small New England Village published by Leonard A. Haug. Mei is passionate about teaching and sharing her love of art, nature, and science. $55 NEBG members, $70 nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org.

  • Friday, September 9, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – 25th Annual Rose Garden Party

    Join Boston Mayor Michelle Wu at the 25th Annual Rose Garden Party on Friday, September 9 from 5 – 7, benefiting free family-friendly programs and events in Boston Parks. The James P. Kelleher Rose Garden is located in the Back Bay Fens, featuring 3,000 rose bushes, perhaps, at this time of year, not at peak bloom, but definitely flowering. This event, generally held in June, had to be postponed this year, but our hot weather should still make for an entertaining and enjoyable evening.

    Included: Live and DJ entertainment, a silent auction, en plein air painting demonstration, passed hors d’oeuvres, and more. Garden party attire is enthusiastically encouraged.

    Be sure to enter the fun “Hats Galore” contest by dressing up in your finest Rose Garden Party hat. The judges are Gustavo Leon, Jonathan Soroff and Candice Wu, who will choose: the Most Creative, Most Elegant, Best Fascinator and Just For Men winners.

    Individual tickets are $150. The address of the Kelleher Rose Garden is 73 Park Drive. Get your tickets or donate at https://www.boston.gov/civic-engagement/rose-garden-party

  • Tuesday, September 20, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Boston Groundwater Trust Forum

    The Boston Groundwater Trust is sponsoring a public forum on September 20 from 5:30 – 7:30 on How Climate Change May Threaten the Foundations of Boston. The event will take place at the Boston Public Library at Copley Square in Rabb Hall. Free. For more information on the Boston Groundwater Trust: https://www.bostongroundwater.org

  • Saturday, September 17, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Botany of the New Hampshire Coastline

    Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge is located along the eastern shore of New Hampshire’s Great Bay in the town of Newington. The refuge protects more than 1,000 acres along the seacoast for migratory birds and other wildlife. One of the longest stretches of undeveloped shoreline along the bay, it consists of mud flats, salt- and freshwater marshes, swamps, ponds, streams, woodlands, and fields. Join Native Plant Trust’s Director of Conservation Michael Piantedosi on September 17 from 10 – 12:30 pm as we explore this diverse refuge and learn about its dynamic flora. $38 for NPT members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/botany-new-hampshire-coastline/

    A tidal creek flows through a salt marsh into Great Bay in Newmarket, New Hampshire. The Nature Conservancy’s Lubberland Creek Preserve. CopyrightJerry and Marcy Monkman EcoPhotography.com

  • Saturday, September 10, 11:00 am – 4:30 pm – Japanese Chrysanthemums, Online

    Learn the basic watercolor techniques used by botanical artists while painting Japanese chrysanthemums from a provided photograph. A photograph will be provided for reference. Flat wash, layering and dry brush techniques will be covered. This New York Botanic Garden online course on September 10 from 11 – 4:30 will offer live demonstrations, videos, and individual feedback in an enjoyable and supportive atmosphere.

    You will need all required materials listed in the link below. The instructor will send you a line drawing of a rose that you will also need to print before class. Click HERE for materials list. Adele Rossetti is the instructor. Adele, recently awarded the 2017 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant, studies and paints the flora of the Mata Atlantica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Adele was previously named a Fulbright Scholar in 2016, has been honored by the Hunt Institute, and earned the American Society of Botanical Artists’ Excellence Award and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Grenfells Science Medal. She has taught art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and a Master of Science in History of Art, Design, and Architecture. Adele has taught in Pratt Institute’s Venice Program, as well as at Vassar College, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The New York Botanical Garden, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Adele illustrated the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Discovery Garden interpretation consoles and is a fellow of the BBG Florilegium Society. Additionally, Adele is a lecturer, published scientific illustrator, private art tutor, and exhibiting artist.

    NYBG members $95, nonmembers $105. Register at www.nybg.org.

  • Tuesday, September 13, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Gardening for the Birds, Online

    Go beyond conventional bird feeders—use native plants to turn your backyard into a diverse, year-round avian habitat! Learn what the birds of New England actually need from us and become part of the new, natural approach, using planting aesthetics that embrace the ecological value of native species, variety, and untidiness. This Native Plant Trust virtual live program on September 13 at 1 pm addresses fruit-bearing shrubs, pollinators, and birds’ feeding and nesting preferences. Chris Leahy is the lecturer and the cost is $12 for members of NPT, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/gardening-birds/

  • Tuesday, September 13, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Odd Houseplants Pop Up Class

    Drop in to The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on September 13 from 10 – 1 to learn about unique and crazy plants you can grow indoors. Find a plant you’ve never heard of before that you’ll want to add to your collection, and learn about the best way to care for it. No prior registration required.

    FREE with Garden Admission ($10 for non-members, FREE for MHS Members).

  • Thursday, September 8, Tuesday, September 13, & Thursday, September 15, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Botanical Sketchbook: Fruits & Berries, Online

    In this virtual Wellesley College Botanic Garden class with Tara Connaughton, we will explore the colors, forms and textures of late summer fruits while fostering the important practice of using our sketchbooks to develop drawing and painting skills. The focus will be on observing and drawing a series of fruiting plants as well as exploring painting techniques to show rich color and varied surfaces. The class will take place Thursday, September 8, Tuesday, September 13, & Thursday, September 15, from 9:30 – 12:30, and all experience levels are welcome. $125 for members of WCBG, $165 for nonmembers. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu

  • Thursday, September 1, 1:30 pm – The Nibbled Leaf Town Hall, Online

    This year the Garden Conservancy rolled out something entirely new for Open Days, the Nature-Friendly Gardens Nibbled Leaf category, and we want your opinions, input, and questions! Please join Page Dickey, Edwina von Gal and Open Days staff Horatio Joyce and Amy Murray for a Town Hall style Zoom. Find out what it’s all about: what we mean by nature friendly, what it takes to “qualify”, why it matters, how we have managed our own challenges, and whatever else is of interest to you. Here’s your chance to chime in. The event will begin at 1:30 Eastern time and is $5 for Garden Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers.

    A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. 

    Members of the Frank & Anne Cabot Society for planned giving have complimentary access to Garden Conservancy webinars. All Cabot Society members will automatically be sent the link to participate on the morning of the webinar. For more information about the Cabot Society, please contact us at info@gardenconservancy.org or 845.424.6500.

    More than thirty years ago, Page Dickey served on Frank Cabot’s advisory committee to help launch the Garden Conservancy and went on to cofound the Conservancy’s celebrated Open Days program. Beyond her service to our organization, Page is an unmatched voice in the realm of garden writing. The author of eight books, she has written of the material challenges and successes of creating her own gardens, Duck Hill and Church House, and of transcendent notions such as the spirit of place. She is both garden designer and philosopher, and her distinct perspective is an inspiration for so many passionate gardeners.

    Principal of her eponymous landscape design firm since 1984, Edwina von Gal creates landscapes with a focus on simplicity and sustainability for private and public clients around the world. Her work has been published in many major publications and her book “Fresh Cuts” won the Quill and Trowel award for garden writing in 1998. She has served on boards and committees for a number of horticultural organizations and is currently on the board of What Is Missing, Maya Lin’s multifaceted media artwork about the loss of biodiversity. In 2013, Edwina founded the Perfect Earth Project to promote toxin-free landscapes for the health of people, their pets, and the planet. She is the 2017 recipient of Guild Hall’s Academy of the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award for the Visual Arts. In 2018 she received the NY School of Interior Design’s Green Design Award and The Isamu Noguchi Award.

    Register online now at www.gardenconservancy.org

  • Saturday, September 10, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Winterizing Your Roses

    Roses are a classic plant that can brighten up any garden or home. In this September 10 New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill program, Teresa Mosher provides tips for choosing hardy roses, fertilizing, rose dormancy, fall rose care, and winter protection. Photos from her locally revered Zone 5 garden in Methuen are incorporated into the PowerPoint presentation. Each participant will take home a signed copy of Teresa’s book A Year in my Rose Garden. filled with very helpful rose caring information, photos, information on ordering roses, a list of tools and supplies, her favorite books to read, rose terms, favorite roses and much more.

    Teresa Mosher is one of the leading garden and rose consultants in New England. She has over 30 years of experience as an avid gardener and cares for forty flower beds, 250+ roses, and over 2000 perennials, shrubs and trees in her garden. She is currently president of the New England Rose Society, a Horticulture Rose Judge, and Consulting Rosarian for the American Rose Society.

    $35 Member Adult; $50 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.