Boston Flora

Month: September 2022

  • Monday, October 10, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – The Fabric of Flowers: Flax Flower to Fine Linen, Online

    This Gardens Trust online talk on Flax Flower to Fine Linen with Fiona McKelvie takes place October 10 at 2 pm. The talk is part of a 6-part Gardens Trust online lecture series, exploring how flowers and gardens have inspired textile artists, begins Mondays at 18:00 BST, equivalent to 2 pm Eastern time. Here in their latest series of talks they are taking a sideways view by exploring how gardens and flowers have influenced and inspired other arts and crafts. This first series of 6 will focus on textiles and explore some of the historical and technical aspects of embroidering, weaving and printing using floral designs on fabric. You will look at textiles from Elizabethan crowns to Edwardian table linen to see how flowers provided inspiration, taking in the prolific art embroiderers of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Then you will be brought bang up to date with two contemporary embroiderers with very different approaches to floral imagery who will share their design processes with us.

    We will explore the journey from flax flower to table linen and consider the wonderful design and manufacturing heritage of the industry that once contributed to Belfast being called Linenopolis. The design heritage of damask linen in particular draws widely from nature, the representation of flowers and botanicals woven in intricate patterns into the finest of linen fabrics continues today but was at its height in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    And not forgetting the skillful embroidered embellishment on fine linen cloth which has graced dining and tea tables from the stately home to the parlor of the 1930s terrace.

    The quality of linen cloth produced in Northern Ireland was world renowned – the crisp and luxurious feel of the linen and the way in which the woven patterns of damask cloth almost hover on the surface result in the perfect combination for a fine tablecloth and napkins. A table laid with linen damask was described in advertisements of the 1920s as ‘impressively correct’. And Emily Post the author of “Etiquette” declared that “The dinner of dignity is dependent on linen damask.”

    This ticket (click HERE to purchase) is for this individual session and costs £5, and you may purchase tickets for other individual sessions, or you may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 6 sessions at a cost of £24 via the link here.

    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.

    Linen occupies a special place in the world of textiles – a strong and long lasting fabric with some exceptional properties, and all the while delighting the eye with its designs, whether woven or embroidered. Fiona McKelvie has had a career in textiles for more than 30 years, much of that time with Liberty of London. Originally from Belfast, she has a passion for Irish Linen, collecting since the 1970s. Fiona is particularly interested in the history and heritage of the linen industry and has spent many years researching the connections and legacy of Irish linen, flax and textiles. In 2013, she launched her website McBurneyandBlack.com, specializing in the sale of antique and vintage Irish linens as well as vintage haberdashery. In 2021 she contributed to the British Textile Biennial via the Cloth Cultures podcast with Amber Butchart. The design element of linen damask is of particular interest and Fiona has collected a varied archive of material, from hand painted point charts to sales sample books, and the search continues……

  • Saturday, October 8, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Cutting Gardens Revisited

    Join flower farmer Elisabeth Cary at Hollister House Garden in Washington, Connecticut on October 8 at 10 am and learn about her successes and failures on her 5 year journey to develop her home cutting garden into a micro flower farm for fun and profit.  She will share practical information including selecting the best plants, scheduling a growing sequence, and balancing annuals, perennials and biennials for a long seasonal bloom. Elizabeth will touch on layout, pest and weed control, industry sources for seeds, plugs and bulbs, harvesting, storage and garden wrap up. This program is for anyone crazy enough to start a flower business or a “mad” home gardener in love with flowers. Now is the time to plan your 2023 cutting garden!

    Elisabeth Cary was formerly the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been gardening for over 30 years. She is the owner and founder of Cooper Hill Flower Farm, a micro flower farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts.

    Advance reservation is suggested. Hollister House follows all state and local guidelines for Covid-19 at our events.

    HHG members $25 Non-members $35 Register HERE

  • Saturday, October 1, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Sketching Plants and Flowers. Online

    Explore a variety of plant forms using pencil and paper in this Harvard Museum of Natural History session on October 1 from 9:30 – 11:30. Taught by a scientific illustrator, this online workshop will emphasize close observation and realistic representation. We will explore a range of techniques for achieving more accurate drawings and will delve into contour, gesture, foreshortening, and shading to create volume and depth. The group will be limited to twelve participants, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome

    Members $30/Nonmembers $35.

    Advance Registration Required.

    Class will be held over Zoom. To join the program, you will need to download the free Zoom app in advance. If you already have Zoom, you do not need to download it again.

  • Sunday, October 9, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Celebrating Olmsted

    April marks the 200 anniversary of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted, the master designer of public parks and a founder of the field landscape architecture. On October 9 at 5:30 at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, join historian and filmmaker Laurence Cotton (originator of and consulting producer to the PBS special Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America) as he does a deep dive into the remarkable life and career of the Renaissance-man Olmsted–writer, philosopher, social reformer, advocate for the preservation of natural scenery, and creator of some of the most beautiful public and private parks and gardens in all of N. America. In his presentation, Laurence will talk about the influences of design traditions, aesthetics and philosophies that influenced Olmsted’s thought—including English garden design, the Hudson River School and Transcendentalism. Laurence will also give a visual tour of representative masterful landscapes designed by Olmsted, Senior, as well as his two sons and the Olmsted Bros. landscape architecture firm, as the footprint of their works literally stretch across the entire continent of N. America, with something of a focus on New England, and in particular, Massachusetts and nearby sites in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
    For more about the celebrations of Olmsted in 2022 check out the website olmsted200.org. You can also check out local programs by visiting Olmstednow.org


    Laurence Cotton, currently based in Portland, Oregon, a city that benefits from an Olmsted-master planned park system, originally hails from Boston, renowned for its Olmsted landscapes and the home base for generations of landscape design practitioners working for the Olmsted Bros. firm. A practicing public historian, and writer/producer of historical films for PBS, Mr. Cotton was trained as a cultural anthropologist and brings that lens to bear on much of his work. He has worked with the tribal populations on throughout the Columbia River watershed and has also worked on open space acquisition and the designs of parks and trails in Pacific Northwest. He also brings training as an interpretive naturalist, is a birder and a photographer. His visit to Worcester is one of many such stops on his 2022 tour of the U.S. to present programs about the Olmsted legacy during the Olmsted 200 year.

    $15 Member Adult; $25 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE.

  • Saturday, October 1, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Wharton’s Woods, Wetlands, & Meadows: Human History and Ecology

    Take a walk on the wild side with Zach Adams from the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Explore the intersection of human history and ecology while enjoying the beautiful woods, meadows, wetlands, and lake views and the expanse of Edith Wharton’s original estate, including recently conserved land with trails leading to Edith Wharton Park on Laurel Lake.

    The Mount’s general COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines may be found here. The free tour begins at 3 pm on October 1, and you may sign up HERE.

  • Saturday, October 1, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Plants That Pay Their Way

    Resources and time in the garden are limited, so choosing plants that offer more than one attractive feature is a smart strategy. ​​In this October 1 Berkshire Botanical Garden class, we will discuss the best plants for late and multi-season interest and their application in the landscape. Perennials and shrubs don’t have to be done doing their job once their blooms have gone. We will explore perennials that have stunning seed heads, grasses that always offer interest and shrubs that provide berries after their blooms. The class is $20 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plants-pay-their-way

    Robert Clyde Anderson found his way to the Hudson Valley after a New York City career in illustration and book design. A native of Louisiana, he is a lifelong gardener and has designed and maintained gardens in nearby Columbia County as well as serving as right-hand man for eight years at the former Loomis Creek Nursery in Claverack, N.Y. From 2012 to 2017, Robert served as creative director for Pondside Nursery in Hudson, N.Y., where he helped launch the business and was the buyer for perennials, annuals, tropicals, and hard goods. He continues to serve as a client consultant and writes about plants and gardening on his personal blog, Sempervivum, at robertclydeanderson.com.

  • Thursday, September 29, 5:00 am – The 19th Century Garden – The Wild Garden: William Robinson and Alfred Parsons, Online

    The Gardens Trust six part series of lectures on the Victorian Garden continues on September 29 with an online talk by Caroline Ikin on The Wild Garden: William Robinson and Alfred Parsons. The gardener and journalist William Robinson gave voice to the movement towards informality in gardens in the second half of the nineteenth century, promoting the embellishment of woodland to add interest and color, and the creation of naturalized wildflower meadows. His advice was underpinned by the principle of positioning plants in situations where they would naturally flourish. The idea of wild gardening was not concerned with a return to nature; although endorsing the use of wildflowers, Robinson also promoted the introduction of hardy exotics. Art still triumphed over nature in the wild garden, as exemplified in Robinson’s manifesto The Wild Garden, first published in 1870. Subsequent editions included nearly a hundred illustrations by Alfred Parsons, an artist and garden designer, many of them depicting plants from Robinson’s own garden at Gravetye in Sussex. This lecture will assess the impact of Robinson’s and Parson’s contribution to garden theory, through an examination of their writing, art and garden design.

    Dr Caroline Ikin is a Curator at the National Trust, with a portfolio including the gardens at Standen and Nymans. She has previously worked for the Gardens Trust and is a writer specializing in nineteenth century art, architecture and gardens. Caroline is author of The Victorian Garden (Bloomsbury, 2012), The Victorian Gardener (Bloomsbury, 2014) and The Kitchen Garden (Amberley, 2017), and regularly contributes book and exhibition reviews to various publications. Her PhD thesis examined the designed landscape created by John Ruskin at Brantwood. £5 each or all 6 for £30. Register on Eventbrite HERE.

  • Tuesday, September 27, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm – Extinctions on Earth: Then and Now, Online

    As death inevitably follows birth, extinction is the predictable consequence of evolution on our planet. The fossil record chronicles the comings and goings of species through geologic history, but its most prominent feature may be surprising. Extinctions are not distributed evenly through time: Rather, at five moments over the past 500 million years, most of Earth’s animal species disappeared over a short time scale, permanently altering ecosystems on land and in the sea.  

    The best known of these mass extinctions wiped out the dinosaurs and many less evocative creatures 66 million years ago. A large body of evidence supports the hypothesis that this event reflects the impact of a massive asteroid, underscoring that life can be influenced by factors beyond our planet.

    Another, more destructive mass extinction may be more instructive to 21st century citizens. Two hundred and fifty million years ago, volcanic activity a million times greater than anything ever witnessed by humans spewed massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere, resulting in the extinction of an estimated 90% of marine animal species. Known as the “Great Dying,” the extinctions were selective, with some species more vulnerable than others, and the observed pattern of extinction and survival supports the view that volcanically induced global warming, ocean acidification, and oxygen loss from subsurface seawater drove the extinctions. 

    Andrew H. Knoll, Fisher research professor of natural history and professor of earth and planetary sciences at Harvard University, examines how these three threats are accelerating today due to human activities, not volcanism. He discusses how observations and experiments made to better understand 21st-century global change resonate strongly with the Great Dying 252 million years ago, suggesting Earth’s future if we choose to do nothing.

    But, says Knoll, the distant mirror of past mass extinction should be seen as something like Charles Dickens’ ghost of Christmas yet to come: a warning of what might transpire if we choose to do nothing. He reminds us however, that like Scrooge, we also have the capacity to change our ways and so preserve Earth’s precious biodiversity for future generations.

    This Smithsonian Associates webinar will take place September 27 at 6:45, and is $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/extinctions-on-earth-then-and-now

  • Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, & Sunday, October 2, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – New England Carnivorous Plant Society Show & Sale

    The award-winning New England Carnivorous Plant Society (NECPS) will again be hosting its Fall Carnivorous Plant Show at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on October 1 & 2. Free with admission to the Garden. Featured plants will include pitcher plants from Malaysia with traps the size of softballs that are capable of eating lizards and mice. There will also be sundews from Australia ranging from the size of a dime to 12+ inches high and the ever-popular Venus Fly trap. For all native plant lovers, NECPS will also display carnivorous plants that grow locally in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Over 300 plants are scheduled to be on display and free seminars will be offered on growing and feeding carnivorous plants.


    Visit the Venus Fly Trap feeding station where you can observe up close how these plants devour insects. Plants and growing accessories will be available for purchase for both novice and experienced growers from carnivorous plant vendors and the NECPS. Society members will be present both days to explain how the plants feed, what they eat, where they live, and how they can be grown and enjoyed at home. For more information click HERE.

  • Thursday, September 29 & Friday, September 30, 10:00 am – 3:30 pm – The Garden in Pastel

    Learn how to capture the splendor of the Garden with the deep pigments that can only be found with pastels. This Berkshire Botanical Garden two part class is appropriate for beginners to intermediate students. A materials list will be provided upon registration. Students will work en plein air, learning the fundamentals of this medium before using it to render the late summer garden in all its glory. The class takes place September 29 and 30 from 10 – 3:30. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/garden-pastel-0

    Cheryl Moore is an artist and educator who specializes in watercolor and oil pastel. With more than 40 years of teaching experience working with children and adults, she holds a BA from Rhode Island School of Design and has trained in botanical art with Janet Walsh, Charles Reid and Jack Flynn.