For over twenty years, a lovely woman in the Berkshires has allowed members of our Club to forage for materials on her property. Most of our milk week pods, rose hips, and white pine come from her fields. Recently, her brother moved to Boston as the Editorial Page Editor at The Boston Globe. We made him a wreath, choosing materials that came from his sister’s property, including the Jimson Weed sprayed gold. Welcome to the Back Bay, Jim Dao.
Faith Flowers Tours is excited to announce its 7th flower tour to the Netherlands and Belgium in April 2023. You will enjoy a well-curated mix of beautiful gardens, breathtaking Spring flowers, tours, museums, historic hotels, fine dining and the company of fellow flower lovers. Laura Iarocci, owner of Faith Flowers, has spent years cultivating personal connections and friendships with internationally renowned, local instructors who lead our floral arranging workshops. All levels of experience are welcome on Faith Flowers Tours!
Tour includes:
Private Flower Workshops:
Single Occupancy $7,900, Double Occupancy $7,220. For more information, and to reserve your spot, visit https://faithflowers.com/faith-flower-tours/
The First Lutheran Church of Boston welcomed a new Pastor in 2019, just after our last Wreath Week before Covid. The Reverend James P. Hopkins was called to New England directly upon the completion of his resident MDiv studies at Concordia Theological Seminary — Fort Wayne, IN. During his time at seminary Rev. Hopkins played on the basketball team, wrote for the Jerome Exegetical Seminar, and tutored in Greek.
Rev. Hopkins holds a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL (2008), and performed postgraduate studies in International Relations at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Before being called into the Office of the Holy Ministry, Rev. Hopkins worked in the Department of Defense and served in the Marine Corps, both on active duty and in the reserves. In addition to deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East, his fluency in Spanish and Portuguese caused him to be posted in Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, Panama, and Nicaragua. He now continues his military service in the reserves as a Navy Chaplain. He was very gracious to our Club during Wreath Week, even joining our volunteers for a meal, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with our new host. We have been active maintaining the north facing Church garden on Marlborough Street, which we are sure has been enjoyed by the Congregation as well as by neighbors.
With a tradition of horticulture going back 300 years, Philadelphia offers more than 30 public gardens, arboreta and historic landscapes. A visit to the public gardens is an opportunity to stroll through the history of American horticulture when William Penn first arrived to lay claim to the hardwood forests of what he named Pennsylvania, or Penn’s Woods. Along this Just Ladies Traveling garden tour, visitors will enter several of the best-known gardens and some of less-known hidden treasures. Hands-on experiences, unique dining venues and a bit of historic Philadelphia are accompaniments certain to please any garden enthusiast. Come along and explore America’s Garden Capital. . . .”wouldn’t it be loverly!” Your base of operations will be the luxurious Sofitel Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square, and following the welcome dinner, you will be entertained by your special guest John Bartram, portrayed by historical reenactor Kirk Brown. The following day includes trips to Winterthur and Longwood Gardens. Tuesday will be a visit to Northview Gardens in Ambler, Reading Terminal Market for lunch, and The Barnes Foundation. Dinner that evening will be at Brazilian Fogo de Chao. Day Four will include Bartram’s Gardens, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, and Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, followed by an Italian dinner. The final day will be spent at Chanticleer Garden before returning to the airport. Complete details may be found HERE. $3,500 per person double occupancy, $4500 single occupancy.
Past President Ann Kneisel has been a pivotal member of our Club in many capacities since 1976 – that’s nearly 45 years of service. This year she has been mostly housebound, and her son suggested that her wreaths could contain some birds, which always cheer her. Ann’s wreaths, for years, have been closely monitored. She likes all natural, red or red plaid bows, no fruit (in warm weather unpainted or unlacquered fruit can attract bugs), not too over the top – truly classic designs. We jumped at the chance to bring some joy, and another Past President, Margaret Pokorny, was traveling in Munich when the order came in. She took the time to locate adorable owls in the markets there and carried them back from Europe for Ann’s wreath. Combined with cardinals and other details, a magnificent wreath was created.
Join Pacific Horticulture for Valentine’s Day in romantic San Miguel de Allende. Private garden visits include a lush, walled compound, a collector’s home and garden with sculpture and fabulous Mexican art, and a quirky artist retreat filled with ongoing mosaic projects. San Miguel de Allende is a city that manages to be both quaint and cosmopolitan at the same time. Once an important stop on the silver route between Zacatecas and Mexico City, its historic center is filled with well-preserved buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. With its narrow cobblestone streets, leafy courtyards, fine architectural details, and sumptuous interiors, San Miguel de Allende is arguably the prettiest town in Mexico. Itinerary can be found at https://www.sterlinggardentours.com/sanmiguel2023
For complete information visit https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/tours/san-miguel-de-allende-2023/
For years our Club has been active with The Friends of Copley Square, and one of our premier decorators, Rita Christensen, has worked on that Board of Directors with Dan Donahue, General Manager of The Lenox Hotel. She and Luz Anthony have created lovely wreaths for Dan personally, as well as contributing mightily to the decoration of the Square. The Lenox has been a stalwart supporter of The Garden Club of the Back Bay for many years, and while this wasn’t the first time they have sent treats to our volunteers during Wreath Week, all agreed this was the most elaborate set up ever. Of course the prosecco didn’t flow until the end of the work day. We wanted to be sure the wreath bows went on straight! Thank you Dan, thank you Lenox for your fiscal and tangible contributions, and happy holidays to all. Below is one of his wreaths along with a shot of volunteers enjoying the spread.
Join Berkshire Botanical Garden and Classical Excursions as we explore the great gardens of the Houston Texas. Sample itinerary is forthcoming. All registrations are processed by Classical Excursions. Please contact lani@classicalexcursions.com or bstone@berkshirebotanical.org for more information. The trip will begin Wednesday, March 15 and continue through Saturday, March 18.
One category of materials which store quite well are sparkly, artificial items – leaves, balls, glittery picks – which are essential for customers who request “glamorous glitz” as their preferred style. While we have long been known for our natural looks, enhanced when allowed with touches of gold or silver, some of our creations would be right at home in Hollywood. There was a lot of redundant material in boxes, taking up lots of space, and not everyone is adept with using such eye catching items. Past President Sherley Smith, with cohorts, took on the thankless task of sorting and culling, and pushing back when decorators said “oh no, you can’t throw that away (after five years of ignoring the item)”. Now we have a manageable number of plastic bins: one silver (examples below), one gold, one copper, one green, one red, and one box of black/purple/pink/anything uncategorized colors. Thank you Sherley – you held the decorations and saved what brought you joy.
The Rose Kennedy Greenway is currently home to an exhibition by Mithsuca Berry, a series of four digital illustrations printed on fabric flags, with four vinyl text installations. Artist Mithsuca Berry says “This space is meant to serve as somewhere people can release their burdens: here lies a resting point after so much mourning. Here you can come together and experience the unapologetic love of the trees, grass, sky, and one another. Thank you for existing. My work is meant to affirm those in this space, and thank them for waking up to live another day, and encourage them to share this experience with their community.
