Boston Flora

Month: August 2023

  • Tuesday, September 19, 1:00 pm – Heirloom Gardening

    Heirloom Gardening is John Forti’s newest presentation.  This PowerPoint program shares inspiration from our long history of heirloom preservation, garden craft and homestead lifeways. Artisanal lifestyles that are helping us to rebuild vibrant local agricultural economies and celebrate sustainable cottage industries that are contributing to our new, homegrown American arts & crafts movement and backyard environmentalism.  This Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club program on September 19 at 1 pm at The Old Mill in West Tisbury allows for a look at how you can make a difference in your own backyard and community.  The presentation draws from his book of traditional plants and skills for the modern world. Illustrated with period images and contemporary woodcuts.

    BIO: John Forti is an award-winning heirloom specialist, garden historian, ethnobotanist, garden writer, and local foods advocate.  He is executive director of Bedrock Gardens, an artist-inspired public sculpture garden and landscape in Lee, New Hampshire, and the recipient of a national 2020 Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs.  John was formerly the Director of Horticulture for Plimoth Plantation and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is involved with Slow Food USA, the national chapter of Slow Food, a global organization and international grassroots movement connecting food producers and consumers to champion local agriculture, farmers markets, and traditional, regional cuisine.
    http://www.jforti.com/
    The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti on Facebook
    John Forti- The Heirloom Gard​e​ner Book- Amazon
    FREE to GC Members / Open to non-members – cost TBD at a later date
    West Tisbury members and VP to provide snacks & refreshments

  • Wednesday, September 20, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – Head Gardeners at Historic Sites: Graham Dillamore at Hampton Court and Kensington Palace

    The Gardens Trust will focus on head gardeners working at historic sites. Split into two 5-week series on Wednesdays, the season will kick off with an exploration of the head gardener role over the past two centuries, followed by talks exploring how individual head gardeners are balancing the heritage of their site, the wishes of its owner(s) and their own interests and experience. We’ll hear about the role from both seasoned head gardeners and those more recently appointed. Join us to learn about the challenges they face, including climate change, as well as the joys of horticulture and heritage.

    At the end of the first series, we will also be offering a FREE roundtable discussion on the different career paths available to head gardeners, and ways of encouraging more people to enter or progress in the profession. Please register separately for this.

    You may purchase a ticket for the entire course of 5 sessions at a cost of £20 via the link here. [Gardens Trust members may use their promo code for a discount.] Please register separately for the roundtable discussion, or for individual sessions by following the links HERE. Ticket sales close 4 hours before the talk. 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.

    On September 20 we will hear from Graham Dillamore. Hampton Court and Kensington Palace are two of the six sites run today by the charity Historic Royal Palaces. Hampton Court Palace’s world-famous gardens include 60 acres of spectacular formal gardens and 750 acres (304 hectares) of parkland, all set within a loop of the River Thames. Kensington Gardens began life as a King’s playground; for over 100 years, the gardens were part of Hyde Park and hosted Henry VIII’s huge deer chase. Shaped by successive monarchs, highlights of the 107-hectare site today include Bridgeman’s Serpentine, the Long Water, Italian Garden, the Edwardian sunken garden, and a new wildflower meadow.

    Graham Dillamore is head gardener at Hampton Court and Kensington Palace and has cared for royal gardens for over 40 years. He started his career as an apprentice gardener at London’s Royal Parks, before becoming head gardener at Kensington Palace, and then joining the Royal Household to maintain the private gardens of the Prince and Princess of Wales in the 1980s. After transferring his skills to Hampton Court, Graham worked on several major landscape restoration projects including the recreation of William III’s Privy Garden (below), Home Parks tree avenues, the Royal Kitchen Gardens and more recently, the transformation of the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales.

  • Wednesday, September 13, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Spices 101: Garlic, Online

    In defiance of its unassuming stature, garlic is a culinary heavyweight. Few ingredients appear in as many recipes or skip across international cuisines so lightly. Garlic cloves invigorate dishes with their raw, pungent bite or, once softened by cooking, their mellow sweetness. Its power isn’t limited to the kitchen: Garlic repels vampires, snakes, and evil spirits, and has through the ages been decried by various world religions. Smithsonian Associates presents a webinar on Garlic on September 13 at noon. $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Visit https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/spices-101-garlic

    Award-winning cookbook author Eleanor Ford examines the botany, cultivation, history, and lore of garlic. She explores the flavor profiles of garlic in its many forms and how various cooking methods can adjust its effect. She also offers plenty of kitchen tips, tricks, and recipes along the way.

  • Saturday, September 23 and Sunday, September 24 – New England Dahlia Society Show & Sale

    The New England Dahlia Society Show & Sale will take place at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on September 23 and September 24 . Join dahlia enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, from novices to experienced growers who all share something in common – an interest in these beautiful and diverse blooms. See hundreds of colorful blooms in every size imaginable – from silver dollar to dinner plate. More information and hours may be found at https://nebg.org/shows/ or at http://newenglanddahliasociety.org/

  • Friday, September 29 – Monday, October 9 – Topsfield Fair

    New England’s Premier Flower Show, certainly a highlight of Topsfield Fair on September 29 – October 9, is located in the Flower Building. On exhibit are entries submitted by everyone from amateurs to professionals, children’s classes, juniors, and adults. Featuring landscape gardens by local nurseries and greenhouses, don’t miss the Bonsai display, window boxes, wreaths, and florist displays.

    Each year The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and its Northern and Northeastern Districts host a NGC Standard Flower Show. The displays are changed three times during fair week. For hours and directions visit www.topsfieldfair.org

    We invite all exhibitors to enter our flower show amateur classes. Please feel free to exhibit flowers other than those listed on the entry forms. Exhibits not provided for in the schedule shall receive such recognition as their merits may warrant. The flower display is often accompanied by tranquil music, with live performances on the weekends. For the schedule and more information visit www.topsfieldfair.org

  • Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Gore Place Flower Show: House in Bloom

    Calling all floral-minded artists, garden club members, horticultural students, gardeners, and professional and novice designers! For information about how to submit your designs to the show, visit https://goreplace.org/whats-on/house-in-bloom. Application & Guidelines for Arrangers to be announced shortly!  

    In collaboration with the Waltham Garden Club, Gore Place is very pleased to announce the return of its annual flower show, to be held this year on September 30 from 10 – 3. This is a rare opportunity to experience the spectacular 1806 Gore Mansion filled with classical and contemporary floral designs displayed throughout the 12 first-floor rooms. Each designer will create an arrangement inspired by the historic home’s beautiful architecture and furnishings. Visitors will walk through the house at their own pace. Shopping bags from our Handmade for the Holidays crafts fair must be left at the door and no food or drink is allowed. 
     

    The show is open to all levels of designers. To apply to be a designer in this show, please contact Scott Clarke, 781-894-2798.​​​​​​ Free admission.

  • Thursday, September 21, 7:00 pm – Living with Nature

    Join the Athol Bird & Nature Club and the North Quabbin Garden Club on Thursday, September 21 at 7 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center in Athol to hear Dave Small as he explores the transformation of his yard from a boring suburban lot dominated by lawn to a rich habitat for our native wildlife. Removing invasive species, planting native plants, and providing water, food, and cover for a variety of wildlife species and people resulted in a space that has become a wonderful place to hang out with family and friends. For more information visit http://www.atholbirdclub.org

  • Sunday, September 10, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm – Boston Seafood Festival

    Visit the Boston Seafood Festival at the Boston Fish Pier on September 10 from 11 – 6 for a day of seafood, live music, chef demos, beer gardens, kids’ programs, and more.

    You’ll also find a variety of vendors selling everything from seafood-themed souvenirs to craft beers and wines. There will be oyster shucking contests and fish cutting demonstrations. All proceeds go to support the local Boston Fisheries community $10 – $65 Visit https://www.bostonseafoodfestival.org/ for complete details.

  • Saturday, September 9, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time

    No single view of a tree is a fixed snapshot in time that tells the complete story. Join Michael Wojtech at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on September 9 from 9 – noon and discover how trees grow, reproduce, and interact with their environment across days, weeks, seasons, and years and over varying scales—from the intricate details of buds, flowers, leaves, and bark that we use for species identification to the collaborative roles of trees in ecosystems. Learn more about the function and experience the beauty of characteristics such as overwintering buds, lobed or toothed leaves, flowers by the thousands, and seeds that fly on the wind. The Garden Club of the Back Bay presented this program in Boston last year – this expanded version includes a nature walk. Please come dressed to walk around the gardens, potentially on the forest trails.

    Michael Wojtech is the author of Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. As a naturalist and educator, Michael strives to share the science and wonder of trees in an accessible and compelling fashion. He writes, photographs, illustrates, and presents programs about the structure, growth processes, and ecology of trees-including their bark, buds, leaves, roots, and wood-for audiences at all levels of experience. He is especially interested in the process of discovery and engagement and draws his greatest inspiration from sharing the sense of wonder, awe, and the recognition of beauty that result from these investigations.

    $40 NEBG Member Adult; $55 Adult (includes admission to the gardens)

  • Tuesday, September 12, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – World Heritage Landscapes, Online

    The Gardens Trust has created a seven part series on Tuesdays, beginning September 12, to mark 50 years of UNESCO World Heritage, £5 each or all 7 for £28. Starting with an overview of World Heritage values and the changing nature of the UK list, the series will aim to enthuse people about individual sites around Great Britain, highlighting what makes each one exceptional, the advantages and challenges of being inscribed on the list, and the issues around sustainable future management of these global assets. 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 for the complete series HERE, or follow the links on that page to sign up for individual sessions.

    Week One is an Introduction to World Heritage with Chris Blandford. This introductory talk will explore how the UK list has evolved from the early iconic monument sites to include more extensive, diverse, and complex cultural landscapes and cityscapes. It will highlight how improved approaches to management, partnership, and stakeholder involvement are helping support the sites – and how significant challenges remain. Chris Blandford is a world heritage specialist, master planner and landscape architect with a professional career spanning 45 years. He is currently President of World Heritage UK, the charity that represents and promotes, both locally and nationally, the interests of the 33 UK World Heritage Sites. He is Vice Chair of the Gardens Trust. Until 2017 he was Chairman and CEO of the award-winning CBA Studios, which he founded in 1977. He is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute, Vice Chairman of the South Downs National Park Design Review Panel and a past trustee of ICOMOS.