In our perilous times, trees offer examples of resilience and precariousness, growth and generosity. How do we invite them into our writing? Join Matthew Battles, editor of Arnoldia, the Arnold Arboretum’s quarterly magazine, for an immersive workshop to practice writing under, about, and in collaboration with trees.
Participants will move throughout the landscape to engage trees in the arboretum’s collection while writing, reflecting, and sharing their discoveries.
Please bring a notebook or other writing materials that are manageable in the field. This program involves walking along wooded paths, climbing some moderate slopes, and navigating uneven terrain. We will be sitting on the ground frequently, so travel camp chairs, yoga mats, or blankets are encouraged.
In the event of inclement weather, registrants will be notified. For more information, please call (617) 384-5209. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23 at 5:30 pm. Meet at the Centre Street Gate. Register HERE.
The August Moon Festival is one of the greatest Chinese Festivals, second only to the Chinese New Year. There are several meanings behind the festival. Since the arrival of autumn is thought to be a propitious season and the weather is usually conducive to good health and enjoyment, the August Moon Festival is a festival of joy and health. The August Moon Festival is also known as the Harvest Festival, a time of thanks for the harvest and good crops. Each year, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England organizes a full day event to celebrate this important holiday. Come enjoy stage performances of Asian folk dance, lion dance, Chinese opera, and other entertainment. You can also browse the many vendor tables throughout the streets of Chinatown for food, gifts and souvenirs. The Rose Kennedy Greenway hosts the event at Auntie Kay and Uncle Chin Park on August 13 from 10 – 5. More information may be found at https://www.rosekennedygreenway.org/events/august-moon-festival/
The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society Livestock Show & Fair has grown into a four day island institution. From humble origins as a single day exhibition showcasing livestock and the enterprise of everyday life, the Fair has grown into an Island institution. The token final hurrah of summer, it is the place where islanders of all ages gather to meet—and eat—in the heat. The 161st Fair takes place this year August 17 – 20, and the theme is Grow it, Sew it, Show it!! For details on exhibiting, visit https://marthasvineyardagriculturalsociety.org/the-fair
There’s nothing more rewarding than attracting birds to your outdoor space and knowing that you’re helping them thrive, but it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Anyone with an interest in gardening has the power to reverse the declines seen in many of our bird populations.
This Hollister House Garden lecture on August 12, led by Dr. Ian Stewart, Ornithologist for Delaware Nature Society, will explore several ways that gardeners of all levels and experience can start a conservation effort in their own backyard and help birds thrive throughout all four seasons.
Guests will leave with an understanding of how to create welcoming spaces for birds by considering bird-friendly plant choices and habitats. It all starts with seeing things from a bird’s perspective and transforming your space to meet their needs.
Take deep breaths, slow down and leave your “to do” list behind. Experience the therapeutic benefits of horticulture while enjoying and creating fragrant items with amazing herbs. You will make different fragrant items with fresh and dried herbs, while learning basic techniques. Information will be shared on herb plants you can easily grow. All of these provide rich input for our senses which positively affects our health and wellness. Feel calm and refreshed with positive energy by focusing on being in the moment and engaging each of your senses – sight, touch, sound, smell and taste – while interacting with sensory rich plant materials.
This August 17 New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill class will include an overview of the therapeutic benefits and power of horticulture to understand why and how it can be used personally, and for people of all ages and abilities. We will discuss the difference between therapeutic horticulture and horticultural therapy. You will learn about benefits including increased relaxation, decreased anxiety, stress relief, sensory stimulation, hope, improved cognitive abilities, engagement in life, “connectedness,” and physical exercise. It will be clear how plants and the natural world give you support when life gets overwhelmingly busy or stressful. We will spend approximately 40 minutes delving into this.
You will spend approximately 80 minutes exploring herbs in the gardens, harvesting a variety of herb plants and learning how to dry herbs so they last. We will use the herbs, including lavender, to make sachets, potpourri and one of a kind greeting cards. Adding herbs to your life can bring beauty to your home, good health and can also make lovely gifts. Join Deborah Krause, Horticultural Therapist, in this relaxing session where you may leave with a smile, feeling of calm and peace, and pride in your creations.
Deborah Krause is a Registered Horticultural Therapist. She is passionate about wellness and the therapeutic benefits of horticulture for people of all ages and abilities. She has served in various capacities in the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) and the Northeast Horticultural Therapy Network (NEHTN), which she co-founded, and currently is on the Board of Directors. Deborah developed the horticultural therapy program at Perkins School for the Blind and was the horticultural therapist and coordinator of the horticulture center there for 40 years. She is currently a program coordinator at The Nature Connection whose mission is to improve the wellbeing of individuals and communities through the therapeutic use of nature. Deborah is the horticulture educator at the Memorial Spaulding School Garden where students grow produce to donate to food pantries. She is a horticulture instructor at Danny’s Place for youth. She presents webinars for AARP on adaptive gardening. Deborah consults with non-profit organizations to design and facilitate therapeutic and educational horticulture and nature programs. Deborah’s popular classes for adults creating sensory rich seasonal flower and plant arrangements have focused on relaxation, stress reduction and positive thinking and she is honored and happy to continue to bring this to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill.
$80 NEBG members, $95 nonmembers. To register, visit www.nebg.org
Toast to the women who broke the mold of history. Learn the rich story of the critical role women played by merging style and substance into social power in the 19th century. During this in-person event on August 17 at the Boston Harbor Distillery, 12R Ericsson Street in Boston, you will learn about many powerful women and how they impacted our nation, all while getting to taste the next revolution of handcrafted American Spirits.
Together with the Massachusetts Historical Society, we will delve into remarkable stories about women in the early 1800s breaking barriers and their “parlor politics.” Catherine Allgor, President of the Massachusetts Historical Society, will share her extensive knowledge of the early development of political society and how women in political families were able to utilize their relationships unofficially in order to assist in the creation of the United States of America.
As you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the era, Founder of Boston Harbor Distillery, Rhonda Kallman, will take you through Boston Harbor Distillery’s history and sip along with you through their handcrafted American Spirits. As a pioneering woman in the spirits industry, Rhonda has worked hard in this male-dominated industry and garnered great satisfaction from helping Boston Harbor Distillery grow and become a significant part of Boston’s history.
Catherine and Rhonda both are taking strides to break their own barriers just like the women of the 1800s and look forward in celebrating with you and GBH the intersection of Women’s History and the Future of Women in Boston.
Your Ticket Includes: – Tasting of 4 Boston Harbor Distillery Spirits – Education from Catherine Allgor and Rhonda Kallman – Opportunity to purchaseParlor Politics: In Which the Ladies of Washington Help Build a City and a Governmentand signing by Catherine Allgor
Boston Harbor Distillery hand crafted cocktails will be available for additional purchase.
This event will be hosted and moderated by GBH News, Tori Bedford and GBH’s Curiosity Desk, Edgar B. Herwick III. This event will begin at 7pm Eastern Standard Time.
Five gardens will be featured on August 28 at the By the Sea, By the Sea garden tour from 3:30 – 7 in beautiful Ogunquit, Maine, including a garden by Garden Club of the Back Bay member Louesa Gillespie. Your contributions are vital in order to preserve the Marginal Way, maintain pedestrian safety, and guarantee long-term safety and access to the Marginal Way. $150 per person, including wine and hors d’oeuvre and silent auction.
For Silent Auction items, Gallery Paintings, and more information on the Garden Tour please visit www.marginalwayfund.org
Parking available at the Baptist Church on Shore Road and at Jonathan’s overflow lot on Rt. 1. All guests for By the Sea, By the Sea, A Garden Tour on Sunday, August 28, are requested to park at Ogunquit Baptist Church, 157 Shore Rd in Ogunquit, as there will be no parking allowed at the Beachmere. A shuttle will be available to transport you between the parking lot and the Beachmere.
Louesa Gillespie’s garden on the Marginal Way access path is a 100 year old mature garden in an English country style with different areas on a ledge slope 19 Israel Head Rd
Paul Kapela and Russell Clevesy’s formal garden is a three tiered terrace designed to be color throughout the season consisting of 50% perennials and 50% annuals. 80 Israel Head Rd.
Joan and Norman Suslock’s garden on the Marginal Way path is a large eclectic colorful garden surrounding the property. 92 Israel Head Rd.
Joan and Peter Griswold’s garden on the Marginal Way path is a small gem of a seaside garden planted with native plants featured in several publications. 20 Briar Bank
Barbara and Richard O’Leary’s gardens by the sea feature colorful plantings ensconced in beautiful multi-level natural settings with several intimate seating areas. 51 Ontio Way
The Young Advisors of the Boston Preservation Alliance present their 10th annual Libations for Preservation. This year it’s all about local artists! Come enjoy craft cocktails and snacks as you bid on beautiful artwork in a silent auction to benefit preservation advocacy in Boston. Our venue this year is the 1911 Roslindale Substation, 4228 Washington Street #102 in Boston, the recent restoration of which provides a beautiful gathering place for the surrounding community and earned a Preservation Achievement Award in 2020.
Gather plants and urban detritus (like rust!) from the surrounding landscape to make beautiful dyes-bright magenta pokeweed, dark black walnut, and rich purple wild grape. In the first online New York Botanical Garden session on August 12, artist and founder of the Toronto Ink Company Jason Logan will teach you which organic and non-organic materials work best and where to look for them. In the second session, on August 19, you’ll mix, test, and transform what you’ve foraged into rich, vibrant inks using simple household ingredients.
Please note, this course requires the purchase of materials. Please refer to the Materials List linked HERE for more information. The two session course is $90 for NYBG members, $100 for nonmembers. Register at www.nybg.org
Join the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art for this Summer Drawing Tour series through Historic New England, led by Architect, David Pearson. The program will be held August 12 from 9:30 – 4, at Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Land in South Berwick, Maine, and at Governor John Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Sketching historic sites provides participants with practical knowledge of tradition as manifest in the architecture. The morning session will be at the 18th-century Hamilton House. Special attention will be made in drawing the house in the landscape. The afternoon session will be at Langdon House where the focus will be the study of Georgian details.
Participants follow in the great tradition of architects and artists who have learned from drawing in situ. One may take a thousand photos of a subject and may not know it…but if one spends some time drawing the same object …you will have it in your mind forever. To draw is to see. The program focuses on the enduring vitality and continuity of the classical tradition through the means of observational and analytical drawing.
