Daily Archives: September 21, 2023


Saturday, September 30, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Drawing Botany in a Day

This September 30 Massachusetts Horticultural Society class is for those new to botanical art as well as more experienced artists who desire a short refresher in plant morphology.

Bring your sketchbook and spend the day learning about the form, structure, and function of plants and their components through close observation and immersive drawing exercises intended to enhance your ability to draw plants accurately. The focus of this class is the visible structure of plants including roots, stems/shoots, flowers, and fruits/seeds as well as an introduction to plant evolution, systems, and special adaptations.

A selection of plant materials and specimens will be provided to draw during class. If you have a garden or indoor plant or a botanical specimen (such as a seed pod) you would like to draw, please feel free to bring it to class. Lauren Meier is a botanical artist and landscape architect. She received a BA in Botany from Pomona College and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design. She worked as a field botanist and plant ecologist before specializing in historic landscapes and has published many articles, contributed to several books, and frequently lectures on topics related to landscape preservation and restoration, treatment of plant material, and the work of the Olmsted Firm. Her publications and projects have received many national and local awards. Meier is currently completing a Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from Massachusetts Horticultural Society, formerly the Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, where she combines her specific interest in the interrelationships between science and art.

The class takes place at The Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, from 10 – 4, and is $125 for Mass Hort members, $155 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org


Sunday, October 1, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bog Plants

One of Thoreau’s beloved landscapes, referenced often in his writings, Gowing’s Swamp is a rare and beautiful bog in a kettle hole below a glacial ridge in Concord, Massachusetts. Neela de Zoysa of the Native Plant Trust will walk the loop around the bog and explore the thriving community of northern bog plants such as pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia), small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos), large cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), and black spruce (Picea mariana). The field trip takes place Sunday October 1 from 1 – 3 at Gowing’s Swamp, a Sudbury Valley Trustees Property. $30 for NPT members, $36 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/bog-plants/