Daily Archives: November 18, 2023


Holiday Wreaths 2023 – A Recycling Ethic

We never miss a chance to publicize The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s ongoing fund raising project, the sale of Holiday Wreaths to friends and neighbors in the Greater Boston area. One excellent attribute of the Club is the effort put into recycling. The wreath below, which hung in a commercial space in 2017, is a bit different than the Club’s trademark all natural look, but was constructed with decorations recycled from decorations from past years. Some fruits had been discarded, some were scavenged from past projects, some were deconstructed from bargain bin decorations at shops which couldn’t find a buyer for them, but put together in a new and exciting way, with a vibrant bow to tie it all together. Members bring in clippings, old boxes of decorations, dropped cones from the forest floor – nothing is wasted. Buyers are encouraged to save the non perishable items at the end of the season and either use them in their own projects, or even return them to a Garden Club member for re-use the following year. Our planet is a fragile thing. Let’s not contribute to the landfill. Greenery can be composted, plastics cannot (which is why, for the most part, plastic accessories are eschewed.) Order your wreaths now at https://gardenclubbackbay.org/shop/


Friday, December 1, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – Around the World in 80 Plants: A Botanical Journey of Beauty and Science, Myth and Mayhem, Online

The American Horticultural Society invites you to hear Jonathan Drori, author and board member, Cambridge University Botanic Garden, in a virtual presentation on Friday, December 1 at 2 pm Eastern time.

In his follow-up to Around the World in 80 Trees, bestselling author Jonathan Drori takes another gloriously illustrated trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of plants by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. From the seemingly familiar tomato and dandelion to the eerie mandrake and Spanish ‘moss’ of Louisiana, his stories are full of surprises. Some plants have a troubling past, while others have ignited human creativity or enabled civilizations to flourish.

Jonathan Drori lives in London, England. He is on the Board of Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Eden Project, and was formerly Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. As a documentary film maker for the BBC he was responsible for more than 50 prime-time science shows and documentaries.  His books are bestsellers in more than twenty languages worldwide, available from Amazon (Around the World in 80 Trees and Around the World in 80 Plants) and all good indie bookstores. $10 for AHS members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://ahsgardening.org/lifelong-learning/around-the-world-in-80-plants/