Boston Flora

Month: January 2024

  • Thursday, February 22, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Eastern – Resilience & Rewilding

    Join The Garden Conservancy and Mikyoung Kim, Founding Principal of Mikyoung Kim Design, FASLA, on February 22 from 2 – 3 online as she discusses her career from academic dean to leading a firm of growing international stature at the vanguard of rewilding, preservation, neurodiversity, and inclusion, with notable projects like Ford’s Michigan Central Station adaptive-reuse Master Plan for the historic train station in Detroit, Boston Children’s Hospital’s Master Plan & Healing Gardens, as well as Master Plan for Long Hill and Sedgwick Gardens for the Trustees of the Reservations in Massachusetts.

    Touching on resonance and resilience, Mikyoung will address her fascination with the rhythms and harmony of nature as her research division explores an inclusive design for the future of gardens and the urban landscape. $5 for Conservancy members, $15 for general public. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/virtual-talk-resilience-rewilding A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar.

  • Saturday, February 10, 11:00 am, 12:15 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:45 pm – Maple Strolls at Appleton Farms

    Visit the historic maple stand and sugar shack at Appleton Farms and learn all about maple sugaring, its history at the farm and in New England, and how you can try your hand at it at home!

    Experience a leisurely stroll along our country farm roads and past several historic landscapes to our Appleton maple grove. You’ll learn some of the history of maple sugaring as well as the science behind what makes maple sap run in our trees. The stroll concludes with a visit to our sugar shack where you will see firsthand how we turn the collected sap into our delicious Appleton maple syrup!

    Be sure to wear weather appropriate clothing and boots or shoes that are appropriate for hiking in potentially wet and muddy spots or over uneven hilly terrain. All Maple Strolls are weather permitting and will last approximately 1 hour, walking much of that time.  We welcome all ages; however, information is geared towards those 10 and up. Have smaller kids? Check out our family geared maple programming, Maple in the Barnyard!

    Space is limited for this event and pre-registration is strongly recommended. Member price $12, nonmembers $20. Register at www.thetrustees.org

    Stay for our Maple Madness Wood-fired Pizza Pop Up from 12-4pm, weather permitting on the farmhouse lawn!

  • Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern- Native Orchids of Longwood Gardens, Online

    Pierre du Pont started Longwood Gardens’ native orchid collection in 1923 when he brought in Galearis spectabilis, an orchid that’s native to Pennsylvania. It’s one of several orchids that still grow on the Longwood property. This class not only takes you on a tour of Longwood’s native orchids but also shows you how this simple orchid purchase blossomed into a world-renowned conservation, plant breeding, and collections project.

    Special Program Information

    • The instructor is Barbara Schmidt.
    • This program includes one 2-hour session.

    General Information

    • This studio arts program is a Zoom Meeting to allow for patron and instructor interaction online.
    • All Studio Arts programs require an online ticket for each participant so that the instructor can provide individual attention to every student registered for the online program.
    • This program will be recorded. Please see our FAQ for recording terms and conditions.
    • Please refer to the “Materials for this program” section for any applicable supply list information and/or special documents for this program.

    $35 for Smithsonian Associates members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/native-orchids-longwood-gardens

  • Thursday, February 8, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Young Friends of the Public Garden Game Night

    Join The Young Friends of the Public Garden on February 8 at 6 pm for Game Night, featuring a special performance by comedian Will Noonan, along with trivia and other games, hors d’oeuvre and open bar, at the John Hancock building, 197 Clarendon Street. $80. Register at www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org

  • Saturday, February 3, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Winter Festival 2024

    The Franklin Park Coalition presents Winter Festival 2024 on Saturday, February 3 from 1 – 4. This is a free indoor/outdoor event. It there is snow, dress to play outside. The address is the Franklin Park Clubhouse, 1 Circuit Drive in Boston. For more information visit https://franklinparkcoalition.org/ or email admin@franklinparkcoalition.org. Bragging rights go to people who find the typo in the poster.

  • Saturday, February 17 – Sunday, June 9 – Our Time on Earth

    We belong to a magnificent planet, Earth. Humans are just one species among millions, coexisting in an expansive living network. Immerse yourself in installations envisioned by artists, designers, scientists, technologists and changemakers from across 12 countries. Their cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaborations open portals to a shared future, in which planet and people flourish together.

    Part of Peabody Essex Museum’s Climate + Environment Initiative, this traveling exhibition from the Barbican Centre in London celebrates the power of global creativity to transform the conversation around the climate emergency. The structures and design featured in the exhibition are sourced from biodegradable, sustainable materials to minimize carbon footprint. We invite you to imagine our ideal future world. What will it look like? How will we use the precious time we have here? Technology has brought us closer to nature than we have ever been before, and Indigenous insight continues to reconnect us to our roots. What will it take to live together in harmony?

    Walk up to a table set for dinner, but imagine the guests include a fox and a wasp. Plunge into a virtual ocean with magnified plankton, and peer through the layers of a tree to experience the microscopic foundations of life. The exhibit will be on view from February 17 – June 9.

    Our Time on Earth is produced and curated by the Barbican with guest curators Franklin Till and co-produced by Musée de la civilisation, Québec City, Canada. This exhibition is made possible by Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. We thank James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Chip and Susan Robie, and Timothy T. Hilton as supporters of the Exhibition Innovation Fund. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.

    Share your impressions, snapshots and tales with us on social media using #OurTimeOnEarth For more information visit https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/our-time-on-earth

  • Sunday, February 4, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – CraneExplorer: Valentine’s Coastal Crafts

    This winter season, give a gift from the sea. From seaweed pressings to shell collages, beach treasures make beautiful greetings and keepsakes. Join this Trustees workshop on February 4 from 10 – 1 at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, 290 Argilla Road in Ipswich, to learn fun craft ideas and make marine art with our coastal educators. This program will start with a beach walk to collect coastal treasures, and then we will head inside for crafting. Craft supplies, extra beach treasures, and inspiration provided. $35. Register at www.thetrustees.org

  • Friday, February 9, 7:45 pm Eastern – Watching a Penguin Revolution, Online

    As climate change has taken effect in Antarctica, scientists have been able to watch two species of penguins — Gentoos and Adelies — respond in real time. Senior Science Editor at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Hugh Powell has traveled to Antarctica on three expeditions and followed scientists as they observed the changes to some of the largest and smallest Adelie Penguin colonies in the world. In this virtual lecture, Powell will explore what Antarctic penguins can tell us about human response to climate change and share the splendor of Antarctica and its birds through stunning images by nature photographer Chris Linder.

    This event is co-hosted by the Essex County Ornithological Club and the Peabody Essex Museum. A brief meeting of the club will be held from 7:30-7:45 pm. All are welcome to attend!

    This program is supported by the Lowell Institute. Hugh Powell is the editor of Cornell Lab’s “All About Birds” website and species guide, and writes and edits for the member magazine Living Bird. He holds an M.S. from the University of Montana and a Graduate Certificate in Science Writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a grad student, Powell spent three summers in the Idaho wilderness climbing dead trees to understand what black-backed woodpeckers eat. He studied ornithology in college and graduate school, where he became fascinated by the value of telling stories about science to people who weren’t academics. After a stint as an editor at an ornithological journal, he enrolled in a science writing program that specializes in teaching journalism to scientists. Since then, science writing has taken Powell to Antarctica, South America, Africa, Iceland and elsewhere. He still finds satisfaction in providing someone with information that sparks their own curiosity and sense of adventure.

    The Lowell Institute

  • Sissinghurst Through the Seasons Recording Bundle Available

    Did you miss Troy Scott Smith’s Sissinghurst Through the Seasons webinars, sponsored by The Garden Conservancy? They are pleased to present all four episodes in a convenient bundle, including Troy’s four seasonal video diaries. Combining history, horticulture, and hands-on education, this landmark series is the Garden Conservancy’s most popular virtual program series to date. Throughout this four-part series, Troy Scott Smith will guide you through the course of a gardening year at Sissinghurst. Troy will share with you how the garden looks, which flowers are blooming at each season, and what the garden looked like when it was first created in the 1930s. He will uncover the secrets of pruning and propagation and the art of the English Garden. Each episode is packed with information, all simply explained and illustrated, giving you techniques and confidence to put into practice in your own garden.

    For more information and to purchase the bundle, click the link HERE.

  • Wednesday, February 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern- Meadowmaking for Beginners, Live and Online

    The lawns that cover tens of millions of acres in the U.S. have many detrimental environmental impacts, including that they offer very little habitat value to insect pollinators and other at-risk wildlife. Abandoning turf monocultures is vital in our fight to halt biodiversity loss. To do this, many people are embracing meadow-style plantings of native grasses and wildflowers. Unfortunately, creating an ecologically valuable meadow is not as simple as deciding to stop mowing. Landscape designer and author Owen Wormser will talk about a range of different design, site preparation and maintenance approaches, and discuss how to choose the right ones based on your resources and landscape conditions. He will also describe strategies for working with neighbors, HOAs and municipalities so that your blossoming meadow landscape is welcomed into the community. This New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill class will take place February 7 at 7 pm, online and in person at Tower Hill.

    Owen Wormser was born and raised in rural Maine. He grew up in a small town, surrounded by the profound presence of the natural world. This marked the beginning of his ever-deepening relationship with the earth and plants. He earned a degree in landscape architecture and quickly learned to use regenerative, low-maintenance practices in designing and building landscapes. Owen actively practices the skills and perspectives necessary to effectively weave people and the natural world back together. Based in Western Massachusetts, his company, Abound Design, provides design, consulting, and installation services. As an ongoing student of the landscape, Owen continues to be excited to share his vision and experience with clients seeking carefully designed and built landscapes. 

    This lecture is part of the Grow Native Massachusetts Evenings with Experts series and is free for all to attend.  This program will be offered both in-person and online. To register, visit www.nebg.org