Boston Flora

Month: November 2024

  • Tuesday, December 3 – Application Deadline for First Grants from The Henry Lee Fund for Boston Parks

    The Henry Lee Fund for Boston Parks aims to enhance public greenspaces throughout Boston by providing grants to support the care of trees and turf, sculpture maintenance, and special projects in neighborhood parks where the needs are clear, but the resources are limited. Friends President Emeritus Henry Lee demonstrated a lifelong commitment to public greenspace and historic preservation throughout Boston. Best known as one of the founders of Friends of the Public Garden and its leader for 41 years, Henry was an ardent champion of our entire urban park system. A staunch advocate for the restoration of sculpture throughout the city, he also helped to revive the city’s Art Commission in the 1980s.

    In recognition of his commitment to all our city’s parks, and in celebration of his 99th birthday, Friends of the Public Garden established The Henry Lee Fund for Boston Parks. This new fund embodies Henry’s commitment to equity in the quality of our public greenspaces. Grants will be supported by an endowment created by the Friends of the Public Garden, established with a $250,000 commitment from our Board. Administered by the Friends, grant decisions will be made by a committee that includes FOPG staff and board, representatives of the Boston Parks & Recreation Department, community volunteers, and the Friends’ arboriculture and sculpture consultants. Learn more, donate, or apply at https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/leefund/ Awardees will be notified January 12, 2025.  For 2024, the Friends of the Public Garden will distribute nearly $40,000 with a grant maximum of $5,000. 

  • Thursday, November 7, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Cultivating a Native Lawn, Online

    Traditional turfgrass lawns provide little benefit to native biodiversity, are significant sources of air and water pollution, and require huge investments of time to maintain. In a world grappling with the climate crisis, every action counts, and adopting a new lawn paradigm that champions native biodiversity in your own backyard is a powerful way to take control of your environmental impact. Todd Bittner, plant ecologist, will discuss a visionary lawn paradigm shift – one where lush, low-growing native grasses and forbs take center stage. Explore the journey behind Cornell Botanic Gardens’ native lawn, from its inception to the multitude of benefits it brings, and the invaluable lessons it has taught us.

    This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 6 pm Eastern. Todd Bittner is the Director of Natural Areas for the Cornell Botanic Gardens. The Gardens’ Natural Areas program protects and manages a system of preserves spanning nearly 3,700 acres across 40 natural areas. The preserves encompass one-third of Cornell’s iconic campus landscape, including two massive gorges, scenic Beebe Lake, and a renowned wildflower garden, which hosts the Gardens’ “native lawn” that was featured in the New York Times in 2023. Todd leads the protection and stewardship of these lands and the Gardens’ native biodiversity conservation efforts. Todd also directly educates students and the public on natural heritage topics and is a lecturer in the School of Plant Science. Todd is also a conservation scientist with the Center for Plant Conservation, and in 2020, was named a “Conservation Champion” by the Center. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/cultivating-a-native-lawn-online/

  • Thursday, November 7, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Eastern – Leave the Leaves, Save the Stems, Online

    Fallen leaves, decaying logs, and gone-by flowers nurture overwintering birds, pollinators, fireflies, turtles, and more. But it’s all so messy! How can we manage the practical and aesthetic concerns that arise when we keep autumn materials on home or community properties? Kathy Connolly will present a Zoom presentation on November 7 at 5:30 pm Eastern, $17 for Native Plant Trust members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/leave-the-leaves-save-the-stems/

  • Saturday, November 16, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – The New Garden Party

    Join The New Garden Society, Saturday, November 16th, for a sunset celebration at the Boston Nature Center, complete with a silent auction, food and drinks. Hear from members of our organization about the past decade of work, and join us in envisioning the decades to come.

    Since 2013, TNGS has been teaching and planting behind the walls of Greater Boston prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers. We transform these landscapes into productive gardens that provide a therapeutic space, access to fresh food, and educational resources for our incarcerated neighbors. Through our programs, incarcerated individuals practice job skills and connect with their peers and their environment.  We’ve trained nearly 1000 individuals in the art and science of plants. We don’t do it alone. Donations from friends, family, and businesses have sustained this transformative work.

    As well as being a celebration, this is a fundraiser to support our ongoing work. We are offering a limited slate of tickets at no cost. We hope that those who can afford to do so will donate generously. If free tickets run out, and cost is a barrier to you, reach out to info@thenewgardensociety.org to attend. To purchase sponsor tickets, visit https://www.thenewgardensociety.org/decade

  • Thursday, November 7, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon, Eastern – Digging Deeper Into Ecological Horticulture, Online

    There is no better time to become a Conservation Circle, Sustainer, or Supporter Member of the Native Plant Trust. These lucky people are invited to a Zoom talk, Digging Deeper Into Ecological Horticulture by Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture of the Native Plant Trust, and The Boston Globe’s Ask the Gardener columnist. For gardeners seeking a more harmonious approach to their efforts, ecological horticulture is the answer. It is an evolving framework for building and maintaining beautiful, functional gardens—based on the assumptions that genetic diversity, local provenance, and adaptability are achieved using regional native species. Yet the research fails to fully support those assumptions, effective messaging is challenging, and gardens are often created based on what is available in the nursery trade. Uli will navigate these thought-provoking issues while reflecting on how this framework is applied at Garden in the Woods. If you wish to join, visit http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/. If you are already a supporter, rsvp 774-519-5553 or to specialevents@NativePlantTrust.org