Daily Archives: May 2, 2025

Saturday, May 10, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Kokedama

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A Japanese gardening tradition, known as the “poor man’s bonsai.” Kokedama, which translates to “moss ball,” is a centuries-old art form that celebrates the harmony between nature and design. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society May 10 workshop is centered around creating a beautiful living plant arrangement that is both decorative and unique.

Led by Garden Educator, Melissa Pace, participants will learn techniques necessary to craft a thriving kokedama.

  • The role of substrate composition in supporting plant health and moisture retention
  • How moss functions as a natural moisture regulator.
  • The relationship between root structure, aeration, and plant stability
  • Best practices for plant selection based on growth habit, light requirements, and humidity tolerance

Each kokedama is not only a living garden but also a captivating conversation piece. Experiment with different displays, including a shallow dish or hanging with a macramé!

Show off your creation! We invite you to enter your kokedama in the New England Fall Flower Show this September! Either enter your kokedama from the workshop or use your new skills to create another one! Click here for details on dates and how to register. Pro Tip: Bring a box to safely transport your new creation home!

Workshop size is limited – Preregistration here is required. $45 for Mass Hort members, $53 for nonmembers.

Wednesday, May 7, 12:00 noon Eastern – Gardens of Glass, Online

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The Royal Oak Society hosts an online recorded lecture with John Goodall on Wednesday, May 7 at noon Eastern. With the global expansion of 17th-century European trade networks, plant collecting became a matter of both economic and intellectual interest in Britain. Exotic fruits and flowers were prized as prestigious displays of wealth and refinement, fueling an obsession with horticulture among the elite. The fascination began with pineapples and soon extended to citrus trees; a trend particularly championed by King William III. By the late 18th century, a glass house or ‘greenhouse’ was an architectural mark of a gentleman’s garden, even if it was only to grow delicate fruits such as apricots or peaches. John Goodall, Architectural Editor at Country Life, will trace the rise, fall, and revival of Britain’s historic glasshouses, exploring their cultural significance and the renewed interest in their restoration today.

John Goodall has been architectural editor at Country Life since 2007 and has contributed to CL since 1994. He is the author of several books, including English House Style: From the Archives of Country Life and The English Castle (2011). English Castle received numerous accolades: the 2011 Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion and the 2013 Historians of British Art Book Prize (pre-1800). The work also received the G. T. Clark Prize for 2007–2012. He read history at Durham University and took an MA and Ph.D. in architectural history from the Courtauld Institute of Art. In 2003 he joined English Heritage as a senior properties historian. He had written several guidebooks for both English Heritage and the National Trust. He acted in 2007 as series consultant for the BBC 1 series How We Built Britain. Other projects include contributions to the photographic book The English Cathedral by Peter Marlow. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2001. Goodall is a patron of the Castle Studies Trust, a UK registered charity founded in 2012.

$15 for Royal Oak members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.royal-oak.org/event/zoom-rental-gardens-of-glass/

Trelissick Garden, Cornwall