The Trustees of Reservations and City Natives announce the return of the Fall Plant Sale on Saturdays in September at 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan. Pick up resilient varieties of native perennials, trees, shrubs and fruit trees along with garden supplies, locally grown garlic, and straw, Proceeds support The Trustees’ network of Boston Community Gardens.
The Nantucket Climate Change Summit 2025 hosts Bernadette Woods Placky, Chief Meteorologist, Climate Central, for a talk entitled From Storms to Shorelines: Connecting Weather, Water, and Climate Change. The Nantucket Conservation Foundation and the Linda Loring Nature Foundation will present the program, sponsored in part by the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation and by the Community Foundation for Nantucket. Free, but registration is required. The venue is the Great Harbor Yacht Club. Register at https://acksummitclimate.com/
What will be the future of natural and built landscapes as we face climate change, political turmoil, and technological advancements? What constitutes heritage and how can it be preserved? What can be adapted to emerging and unpredictable futures?
Renowned practitioners and researchers will gather at Longwood Gardens on October 15 & 16 to share projects, propose ideas, and discuss. This international symposium will also celebrate the relocation and reconstruction of its Cascade Garden, designed by Roberto Burle Marx.
Speakers include Anita Berrizbeitia, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Paul B. Redman of Longwood Gardens, Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi of Weiss/Manfredi, Kristin Frederickson of Reed Hilderbrand, and Kongjian Yu of Turenscape. Learn more and register at https://designingchange.longwoodgardens.org/
Recognize horticultural excellence by nominating someone for a Great American Gardener Award. Each year the American Horticultural Society honors exceptional contributions to gardening and horticulture through this awards program. All nominations must be submitted by September 26, 2025. Questions? Email programs@ahsgardening.org
Join Grow Native Massachusetts online on September 8 at 6 pm Eastern for a presentation revealing the caterpillars whose ecosystems we inhabit and our role as neighbors, stewards, and champions of these incredible insects. We live surrounded by a world shaped by insects and few are more charismatic than the caterpillar (or their moth and butterfly forms). They influence the flowers we enjoy, foods we eat, and birds we celebrate, filling every ecological niche imaginable! This interactive presentation features a few local, wild fall caterpillars who will help us tell the story of these animals in our forests and gardens. Educators from The Caterpillar Lab will share how we can manage our spaces through the fall and winter to promote more insect diversity and offer some tips and tricks for measuring our success in the spring. Attend this fall talk to learn how to promote more caterpillars, and then extend your experience by joining us next spring for a special Grow Native Massachusetts event to discover how to see the adult moths in their nighttime habitats! This is a free event, but registration required at https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/calendar. Photo below by Sam Jaffe.
The 2025 International Garden Tourism Symposium, hosted by the Atlanta Botanical Garden, will take place November 5 and 6, 2025. The International Garden Tourism Symposium supports gardens around the world in sharing experiences and best practices in Destination Development and Promotion. It brings together speakers and delegates from the world’s public gardens, tourism boards, travel industry, and media.
This event is relevant to the management (director, marketing, horticulture, exhibitions) of any garden, festival, or horticultural expo, that wishes to expand and broaden visitation and create impactful guest experiences. In fact, we encourage gardens to team up with their regional or national destination promotion agency and travel operators to attend the event together. Speakers include media strategist Jenny Williams, Ian Simpkins, Senior Director of Horticulture & Sustainability at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and members of the Atlanta Botanical Garden administration, plus tours and exhibitions. In a period of disappearing tourism to the United States from abroad, and cutting back of vacations from our domestic population, there will be much to learn and consider,
The Starling Hotel has set aside rooms. For registration and more information visit HERE.
Step into a world of botanical wonder at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on September 1 – November 2 with Stranger Plants. This exhibition brings to life imagined plant species with bizarre, otherworldly traits inspired by the remarkable adaptations of some of the most interesting plant species found right here on Earth. Celebrating the strange and the spectacular with bold colors and unusual shapes, this immersive experience unfolds in The Ramble, a garden designed to spark curiosity for visitors of all ages. This fall, prepare for extraordinary encounters with plants unlike any you’ve ever seen and get up close to species so unique they could only exist in your wildest dreams, and nowhere else on Earth.
Experience this otherworldly exhibition during the Garden’s daytime general admission hours, through an educational program, or during Glowing Wild, a special event series taking place on select Fridays and Saturday evenings. Stranger Plants is included with general admission. Additional tickets are required for educational programs and Glowing Wild. We recommend you purchase general admission tickets online in advance. You can also buy tickets in person at the Garden. For more information visit https://nebg.org/stranger-plants/
In the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, the New York Botanical Garden is strengthening its commitment to plant-based climate solutions. Through its Nurturing Nature Initiative, NYBG is harnessing the unique power of botanical gardens to restore ecosystems, support communities, and protect biodiversity.
Global Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JS6GNMN
Nurturing Nature Initiative: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JS6GNMN
With support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and in partnership with Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), NYBG’s Nurturing Nature Initiative is creating a science-based roadmap to advance climate resilience through plants. The initiative strengthens the role of botanical gardens as vital hubs for biodiversity, education, and community action. Working with BGCI and the Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens, the team will share knowledge, expand impact, and elevate the role of gardens in global restoration efforts.
Botanical gardens hold rare plant collections, seed banks, and taxonomic expertise critical for restoration and climate adaptation. Yet they are often overlooked in climate strategies. Nurturing Nature aims to change that. With guidance from a global advisory group, NYBG and partners are developing an action plan to help gardens lead nature-based climate solutions—locally and globally.
In this August 24 Native Plant Trust workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, we will learn the basics of natural dyeing using many of the New England native plants that grow around us. We will tap into the energy of this current season, and get to know each of the materials we will be working with. Participants will learn to build a dye bath, how to harvest plants respectfully, and more. Beginners warmly welcomed! $45. Sign up at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/coaxing-color-from-plants-seasonal-connection-through-natural-dyes/. The instructor is Maggie Ruth Haaland.
Guided by Alice Rosa, a Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists in London, learn the art of colored pencil for botanical art. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society three day class will take place at the Gardens at Elm Bank on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, September 8, 9, and 12 from 10 – 2. First, we will start with foundational techniques such as observing, measuring, and drawing all the components of the plant. Then move on to color studies, learning how to layer colored pencils to achieve vibrant and deep hues. We will also explore tools to render textures and fine details. $225 for Mass Hort members, $265 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.masshort.org/upcoming-classes
