Boston Flora

Month: September 2025

  • Saturday, September 20, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Handy House Artisan Fair & Vintage Market

    Handy House Artisan Fair, organized by the Westport Historical Society, showcases local craftspeople who specialize in skills and traditional crafts commonly practiced in the 18th and 19th century. This year’s fair also features a vintage market – an opportunity to pick up unusual antiques, metalware, jewelry and textiles. This year’s fair on September 20 (rain date September 21) features 40 artisans.

    Local history authors and books! Collectors Corner! Blacksmith! Vintage Market! Music! Traditional craftsmanship is still very much alive in Westport. The Artisan Fair at 202 Hix Bridge Road offers a rare opportunity to meet these craftspeople, learn about their skilled hand work and human powered technologies through hands on demonstrations. Some artisans will have their work for sale, so it will also be a chance to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping!

    This free event not only preserves and perpetuates knowledge about traditional crafts, but is also an opportunity for the community to reconnect to its own history, to visit the Handy House and to celebrate the special heritage of the town of Westport. For more information visit https://wpthistory.org/handy-house-artisan-fair-and-vintage-market/

  • Thursday, September 18, 6:00 pm Eastern – Meadow Making: A Brains Over Brawn Approach, Online

    Learn how to sow meadow seeds and plant live plants in a manner that puts them in a position to succeed without intensive maintenance requirements. When it comes to planting natives, a conventional approach is often counterproductive. This virtual course on September 18 at 6 pm Eastern is taught by Larry Weaner, FAPLD, and Sara Weaner Cooper. Session recording will be available on-demand for three months after live date. To register, visit https://www.ndal.org/2025-fall-meadow-making

  • Wednesday, September 24, 10:00 am – Garden Club of the Back Bay Field Trip to Forest Hills Cemetery

    Forest Hills Cemetery is a 275-acre garden cemetery and arboretum that was founded in 1848, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, and was named one of the “1000 Greatest Places” in Massachusetts. Local historian Dee Morris will give a tour focusing on the property features, with a discussion of the cemetery’s history and horticulture, and the many well-known people buried there. This event is rain or shine. RSVP HERE Carpool and transportation options will be sent to registrants in mid September. This is a members only event. To join, visit https://bostonflora.com/. The Garden Club enjoyed a splendid walking tour of Forest Hills over a decade ago, and it’s certainly time to revisit.

  • Sunday, September 21, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – September Tree ID Walk

    “I think that I shall never see/ A poem lovely as a tree.” The trees of New England are both beautiful and essential to our landscape. Discover 10–12 of the region’s most common trees, focusing on identification as well as fun and fascinating natural history.

    This Wright-Locke Farm walk on September 21 from 9 – 12 is part of a series with Bout Boutwell and Arlington Community Education. You will meet rain or shine and tiered pricing is available. Children ages 10+ are welcome to register if accompanied by a registered adult. Register HERE.

  • Saturday, September 20, 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm – In Conversation with Chef Marcus Samuelsson

    Internationally renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson, who’s headlining the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival in September, had a remarkable journey to culinary stardom. Samuelsson will share his stories during a special event, “In Conversation with Chef Marcus Samuelsson,” on Saturday, September 20, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Rosecliff.

    The eight-time James Beard Award winner was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden and trained in Europe before he headed to New York at age 23. He took the culinary world by storm, creating flavorful new cuisine that reflected his multicultural identity.

    Within a year, Samuelsson was named executive chef at Aquavit and soon became the youngest chef ever awarded three stars by The New York Times. Samuelsson’s trajectory had only begun. The “Top Chef Masters” champion now operates a dozen restaurants around the world, has written multiple cookbooks and a memoir, and won an Emmy Award.

    Guests will enjoy a tasting plate and wine pairing during the Conversation and will have access to the festival Tasting Tent before the event. $250. Register at https://www.newportmansions.org/events/in-conversation-with-chef-marcus-samuelsson/

  • Saturday, September 20, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Using Native Plants to Enrich Habitat and Support Migrating Birds

    Hollister House Garden presents Ian Stewart, PhD, on Saturday, September 20 at 10. He will discuss Using Native Plants to Enrich Habitat and Support Migrating Birds. Many of our songbirds are in decline, for a variety of reasons. The main reason is loss of habitat, but a secondary reason may be the degradation of the remaining habitat by non-native, invasive plants. These are less valuable to birds because they do not support many of the insects they feed upon, especially during periods of high energy use like migration. Learn how you can help both migrating and resident birds by using a diversity of native plants to create a garden that is both beautiful and filled with food. This presentation coincides with the peak of southward migration and will be followed with a relaxing walk around the idyllic garden in search of birds.

    Ian Stewart, PhD, was raised in Newcastle, England and received a doctorate in biology from the University of Leicester. He has conducted research on tree swallows and bluebirds and studied how local land management activities are affecting bird numbers and diversity throughout the year. Ian is the staff Ornithologist at the Delaware Nature Society and is currently researching how alien plant removal impacts nesting birds. Ian conducts public bird banding sessions and give presentations to audiences of all ages about aspects of bird biology

    HHG Members $30 Non-members $40 (includes admission to the garden). Register at https://hollisterhousegarden.org/event/using-native-plants-to-enrich-habitat-and-support-migrating-birds/

  • Sunday, September 14, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Tour and Salsa Dance in the Garden

    Join Berkshire Botanical Garden for some food and drink, followed by a tour in Spanish using our audio guide app on your phone on Sunday, September 14, from 5 to 8 p.m. Luana Dias David will begin a salsa dance lesson and party inside the Education Center after the tour. Admission is free, registration is encouraged (below).

    Luana Dias David is a Brazilian performing artist, choreographer and cultural educator whose work bridges tradition and innovation in Afro-Latin dance. Born in São Paulo, she carries over 20 years of international experience, performing and teaching across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Her artistry is deeply rooted in the rhythms of Samba, Capoeira and Latin dance, shaped by her training in classical ballet, jazz and breakdancing.

    See Luana’s blog to learn more:

    https://berkshirebrazil.com/blog/dancing-through-the-seasons-how-nature-inspires-the-rhythms-of-salsa

  • Wednesday, September 24, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Nature Immersion in the Garden with Watercolors

    In this September 24 Massachusetts Horticultural Society immersive session, Nadine Mazzola will guide you through watercolor techniques like washes and expressive brushstrokes to help you capture the essence of the garden’s beauty. Choose your own subjects—from trees and flowers to sweeping landscape views or abstract compositions—allowing your creative vision to emerge.

    Nadine Mazzola (she/her) is an artist, educator, certified forest therapy guide, and author of the multi-award-winning book, Forest Bathing with Your Dog. She has shared her signature, holistic, heart-centered style of teaching with hundreds of students, from those with no art experience to professional artists. She is known for creating a supportive environment within each class for learning, exploring, creating and nurturing a sense of play and joy. Nadine’s favorite color is yellow because of the joy it brings her. A cancer survivor, Nadine often works with groups affected by cancer. She is a senior trainer for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy since 2016, and an expressive arts teacher at the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden since 2017. Nadine brings a depth of life experience bridging Nature, expressive arts, and somatics.

    All materials are provided. No experience needed. $88 for Mass Hort members, $120 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, September 13, 9:30 am – 11:00 am – Illuminating Life: The Science of Bioluminescence and Fluorescence

    In the dark depths of the ocean, light flickers where you least expect it. This hands-on Harvard Museum of Natural History workshop on September 13 will explore the radiant worlds of bioluminescence and fluorescence—where creatures from bioluminescent marine microbes to fluorescent jellyfish shed light without a bulb in sight. We’ll zoom in to symbiotic microorganisms that use bioluminescence to camouflage their hosts from predators, and then zoom out to examine bioluminescent and fluorescent specimens from the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s collections. Along the way, we’ll uncover how organisms use this natural glow for communication, camouflage, and predation, revealing a hidden language of light in the natural world. To wrap up the experience, you will have the opportunity to create “living art” in a petri dish using fluorescent microorganisms as paint. Participants will receive high-resolution images of their art after the artwork has grown overnight. No prior science background is required to participate in this class. All attendees must be 18 or older. $35 for Museum members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at www.hmnh.harvard.edu

    Ellie Rand is a recent graduate and Sophia Wiesenfeld is a current student in the Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology PhD program at Harvard Medical School. They both research microbiology and utilize fluorescence for a variety of experiments. Understanding where bioluminescence and fluorescence arose in the environment and how to manipulate it in the lab is a lot of fun, and they can’t wait to share it with you!

  • Saturday, September 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Create a Butterfly Garden

    Attracting butterflies to your yard with native plants is a rewarding way to support local wildlife, increase the ecological value of your property and connect with the natural world. Led by Duncan Himmelman on Saturday, September 13, from 10 a.m. to noon, learn how to design a butterfly garden and discover plants that provide nectar for adult butterflies and foliage for their caterpillars. Leave with two simple garden plans that create beautiful sanctuaries for these colorful pollinators.

    Duncan Himmelman earned his doctorate at Cornell University and taught horticultural science at the college level for 24 years. He recently retired as the education manager at Mt. Cuba Center, a public garden in Delaware devoted to native plant advocacy. He enjoys teaching, designing landscapes and promoting ecologically focused gardening practices. Photo from Troy’s Tropics.

    $25 for BBG members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/create-butterfly-garden