This talk arises from a small-scale study that took place in 2024 looking at the influence of migration on community food-growing gardens and their gardeners. The session will explore the wonderfully vibrant community gardens in north London that were the focus of this work looking at what is grown, who is growing it and the benefit growing together brings.
As context, the London Parks and Gardens online talk on January 13 will offer a light-touch review of the social history of community food growing gardens and cover, briefly, migration to London over time. It will also highlight outcomes from academic research relating to community food-growing gardens and compare the findings with those of this study.
Boston Community Gardens and The Food Project present Winter Workshops in the Greenhouse, at the Dudley Greenhouse, 11 Brook Avenue in Roxbury. On Thursday, January 22, learn to grow your own microgreens, fresh and nutrient packed, right in your home during the winter months. Bring a recycled aluminum tray or takeout container to take home provided seeds to grown. https://thetrustees.org/program/seed-sow-grow/
The third talk in The Gardens Trust’s online six part course in partnership with FOLAR showcasing women pioneers takes place January 28, individual tickets £8 (members £6). Register through Eventbrite HERE. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk A link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 2 weeks.
Building on FOLAR’s popular series of Women in Landscape, this new collection of talks brings together insights into the motivations and work of three leading contemporary landscape designers and their teams, alongside stories celebrating the lives and achievements of earlier pioneers.
Each of these women has pushed boundaries to improve the lives of others. Some have studied and worked in the UK before adapting their knowledge and ideas to suit the unique contexts of their home countries – an exciting process of creative cross-pollination.
Every generation needs its pioneers, those who make lasting, and at times radical, changes, and who also inspire others to think boldly and act with confidence. Throughout the history of landscape design, there have always been people whose ideas and work transform the way we understand and shape our environments.
As with FOLAR’s previous series, these talks aim to showcase some of the most inspiring people, projects, and ideas in the field — past and present.
Talk 3. 28th January: Shaping Public Landscape with Saira Ali
As President Elect of the Landscape Institute and Team Leader of Landscape Design & Conservation at Bradford Council, Saira will share how co-design, inclusion, and purpose-led regeneration are transforming communities. Her journey shows how public service and landscape can drive climate resilience, equity, and meaningful change across places and people.
Saira Ali FLI is President Elect of the Landscape Institute and Team Leader of Landscape Design & Conservation at Bradford Council. An award-winning leader in blue-green infrastructure, co-design, and inclusive regeneration, she champions landscape as a catalyst for social equity, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. Her collaborative approach drives systemic change, inspiring future generations through mentorship and advocacy.
n a special three-part virtual series for the Garden Conservancy this winter, Professor Andrew Hui explores fascinating yet overlooked history of the Western Gardens at the Chinese Emperor’s Summer Palace in the eighteenth century. Over the course of three episodes, he will explore the unexpected story of how these vast gardens came to be designed by Jesuit priests and how they influence the development of Europe’s own gardens.
Part 1: The Summer Palace: Beijing and its Creators
January 29, 2026 I 12 noon Eastern
The Garden of Perfect Brightness (Yuanmingyuan), better known as the Summer Palace, was the most ambitious garden complex in imperial China. Conceived by the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors, it brought together traditional Chinese landscape art from all parts of its sprawling empire. This talk introduces the palace’s vast grounds and classical Chinese gardens—pavilions, lakes, and rockeries that embodied dynastic authority and literati aesthetics. We will set the stage for the drama of cultural exchange that would soon reshape its landscapes.
Andrew Hui teaches at National University of Singapore and is the author of three books: The Study: The Inner Life of Renaissance Libraries (2025), A Theory of the Aphorism from Confucius to Twitter (2019, translated into 4 languages), and The Poetics of Ruins in Renaissance Literature (2017). His newest project is The Emperor’s Maze: The Jesuits in China and the Making of a Global Age (under contract, Penguin Press).
Andrew is an experienced public speaker who has lectured widely, including recent talks at Yale, Oxford, and Brown universities, as well as online for the Medici Archive Project, the Smithsonian, and the 92nd Street Y.
You will receive the webinar link directly from Zoom.
To coincide with the end of the Garden Museum’s beautiful exhibition of McEwen’s delicate botanical paintings, this January 20 livestreamed event will see Nicola Shulman, author of the illustrated exhibition catalogue, joined by art critic and brother of the artist, John McEwen, and Rory’s friend and collaborator, botanist Martyn Rix.
If you’re curious to hear what ignited McEwen’s interest in botanical painting, or keen to learn more about his technique for painting on vellum, then this special event is well worth attending. McEwen was an artist who could produce minutely detailed and accurate paintings of petals and dying leaves, whilst experimenting with abstraction and mixed media sculpture; the impressive diversity of his work will be discussed.
Rory lived a full life in which folk music and painting were abiding passions. This panel of speakers will discuss his story and the people who influenced his art. £10 Livestream. To book, visit gardenmuseum.org.uk
Discover small steps you can take on your property to make your space more welcoming to native flora and fauna. In this Native Plant Trust one-hour overview of restoration ecology online on January 27, you’ll learn about the different forms that restoration work can take, including removing invasives, changing the way that water moves through a space, or otherwise taking away impediments to natural flows and processes. First-time homeowners and ecologically-minded individuals will come away with straightforward, simple approaches to getting started with restoration. Brian Colleran will teach the session, which is $25. Register online at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/bot3816-restoration-ecology-101/
Join chef Diane Kochilas for a conversation and cooking demo spotlighting the fresh flavors of her new Athens-inspired cookbook on January 26 at 6:30 pm..
Curated Cuisine is a monthly series examining all things edible, from the chefs cooking the food to the writers reviewing the recipes. Meet the people shaping the food industry, both local and national and enjoy a post-show bite inspired by the conversation.
Greek food has come a long way since the days of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. The modern metropolis is flush with global influences and ingredients dancing alongside traditional Greek staples. Greek chef and television personality Diane Kochilas, an Athenian for over three decades, has written a new cookbook that dives deep into the savory twists and turns of cuisine in the Greek capital. In Athens: Food, Stories, Love, she offers a cipher to the changing Mediterranean mecca and also fresh takes on Greek classics. Join us for a conversation and live cooking demonstration with Kochilas moderated by WBUR senior correspondent and host Deborah Becker.
Copies of the cookbook will be available to purchase from our bookstore partner Brookline Booksmith. Kochilas will sign and guests will enjoy a bite from the book following the conversation.
This event is co-produced by Boston University Metropolitan College Programs in Food & Wine. Tickets (from $12.51) available through Eventbrite HERE.
Join area naturalist Jeff Adams on January 11 at 11 am in this winter walk in Newton’s Kennard Park as he identifies trees and shrubs without their elltale leaves. Discover how to identify plants by their branching patterns, bark, buds, galls, and any persistent fruits that remain after the end of autumn. Jeff will also look at winter weeds—hardy non-woody plants that stand up tall even through the colder months—and share a trove of natural history and folklore about various plants. Jeff has led walks for a variety of area organizations, including the Friends of the Fells, Lincoln Land Conservation Trust and the Newton Conservators. Dress for an extended time in wintry weather and wear sturdy shoes. Kennard Park’s terrain is uneven and, in some places, hilly. Meet at the parking lot on 246 Dudley Road. Enrollment is limited to 20 people.
Join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy on February 24 at the James Michael Curley House for a morning of gratitude and celebration. Enjoy light refreshments as they honor the dedicated Emerald Necklace volunteers and recognize the Volunteer Award recipients. Formal invitations will be sent in the new year. Contact Amanda at amorin@emeraldnecklace.org with any questions.
Hike with the Brookline Park Rangers in Lost Pond Sanctuary to celebrate the New Year. Meet at Skyline Park on Thursday, January 1 at 10 am. This is a weather-dependent event. Be sure to wear hiking boots and warm clothing, plus poles are recommended. Difficulty rating is intermediate. To rsvp email khuntress@brooklinema.gov
