Boston Flora

Month: February 2026

  • Sundays, February 8, 15, & 22, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Eastern – Botanical Gardens of the World, Online

    Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural expert Keith Tomlinson leads a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as varied as Singapore, the Arizona desert, and the American Midwest. In vibrant visuals he explores how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they all celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom.

    Tomlinson has worked as a naturalist and public garden administrator for 25 years, visiting wilderness areas and botanical gardens around the world. He is the author of numerous articles on plant conservation, botanical garden travel, and environmental education.

    Session One on February 8 from 4 – 5:30 Eastern covers Gardens by the Bay in Singapore (pictured below). Among the most significant garden projects of the 21st century, Gardens by the Bay is a dazzling blend of horticulture, technology, and futuristic design. The Supertree Grove soars above the skyline, capturing solar power and channeling rainwater. Tomlinson explores how Singapore transformed its vision of a “City in a Garden” into a world-class horticultural wonder that unites sustainability, spectacle, and science.

    Session Two focuses on Boyce Thompson Arboretum and the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona. Nestled in the Sonoran Desert near Phoenix, Boyce Thompson Arboretum is Arizona’s oldest and largest botanical institution. Nearby, the renowned Desert Botanical Garden showcases iconic desert landscapes and research-driven conservation efforts. Together, these sites form a living library of adaptation, resilience, and biodiversity. Stroll virtually among towering saguaros, rare arid flora, and global drought-tolerant plantings while learning how these gardens serve as scientific resources and conservation refuges in a changing climate.

    The Final session starts the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Established in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the oldest continuously operating botanical garden in the United States and a cultural landmark of St. Louis, founded during its era as the “Gateway to the West.” Its landscapes span time and style—from the Victorian-era Linnean House to the futuristic Climatron geodesic dome—while its global research and conservation programs continue to shape botanical science today

    Each session is $25 for Smithsonian members, $35 for nonmembers, but there is a discount for registering for all three. Visit smithsonian.org

  • Tuesday, February 10, 6:00 pm – Reflections on Japanese Gardens (Recording Available February 14)

    Untermyer Gardens Conservancy’s 2026 Winter Lecture features Assistant Head Gardener Drew Schuyler, who will provide insights from his extended trip to Japan.

    In the autumn of 2025 our assistant head gardener, Drew Schuyler, received a prestigious Chanticleer Scholarship which allowed him to attend an intensive seminar at Kyoto University of the Arts and enjoy an immersive experience in the gardens of Japan.

    Over the course of five weeks, he visited more than 50 temples, gardens, and historical sites across eight cities, gaining insights from countless gardeners along the way. In this talk, Drew will provide a historical review of Japanese gardens from ancient times to the modern era, with a focus on the places and people that have come to define and influence the idea of the traditional Japanese garden. He will share images from his travels as well as his observations as a professional American gardener seeking horticultural and design inspiration from abroad.

    The lecture will take place at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 921 Madison Avenue, NYC, with a reception following the lecture.
    Tickets are $35 per person. A recording of the lecture will be available starting February 14. Tickets $25, sold separately. https://www.untermyergardens.org/2026winterlecture.html

  • Thursdays, February 5 – February 26, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Eastern – 2026 URI CoopExt Winter Agricultural Webinar Series, Online

    The URI Cooperative Extension Winter Agricultural Webinar Series (WAWS) brings together experts from across the country to share knowledge on topics relevant to commercial fruit and vegetable growers. The 2026 series will include talks from farmers and researchers on adapting to uncertainty on organic vegetables farms, improving soil health in greenhouse systems, growing vegetables in clover living mulch, and using on-farm data to support decision-making.

    These free webinars take place every Thursday in February from 12–1 p.m. EST on Zoom. Register by visiting: https://forms.gle/RYXjSxoxvXD6u7Qa9

    Feb. 5 – Michael Glos, Kingbird Farm, Farming in a time of Uncertainty: Reflections on 30 years of a diverse organic farm

    Feb. 12 – Stefan Gailans and Kate Edwards, Practical Farmers of Iowa and Wild Woods Farm, On-Farm Research for On-Farm Answers

    Feb. 19 – Rebecca Maden, UVM Cooperative Extension, Soil Health in High Tunnels

    Feb. 26 – Lincoln Fishman, Momentum Ag, Growing Vegetables in Living Mulch

    Questions? Email david.weisberger@uri.edu or call (347) -782-3132

  • Sunday, February 8, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Houseplant Propagation Workshop

    In this fun, hands-on New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill workshop on February 8 at 2 pm, you will explore several ways to propagate popular plants.

    Discover the joy of creating new life from the houseplants you already have. Through guided demonstrations and plenty of hands-on practice, you’ll learn multiple propagation techniques and the horticultural principles behind them. Instructor Betsy Szymczak is an avid vegetable and flower gardener who enjoys growing begonias, primarily as houseplants. As a longtime member of the American Begonia Society, she served as a certified judge and former ABS Judging Co-Chair. She has judged the begonia sections at the Philadelphia, Boston, and Newport RI flower shows. She is also a Gesneriad Society judge, and she grows about 75 dahlia varieties in a relatively small suburban garden in Natick.

    Betsy is a Principle Certified MA Master Gardener and volunteers at Elm Bank in Wellesley and the Longfellow House in Cambridge, MA.

    Participants will head home with a curated assortment of propagated plants ready to grow on their own. $55 for NEBG members, $66 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org

  • Friday, February 6, 7:45 pm – 9:00 pm – How Birds Created the World

    Bestselling author Randi Minetor presents a lively virtual program based on her recent book The Complete Language of Birds. Discover some of the myriad ways that birds have influenced the culture and stories of people around the world, ranging from the Ancient Egyptians who believed that the Earth began as an egg laid by a giant goose, to the Ojibwa people, who mark a time when a bird braved the deep waters of a Great Flood to bring a bit of soil up from the bottom to restart the continent. Minetor will also share instances in which birds have served as enduring symbols, as well as agents of various superstitions over the ages.

    Randi Minetor writes books for the Birdfinding and Best Easy Bird Guides series for Falcon Guides/Globe Pequot Press, and is the author of Backyard Birding and Butterfly Gardening. Her most recent book, The Complete Language of Birds: A Definitive and Illustrated History (2024), is an encyclopedia that unites classic illustrations, science, folklore and legends about more than 400 bird species around the world. She writes for Birding Magazine, is a regional report editor for North American Birds and served for three years as president of the Rochester Birding Association in New York State. She and her photographer husband Nic have visited 364 (out of 429) National Parks, to date, which has served as inspiration for many of her books.

    This free event is co-hosted by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Essex County Ornithological Club. A brief meeting of the club will be held from 7:30–7:45 pm. All are welcome to attend! To register, visit www.pem.org

  • Saturday, February 7, 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm – Winter Houseplant Care

    The Urban Farming Institute will hold a Grow Series Workshop on Saturday, February 7 at noon at the Urban Farming Institute , 487 Norfolk Street in Mattapan, with guest speaker Cassandra Desroches. Registration encouraged at info@urbanfarminginstitute.org or call 617-989-9920.

  • Sunday, February 8, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Honey Medicine: Make Herb Infused Honeys and More

    Discover the healing synergy of honey and herbs in this hands-on workshop with herbalist Jade Alicandro. The workshop will take place on February 8 at 10:30 am at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, and is $40 for NEBG members, $63 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org

    Learn the medicinal properties of honey, create a Winter Immune Honey, and explore traditional folk medicine-making techniques. Instructor Jade Alicandro weaves a love of bio-regionally abundant herbs and kitchen medicine into her work as a community and clinical herbalist. When she’s is not teaching bioregional herbalism to students and apprentices, you can find her roaming the hedges with her harvest basket in hand or at home in the kitchen brewing-up some potent food as medicine.

    From 2012-2019 she ran the Greenfield Community Herbal Clinic, a clinic dedicated to affordable herbal care, and currently maintains a long-distance clinical practice. She offers in-person, seasonally based, bioregional herbalism classes, teaches monthly online classes through her Patreon community, and offers a 6-week kitchen as medicine online course each winter.