The Friends of the Boston Park Rangers Mounted Unit will hold a cocktail reception on April 30 at 5:30 pm at the Boston Athenaeum for a milestone moment. The Park Rangers need our support as facility improvements are underway. This transformation will be the most ambitious endeavor to the organization’s history. Tickets $175 for “under 35” and $300 general public. Purchase tickets at https://friendsofthebprmountedunit.org/events
Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus), and common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) are the best-known buckthorns in New England, renowned for their invasiveness. Both shrub species are native to Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia.When did they arrive in North America? What is their status and ecology in their home ranges? How did they become so rampant in many habitats in New England, and what can be done to manage them? Join longtime instructor Ted Elliman at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on March 14 to discuss these two species and the region’s third, less well known member of the group, alder-leaf buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia), an uncommon native shrub species that inhabits rich fen communities. Explore the morphological distinctions between Frangula and Rhamnus, and take a quick look at other buckthorns—native and non-native—in the United States. $50. Register with Native Plant Trust at https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/bot5153-introduction-to-buckthorns/
Join The Gardens Trust for a new four part series wandering through allegorical gardens with Dr David Marsh
In a garden, art, science, nature and the mind collide. It is no surprise then, that many stories in ancient religions and philosophies are set in gardens. Christians believe that the Garden of Eden once existed before Adam and Eve were expelled from it, while the Hanging Garden of Babylon has captivated the creative imagination of humans for centuries, as have legends about the Gardens of the Hesperides in the ancient Mediterranean world. Like ancient Chinese stories about the magical gardens on Mount Kunlun and its counterpart Mount Penglai, they all reflect the complex interaction between the human and divine worlds. In this series we will not only be looking be looking at the myths themselves but also, where possible, the reality that lay behind them and their impact on gardens more recently. This ticket costs £28 for the entire course of 4 sessions, or you may purchase a ticket for individual sessions, costing £8 [Gardens Trust members £21 or £6 each]. Register at www.eventbrite.co.uk. 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 (available for 2 weeks) will be sent shortly afterwards.
Most of us, even if we are not Christians, will know the Bible story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden – or think we do. In fact, the Book of Genesis says very little about Eden, and nothing really about what it was like or what, apart from the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, grew in it. I suspect that whatever else you think you know it’s because the story of Eden is the most popular Old Testament subject in Christian art, and you’ve simply absorbed the way that artists have imagined it. Do you even know where it was? Most of us I’m sure would say without much hesitation – somewhere in the Middle East, but you might be surprised to know that about eighty different locations have been proposed – from the Baltic to Polynesia, and from the North Pole to China, via Kashmir, the Seychelles, and of course several states of America.
Paul Peters, principal at Hood Design Studio, will share about the studio’s landscape design process for the African Ancestors Garden, part of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. The garden draws inspiration from both the Lowcountry landscape and the broader African diaspora to create a tranquil environment for reflection, learning, and remembrance. Organized as a series of sub-gardens, the design celebrates the artistry, craftsmanship, and labor of African Americans through botanical and material narratives. The African Origins Garden highlights the botanical diaspora by featuring plants commonly found throughout Southern landscapes that trace their origins to regions across Africa, symbolizing how plant migration parallels the historical displacement and movement of people. Complementing this, the Lowcountry Garden is rooted in the ecology of local marshlands, incorporating native reeds, a circular arrangement of concrete benches inspired by the contours of coastal mudflats, and a gentle ground depression that gathers site runoff. Together, these spaces form a contemplative memorial landscape that honors ancestral memory and offers visitors a profound connection to the enduring heritage of the African diaspora.
Hood Design Studio is a landscape architecture and social art practice based in Oakland, California and founded by visionary landscape architect, Walter Hood. Paul Peters, a Principal at Hood Design Studio, is renowned for spotlighting the intricate ties between nature and culture in his landscape designs. He transforms expansive sites into intimate spaces, designing with sensitivity to personal memories and experiences. He is deeply invested in the conceptual phase, seamlessly weaving broad perspectives, conceptual thinking, and research throughout his projects, ultimately influencing societal perspectives. Earning his master’s in landscape architecture from the University of British Columbia, Paul managed his own design-build firm in Vancouver for seven years. Since joining Hood Design Studio in 2016, he’s pioneered several groundbreaking projects. Notably, he’s contributed to the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC, the historic Oakland Museum of California’s renovation, and Nvidia’s state-of-the-art campus in Silicon Valley.
This American Horticultural Society online program on March 12 is $15 for AHS members, $20 for nonmembers. Register HERE
Curated Cuisine is a monthly WBUR 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.
Spices are more than small jars that sit in your cabinet and make an appearance during meal prep. For Sana Javeri Kadri, CEO of Diaspora Spice Co., and recipe writer Asha Loupy those little jars represent the farmer who toiled in the fields with love to bring you that flavor. Kadri and Loupy have co-authored The Diaspora Spice Co. Cookbook, a new book that celebrates the spices from India and Sri Lanka. The cookbook centers on regenerative farms across South Asia where Kadri and Loupy spent time with the farmers who grow regional spices and the family recipes built on those traditions.
Join Tamika Francis, founder of Food & Folklore, on March 24 at CitySpace for a conversation with Kadri and Loupy and watch a cooking demonstration from the new collection of 85 recipes. Copies of the book will be available to purchase from our bookstore partner Frugal Bookstore, Kadri and Loupy will sign and guests will enjoy a bite from the book following the conversation. Book Bundle: $55.00 (general admission and one copy of the cookbook)
General: $20.00
BU Faculty/Staff: $15.00 (must present a valid BU ID upon arrival)
Student: $10.00 (must present a valid student ID upon arrival)
Register at www.wbur.org
The Marchioness of Cholmondeley Rose Cholmondeley, Tania Compton and Todd Longstaffe-Gowan discuss the latest developments at Houghton Hall and Cholmondeley Castle, reflecting on recent changes to both historic landscapes and sharing plans for future initiatives, such as Tulips at Houghton, a major new spring event launching in April 2026.
Constructed in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, Houghton Hall is now the residence of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondeley, a direct descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, and his family. The Hall, surrounded by extensive parkland, is known for its iconic white fallow deer and features notable attractions including an award-winning Walled Garden
Cholmondeley Castle Gardens were originally laid out in the early 19th Century using architectural elements from the formal gardens of the Old Hall. Nestled within historic parkland, the 70 acres of beautiful gardens offer magnificent displays throughout the seasons and are filled with colour and botanical delights.
Todd Longstaffe-Gowan is a Trustee of both Cholmondeley Castle Gardens and Houghton Hall, and alongside the Marchioness of Cholmondeley Rose Cholmondeley will explore the thinking behind the planting, the challenges of working within historic garden settings, and how large-scale seasonal displays can offer fresh perspectives on established landscapes.
This Garden Museum talk will be livestreamed for £10 and you may register at www.gardenmuseum.org/uk
Tea can be sweet, rich, buttery, and citrusy. It can wake you up and calm you down. Tea has a history that spans the globe and health benefits that will keep you going. It has been cultivated for over 4,000 years and is the second most popular drink in the world (behind water).
Come spend some time on March 14 at Gore Place in Watertown, getting to know tea’s delightful flavors and aromas, as well as its fascinating history, how it’s made, where it’s from, and what it can do for you. You’ll learn how to steep tea for best flavor and sample several varieties, such as a delicate white, smooth oolong, refreshing green, malty black, and perhaps a surprise or two.
This program is intended for adults and teens. From speaker Hillel Bromberg:
“I grew up drinking Constant Comment and Lipton with lots of sugar and lemon. My love affair with tea began with a rich pu-ehr that tasted like no tea I’d ever had. Then I found a malty keemun. When the oolongs entered my life, I knew I’d found a home in tea. I am a certified tea sommelier always looking to increase my own knowledge of tea and expose as many people as possible to the delights of Camellia sinensis. When I’m not steeping, I write, bike, care for my family, and cook fine vegetarian fare.”
Cost: General Admission: $40, Members: $35, Card to Culture: $15 Register at https://goreplace.org/whats-on/tea-tasting
Thank you Silver Tips blog for this lovely photo.
Fifty-one years after “Monumenta” transformed Newport with one of the world’s first large-scale outdoor sculpture exhibitions, “Full Circle” revisits that groundbreaking moment through the work of Richard Fleischner, one of the last living participating artists, and his contemporaries.
Centered on Fleischner’s enduring site-specific “Sod Maze” at Chateau-sur-Mer, the exhibition presents original sketches, notes and archival materials that illuminate his early career alongside influential figures such as Christo, David Smith, Claes Oldenburg, Alexander Liberman and Barnett Newman.
Complemented by encaustics and works related to Fleischner’s ongoing Rowdy Meadow earthwork – home to contemporary masters like Richard Serra, Anish Kapoor, and Andy Goldsworthy – the exhibit traces a compelling arc from the pioneering vision of “Monumenta” to the continuing relevance of modern art and contemporary sculpture today.
The exhibit is at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, and the exhibition is included with admission to Rosecliff. For more. information visit https://www.newportmansions.org/events/full-circle/
Image above: Richard Fleischner, aerial photograph of “Sod Maze” in winter, Newport, Rhode Island, 1974. Courtesy of the artist.
Save the date! The next Garden Museum Literary Festival will take place at Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June 2026, hosted by the Marquis and Marchioness of Lothian. Book your stay at www.gardenmuseum.org.uk
Join us for two days of conversation and inspiration, with talks by garden designers, writers and makers, with plenty of relaxed time to explore the gardens at Melbourne Hall in between. With sweeping lawns, charming avenues, and captivating vistas, Melbourne Hall is a true treasure of early 18th-century English garden design.
It was laid out by Rt. Hon Thomas Coke, Vice Chamberlain to Queen Anne, with help from the garden landscape designers George London and Henry Wise in the formal style. It is noted for its long tunnel of Yew, its wrought iron arbour created by Robert Bakewell and its statuary by Jan van Nost, notably the Four seasons monument, a gift from Queen Anne.
The Marquis of Lothian took over running the Melbourne estate in 1987. His wife the Marchioness of Lothian is a painter of both portraits and landscapes. Her passion for gardening has developed the garden at Melbourne in many ways. Her eye for colour and detail means that the Melbourne garden is a haven of delightful and unusual specimen trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders.
City Natives and Twig Daddy present a Grafting Workshop on Saturday, March 14 from 2:30 – 5 at 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan. Under the expert guidance of David Schwartz of Twig Daddy Nursery, participants will learn the benefits, biology, and techniques of grafting fruit trees. Sign up at https://thetrustees.org/seedsow. Sliding scale registration of $15 – $40.
