An online presentation and discussion on the Climate Change and Loss of Biodiversity Crisis, with the Gardens Trust, begins May 12.
Our changing climate and the loss of biodiversity are two of the biggest and most urgent challenges facing historic parks and gardens. Join us for a pair of half-day online events to explore some of the latest research and initiatives in these two vital areas.
Each session will last around 2.5 hours, with talks from sector experts and the opportunities for questions to be raised from the audience.
These talks and the subsequent discussions will be relevant for anyone working or volunteering in a historic park or garden – or seeking ideas to apply in your own garden at home.
This ticket is for a single ONLINE talk, price £14 (GT members £10.50). A recording will be made available to ticket holders to view until 12 June. If you would prefer to purchase tickets to both talks at the discounted price of £20 (GT members £15), please follow the link here.
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 49th annual Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale will be held on May 8, 9 and 10, coinciding with the second annual SpringFest on May 9. This event marks a significant celebration of plants, play and community, with proceeds supporting the Garden’s horticulture and education programs. The sale will feature a diverse selection of perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables, all designed to promote nature-based landscaping and attract pollinators.
Traditionally held on Mother’s Day weekend, the Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale began in 1977 as BBG’s harbinger of spring for gardeners in the Berkshires and beyond. This year’s sale continues the tradition of offering the most robust plants for landscape and container gardens, along with a wide selection of organic vegetable and herb plants. Featured are a selection of plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. As always, the popular “Ask Me” staff and volunteers will be on hand to provide expert advice.
While the plant sale fills the grounds with gardening excitement, SpringFest brings an added layer of festivity on Saturday, May 9 — a full day of family fun with free admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A celebration of the season and of community, SpringFest features food trucks and enough children’s activities to keep the youngest visitors happily busy for hours. Little ones can enjoy a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, classic lawn games, and more. A traditional Maypole dance adds a whimsical, old-world flourish to the day’s lineup.
Garden members receive early buying privileges and a discount on BBG plant purchases. To become a member, visit BerkshireBotanical.org. Garden members enjoy early buying hours on Friday, May 8, from 9 to 11 a.m., with the sale opening to the general public from 11 to 4 p.m. Weekend hours continue Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10 (from 9 to 4 p.m. both days). Free parking will be available to all.
Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, Mass. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org for more information.
Join The Massachusetts Pollinator Network and Grow Native Massachusetts for our first ever Pollinator Dinner fundraising event, featuring delicious food, music, pollinator information, a silent auction, and more.
We will gather at the Herb Lyceum in Groton, MA, wander their beautiful gardens, and enjoy a dinner featuring foods we couldn’t have without our native pollinators (and even a few dishes with invasive species!).
We will be joined by none other than Nick Dorian to talk about the pollinators we have to thank for the meal, and Russ Cohen, who will give us insights on responsible foraging for edible natives. There will be an optional added wine pairing from local Marzae Wines, as well as a cash bar.
Duckling Day returns to the Boston Common this Mother’s Day, May 10. Duckling Day is designed to move at your family’s pace – wander and play, make it your own, rain or shine. At 10 am the family fun, games, and activities begin at the Parkman Bandstand, and the Family Parade, led by the Duckling Mascot and Junior Park Champions, begins at noon. This is a free event, open to all, and every registered child receives a goody bag, because the best days should come with a little extra. Register today at https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/events/ducklingday/
Want to grow your own food—right in your yard? The Food Project believes that everyone who wants to grow their own food should have access to adequate, toxin-free growing space. To this end, we have built more than 1,800 raised-bed gardens through our Build-a-Garden initiative.
Build-a-Garden: Greater Boston
The Food Project’s Build-a-Garden initiative supports low- to moderate-income households in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan — plus organizations — that want to grow their own food.
We provide you with:
A raised-bed garden filled with healthy, safe soil.
12 free seedlings in May of your first year.
Free Garden Planning & Planting workshops and a Growing Guide.
Ongoing support through drop-in open hours at the Dudley Greenhouse.
An annual sale for gardeners to purchase high-quality seedlings, compost, and other supplies to keep our neighbors’ gardens growing.
Eligibility Priorities and Gardener Expectations:
Residents of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, are welcome to apply. Priority is given to those with financial need and to families with children. Gardeners are expected to:
Attend a 2-hour introduction to gardening workshop session and complete a post-season survey.
Plant and maintain your garden on a weekly basis. We generally recommend spending at least 1-2 hours per week.
While not required, our hope is that participants will become engaged with our programs and other gardeners in their neighborhood.
No prior gardening experience is required; enthusiasm and a willingness to learn are all you need!
*At this time, we only have the capacity to build standard 4 ft wide, 8 ft long, and 10 in tall beds.
Visit https://thefoodproject.org/bag/ for application forms and information. There is also an opportunity for residents in the North Shore – information at link.
Step into a world of color and wonder at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on May 16 – November 1 with Glass in Flight. This unforgettable exhibition features 30 larger-than-life stained-glass and steel sculptures expertly crafted by artist Alex Heveri. Encounter giant hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, and more as they shimmer in the sunlight, soar overhead, pose in midair, or hide among the blooms. Blending brilliant color, light, and scale, Glass in Flight celebrates these charismatic creatures and their environmental significance. Discover their hidden secrets like never before.
Alex Heveri is a nationally recognized glass and steel sculptor and a full-time defense attorney based in Tucson, Arizona. For more than 30 years, she has transformed public and private spaces with bold, luminous sculptures crafted from steel and colorful glass.
Her signature stained-glass technique, dalle de verre, is a method originating in France where thick slabs of colored glass are cut and shaped into bold designs and set into place with epoxy. This creates a textured, luminous surface that comes alive in natural light, shifting and glowing as the sun moves across the sky. Over the past five years, Alex has created more than 150 monumental steel-and-glass sculptures, some soaring over 14 feet tall. Each work is conceived, designed, cut, assembled, and welded entirely by Alex in her Tucson home studio.
Her traveling exhibition Glass in Flight has been featured at major botanic gardens across the United States, including Tucson Botanical Gardens, Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum, Reiman Gardens, Houston Botanic Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and Flamingo Gardens. She is honored to present the exhibition at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, marking her first exhibition in New England. For this special presentation, Alex has created several never-before-seen works, including a hummingbird archway, two praying mantids, a luna moth, a rosy maple moth, and a magical butterfly tree.
Don’t miss Glass in Flight at golden hour this summer with extended Garden hours on Wednesday and Thursday evenings! This exhibit is included with general admission.
As institutions of higher education accelerate climate commitments, campus landscapes are increasingly called upon to perform as living infrastructure. This Climate Week–themed webinar on May 7 at noon explores how green roofs can advance sustainability goals while enriching campus life, operations, and learning through three university case studies: Harvard Business School, Northeastern University, and North Shore Community College. Designed for campus sustainability directors and facilities managers, the session examines how green roofs deliver measurable benefits—from stormwater management and urban heat reduction to biodiversity, wellness, and experiential learning. Speakers will share design strategies, maintenance realities, and performance outcomes across diverse campus contexts, including how these projects support institutional reporting and benchmarking frameworks such as AASHE STARS.
Presented by Recover Green Roofs during Boston Climate Week, this webinar recognizes the unique role higher education leaders play in shaping not only resilient campuses, but also the next generation of environmental stewards—demonstrating how today’s infrastructure decisions can become tomorrow’s teaching tools.
Register at https://luma.com/azdr6lbj. Recover Green Roofs is a design-build firm specializing in the design, installation, and maintenance of green roofs, including rooftop gardens, farms, and amenity spaces. Recover has designed and built residential, commercial, and institutional buildings across New England and beyond for over a decade, emphasizing the stacking benefits that a green roof provides to its community, local ecosystems, and the environment at large. We strive to create long-lasting, thriving green roofs that aid in recovering nature in our built environment in order to support healthier communities and more resilient cities. For more information, visit www.recovergreenroofs.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of Boston Climate Week
Shrublands exist all around us, thriving in almost any environmental condition, from the desiccating sunshine of the endless sagebrush steppe to the deep, private shade of moist forests. These diverse and inspiring ecosystems serve as perfect models for our gardens. Beyond their inherent beauty, they provide nurturing habitats, demonstrate resilience in the face of a changing climate, and offer a challenge to conventional garden-making through their intense aesthetics and obscured intentions. Join the American Horticultural Society and coauthor Michael Guidi of Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands to explore a glorious spectrum of wild shrublands and discover the philosophies and design strategies for bringing these magnificent plant communities into your home garden.
Michael Guidi is the Manager of Horticulture Research Programs at Denver Botanic Gardens, where he integrates scientific research, ecological theory, and practical horticulture to promote resilient plant choices and landscape strategies. His work spans a wide range of topics, including plant breeding, plant tissue culture, direct-seeded vegetation, and green infrastructure. An advocate for dynamic, self-sustaining gardens, he demonstrates how thoughtful planting design can enhance biodiversity, bolster ecological resilience, and improve human well-being. In 2024, he coauthored Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Plantings Inspired by Wild Shrublands, a book that explores the biology, philosophical foundations, and landscape potential of shrubland habitats worldwide. Michael holds a master’s degree in Ecology from Colorado State University.
The Belmont Public Library and the Belmont Garden Club invite you to Books in Bloom, on Friday, May 8 from 6 – 8 pm at the Library on Concord Avenue in Belmont. Wander through the beautiful NEW Belmont Public Library and discover floral arrangements inspired by beloved books — each a unique creation designed and donated by the talented members of the Belmont Garden Club.
Sip and swirl at a wine tasting hosted by The Spirited Gourmet, nibble on light refreshments, and enjoy live music. Whether you’re a book lover, a flower enthusiast, or simply looking for a wonderful night out, this is an evening not to be missed!
Tickets: $30 — available in advance through Eventbrite or at the door.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Belmont Public Library. Floral designs created and donated by the Belmont Garden Club.
This year, Farmer Scott’s Heirloom Tomato Plant Sale at Gore Place will be held in person. Fill your garden with vegetable transplants, grown on the Farm at Gore Place. Choose from a wide variety of hard-to-find heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs, and marigolds. These are all beautiful transplants, ready for your garden.
The event will be held out-of-doors on Mother’s Day Weekend. Masks are encouraged, but not required. For more information, visit https://goreplace.org/visit/shop/plant-sale
