Boston Flora

Saturdays, June 1 through June 15, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm Eastern – Social Media Practices for Floral Design

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Do you want to be an influencer? Become a content creator as you take your floral arrangement photos to the next level using social media. In this New York Botanical Garden online class, you’ll define your goals for using social media platforms as a marketing tool to build your brand. Learn how to create engaging content, receive tips on connecting and communicating with followers, and receive best practices to convert followers into customers. Basic knowledge of Instagram is encouraged. Please note: This is not a floral arranging class. Jamie Jamison is the instructor. $125 for NYBG members, $135 for nonmembers. Register at www.nybg.org

Jamie Jamison is a natural light and still-life photographer with a passion for flowers, vintage finds and handmade treasures. As a social media content manager and influencer (@alajamie), she connects with other floral enthusiasts and has inspired people throughout the world with her uplifting photos. Jamie provides Instagram coaching, photography and styling for businesses as well works as a brand partner with several national companies.

Jamie is also a Communication Instructor at Youngstown State University and was awarded the 2019 Part-Time Excellence Award for teaching. Her work has appeared in Country Living, Somerset Life, Bella Grace Magazine, Somerset Digital Studio, Somerset Memories, Artful Blogging, Somerset Studio Gallery, Somerset Apprentice, and the Torpedo Factory Target Gallery.

Friday, May 17 – Sunday, October 20 – Alfred Glover in the Garden

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From May 17 through October 20, Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich will host a solo exhibition of works by sculptor Alfie Glover, of Cataumet. Frequent visitors to Heritage may recognize Glover’s whimsical, folk-art style sculptures, as one of his pieces, “Garden Gate,” has been installed in the McInnes Garden for several years. This show brings his bold, colorful depictions of animals, trees, and other wildlife to the rest of Heritage’s grounds and gardens. Glover’s work has been displayed in venues throughout the Northeast, most notably at Cape Cod Museum of Art, Cahoon Museum of American Art, Highfield Hall & Gardens, Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, Boston Children’s Hospital, Falmouth Hospital, and Cape Cod Hospital.

Generously sponsored by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod. For hours and information visit https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/exhibits/alfred-glover/

Wednesday, May 29, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Nature Mandala: Meditation Mandalas

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Local artist Beth Adoette is coming to Blithewold to share her unique practice of partnering with nature in a monthly workshop series. This workshop offers people the opportunity to unplug and be in the moment while exploring beautiful objects of nature. Please note that nature mandalas are ephemeral and will not be taken home. Photographs are encouraged. High-resolution, edited photographs can be ordered separately at the workshop for an additional fee. Many of us have practices or mental prompts to help center and calm ourselves either as a daily practice or during challenging moments. Whether you have a practice or would like to hear how others approach calming meditation, this workshop provides an opportunity to honor our meditation intentions and explore what they might look like in visual form. Participants create individual nature mandalas that can be used as beautiful reminders to meditate or use as meditation prompts themselves.

Class size is limited to 10. $40 Members | $45 Nonmembers Register at: https://www.blithewold.org/event/nature-mandala-series-with-beth-adoette-2/

Wednesday, May 22, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – Bandstands: History, Decline, and Revival

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The People’s Parks are one of the finest legacies of the Victorian age. Designed and bequeathed to the masses as part of a movement encouraging green spaces and recreation, the public park came to symbolize one of the greatest contributions of the era.

Opened in increasing numbers in the industrious nineteenth century, by the end of the twentieth century many of our parks had become sadly neglected. But today they remain outdoor places for everyone to enjoy, acting as children’s play areas, sports grounds and even concert venues and have grown in popularity since the global pandemic. But what do we really know about them? The Gardens Trust is sponsoring a series of six weekly online lectures with Paul Rabbitts on Wednesdays from April 17 – May 22.

Buy a ticket is for the entire course of 6 sessions. or you may purchase a ticket for individual sessions, costing £8. [Gardens Trust members may purchase tickets at £31.50 for the series or £6 each talk]. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peoples-parks-tickets-852833737667

The final talk in this series takes place May 22, an entertaining talk on that icon of public parks – the Victorian and Edwardian bandstand, so common once upon a time. This lecture covers their origins from the mid-18th century Pleasure Gardens to their heyday during the Victorian park making era, and includes the impact of a small number of Scottish foundries, to the plethora of brass bands that grew up across the country. We also cover the subsequent decline post World War Two and why we lost so many of them. Their history is fascinating and covers not just brass bands but also cites Bowie, the Bay City Rollers and Dire Straits as users of these least cynical of public spaces. And what about the recent revival of the bandstand in our public parks? This is a highly illustrative talk that engages many and fascinates the listener and has had excellent feedback from those who have heard it.

Tuesday, May 21, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern – The Ericaceae of New England: Diversity, Ecology, and Phylogeny, Online

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With over 4100 species found across the globe, the Ericaceae—commonly known as the Heath Family— is an incredibly diverse group of flowering plants. New England is home to a broad assortment of these species, many of which grow—and thrive—in some of the region’s most challenging environments. Through the consideration of a subset of these species, this Native Plant Trust online class on May 21 at 6 Eastern will explore some of the traits and interspecific relationships that contribute to the ecological success of the Ericaceae. Additionally, we will touch on the phylogenetic (evolutionary) relationship that exists among some species in this group.

Please note: We do not make video or audio recordings of classes or programs available after the fact, because we believe education is interactive, with instructors and students building a community and culture of learning. $17 for NPT members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/ericaceae-new-england-diversity-ecology-and-phylogeny/ Image courtesy of iNaturalist.

Saturday, May 18, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Gardening for Baby Boomers: 10 Ways to Garden Smarter as We Get Older

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Join Master Gardener Chris Ferrero at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, May 18, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., to explore how to maintain perennial borders, foundation plots and vegetable gardens that have been created and tended over the years. This course will teach participants how to reshape their garden design and how to choose appropriate types of plants that can improve the gardening process.

Chris Ferrero is a gardening speaker, writer and consultant. Chris is a Cornell Master Gardener from Dutchess County, N.Y., where in addition to speaking and teaching classes, she has led demonstration garden renovations, organized regional events and served on teams as a perennials specialist known for particular expertise in shade gardening, flowering shrubs, pollinator-approved planting designs, and native plants as alternatives to invasives. $25 for BBG members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org

Tuesday, May 21, 5:00 am – 6:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Botanists and Botanical Art: Early Botanists and the Botanical Paintings at Bramshill, Online

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The Gardens Trust presents a series of three talks on botanists and botanical art across three centuries, exploring people and illustrations that have defined, recorded and celebrated the world of plants in all their distinctiveness and intricacy. We start the series with exciting new research on previously unremarked botanical images on the paneling of a fine Jacobean house in Hampshire. In the second lecture we will examine the extraordinary set of almost a thousand paper collages of exotic plants produced by an 18th century woman of advanced years, before finishing with tales of a Victorian lady traveler who sought out rare plants in their native lands, not to collect – but to paint. Tickets for the three part series may be purchased through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/botanists-and-botanical-art-tickets-834657221217 Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (If you do not receive this link please contact us), and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 1 week.

On May 21, Anne Benson will speak on Early Botanists and the Botanical Paintings at Bramshill, Hampshire. Bramshill House in north-east Hampshire is one of the largest, surviving Jacobean mansions in England. What is seen today is mostly the work commissioned by Edward, 11th Baron Zouche of Harringworth (1556̶ 1665), from between 1605 and 1625. The Grade 1-listed gardens and parkland also contain features from the Jacobean period including walled gardens, avenues and the destination gardens of a maze and a lake with a man-made island. This talk first presents these features and then continues with Ann’s recent research on the botanical images painted on the panelling of a first-floor room in the north-west wing of the house. Previously rarely referenced and under-researched, these surviving botanical paintings are shown to be of international significance in terms of their date of creation, botanical detail, state of preservation and through Bramshill’s historic owners, for associations with the early botanists and horticulturalists of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

Dr Anne Benson FSA FRHistS is a garden historian specializing in the Tudor and Stuart periods. She is best known for her multidisciplinary research on the ancestral homes of the Dukes of Beaufort, namely Troy House and Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire and on the Jacobean Bramshill estate, Hampshire. Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship funding enabled Ann to research the garden history of Cambridge colleges founded in medieval and Tudor times. Subsequently, she was awarded a Beaufort Fellowship at St John’s College, Cambridge. Ann is a former teacher, director of university post-graduate courses, Arts Society lecturer and Cabinet Office consultant. She continues to lecture for national bodies on garden history research.

Sunday, December 1 – Saturday, December 7 – Christmastime in the Cotswolds & Chilterns

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With sleepy villages dotted throughout rolling hills, honey-hued buildings embellished with fairy lights, roaring fires in cozy pubs and sparkling trees adorning picture-perfect towns, the Cotswolds is a magical place to spend the run-up to the holidays. The Royal Oak Foundation’s memorable tour on December 1 – 7 meanders through a stunning cluster of Cotswolds favorites to the southern tip of this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Bath, where the delightful Christmas Market and twinkling Georgian streets await.

We also weave our way across the lovely landscapes of another AONB, the Chilterns, to explore the stunning Tudor mansion of Grey’s Court and château inspired Waddesdon Manor, both sumptuously dressed for a classic country house Christmas. We enjoy plenty more seasonal delights, from the enchanting illuminations trail at Kew Gardens to a Victorian-style carol singing performance in celebration of enduring yuletide traditions. $4,995 per person. For complete information visit https://www.royal-oak.org/britain-tours-2024/christmastime/

Saturday, June 8 & Sunday, June 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Museum of Old Newbury’s 45th Annual Garden Tour

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Come join The Museum of Old Newbury’s 45th Annual Garden Tour, Beyond the Garden Gate, on June 10 and 11 from 10 – 4. Enjoy access to urban pocket gardens to large, formally landscaped homes this year in Newburyport, Amesbury, Newbury, and Rowley. Since 1877, the Museum of Old Newbury has been collecting, preserving, and presenting the history of Newburyport, Newbury, West Newbury, Byfield, and Plum Island. With objects and documents, we tell the stories of local people from the past four centuries. Learn more and buy tickets through Eventbrite HERE.