Photography exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History by Amanda Means. The dramatic photographs are a monument to the remarkable diversity and beauty of nature’s botanical forms. Means’ fascination with botanical images over the last twenty years is, in part, scientific. The leaves she works with reflect lives lived in the wild, whether in the rain forest or in Central Park. Some show cracks. On others you can see the pathways of insects as they ate their way across the surface. Some reflect the evolutionary history of plants, from the Peacock Plant’s more primitive pattern of parallel leaf veins to the leaves of later plants with brancing veins – relecting how the plants evolved a more efficient way to transport water and nutrients through the leaf’s surface. 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, open 9-5. Admission $9, seniors and students $7. For more information log on to www.hmnh.harvard.edu.
Author: Boston Flora
-
Saturday, March 21, 1:30 pm- Searching for Connections: An Adventure in Botanical History
Anna Pavord takes us on a marvelous journey – the search for the origins of plant identities. Beginning with treatises from the Classical period, she moves forward to the explorations and discoveries of the European Renaissance that redefined man’s relation to nature and led to a taxonomy of plants. Arab scholars were the vital link between the descriptions of plants created by Theophrastus and the work at the universities of Padua and Pisa. The culture of Islam fostered an active interest in plants and scientific and medical investigations that preserved and extended the ancient knowledge of plants until the Renaissance. Anna Pavord is the author of two best selling books, The Tulip and The Naming of Names: The Search for Order in the World of Plants. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, $15 general public, $12 seniors, $5 members. For more information log on to www.gardnermuseum.org, or call 617-278-5156
-
Saturday, February 21, 1:30 pm – Conserving Water: Past and Present in a Rajput Palace Garden
Recent investigations into Mughal gardens give us new admiration for the garden techniques and designs of this period, and new direction for garden conservation projects. Mughal gardens were often the setting for both ceremonial and family events. Understanding their gardens provides an understanding of Mughal life, architecture, and art. James Wescoat, the lecturer, has worked on excavations at the Nagaur palace gardens in Rajasthan that have revealed extensive water systems, fountains and pleasure gardens. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway. $15 general public, $12 seniors, $5 members. For more information log on to www.gardnermuseum.org, or call 617-278-5156.
-
Saturday, January 24, 1:30 pm – Babur and His Gardens
Explore the complexity of gardens and landscapes of the Islamic world in a lecture by Stephen F. Dale at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway. Babur, the Timurid founder of the Mughal Empire, built gardens wherever he settled. In 1494, he became ruler of the Ferghanah valley, east of Samarqand, but his constantly shifting fortunes brought him to Afghanistan and finally to Agra, India, where he died in 1530. Hear examples from Babur’s poetry and his engaging autobiography, rich with descriptions of nature and the gardens he loved. Tickets $15 General Public, $12 Seniors, $5 members. For more information log on to www.gardnermuseum.org, or call 617-278-5156.
-
Thursday, April 16 – Boston Committee Spring Meeting
The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America will hold its Spring Meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at The Country Club in Brookline. The featured speaker will be Peter Vanderwarker. Peter Vanderwarker’s work has been published internationally in books and in magazines. He has currently completed his fifth book project, “Beacon Hill: A Living Portrait,” copies of which will be available for purchase at the meeting, with a portion of the sales price benefiting The Boston Committee.
Peter also travels and exhibits extensively. In 2007, he led a photo expedition to Bhutan. Recent exhibitions include shows in New York and Boston. Upcoming shows include a large one-man show at the Boston Athenaeum in 2009.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Graham Foundation have supported Peter Vanderwarker’s work, and he has received Institute Honors from the American Institute of Architects.
The Boston Committee Bowl will be presented at this meeting to Garden Club of the Back Bay past President Margaret Pokorny, honoring her work planting and preserving the trees throughout the Back Bay.
-
Friday, March 13 – Sunday, March 15 – Greenway Blooms
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in lieu of the annual Flower Show, will host Greenway Blooms in the lobbies abutting its garden parcels on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway at One International Place, 125 High Street, and the Intercontinental Hotel. The arrangements will be stunning in these impressive and beautiful marble spaces. Plans also include an educational lecture series highlighted by a presentation by Roger Swain, children’s gardening exhibits, window boxes, a Master Gardener Information Booth, orchid and bonsai exhibits, and a very special Blooms gala party. For more information log on to www.masshort.org.
-
Saturday, April 4 – Cape Cod Horticultural Conference
An all day (8:30 – 4) conference sponsored by Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Cape Cod Master Gardeners will be held at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center, Barnstable High School, 744 Main Street in Hyannis on Saturday, April 4. Featured speakers include Bill Cullina (What the Heck Will Grow Here? – Native Plants for Difficult Situations), Mal Condon (Hydrangeas, Hydrangeas), and Alan Armitage (Crazy Plants for Crazy People). $45 registration fee includes lunch. Reservations should be made by March 15. Late reservations or walk-ins are encouraged but will not include lunch. For more information log on to www.capecodextension.org or call 508-375-6690.
-
Wednesday, January 28 – Landscape Design Seminar
Sterling Greenery will hold a free landscape design seminar from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. with a focus on curb appeal, privacy, theme gardens, and layout. 44 Redemption Rock Trail (Rt 140), Sterling, MA. For more information, contact Mark at 978-422-0071, or email mark@sterlinggreenery.com. For a complete list of upcoming seminars and events, log on to www.sterlinggreenery.com.
-
January 17 – March 15 – New England Wild Flower Society Seed Sale
With more than 275 varieties of seeds and spores for sale, gardeners of all interests will find a wide selection of wildflowers that will both beautify their gardens and help sustain the biodiversity of New England. The seeds of native woody plants, perennials, and fern spores were collected and prepared by the Society’s Seed Ecologist Dr. Tristram Seidler, staff, and volunteers at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, and at Nasami Farm in Whately, MA. The selection includes natives for woodlands, wetlands, and meadow gardens. To view the entire catalog and place your order, visit www.newfs.org.
-
February 5 – 8 – Flora in Winter
The annual floral artistic collaboration between Tower Hill Botanic Garden and the Worcester Art Museum will take place Thursday through Sunday, February 5 – 8, at both venues. Enjoy stunning floral interpretations of international destinations and events remembered for their romantic connections. Flora in Winter will be a celebration of life through art, music, and the attempt to express love through the language of flowers. Romance may be interpreted as an intense feeling for another person, place, or time, in literature or music, from anywhere around the world. Talented floral designers will reach the heights of artistic expression in this one of a kind show. For more information and a detailed description of the many special programs and lectures, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.