Boston Flora

Category: Cape Cod & Islands

  • Wednesday, July 15, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Annual Sandwich Garden Tour

    Visit a number of lovely private home gardens in Sandwich at your leisure anytime between 10am and 4pm.  Light refreshments will be served overlooking the Wildflower Garden at the Green Briar Nature Center, 6 Discovery Hill Road off Route 6A in East Sandwich. Tickets contain a map and directions to each garden and may be purchased in advance or on the day of the tour at Green Briar. All proceeds benefit the educational programs of the Burgess Society and its Green Briar Nature Center. Tickets are $15. Rain date is Friday, July 17. For more information you may call 508-888-6870, or visit http://www.thorntonburgess.org.

  • Thursday, July 16, 7:30 pm – Hydrangeas Demystified

    On Thursday, July 16 at 7:30 pm join Tim Wood, the Proven Winners Plant Hunter from Spring Meadows Nursery, as he takes you around the world to look at eight beautiful and diverse species of hydrangea. Find out which are best for your garden, how to grow them and meet the breeders that developed the best new selections. Tim will take the mystery out of growing hydrangeas; you’ll learn how to get the best blooms, how to prune and how to change the flower color. The program will be held at the Polly Hill Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury. $10/$5 for PHA members. For more information visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org or call 508-693-9426.

  • Thursday, July 16, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – “Garden Happenings” Osterville Garden Tour

    On Thursday, July 16, 2015 “Garden Happenings” will take place in the seaside village of Osterville on Cape Cod. Five gardens will be the backdrop for special events including an “Art in Bloom”, Ideas for Entertaining, Fairy Garden Displays, Plantings in Unique Containers and on-going demonstrations.

    Your ticket for this exceptional day will also include Refreshments, the Boutique Under the Tent and a Secret Auction with many one of a kind items. The tour is sponsored by the Osterville Garden Club, and is a rain or shine event. For more information on ticket purchasing visit http://maclubs.esiteasp.com/osterville_garden_club/special_events.nxg.

  • Through June 30 – Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat

    The Polly Hill Arboretum in Martha’s Vineyard currently hosts a traveling exhibit, Vanishing Acts: Trees Under Threat.  Fifteen species of trees highlight the various sources of threat and possible consequences of species loss for both humans and the ecosystems the trees inhabit.  Katherine Scott of the Vineyard Gazette says “Most threats are related, either directly or indirectly, to human activities: deforestation for timber, clearing for agriculture, climate change (affecting vulnerability to pests,) invasive plants competing with native species and exploitation of the tree as a resource.  The trees in the exhibit represent six of the seven continents.”  For more information call 508-693-9426. For the complete article visit http://vineyardgazette.com/news/2015/03/18/exhibit-highlighting-threatened-trees-comes-polly-hill?k=vg554251c965519&r=1.

  • Friday, June 12 – Sunday, June 28 – Cape Cod Designer Show House: Changing Lives Room by Room

    The inaugural 2015 Cape Designer Show House, Briarwood II, opens Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 28 in Osterville.  This is a rare opportunity to view imaginative design trends and help a great cause in the process.  Proceeds from the Cape Designer Show House will benefit WE CAN, the organization dedicated to empowering Cape Cod women.

    More than 20 award-winning designers from Boston, Cape Cod and Islands are donating their time and talents to transform an exquisite, turn-of-the-century, shingle style home first inhabited in 1910 by the current owner’s great-grandparents.  Visitors to the Show House will see a superb exhibition of fine furnishings and art representing imaginative design trends throughout this treasure nestled near the water in this historic Cape Cod village.

    Tickets are $35 per person in advance, $40 per person at the door, and $30 per person for groups of 15 or more.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.wecancenter.org.  Hours are Fridays, 10 – 7, Sundays 1 – 5, and Monday through Thursday, and Saturday, 10 – 4.  Free parking and shuttle service available.  No handicap accessibility.

  • Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – 34th Annual Herb Festival & Plant Sale

    The 34th Annual Herb Festival & Plant Sale at the Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen in East Sandwich offers an extensive plant sale at the best prices of herbs, perennials, wildflowers, everlastings, annuals and vegetables.

    Also featured are walks through the award-winning wildflower garden and a delightful herb luncheon served on Friday. Luncheon does require advance reservations at $22.

    All proceeds from the plant sale and luncheon benefit the environmental education programs of the Thornton W. Burgess Society and its Green Briar Nature Center. Herb Festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10-4 each day. Free admission. Directions to the Center (6 Discovery Hill Road off Route 6A) and more information may be found at www.thorntonburgess.org.  Photo from www.tillysnest.com.

  • Saturday, March 14, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm – 20th Annual Cape Cod Natural History Conference

    For 20 years, Wellfleet Bay has organized this full day conference featuring presenters from environmental organizations across Cape Cod, speaking on a diversity of natural history topics. This Saturday, March 14 conference, from 8:30 – 3, continues to be an engaging, exciting, and fun way to learn about local research projects, conservation efforts, and local environmental organizations. Please join us for our 20th annual event. This event is held at Cape Cod Community College’s Tilden Art Center. Detailed schedule of presentations may be found at http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/wellfleet-bay/news-events/20th-annual-cape-cod-natural-history-conference.  Bring a brown bag lunch, and to help cut down on waste bring a mug for coffee. Coffee and refreshments are provided. Walk-in registration is $25. Image from Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

  • Tuesday, July 14 – Thursday, July 16 – Hydrangeas 2015 International Conference

    HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS! The species, cultivars, newest introductions, breeding innovations, cultural issues, and tours of significant private Cape Cod gardens will be part of an International Conference to take place July 14 – 16 at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. Plus, there will be on-site displays by major hydrangea suppliers, and plant sales stalls by local nurseries featuring hundreds of hydrangeas- all presented and available over three days in the cradle of the genus – Cape Cod.

    Heritage is widely known for rhododendrons, but it also features a growing collection of hydrangeas. In concert with the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society, Heritage is the repository of the Society’s Hydrangea Collection and has continued to expand hydrangea plantings throughout the property.

    Lectures will be held each morning with garden tours in the afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday tours will feature significant private gardens on the Cape. Keynote Speaker for the conference is Dr. Michael Dirr, who will give a talk on The History of Hydrangeas – Earliest Introductions to Current Developments on Tuesday morning. A host of prominent speakers will present on Tuesday and Wednesday – full details may be found on the website noted below. Thursday will be a full Heritage Day dedicated to tours of all garden areas including the Hydrangea Collection. Thursday evening will feature the Conference banquet followed by an Ice Cream Social and a Question & Answer Forum to conclude the event.

    Cape Cod is a historical treasure trove, a place of incomparable natural beauty, with a maritime climate befitting Hydrangea macrophylla – the crown jewel of the genus – at their blooming peak in July.

    Full registration now through March 31 is $550.  One day registration for July 14 or July 15 only is $250.  Register online, and complete information, may be found at http://www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/hydrangeas2015/.

  • Thursday, February 5 and Friday, February 6 – Southeast Region Conservation Forum

    Wildlands firefighters, natural resource managers, land trusts, municipal conservation agents and other conservation-minded people in southeastern Massachusetts are encouraged to register for the 2nd Annual Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Conservation Forum to be held February 5 – 6, 2015 in Mashpee and Buzzards Bay. Learn how fire, tree harvest, and other habitat management activities benefit wildlife of all kinds, including some species that have been dwindling in numbers. This forum will build on the conservation initiatives prioritized by the participants of the first Regional Forum held in 2014, furthering the development of a Regional Conservation Partnership. On February 5, in Mashpee at the Wampanoag Tribal Offices, the focus will be on Fire Science and Land Management and include field trips to properties where various habitat management activities such as prescribed burning and tree harvest activities have been conducted. On February 6, at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay there will be presentations and breakout sessions on restoration projects, exploring partnerships in the Pine Barrens ecoregion, and reviewing the fire science field trip. The forum is sponsored by the North Atlantic Fire Science Exchange, Southeastern Pine Barrens Alliance, MassWildlife, MassAudubon, and the Forest Guild Northeast Region. To register for the forum and for more information about the Regional Conservation Partnership, view the Forum Registration and Agenda at http://pinebarrensalliance.givezooks.com/events/se-mass-regional-conservation-forum.

  • Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, November 28 – December 28, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Gardens Aglow

    Join Heritage Museums and Gardens, 67 Grove Street in Sandwich, for their annual holiday event, featuring more lights and decorations than ever! New this year: The Holiday Train, a festive model railway display that will travel through the Special Exhibitions Gallery along elevated tracks and over a spectacular bridge made of all-natural materials. Enjoy music and dance performances at 6:30 in the Automobile Gallery. St. Nick will hold court in the Model T. Gingerbread houses created by local companies and students will be on display. Holiday crafts, carousel rides, Hidden Hollow by moonlight, and marshmallow roasting over a fire pit all add up to a great holiday celebration. Tickets are $15 for member adults, $5 for member children, $18 for non-member adults, $7 for non-member children. Tickets are available for purchase online and at the gate the day of the event.

    Tickets will stop being sold at 7:30pm each night, but guests already on the property can continue to enjoy the event until 8:30pm. The event is sponsored by The Casual Gourmet, Cape Air, and Rogers & Gray, plus media sponsors Wicked Local Cape Cod and Cape Country 104.