Boston Flora

Category: Class

  • Saturday, November 14, 9:00 am – 11:30 am – Nature Journaling & Sketching

    Step outside at the Drumlin Park Wildlife Sanctuary with notebook in hand and learn how to translate nature’s story onto the page. Begin with a guided walk around the sanctuary, slowing down to notice the seasonal happenings around you: changing light, plants shifting color, moving birds. Then, settle in to capture what you’ve discovered through sketches, observations, and written musings with inspiration and tips from a naturalist.

    This program will be offered multiple times, with different things to discover each session in different areas of the sanctuary as the seasons shift. The specific program highlighted today takes place November 14 from 9 – 11:30. Whether you’re a seasoned journaler or picking up a notebook for the first time, you’ll build your own record of the natural world while connecting with a community of like-minded nature enthusiasts and tapping into your creative side. Mass Audubon member price $22, nonmembers $26. Registration required at https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/drumlin-farm/104013-nature-journaling-and-sketching

  • Monday, January 26 – Wednesday, January 27 – Culinary Retreat: New England Seasonal Cooking

    Join Milk Street January 25 – 27 in Peterborough, New Hampshire for three days of cooking that celebrate the ingredients, flavors and techniques we turn to in a New England winter. What’s included in your Culinary Retreat ticket:

    A festive welcome dinner.
    Two days of hands-on cooking and baking lessons with Milk Street and the Cranberry Meadow Farm Inn team featuring seasonal produce, meats and grains from New England.
    Monday dinner; Tuesday lunch and dinner; and Wednesday brunch. Breakfast on Tuesday and Wednesday are provided by Cranberry Meadow Farm Inn.
    Assorted wine, beer, bubbles and non-alcoholic beverages with meals.

    Tickets purchased through Eventbrite (from $1,208.66) are for meals, cooking lessons and field trips only and do not include lodging. Participants are required to stay at Cranberry Meadow Farm Inn in Peterborough, New Hampshire, for a minimum of two nights. Each ticket is for one traveler, but you have the option to select either a double-capacity or a single-capacity room. If you select a double-capacity room ticket, you will be prompted to note in your registration who your traveling companion is. All rooms have either queen or king size beds. There are a limited number of single-capacity options available. Please book your room(s) directly by calling the inn at (603) 784-5766.

    For complete information, biographies of the presenter, and other details, visit HERE.

  • Saturday, November 14, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Hands-On Floral Workshop Design: Your Thanksgiving Table

    Discover the joy of floral arranging in this creative workshop series led by Lorraine Walsh and Mary Lou Ashur of Artistry Floral. With backgrounds rooted in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Lorraine and Mary Lou bring a wealth of experience and artistry to each session.

    Each hands-on class explores floral design fundamentals—from developing structure and balance to working confidently with color, texture, and movement. Whether you’re looking to refine your skills, create a meaningful handmade gift, or simply try something new, you’ll leave inspired—and with a beautiful seasonal arrangement to enjoy at home. Various dates are scheduled now through March 27 – learn and register at https://www.cognitoforms.com/MassachusettsHorticulturalSociety/_2026FWHandsOnWorkshopsFloralDesign. The one we are highlighting today is Your Thanksgiving Table on November 14.

    Lorraine and Mary Lou met in 2016 while working as floral associates at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where they designed art-inspired installations for galleries, restaurants, special events, and holiday displays. Today, through Artistry Floral, they create distinctive bouquets, tablescapes, and large-scale installations rooted in seasonality and high-quality blooms sourced from both local growers and global producers. Their work reflects a commitment to environmentally responsible practices and thoughtful, client-centered design.

    All levels are welcome—beginners encouraged.
    Class size is limited; registration closes one week prior to allow time for materials preparation.

  • Sunday, November 8, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Starting & Maintaining Your Perpetual Journal

    Join renowned botanical artist and newly published author, Lara Call Gastinger as you learn basic skills for drawing outside and keeping a field sketching journal, such as a perpetual journal. We will explore and draw in the gardens after learning how to break down the complexity of a plant, use a pen, add watercolor, and make important observations. Lara will introduce basic skills for starting and maintaining your own perpetual journal. She will explain how pages are set up and discuss techniques that she uses to create her nature observations. All of these are practices she shares in her new book, A Perpetual Journal Practice.

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society class will take place at the Garden at Elm Bank on Sunday, November 8 from 9:30 – 12:30, and is $95 for MHS members, $115 for nonmembers, Register HERE.

  • Tuesday, October 27 – Thursday, October 29, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm Eastern – Virtual Firefly Symposium 2026: Science, Conservation, & Education, Online

    Join The Xerces Society October 27 – 29 for a free, three-day virtual symposium on firefly research and conservation in the United States and Canada! Each day of the symposium will consist of five to six presentations, and opportunities for networking and discussion.

    Presentation topics include firefly biology, community science, conservation and management, firefly tourism, and educational programming.

    This event is intended for everyone interested in fireflies and their conservation in the US and Canada, including conservation practitioners, agency biologists, environmental educators, community scientists, academic researchers, and firefly enthusiasts.

    OCT 27 to OCT 29
    9:00 AM – 12:00 PM PT
    10:00 AM – 1:00 PM MT
    11:00 AM – 2:00 PM CT
    12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

    The event is free! You can register and view the schedule at https://xerces.org/events/

    Closed Captioning will be available during this webinar. The webinar will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel https://xerces.org/youtube

    This symposium and the Firefly Atlas are supported by the BAND Foundation.

  • Wednesday, November 4, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – No-Till Growing for Community Gardeners

    In this free November 4 workshop open to the public, farmer Rachael Walton will give an overview of Gaining Ground’s no-till growing practices and will address how no-till principles and methods can be utilized by community gardeners. The program takes place from 4 – 5:30 at Gaining Ground, 341 Virginia Road in Concord.

    Rachael Walton is the Farm Co-Assistant Manager at Gaining Ground in Concord, Massachusetts. She has been farming professionally for more than six years. Rachael grew up in Arizona but has lived in Concord since middle school, and feels very lucky to have moved to a place with such a vibrant farming community — which helped her discover her love for farming early on. While gaining her degree in Agroecology at the University of Vermont, she spent her summers working on farms in Concord and learning about local food systems. An avid community gardener herself, Rachael is inspired and driven by the belief that our food systems can and must be both environmentally sustainable and also equitable and just for every person involved. When she isn’t farming, Rachael loves to hike, read, crochet, and bake lots and lots of sourdough bread.

    Register at www.middlesexconservationdistrict.org

  • Saturday, October 31, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Fungi Field Walk

    Whether edible or not, flashy or tiny, on trees or in the soil, mushrooms come in so many fascinating varieties—more than you might realize. Take a walk through the Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary on October 31 from ten to noon with an experienced mycologist in search of local fungi, from polypores and gilled mushrooms to species that defy easy categorization.

    Learn about where different fungi grow, what ecological roles they play, and how to begin identifying them in the field using key distinguishing features. You’ll leave the walk with a permanent shift in how you view the forest floor. Mass Audubon members $25, nonmembers $30. Registration is required at https://www.massaudubon.org/programs/drumlin-farm/103392-fungi-field-walk

  • Thursday, October 29, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Botanical Mixology: Wicked Cocktails

    Learn how to make unique craft cocktails with a botanical twist. Join the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on October 29 from 6 – 8 to practice new skills, try new recipes and spirits, and learn fun plant facts. The session features two unique botanical cocktails: a signature drink highlighting the session’s featured spirit and a vodka-based creation with a dedicated mocktail variation. Beyond the recipes, every class introduces a new mixology technique to help you build your craft, one skill at a time.

    Recipes will be provided for you to take home.
    All cocktails will feature nut-free ingredients.
    All attendees must be 21 and provide ID.
    Featured spirit: Mezcal

    $66 for NEBG members, $78 nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Registration Open for Tuesday, December 8 – Picture Frame Door Wreath Workshops

    Have you been to a Sterling Garden Club holiday craft program at the Conant Public Library in Sterling? This year the Club will be making Picture Frame Door Wreaths similar to the one pictured below. They’ll have two sessions on Tuesday December 8th, an afternoon and an evening program.

    Sign up is ONLY THROUGH THE LIBRARY, either online, calling or in person. Registration for this begins Tuesday October 13th at 9am. Slots fill up fast so mark your calendar to register. https://sterlinglibrary.org/


    Please note that Sterling residents will get first priority and will open up to non residents after a week. Make sure to get on that waiting list.

  • Saturday, October 17, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Invasive Plant Management with Green Abundance by Design

    If you struggle with invasive plants on your home or personal property, be sure to JOIN US for our next Community Workshop on “Invasive Plant Management,” led by Framingham-based company Green Abundance by Design.

    With 13 years of experience in ecological landscape design, land restoration, lawn care, and invasive plant management, Green Abundance by Design will guide us through this critical environmental topic and answer all your questions about ridding your invasives while caring for and enriching your lawn and soil!

    Class size is limited, so register today for this FREE public workshop at https://www.millcitygrows.org/