Boston Flora

Category: garden tour

  • Saturday, October 10 – Thursday, October 22, 2026 – An Epic Australian Adventure: Vibrant Gardens and Wild Beauty

    Embark on a richly curated horticultural and cultural journey through Australia, from the vibrant subtropical charm of Brisbane to the historic elegance of Adelaide and the creative pulse of Melbourne. This American Horticultural Society immersive program takes you through world-class botanic gardens, private estates, and lush rainforests, blending horticultural wonders with regional history, local cuisine, and architectural heritage. Highlights include the spectacular Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk, the iconic Mt Coot-tha and Royal Botanic Gardens, and private tours of historic homes and gardens. With expert guides leading the way, this is a rare opportunity to immerse yourself in Australia’s vibrant natural beauty at its peak. Optional trip extensions to Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef offer even more unforgettable discoveries. For complete information on this trip, taking place October 10 – 22, 2026, visit www.ahsgardening.org

  • Wednesday, May 20 & Thursday, May 21 – Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill: Save the Date

    The Beacon Hill Garden Club will host its 2026 Soireé and Hidden Gardens Tour on May 20 and 21. The Soireé will take place on Wednesday evening from 5:00 pm – 7:30 and the self guided Tour, which always sells out, will be Thursday from 9 am – 5 pm. Experience one of Boston’s most cherished spring traditions as gates are opened to ten of Beacon Hill’s finest private gardens. Purchase your tickets now through Eventbrite HERE.

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  • Saturday, February 7 – Sunday, February 22 – Echoes of India

    Travel with art historian Christopher Noey and the Royal Oak Foundation on February 7 – 22 through the great cultural centers of northern and western India, where imperial grandeur and deep spiritual traditions come alive alongside the dynamic contemporary art scenes of Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. You will be staying in fabulous hotels – The Imperial Hotel in Delhi, Brijrama Palace Hotel in Varanasi, Taj Bengal in Kolkata, Vivanta Aurangabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai. There will be private lunches in restored mansions, an Aarti ceremony on a private boat on the Ganges River at sunset, special access at the Indian Museum in Kolkata, a home-cooked Bangali lunch with a prominent art collector, visits to the Ajanta (pictured below) and Ellora Caves, and much more, For the brochure, visit https://www.royal-oak.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MTA-ROF-Noey-India-260207-brochure.pdf

    Christopher Noey is an art historian, author, and Emmy Award-winning
    producer of films on art and culture. At The Metropolitan Museum of Art, he
    created video installations for a wide range of exhibitions and served as series director for the innovative online features 82nd & Fifth and The Artist Project. An expert in Asian and Islamic art, Mr. Noey has taught at Williams College and the City College of New York.

  • Now Through Saturday, January 3, 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

    The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine will again present Gardens Aglow Thursdays through Sundays, plus select dates, throughout their beautiful gardens, from 4 – 9 pm. Gardens Aglow is an outdoor, walking event. Weather conditions vary greatly along the Maine coast in the winter. Dress in layers and be aware of snowy and icy weather risks. Please note that parking is limited; consider carpooling with family and friends. Tickets are necessary at https://www.mainegardens.org/ Tickets must be purchased ahead of time online, and none will be sold on-site. Make sure you have them in hand (or available on your phone!) for your visit.

    Adults: $23, Seniors (65+) and Veterans: $20, Children (3-17): $13, Child under 3: free. Member Adult: $18.50, Member Child: $10.50

  • Monday, May 18 – Sunday, May 31 – The Magnificent Chelsea Flower Show and Scotland’s Ecological Gardens

    Join Pacific Horticulture on May 18 – 31 in 2026 on an inspiring journey through the United Kingdom beginning in London with the always spectacular Chelsea Garden Show and David Austin’s Rose Garden before flying to Scotland for a series of delights including castle gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and several rewilding sites restoring ecological connectivity and habitat corridors. Scotland has become a a real leader in rewilding, with hundreds of projects putting these principles into action. Expect some hands-on learning during our tour of the United Kingdom. For complete information visit https://pacifichorticulture.org/travel_new/chelsea_new/

  • Saturdays, December 6 & 13, 12:00 noon – 2:00 pm – Charlesgate Park Walking Tours

    For the first time in sixty years, Charlesgate Park is being reconnected to Boston’s Greenspace Network. Join Emerald Necklace Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek and Parker James of the Charlesgate Alliance for a guided tour through Charlesgate Park, the pivotal 13-acre link uniting the Emerald Necklace, the Esplanade, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Meet at the corner of Charlesgate East and Beacon Street. RSVP at https://emeraldnecklace.org.

  • Fridays & Saturdays, December 5 – 20, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm, and Sundays, December 7 – 21, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Strawbery Banke Candlelight Strolls

    Every year since 1979, Candlelight Stroll at Strawbery Banke has captured 350 years of seasonal and holiday traditions against the backdrop of the museum’s historic houses. Wander the Museum grounds under the glow of candle boxes and string lights, visiting furnished historic homes from 1795 through the 1950s, each adorned with greens and dried flowers from the Museum’s heirloom gardens. Inside, costumed roleplayers portray neighborhood families, sharing stories, customs, and seasonal traditions.

    Tour exhibit houses highlight Portsmouth’s maritime heritage, traditional trades, and more, offering context to life in the Puddle Dock neighborhood. Outside, carolers, fife-and-drummers, and other musicians fill the air with seasonal melodies, while wandering historical reenactors bring figures from the past to life across the grounds.

    Twice each evening, Ice Dance International’s Currier & Ives Vintage Christmas Skaters take the ice for special performances that capture the spirit of the season (weather dependent). Visitors can warm up at the Cider Shed with a cup of cider, then explore the Grove of Sponsored Holiday Trees, where you can vote for your favorite.

    Parking is NOT available on-site; the small onsite parking lot is reserved for handicapped accessible needs first-come, first-served.

    This year there will also be a Daytime Stroll on December 14 from 2 – 4.

    For more information and to reserve tickets visit www.strawberybanke.org

  • Sundays, November 2, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm & November 9, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Historical Evolution of Memorializing the Dead, a Brief History

    Visit Newton’s oldest burying ground, East Parish Burying Ground, on November 2 from 1 – 2 with Historic Newton to explore a significant collection of colonial-era headstones and learn about funerary customs in New England. We will discuss the evolution of gravestone art, along with changing attitudes toward death and remembrance, from the pre-Revolutionary era through the Early Republic.

    This is the first of a two-part walking tour series set in Newton’s burying grounds and cemeteries, with the second tour taking place Sunday, November 9, at Newton Cemetery. Click here to register and for info on both tours.

  • Thursday, May 21 – Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – Heritage Circle Trip: Gardens of Provence

    On this unique Royal Oak Foundation tour May 21 – 26, 2026, we will explore beautiful gardens around the handsome historic city of Avignon. These range from a formal Italianate park, to the gardens of a privately owned abbey, an 18th-century hunting pavilion and a winery. Gracious chateau owners will host us for lunch on two occasions. During our stay we will also appreciate how contemporary designers have transformed the garden scene, often combining traditional terracing with plantings of scented, drought-resistant native shrubs and herbs. View the brochure at https://www.royal-oak.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Royal-Oak-Gardens-of-Provence-2026-Brochure-sm.pdf

  • Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am – 10:45 am – Tree Mob: The Oldest Tree in the Arboretum

    Long before anyone dreamed of this landscape becoming the Arnold Arboretum, a white oak grew quietly on the slope of today’s Peters Hill. Years passed and Arboretum staff eventually incorporated this very old tree into the collections, making it possibly the oldest accessioned tree in the landscape. Join Assistant Curator Miles Sax for a Tree Mob on November 15 at 10 am to learn about this oak, what the landscape looked like before it was an Arboretum, the science of tree age, and how the Arboretum manages those trees that we never chose to plant but which are a treasured part of our collections nonetheless. This is a members-only event, so sign up now at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/support/