Boston Flora

Category: Author Book Signing

  • Monday, March 11, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Plastic: A Toxic Love Story

    The next Director’s Lecture Series event at the Arnold Arboretum will take place Monday, March 11, from 7 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building.  As coal fueled the industrial revolution, one could say that plastic built the modern world. But a century into our love affair with plastic, we’re starting to realize it’s not such a healthy one. Plastics draw on dwindling fossil fuels, leach harmful chemicals, litter landscapes, and destroy marine life. And yet each year we use and consume more; we’ve produced as much plastic in the past decade as we did in the entire twentieth century. Journalist Susan Freinkel will speak about our dependence on this material, guiding us through history, science and the global economy to assess the real impact of plastic in our lives. She’ll present a new way of thinking about a substance that has become the defining medium—and metaphor—of our age. Her book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story, will be available for purchase and signing.  Free, but registration requested at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/media/images/PlasticCoverDetail.jpg

  • Saturday, April 27 – Monday, April 29 – Art In Bloom

    Once again, garden clubs (including The Garden Club of the Back Bay) and professional designers from around New England will create floral arrangements inspired by works of art.  Art in Bloom 2013 includes the transformed William I. Koch Gallery with its collection of 16th and 17th century European paintings and Hanoverian silver as well as a spectacular new display of the Museum’s prized Korean collection.  Special events include an illustrated lecture and floral demonstration as well as flower arranging master classes presented by Shane Connolly, the heralded British floral designer and author.  Space is limited.

    The Shane Connolly Master Classes will take place Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28, from 10:30 – 12:30.  These are hands-on workshops, and are priced at $200 each.  Mr. Connolly will also present, on Monday, April 29 at 10:30 am, the lecture and demonstration entitled A Year in Flowers: Inspiration for Everyday Living, followed by a book signing ($55.)

    For those who missed her at our Club’s March meeting, Maureen Bovet will present The Gardens of New York on Sunday, April 28 from 3 – 4, and past GCBB lecturer Suzanne Mahler will present Designing a Garden for All Seasons on Monday, April 29, also from 3 – 4.

    Ikebana International Boston Chapter #17 will demonstrate floral creations from three Ikebana schools on Saturday, April 27, from 3 – 4.  For complete information and ticketing, visit www.mfa.org/artinbloom, or call 1-800-440-6975.

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  • Tuesday, March 12, 6:00 pm – From the Big Bang to Broadway: How Things Evolve

    Robert Hazen, Research Scientist, Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory and Professor of Earth Sciences at George Mason University, will speak at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge on Tuesday, March 12, beginning at 6 pm. The concept of evolution by natural selection has long been a lightning rod for anti-science rhetoric. Such attacks are usually aimed at the biological realm, but Darwin’s opponents must now face evidence that complex evolving systems also drive phenomena beyond life science, such as the diversification of minerals on earth. Part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series, supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. Free and open to the public. Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street. Free event parking for evening lectures in the 52 Oxford Street garage.

  • Saturday, March 2, 2:00 pm – Narwhals: Arctic Whales in a Melting World

    Natural history writer Todd McLeish explores the science and mythology of the increasingly rare narwhal whale, known as the “sea unicorn” for its seven-foot long spiral tusk, on Saturday, March 2, from 2 – 3, at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Regular Museum admission rates apply. Free for HMNH members. For complete information visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

  • Wednesday, March 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Meadowscaping in Urban & Suburban Spaces

    Grow Native Massachusetts is sponsoring a public lecture series through June, 2013, from 7 – 8:30 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge. The next in its series of Evenings With Experts will take place Wednesday, March 6, with Catherine Zimmerman, author of Urban & Suburban Meadows, speaking on Meadowscaping in Urban & Suburban Spaces.  Join us to learn why meadow and prairie habitats are so beneficial, both economically and environmentally. Then, consider the benefits of meadowscaping.  Ms. Zimmerman is passionate about getting Americans to forgo their devotion to monocultures of pesticide-ridden lawns. She will give us a step-by-step primer on reducing lawn size and installing a beautiful meadow garden in its stead. No space is too small. Join the movement to bring back native habitat for wildlife and human life! Ms. Zimmerman is a filmmaker, author, and founder of the Meadow Project.  The event is free and open to all.

  • Saturday, March 2, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Two Lives, Two Books, and Some Common Themes

    Join two beloved authors, Katrina Kenison and Margaret Roach, on Saturday, March 2 at 1 pm at the Berkshire Botanical Garden for readings and conversation inspired by their much-anticipated new books, Magical Journey: an Apprenticeship in Contentment and The Backyard Parables: a Meditation on Gardening, and Life. Katrina has spent 25 years nurturing a marriage, raising two sons to adulthood and tending to the myriad demands of home and family life. Margaret has spent precisely the same amount of time nurturing countless plants in the garden—a generous plot that has proven to be as worthy and complicated a life partner as any human mate. Now, despite different paths and charges, they find themselves in much the same spot, asking “What next?”—even as they learn to let go of what was, clearing space for new growth. Come connect with two authors, two friends, two lives, two books—and some common themes for discussion by all.

    Margaret Roach is the author of A Way to Garden and the memoir, And I Shall Have Some Peace There. She has been an editor at The New York Times, fashion editor and garden editor at Newsday, the first garden editor for Martha Stewart Living and the editorial director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Margaret is now a consultant and avid gardener, keeping fans up to date on her website, awaytogarden.com.

    Katrina Kenison is the author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day and Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry, and, with Rolf Gates, Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga. Her writing has appeared in O: the Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Family Circle, Redbook, Woman’s Day and Health. From 1990 until 2006, Kenison was the series editor of The Best American Short Stories, published annually by Houghton Mifflin. She co-edited, with John Updike, The Best American Short Stories of the Century. A certified Reiki master and Kripalu yoga teacher, Katrina lives with her family in rural New Hampshire.

    Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  $15 for BBG members, $20 for nonmembers.

  • Thursday, February 21, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Simplifying Gardens to Fit Our Lifestyles

    Change happens. Many still dream of ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ landscapes but reality has muddied the picture. Job demands, kids, money, hectic schedules, aging bodies,and changing interests have led to nightmare gardens. Time for some ‘editing’. This inspiring lecture provides easy-to-follow downsizing strategies, recommended no-fuss plant material, and design tips for stunning year-round gardens that will be as close to ‘autopilot’ as you can get. Kerry Mendez, owner of Perennially Yours in Ballston Spa, New York will lead the discussion on Thursday, February 21, from 7 – 8:30 at Elm Bank in Wellesley. Book sales and signing follow the program.  $20 for Mass Hort members, $25 for non members.

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  • Sunday, February 24, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – A Healing Landscape

    Friends of the Boston Nature Center are invited to enjoy an intimate presentation for the book release of A Healing Landscape, with author Steve Holmes.  This fascinating book chronicles the cultural and environmental history of the BNC sanctuary site.  RSVP’s appreciated by calling 617-983-8500.

  • Wednesday, February 27 – Thursday, February 28 – Sustainable Habitats: Making Ecological Connections

    The Ecological Landscaping Association presents the 19th Annual Conference, Sustainable Habitats: Making Ecological Connections on February 27 and 28 at MassMutual Center, 1277 Main Street in Springfield.  Presentations will cover topics such as essential soil biology and soil improvements, water management, edible landscapes, phytomediation, carbon sequestration, and more.  To review the brochure and use the online registration, or to download a mail-in registration form, visit www.ecolandscaping.org.  You may also call Penny Lewis at 617-436-5838. The Keynote Dinner on February 27 will feature Jeff Lowenfels, author of Teaming with Microbes, A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, speaking on How Plants Eat: The Wonder of Root Biology.  On February 28, the dinner speaker will be Rebecca McMackin, Park Horticulturist, Brooklyn Bridge Park, speaking on Brooklyn Bridge Park: Promoting Biodiversity in the Concrete Jungle.

  • Saturday, February 16, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Minimal Vegetable Garden

    Join radical vegetable gardener and Garden Rant blogger Michele Owens at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Street, Stockbridge, on Saturday, February 16 from 1 – 3 for a lecture on the joys of vegetable gardening in the minimalist style. Since World War II, most Americans have seen supermarkets and processed foods as the height of convenience. The truth is that nothing is more convenient than ending a workday by wandering into the backyard and picking something delicious for dinner. In fact, tending a vegetable garden can take much less time every week than getting into a car, driving to a supermarket and pushing a cart around its miles of aisles. And it is certainly a more life-affirming experience! Learn why the most beautiful and ecologically sound gardens nearly take care of themselves and prove that you don’t have to quit the day job in order to have a steady source of gorgeous food outside the back door.

    Michele Owens is a joyful vegetable gardener of two decades. Her book, Grow the Good Life: Why a Vegetable Garden Will Make You Happy, Healthy, Wealthy and Wise, was published by Rodale in 2011. The New York Times called it “the best” of a “bumper crop of books about vegetable gardening,” “breezy, cantankerous and funny.” Michele is a founding partner of Garden Rant, one of the most popular and influential gardening blogs, and writes about gardening for publications that include O, The Oprah Magazine, Garden Design and Organic Gardening. She lives with her family in Saratoga Springs, NY.  $25 for BBG members, $35 for non members.  Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org.