We always remind readers that, as American Express says, Membership Has Its Privileges. Since 2009, the Garden Club of the Back Bay has given the Magnolia award to an individual or organization that meets the criteria of its mission; to promote civic beauty, and to advance and encourage horticultural improvements by planting and cultivating trees along the streets and public squares of the Back Bay and to educate the public in the art of gardening.
On August 7, Club members will tour a few of the Magnolia Award winners from the past and present, ending with lunch at Terra in the Prudential Center. When you send in your RSVP, please say whether you’ll be able to join the group for lunch. Meet at 57 Marlborough Street at 10:00 am. RSVP HERE.
Not yet a member? No burdensome letters of recommendation or geographic requirements needed. Just visit https://bostonflora.com/ and click on to the membership link.
Another reminder that joining The Garden Club of the Back Bay will give you access to interesting programs throughout the year. Another pop-up is scheduled for June 24 – an exclusive East Boston Walking Tour. Join GCBB member Claire Corcoran on a walking tour of a selection of East Boston’s community-based environmental organizations’ sites and projects, including Tree Eastie, Eastie Farm, and the Mary Ellen Walsh Greenway. These three groups have received funding from an array of sources including the Garden Club of the Back Bay. Claire is looking forward to sharing some of their work and results with our club. This walk is offered to GCBB and BHGC members as well as other civic groups. Please bring a water bottle and sunscreen, and comfortable shoes. If you aren’t a GCBB member, join at https://bostonflora.com/ today.
Meet at East Boston’s Memorial Park. The entrance is at the corner of Porter Street and Thompson Drive (google maps calls it East Boston Memorial Park). There is ample parking available and is a short walk from the Airport T stop. RSVP to Claire Corcoran clairecorcoran@me.com
The Garden Club of the Back Bay is sponsoring another Member’s Only popup on June 17 from 10 – 11:15. Join them to view and learn about the work Recover Green Roofs (RGR) is creating around Boston. RGR creates green roof gardens and farms across New England and beyond. They strive to create long-lasting, thriving green roofs that aid in recovering nature in our built environment in order to support healthier communities and more resilient cities. Lead horticulturalist, Jonas Herbst-Rubio, will give us a tour of a rooftop garden they created here in Boston. We will learn about the social, ecological and economic benefits of green roofs and enjoy the blooming plants! Meet at 127 Tremont Street, Boston. There is room for 10-15 participants. RSVP to Stephanie Fletcher betze47@yahoo.com. Not yet a member? Join at https://bostonflora.com/
The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s April program will take place Wednesday, April 23 at The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley. This is a rain or shine event. Join Club members for a visit to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden at Elm Bank during their Tulip Festival. We will begin our visit with a lecture from Melissa Pace, who will recount the history of tulips as well as how they are commercially grown and harvested in today’s world. Melissa will share with us how to grow tulips both in containers and in the landscape in New England and where to purchase the best bulbs. Attendees will receive a handout summarizing the talk and the many tips on how to grow and enjoy tulips at home.
After the talk you have the option of joining Melissa on a spectacular tour of over 65,000 tulips! The trial gardens will be bursting with thousands of blooming tulips of all colors! On the way to the lower tulip cutting fields, we will pass through and discuss some of the other gardens at Elm Bank. Upon reaching the lower fields we will see thousands more tulips in full bloom.
The tour moves at a slow pace and is about 45 minutes. There are seating areas within the garden for individuals that might not want to do the full tour. The path will be paved until we reach the lower field. Sturdy shoes are recommended but the walking is easy. Members will receive cut tulip stems in floral sleeves to take home.
Melissa Pace is a Garden Educator for Massachusetts Horticultural Society. She is a MA licensed teacher and a University of Rhode Island Master Gardener since 2007. As a horticulturalist, she has judged and competed in many garden and flower shows, from Philadelphia Flower Show to the Bolton Fair. She has been a presenter for numerous garden clubs and civic organizations throughout New England since 1995. Melissa has authored articles published in Old Farmer’s Almanac, Yankee Magazine and the Massachusetts Hort blog.
Please note that on Thursday, April 24, the Boston Committee of the GCA will also hold its Spring Meeting at Massachusetts Horticultural Society, which is a separate, ticketed event.
The Boston Committee of The Garden Club of America will hold its Spring Meeting, Lecture and Luncheon on April 24 at The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley. The meeting will include a lecture, lunch, and tour of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s 55,000 tulips in bloom. Mass Hort Executive Director James Hearsum will speak on Gardens as a Community Asset. James Hearsum is an accomplished horticulturist and leader with a proven track record of advancing botanical and community-focused organizations. From 2014 to 2019, he served as the Executive Director of St. Andrews Botanic Garden in Scotland, where he spearheaded transformative initiatives in guest experience, outreach, and education. Under his leadership, the garden established a sustainable Urban Farm, a Butterfly House, and a Community Hub, while also expanding its reach to previously underserved communities.
Since 2020, Hearsum has brought his extensive horticultural experience and dynamic leadership to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, continuing to advance excellence in horticulture and community engagement.
Members of member clubs of The Boston Committee will receive an invitation. $35 lecture only, $60 lecture and luncheon. If you are not a member, you may consider joining The Garden Club of the Back Bay, which is one of the affiliate clubs.
The Garden Club of the Back Bay welcomes Master Gardener Denise Guerin on March 27 at 10 am at The Chilton Club on Commonwealth Avenue. She will discuss successful pollinator habitats created in places as different as suburban gardens to apartment decks, small urban yards and patios to parking lot “hell strips”. This is a members only meeting, but it’s never too late to join at https://bostonflora.com/.
Denise Guerin is a gardening expert with the Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association and volunteer with the Ohrenberger School Pollinator Garden. Her primary focus is on growing native plants and creating habitats for native bees, birds and insect pollinators.
The Garden Club of the Back Bay will hold its February meeting on February 25 at 2 pm at The Chilton Club, 152 Commonwealth Avenue, featuring Bonnie Power on the topic of houseplants. As with our outdoor gardens, many things can go wrong when you grow plants indoors. Learn the factors that make for happy houseplants, including light, water, and soil…and how to provide them. Common houseplant pests and diseases are also on the agenda, as well as how to treat them.
Bonnie Power has been a Massachusetts Master Gardener since 2016 (now a Lifetime MG) and member of the MMGA Speakers Bureau since 2018…and a serious outdoor/indoor gardener most of her life. Curious and research-oriented by nature, she has many horticultural interests and areas of expertise. Bonnie holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Zoology, which informs her perspective on the management of garden insects. She is a member of the MGA Soil pH Testing team and also volunteer guide at Garden in the Woods, a Native Plant Trust botanical garden in Framingham. She learned to grow vegetables as a child from her father, and flowers and houseplants from her mother. Early in her marriage her father-in-law provided her first lessons in organic gardening. At home in Marlborough, Bonnie grows a variety of vegetables and ornamentals (with a bias for natives).
The Garden Club of the Back Bay will sponsor a Members Only pop up event on January 5 at Mahoney’s Garden Center, 449 Western Avenue in Brighton. Want to beat the post-holiday blues? Join for an hour of learning with Mahoney’s Sara Barrios as we delve into the world of orchid care in the fabulous new greenhouse at Mahoney’s. Afterward, feel free to purchase an orchid or other houseplant of choice to take home with you.
The cost of the class is free, but space is limited to 20 people. Please RSVP to Stephanie Fletcher. Not yet a member? Visit https://bostonflora.com/join. You’ll want to be on the list for the upcoming Winter Tea as well, so act now.
Nearly 20 years ago, Julia Etter and Martin Kristen made Jalisco, Mexico their home, embracing the local culture and lifestyle. Now practically Mexican, they immerse themselves in tending their expansive garden and greenhouse, designing a botanical garden for a major Tequila factory, and caring for a lively menagerie of chickens and seven cats. Despite their busy lives, they still seize every opportunity to explore the field. Since 2009, Julia and Martin have collaborated with botanists from the Institute of Biology at UNAM and the University of Guadalajara. Their contributions to botany have been honored with several plant species named after them, including Agave kristenii, Echeveria juliana, E. kristenii, Graptopetalum kristenii, and Sedum kristenii. Their work has been widely published in books, journals, and online, reflecting their deep commitment to sharing the beauty and knowledge of these remarkable plants. More information about their work can be found at agavaceae.com and crassulaceae.com.
On January 18 at 1 pm Eastern, the Cactus & Succulent Society of Massachusetts will present a Zoom virtual meeting with Julia Etter and Martin Kristen, To register (the meeting is for members, but a year’s membership is $20), visit https://www.cssma.org/membership
The New England Botanical Society is having a membership event on January 10 at the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Cronin Building, 1 Rabbit Hill Road in Westborough, Room 108, Southeast Conference Room. There will be a members potluck, raffle, and show & tell starting at 5:30 pm. For information on joining, visit https://www.rhodora.org/membership/join.html
