Ever go to a plant show and wonder what separates the winning plants from the also-rans? Come to the Cactus and Succulent Society of Massachusetts’ January meeting and find out. Here’s your chance to learn from an accomplished Master Gardener, our very own Carrie Waterman. Carrie has won numerous awards at horticultural events across New England. Come for the secrets of a prepping beautiful show plants, insider tips, and lots of fun. The meeting takes place January 18 from 1 – 4 at the Norfolk Public Library, 2 Liberty Lane in Norfolk, MA. Free and open to the public. For more information visit www.cssma.org
Interested groups, including the The Charlesgate Alliance, have scheduled the final meeting to discuss the Master Plan for the redevelopment of the Kenmore section of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. The public is invited to participate in a presentation of the preferred design which incorporates many of the suggestions put forward at the first two meetings. Input is needed on several critical questions. Date: Tuesday December 17th Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Location 565 Commonwealth Ave: Boston Kenmore Classroom Building – Room 106
The World Bromeliad Conference 2020 will be held in Sarasota, Florida, USA from Tuesday, June 9, 2020 through Saturday, June 13, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. We will celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Bromeliad Society International! Events will include tours of two of the world’s leading Bromeliad nurseries (Michael’s Bromeliads and Tropiflora), a visit to the renowned Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (with free admission for conference registrants), a number of notable speakers, an opening conference reception and welcome address, a banquet with a rare plant sale and auction, a plant sale with numerous sellers, a fantastic judged plant show, and more. Reserve now ($295 if postmarked by December 31, 2019) at https://www.bsi.org/new/world-bromeliad-conference-registration/
The BSI has arranged for a special $149 room rate at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota (with no resort fees, normally $24+ daily) with free parking for hotel guests and conference visitors. All the rooms at the Hyatt provide water views and the hotel has a central downtown location with easy access to gardens, restaurants, museums, shopping, cultural activities, and world-renowned beaches. In order to catch all the planned events for WBC 2020, you would check into the hotel on Tuesday night, June 9th and stay through Saturday night, June 13th (checking out on Sunday). Of course, with all there is do in Sarasota and other nearby areas in Florida, you may want to extend your stay. We recommend reserving your hotel room as soon as possible since a limited number of rooms at the special rate are available.
Join Dale Monette on November 13 as he debuts his newest book of wildlife images, Voyagers, Visitors and Home. This book focuses on birds that visit New England just for a stopover during migration, birds that spend months here, or birds and mammals that live here and call New England home. The project was five years in the making and many miles traveled, not to mention the gallons of blood lost to mosquitoes in ponds and swamps! Here are the images and the stories behind them. Also included is a section on the successful bald eagle introduction as a nesting species to Massachusetts that took place at The Quabbin Reservoir during the 1980’s by MassWildlife. From great gray owls to red-backed voles come by and see what, where and who I found in my travels around New England.. This is also the annual dinner meeting of the Athol Bird & Nature Club, which will be held again at theAthol American Legion.
Reservations are required for the dinner and must be received by Tuesday, November 6. There will be two dinner options available for a $15.00 donation,stuffed chicken or vegetarian lasagna, please indicate your preference when making the reservation. To reserve your meal call and pay in advance by credit card: Online Reservation Pay at the door (cash or check to ABNC). Call Cindy Hartwell at 978-828-7665, or email cindyhartwell56@gmail.com She will call or email you back with a confirmation of your reservation. No reservations are necessary for the program. The event will also feature our always popular tin can auction; participants are encouraged to bring not more than 3 (or items that can be bundled to three items) to donate.
The Annual Meeting and Dinner of The Trustees of Reservations is an opportunity to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and to look ahead to the coming year. Over a delicious dinner in the State Room, 60 State Street in Boston, we will confirm new Governance members, thank outgoing volunteers, recognize exceptional service to The Trustees, and receive institutional reports from President & CEO Barbara J. Erickson and the Officers of the Board.
This year we are delighted to honor entrepreneur Ted Ladd (below) with the Charles Eliot Award for his years of outstanding leadership and service to The Trustees. $100 – rsvp by calling 617-542-7696 option 7, or email development@thetrustees.org.
The Ecological Landscape Alliance will hold it’s 2019 Season’s End Summit on November 7 from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Community Harvest Project Barn, 37 Wheeler Road in North Grafton. The topic is Taking Landscapes to the Next Level: Stepping Back and Thinking Big. Tickets are $139 and may be purchased at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/conference-ela-seasons-end-summit-2019/
Regenerative landscapes consider the ecology of a site, draw upon the
wisdom of natural systems, and enhance the surrounding environment for
the benefit of humans and all other life in the ecosystem.
With guidance from natural systems, designers can create thriving
landscapes that protect our waters and soil, conserve resources, and
provide healthy habitat. The resulting landscapes can be resilient,
whole, and beautiful.
As we reflect on the past landscape season and look for inspiration for our next designs, ELA’s Season’s End Summit invites you to take a fresh look at some design fundamentals that may surprise you – and inspire your next designs. Talks include Designing with Plant Communities: The Synergy of Plants in Partnership with Dan Jaffe, Thinking Ahead: Master Plans That Matter with Toby Wolf, Plant Partners: Reliable and Rewarding Plants for Challenging Sites with Heather McCargo, and Sculpting Plant Communities: Designing with Elegant and Edible Elements with Karen Bussolini.
Consider combining your next vacation with garden inspiration! Berkshire Botanical Garden’s popular Garden tours are expertly arranged by BBG staff and expert travel organizer, Lani Summerville of Classical Excursions. They have included some of the most extraordinary gardens in the US and around the globe, with each trip led by horticultural-savvy guides who plan unforgettable itineraries including both well-known public and rarely accessible private gardens in their region. Please join us for our information session on our upcoming excursions to Scotland gardens near Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders on May 21 – 28, 2020.
Gardens, Houses, and Castles of Scotland Information Session on Friday, November 15, 5:30pm in the Center House.
For further information, including registering, contact Classical Excursions at contact@classicalexcursions.com or (860) 926-4895. You may also contact Chris Wellens at cwellens@berkshirebotanical.org or (413) 357-4657 to speak to a Berkshire Botanical Garden representative.
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 4th annual ecological gardening symposium on November 10 at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts from 9 – 5 challenges gardeners to think what can we do to welcome wildlife and plant diversity in our gardens, rather than working to keep undesired pests out. Invasives are harmful, we do not want them. Pests can be detrimental so we need to look out for the health of our plants. That all holds true, but in these times of ever-present studies showing what can do harm, our symposium speakers will look on the bright side: what steps we can take to encourage beneficial insects, birds, and inspiring plants — all with a goal of creating unique and resilient landscapes.
Speakers include Doug Tallamy on Helping Migrants Justify Their Migration, Bethany Bradley on Ecological Gardening with Climate Change to Prevent Future Invasions and Assist Native Migrations, Dan Jaffe on How to Make Your Life Easier with Native Plants, and Amy Nyman on Native Plants with True Grit. Registration includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
The New England Carnivorous Plant Society will hold its November meeting on November 2 from 12:30 – 2:30 at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Avenue in Providence. The meeting is free and open to the public. In November, the speaker will be Mike Graziano, on the topic of the genus Pinguicula. For more information visit http://necps.org
Pinguicula, commonly known as the butterworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants that use sticky, glandular leaves to lure, trap, and digest insects in order to supplement the poor mineral nutrition they obtain from the environment. Of the roughly 80 currently known species, 13 are native to Europe, 9 to North America, and some to northern Asia. The largest number of species is in South and Central America.
The November meeting of the Garden Club of the Back Bay will take place Wednesday, November 6 beginning at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Beekeeper Dave Strickler will talk about beekeeping in the City. Dave is a member of the Massachusetts Beekeeping Association, and will bring a few different honeys for attendees to sample. Members of the Garden Club will receive email notification of the meeting and should respond as directed on the invitation. An optional lunch will follow the meeting, and you may pay online at https://bostonflora.com/shop/
