Master rosarian Clarence Rhodes will present a program entitled “Anything About Roses”, and if you have ever had the privilege of hearing Clarence talk, you know he can talk about Anything and Everything!  Clarence will regale listeners with tales of his adventures at Weeks Rose Nursery in California, and will be happy to answer all rose related questions. He always has some new gardening implement inventions on his drawing board, so preview what is coming up next.  Coffee and pastries will be served.  Reading Public Library, 64 Middlesex Avenue, Reading, Massachusetts.  Enter the library from the rear of the building.  Handicapped accessible.  The meeting will be held on the second floor.

Mary Dewart chronicles the story of a prominent New England landscape, a turn-of-the-century creation by a visionary couple, Larz and Isabella Anderson. Their estate in Brookline, Massachusetts became Isabella’s gift to the town in 1948. Like many large estates across the country after W.W.II, Larz Anderson Park and its celebrated, world-class gardens underwent a period of dramatic decline. These changes have been followed in recent years by an emerging respect for historic landscapes and a call for renewal. An accompanying slide show illuminates the details of both the history and design of this once famous estate. We all are familiar with Larz Anderson Park in Brookline, but not many of us know that Larz’s wife Isabella was the moving force behind the magnificent landscape which was almost lost to development pressures in the twentieth century. Ms. Dewart, who spoke to our Club last season to much acclaim, will detail the preservation story of this fabulous garden. Mary Dewart has owned her design/build practice for over fifteen years. A certified landscape designer, Mary serves clients throughout New England. She works to integrate beauty and inspiration with practicality in the landscape. A traveler and teacher, she helps clients envision the possibilities of their sites. An optional lunch with our speaker will follow the meeting. 10:00 am, The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.  Lunch $19.  For more information, contact The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

The Children’s Garden Network is pleased to announce the launching of the 2009 Winter School for parents, teachers, administrators, community members, gardening friends and others interested and/or engaged in growing garden education programs at schools and youth organizations. The CGN Winter School is being sponsored by Whole Foods Markets through proceeds from its 5% Day being held at store locations on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. The Winter School will be hosted by the URI/CELS Outreach Center at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence.  For more information, contact Stu Nunnery at 401-592-0209, or log on to www.farmfresh.org.

Please join Amy Gilley in this exploration of Boston area women landscape architects during the Great Depression.  The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.  An optional lunch with the speaker ($19) follows the talk.  For more information, click on to the calendar page.

Ellen Messer, Visiting Professor of Anthropology, Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Brandeis, will speak at Boston University, 808 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 117, sponsored by the Boston University Culinary Arts Program.  The lecture is free and open to the public, but please call 617-353-9852 to reserve a space.  For more information, link to www.bu.edu/foodandwine/seminars.

The New England Wild Flower Society, in conjunction with the Fells Hardy Plant Club and the Friends of Hort Farm, present three inspirational speakers with the focus on native plants and sustainability.  Elizabeth Farnsworth, Richard Enser, and Gordon Hayward address topics of biodiversity, botany and art as they relate to landscapes.  9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center, Vermont. $45 NEWFS members, $53 general public, includes cafeteria lunch and free parking.  To register, email tkhewitt@aol.com, or send a check made out to NEWFS Vermont to Thelma K. Hewitt, PO Box 2333, New London, NH 03257. For more information call 508-877-7630, x 3303.

Recent investigations into Mughal gardens give us new admiration for the garden techniques and designs of this period, and new direction for garden conservation projects. Mughal gardens were often the setting for both ceremonial and family events. Understanding their gardens provides an understanding of Mughal life, architecture, and art.  James Wescoat, the lecturer, has worked on excavations at the Nagaur palace gardens in Rajasthan that have revealed extensive water systems, fountains and pleasure gardens. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway.  $15 general public, $12 seniors, $5 members. For more information log on to www.gardnermuseum.org, or call 617-278-5156.

Explore the complexity of gardens and landscapes of the Islamic world in a lecture by Stephen F. Dale at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway.  Babur, the Timurid founder of the Mughal Empire, built gardens wherever he settled.  In 1494, he became ruler of the Ferghanah valley, east of Samarqand, but his constantly shifting fortunes brought him to Afghanistan and finally to Agra, India, where he died in 1530. Hear examples from Babur’s poetry and his engaging autobiography, rich with descriptions of nature and the gardens he loved.  Tickets $15 General Public, $12 Seniors, $5 members.  For more information log on to www.gardnermuseum.org, or call 617-278-5156.