Boston University’s Departments of Arts & Sciences and Pardee School of Global Studies, invite you to an exhibition and cooking demonstration at the Boston University Food Studies Program, 808 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, on October 11 from 9 am- 1:30 pm. Many of the finest pieces of art from Mesoamerica can only be seen outside of the region, in museums and private collections of North America, Europe and East Asia. Chocolate researchers Jose Lopez Ganem (Boston University), Dr. Carla D. Martin (Harvard University), and Dr. Kathryn Sampeck (University of Reading) of the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute (FCCI) are on a mission to change this. Over the past year, the FCCI team has worked to secure the repatriation of more than 50 antique Mesoamerican pieces in collaboration with the governments of Mexico and Central America. In advance of the return of these pieces to their countries of origin, come view these examples of priceless cultural heritage, celebrate their impact on the history of cacao and chocolate, and taste traditional cacao and chocolate recipes.

BU Food Studies faculty Dr. Karen Metheny and Jose Lopez Ganem will present a snapshot on the intersection of Food Studies, Archeology, and Cacao and Chocolate, followed by traditional indigenous chef Estela Calzada demonstration of Pre-Hispanic cuisine; featuring dishes with nopales, grasshoppers, corn, squash seeds and blossoms, and cacao. This portion of the event will run from 10 AM to 1 PM. Due to the size of the space, a limited number of tickets will be available. You must have a ticket to attend. Free. Tickets available on Eventbrite HERE.

In her American Horticultural Society online talk on October 9 at 7 pm Eastern, Zoë Schlanger will dive into the fascinating realm of plant behavior research, where scientists are uncovering just how complex and capable plants really are. Plants can process information, make wise choices, and adapt to the ever-changing environment in incredibly specific ways. They can communicate, remember, recognize their relatives, and manipulate other species to their benefit. Using insights from her book The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth, Zoë will introduce us to the scientists—and the plant species—who are reshaping our ideas about intelligence, consciousness, and the agency of nonhuman life.  $15 for AHS members, $20 for non-members. Register at www.ahsgardening.org

Zoë Schlanger is currently a staff reporter at the Atlantic, where she covers climate change. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Review of  Books, Time, Newsweek, The Nation, Quartz, and on NPR among other major outlets, and is cited in the 2022 Best American Science and Nature Writing anthology. A recipient of a 2017 National Association of Science Writers’ reporting award, she is often a guest speaker in schools and universities. Zoë graduated with a B.A. from New York University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and The Light Eaters is her first book. 

Did you know that Southwark once had a zoo? That for a short spell Britain’s first ecological park was built within a stone’s throw of Tower Bridge? Or that one of the capital’s most celebrated botanical gardens now lies beneath the platforms of Waterloo station? The Garden Museum’s next exhibition Lost Gardens of London from October 23 – March 2 will reveal the secret history of some of London’s most beguiling forgotten gardens.

Thousands of gardens have vanished across London over the past five hundred years – ranging from princely pleasure grounds and private botanical gardens, to humble allotments and defunct squares, artists’ gardens, eccentric private menageries and the ecological parks of the twentieth century. Guest curated by landscape architect and historian Dr Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, Lost Gardens of London will explore this legacy and reveal tantalizing glimpses of some of the rich and varied gardens that once embellished the metropolis.

Paintings, prints, drawings, photographs and maps will bring these lost gardens to life, depicting changing trends and fashions in gardening while exploring London’s enduring love affair with nature, and how green spaces have always been a vital part of life in the capital.

In every borough, parks, gardens and green open spaces have succumbed to new roads, street-widenings, railway encroachments and new buildings, or have simply been swallowed up by suburbia. Accompanying public programmes will explore how the remaining green spaces that may be taken for granted in London today have survived thanks to protests, community action and legal protections being put in place. The exhibition is a timely reminder of the vulnerability of urban gardens and access to nature.

Lost Gardens of London coincides with a new book by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan of the same name, to be published by the Modern Art Press (and distributed by Yale University Press) in October 2024.

If you are traveling to Great Britain this coming year, put this exhibition on your itinerary. The Museum is located on Lambeth Palace Road in London. https://gardenmuseum.org.uk/visit/

The Till Wave Gallery, 264 Arlington Street in Watertown, in collaboration with NOFA and the Massachusetts Pollinator Network, have mounted an exhibit entitled New England Pollinators, which will run through November 22. The Gallery hours are Wednesdays, 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm, and Saturdays, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm. The opening reception takes place September 26, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm, so do stop by if you are available.

Immerse yourself in the enchanting realm of ‘Fairies Aglow’ on September 19 at 6 at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill where you’ll craft spellbinding cocktails inspired by the elusive charm of la fee verte, or the “Green Fairy”. Delightful mocktail options also available. Adults only. $70 for NEBG members, $80 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org

A curious home bartender at heart, Instructor Meredith Powell honed her mixology and teaching skills as the Beverage Director at Orange Door Kitchen where she launched a popular cocktail education program and managed the bar for private parties and public events. Her approach to craft cocktails is accessible, flavor-driven, and spirited, combining practical know-how with a light-hearted attitude about mixing drinks at home. Meredith is an interior designer, supper club hostess and fitness devotee when she is not behind the bar. She lives in Acton with her husband, Chris, and two dogs. 

There has never been a better time to join The Garden Club of the Back Bay. The Club’s initial meeting of the year will be a field trip to Newport, Rhode Island, to visit a member’s historic home and private arboretum. This is a members only event, but membership is a click away at https://bostonflora.com/ Complete information of the outing will be provided upon confirmation of membership.

We mourn the passing of a true Boston hero, Henry Lee. His Boston Globe obituary is HERE. Last year The Friends of the Public Garden set up The Henry Lee Fund for Boston Parks in his honor.

Shrublands exist all around us, thriving in almost any environmental condition, from the desiccating sunshine of the endless sagebrush steppe to the deep, private shade of moist forests. These diverse and inspiring ecosystems serve as perfect models for our gardens. Beyond their inherent beauty, they provide nurturing habitats and demonstrate resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Join Kevin Philip Williams, Michael Guidi, and Lisa Negri, the authors of Shrouded in Light as they invite you to work, live, and play with shrubs. Explore a glorious spectrum of wild shrublands and discover the philosophies and design strategies behind translating these magnificent plant communities into your home garden.

This Garden Conservancy webinar will be convened by Open Days Garden Host Lisa Negri of Denver, CO. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. $5 for Garden Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/virtual-talk-shrouded-in-light

Come join The Community Garden Club of Duxbury for a lovely stroll through five breathtaking private gardens in historic Duxbury, filled with vibrant hydrangeas in full bloom. This in-person rain or shine event is perfect for nature lovers and gardening enthusiasts alike. Visit The Myles Standish Hotel residence whose architectural transformation was orchestrated by renowned architect Patrick Ahearn. Patrick along with a Blade of Grass owner Jim Douthit will lead walk and talk tours at 11:00am and 1:00pm around the grounds of the residence detailing the property’s renovation and landscape renaissance.

All the gardens on tour feature unique settings, hydrangeas, special events, and seaside views. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and enjoy a relaxing day surrounded by colorful blooms! $50. Tickets available on Eventbrite HERE. Pick up your guide booklet at the Alden House Historic Site, 105 Alden Street in Duxbury.

In 2020, Olivia Laing began to restore a walled garden in Suffolk, England. The work drew her into an exhilarating investigation of paradise and its long association with gardens. Moving between real and imagined gardens, from Milton’s Paradise Lost to John Clare’s enclosure elegies, from a wartime sanctuary in Italy to a grotesque aristocratic pleasure ground funded by slavery, Laing interrogates the sometimes shocking cost of making paradise on earth.

But the story of the garden doesn’t always enact larger patterns of privilege and exclusion. It’s also a place of rebel outposts and communal dreams. From the improbable queer utopia conjured by Derek Jarman on the beach at Dungeness to the fertile vision of a common Eden propagated by William Morris, new modes of living can, and have, been attempted amidst the flower beds—experiments that could prove vital in the coming era of climate change.

The result is a humming, glowing tapestry, a beautiful and exacting account of the abundant pleasures and possibilities of gardens; not as a place to hide from the world but as a site of encounter and discovery, bee-loud, and pollen-laden.

This Garden Conservancy webinar will be convened by Open Days Co-founder Page Dickey. $5 for Garden Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/virtual-talk-the-garden-against-time