Inspired by Buddhist ritual, lanterns representing the souls of the dead are floated upon water, and prayers are offered so they may rest in peace. Inscribe your own words of remembrance and hope on special paper lanterns and then release them, glimmering with candlelight, on the lake at dusk. Bring a family picnic, explore the landscape, enjoy Grand Master Tsuji’s Samurai Taiko drummers, gospel music by Ron Murphy, and dance by Cynthia Laksawana, Chu Ling Dance Academy and students of Showa Institute. Gathering, lantern preparation, music and dance begin at 6:00, and the lantern lighting and launching at Lake Hibiscus begin at 8:30. $10 donation requested per lantern to support the event. No lighting after dark – bring a flashlight to help your departure. Forest Hills, 95 Forest Hills Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Take the T, bus or Orange Line to Forest Hills Station. For parking ($10 fee) and driving directions, call 617-524-0128 (press 3 after hours), or visit www.foresthillstrust.org. Or join The Forest Hills Educational Trust for wine and refreshments, inscribe a lantern and ride a trolley to Lake Hibiscus, including VIP parking, by advance ticket. Details on the Forest Hills web site.

The bog at the Charles W. Ward Reservation is the closest you can get to arctic tundra in this region. Jane Winchell, The Sarah Fraser Robbins Director of the Art and Nature Center and curator of the Polar Attractions exhibition, leads an interactive field walk to explore the rich variety of plants – including carnivorous species – that make up this unique habitat. 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m., The Trustees of Reservation Charles W. Ward Reservation, Andover, Mass. Please reserve by July 24 – directions sent upon registration. Members of Peabody Essex Museum $8, non-members $10. For more information call 978-745-9500, ext. 3011, or visit www.pem.org .

Take an early evening guided walk of this garden in North Andover sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations. 6-8 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children and free for members. For more information and directions, visit www.thetrustees.org .

Tour eight private gardens, as well as the herb and medicinal gardens, textile dyeing gardens, and Victorian gardens of Hancock Shaker Village. Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday noon – 4 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, call 413-445-5583.

Capture the summer splendor of the Peabody Essex Museum’s Essex Federal Garden and surrounding historic houses in your choice of media – colored pencil, pastel, or watercolor. This outdoor workshop is led by Jim Chisholm, artist and educator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and is suitable for all skill levels. 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Essex Federal Garden (behind the Phillips Library). Rain date Saturday, July 26. Please reserve no later that July 17. Members $75, non-members $90. To reserve, call 978-745-9500, ext. 3011, or visit www.pem.org

If you’re on the Cape, plan to attend the Enchanted Gardens Tour in Cotuit to benefit Heritage Museums & Gardens. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. An optional lunch is planned at Willowbend Country Club. Tickets with lunch are $70 for members and $75 for non-members. Tickets for the tour are $35 for members, $40 for non-members. Call 508-888-3000, ext. 11, or email ahoxie@heritagemuseums.org, for more information.

Tour private gardens to benefit the Thornton W. Burgess Society, from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m. Rain Date July 18. Tickets are $15. For more information call 508-888-6870, or log on to www.thorntonburgess.org .

The Greenfield Garden Club is sponsoring a tour of ten gardens, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are $12. Call 413-648-5227, or log on to www.greenfieldgardenclub.org for more information.

Tour multiple gardens in Scituate, Norwell and Cohasset, presented by the South Church Natural Science Center in Norwell. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Advance tickets are $18 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Day of tour price $25. Call 781-659-2559 for more information.

If you are near Stockbridge on Monday, July 7, July 14, July 21, or July 28, plan to take an audio tour of the eight acres of gardens at historic Naumkeag, presented by the Trustees of Reservations. The tour will take approximately one hour, and directions and information can be obtained by going to their web site, www.thetrustees.org.