Boston Flora

Category: Volunteer Opportunity

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Announces Annual Grant Recipients

    Thanks in no small part to the continued success of our recent Twilight Garden Party, The Garden Club of the Back Bay announces that the following organizations will receive a total of $20,000 in financial grants for 2011:

    The Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee – $5,000 to be credited to the Hereford Street to Massachusetts Avenue  air spading project fund.

    The Friends of the Public Garden – $4,000 to continue the inoculation of elms at risk for contracting Dutch elm disease.

    The Esplanade Association – $2,500 for the Elliot Oval Landscape Restoration, planting new trees and treating trees already on site, near the newly restored Community Boating docks.

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy – $2,500 for a planned meadow to be developed with native species and wildflowers.

    Boston Nature Center/Massachusetts Audubon Society – $2,500 to support six full scholarships for its summer camp.  The children attending the camp range in age from 5 to 14 and are from the local neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain.

    Charles River Clean Up Boat – $2,000, to help continue the project of keeping the Charles River trash-free.

    Urban Ecology Institute – $1,000 to help with its Grow Boston Greener tree planting initiative.

    The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America – $500 to the Blossom Fund, which is accumulating funds over a five year period to be awarded to a deserving project on or about the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

    For more information on all these important organizations and to learn more about the work they do, visit their website links above.  In addition to the above grants, The Garden Club of the Back Bay will spend an additional $20,000 on planting, pruning, and treating the street trees in our neighborhood over the coming year.  Thank you to all our volunteers and contributors for making our horticultural endeavors happen!

  • Arnold Arboretum Interpreter Training

    Expand your knowledge of the Arnold Arboretum and share your passion for plants with others.  Arboretum Interpreters will be trained to talk knowledgeably about the Arboretum and plants.  In addition to training on Arboretum history, plant terminology, and the landscape, volunteers will learn interpretive techniques to effectively engage with visitors of all ages.  As an Arboretum Interpreter, you will have casual interactions and conversations with visitors, one-on-one or in small groups.  You’ll help people find their way through the landscape, explore the fascinating world of plants, communicate how the Arboretum is a living museum, and make Arboretum history come alive.  Fall 2011 training will be held at the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Boston,  and there is no no fee.  Punctuality and attendance at every session, as well as commitment to the program, are very important.  The training will be held on three Tuesdays and two Saturdays in September:

    Saturdays, September 10 and 17, 10 am – 3 pm

    Tuesdays, September 13, 20 and 27,  6 pm – 8:30 pm

    The Arboretum Interpreter program is a partnership: you provide your time, commitment and enthusiasm, and the Arnold Arboretum provides rich resources, experienced staff, and special benefits for volunteers.  It is also a wonderful opportunity for self-growth and for reaching out to Arboretum visitors to communicate the importance of plants in our lives.  An application form may be found at www.arboretum.harvard.edu (click on Get Involved, then click on Volunteer.)  After receipt of your application, a staff member will contact you.  An interview will then be scheduled.

     

  • Tuesdays, May 17 and 24, and Thursday, May 26, 10:30 am – Hale House Planting

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay assists Hale House, a not for profit retirement residence located at 273 Clarendon Street in Boston.  This year, the Club has donated $500 for the purchase of annual flowering plants to brighten Hale House’s inner garden.  We are looking for volunteers on Tuesday, May 17, Tuesday, May 24, and Thursday, May 26, beginning at 10:30 am, to help with the planting.  One or two hours of your time will be all that is needed.  If you are able to assist, please email Bev Christians at j.bchris@verizon.net and let her know.  Bring a small trowel, garden gloves, and lots of good will.  Meet at the northeast corner of Clarendon and Marlborough Streets.

     

  • Saturday, April 30, 8:30 am – 12:00 noon – Back Bay Alley Rally

    The Annual Back Bay Alley Rally is upon us! Meet at the Clarendon Street Playground, at the corner of Clarendon Street and Commonwealth Avenue, on Saturday morning, April 30, at 8:30 for breakfast, then gather in groups to clean our alleys and side streets. Rejoin your fellow volunteers for lunch at noon. For more information, log on to www.nabbonline.com.

  • Friday, May 13, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – First Annual Tree Pit Clean-Up Day

    Join members of the Garden Club of the Back Bay for a clean up and mulching of tree pits along Beacon Street on Friday, May 13, from 9 – noon.  Meet at 330 Beacon Street, dress in gardening clothes, and bring your own gloves.  Rain date is Friday, May 20, also from 9 – noon.  We need a head count by May 1, so please email Sherley Smith at slgsmith58@gmail.com if you can help.  We may have to cancel if we have too few volunteers.

  • Tuesday, April 26, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm – How to Have a Great Volunteer Day

    Christina Poff of the Franklin Park Coalition and Nataka Crayton of United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury will talk about planning volunteer stewardship projects, coordinating with agencies, finding support from neighborhood businesses, and doing effective publicity and outreach at a workshop on Tuesday, April 26, hosted by Boston Park Advocates.  The evening will begin with pizza and networking at 5:30, followed by the workshop at 6.  The event takes place at Boston Natural Areas Network, 62 Summer Street in Boston.  RSVP at http://bit.ly/fjSkyD.

  • Saturday, April 23, 10:00 am – Egg Hunt at the Clarendon Street Playground

    Celebrate spring with the Friends of the Clarendon Street Playground on Saturday, April 23, beginning at 10:00 am.  Join them for an egg hunt, coffee and doughnuts, and enjoy a visit from the Easter bunny (although less maniacal than the fellows pictured below.)  Free.  Volunteers are needed to hide eggs at 8:00 am.  If you would like to help with the event, please contact playground@nabbonline.com, or call 617-247-3961.

  • Tuesday, April 19, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Spring Seeds and Seedlings

    Spend an afternoon from 2 – 4 on Tuesday, April 19 side-by-side with Historic New England’s Casey Farm’s experienced and knowledgeable vegetable farmers to learn the tricks of the trade while helping the greenhouse team prepare for the popular Mother’s Day plant sale. As you plant, you’ll discuss the proper ways to start seedlings and get answers to your garden questions. Space is limited to 15. Free, but open only to Historic New England members. Casey Farm is located at 2325 Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown, Rhode Island. Registration is required. Please call 401-295-1030 for more information.

  • Saturday, April 16, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Earth Day Charles River Cleanup

    The 12th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup takes place at all sites along the Charles River and its tributaries on Saturday, April 16, from 9 am – noon. To volunteer on the Esplanade and the parkland up to the River Bridge, contact Jessica Blohm at The Esplanade Association by calling 617-227-0365, or contact the Charles River Watershed Association at 781-788-0007, ext. 303.

  • Protect Sunlight in Public Parks

    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has informed us of a Petition to Support H. 1169, An Act Protecting Sunlight in Certain Public Parks, sponsored by Representatives Martha Walz and Byron Rushing. To read the bill, go to www.malegislature.gov/Bills/187/House/H01169.  This bill seeks to expand and clarify the current laws that protect the sunlight on the beloved Boston Public Garden and the Boston Common by limiting new shadows.  Specifically, the bill would prohibit any new construction or building remodeling from blocking sunlight and casting new shadows on six additional public parks.  The goal of the bill is to allow reasonably-scaled development near the parks while protecting sufficient sunlight for the health of the park environment and the enjoyment of its users.

    The five Boston parks and one Cambridge park will be protected by the bill are:

    * The Back Bay Fens
    * Christopher Columbus Park
    * The Commonwealth Avenue Mall
    * Copley Square Park
    * The Esplanade
    * Magazine Beach Park

    You can sign the petition immediately (through May 22) by logging in to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/sunlight2.  However, if you have already signed the petition, please do not do so again.  If you have any questions concerning this legislation, you may email Sue Prindle at sprindl@verizon.net.  Photo from www.gardenvoice.com.