Boston Flora

Category: Volunteer Opportunity

  • Wreath of the Day – White and Natural

    One of the options on our order forms for fully decorated wreaths is “all natural” for accents.  Now to be absolutely truthful, our favorite client is the client who says “designer’s choice,” since that gives us free rein to indulge our personal fantasies, but when a client wants all natural, we comply.  However, with a white bow, our natural materials can disappear in contrast to the sparkling ribbon.  In this instance, shown below, the designer used white birch bark, white tipped white pine cones, milk weed pods, lotus pods, Russian statice, a touch of rose hips for color, and – here’s where she cheated a little – some white pine branches tipped in silver.  We think the customer will forgive her.

  • Wreath of the Day – Country Plaid

    Every year we purchase new ribbon, and try to acquire a variety of colors and styles to inspire our decorators and please our customers, who often are quite specific about their needs.  In the past, many of our plaid ribbon choices were quite formal, with gold edging and gold threading in the pattern, which limited our ability to create a real “country” or rustic look.  Since some of our wreaths migrate from the Back Bay to the doors of country homes in the Berkshires, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, we looked for ribbon which would work in those settings, and this year were lucky enough to find the charming plaid shown below.  Every year, however, our supplies change, so don’t necessarily expect to be able to order this exact bow next season – we’ll do our best to find an equivalent.

  • Wreath of the Day – Unusual Materials

    A Garden Club of the Back Bay signature is the use of unusual natural materials in our wreaths.  Below is a wreath festooned with lotus pods, poppy seeds, wisteria pods, rose hips, protea, sea grape leaves, cones, pheasant feathers, and some completely mysterious items scavenged in the fields.  Some of the items, such as lotus pods, must be purchased, since we haven’t yet figured out how to grow these in our gardens in the Northeast, and the pheasant feathers come from a source in Minnesota who sells them on line to fishermen as material for exotic lures. We think the wreath is absolutely stunning.

  • Wreath of the Day – Tradition

    Traditional.  Understated.  Those were the instructions which accompanied the order for this wreath, which adorns the front door of a certain Back Bay celebrity quarterback whose name we shouldn’t mention.  However, we do think the wreath epitomizes the “red zone” where success is measured.

  • Wreath of the Day – Specialty Sizes

    Some buildings in the Back Bay need large “statement” wreaths for their common areas.  A small, intricate, intimate design would be lost in a vast space, especially when the wreaths are hung well above eye level.  The Garden Club of the Back Bay accepts a small number of specially sized orders, at an increased cost, for those customers with such needs.  Next season, feel free to inquire in advance and receive a price quote, if you are fortunate enough to live in such grandeur.  The pictured wreath measures almost 40″ in diameter, and we won’t even begin to guess what it weighs.  Professional installation is recommended in these instances.

  • Wreath of the Day

    Our 2010 Holiday Wreath Sale is now over.  Club members spent four and a half days setting up, decorating, delivering, and cleaning up, creating over 400 wreaths (246 of them fully decorated) and raising money for our beloved street trees. Know that every last dime of proceeds will go to betterment projects in our neighborhood, in our City, and even a bit beyond.  Wreath Chairs Francine Crawford, Margaret Pokorny, and Elisabeth Lay, and Co-Presidents Jackie Blombach and Jolinda Taylor wish to thank all the Garden Club of the Back Bay volunteers, neighborhood guest volunteers, and most of all our loyal customers, for everything they have done this week.

    Last year we featured a “Wreath of the Day” each day in December following the end of Wreath Week through New Year’s Day, and the postings were a big success.  Every wreath has a story, and we think these stories should be shared.  Hanukkah is now over, but our first showcased wreath pays tribute to the eight day holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC.

  • Arnold Arboretum Lilac T-Shirt Design Contest

    Create a piece of Arnold Arboretum history.  Enter the contest to design next year’s Lilac Sunday T-shirt.  The Arnold Arboretum invites artists of all ages to submit T-shirt designs for Lilac Sunday 2011.  Lilac-themed T-shirts have been a tradition at Lilac Sunday for many years, and continue to be a highly anticipated and popular memento of this event.

    Designs must be original artwork for the front of a T-shirt, suitable for men and women.  Color of T-shirt will be determined by the Arboretum staff.  Design must be a maximum of 2 color for T-shirt screen printing, and white is considered a color.  Open to all ages, and you may submit up to three designs.  The deadline is January 31, 2011, so get sketching!  Please submit a digital file of your design (may be a digital photograph).

    Winning artwork becomes the property of the Arnold Arboretum.  Colors and fonts may be altered at Arboretum discretion.  Artwork may be used in other promotional materials for Lilac Sunday, possibly including but not limited to day-of-event signage and temporary tattoo (!). Submissions will be evaluated based on how well they reflect the spirit, history, and beauty of Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum. The competition will be judged by Arnold Arboretum staff, and the winner will be announced in February 2011.  The winner will receive ten T-shirts and be credited on all promotional materials.  For complete submission rules, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.  Questions and submissions may be sent to arbweb@arnarb.harvard.edu – put “Lilac Sunday T-Shirt Competition” in the email subject line.  Last year’s winning design below was created by Lisa Rosowski.

    Lilac Sunday T-shirt 2010

  • The American Garden Museum Website

    The American Garden Museum is a working archive that celebrates American gardens and their gardeners.  View showcase gardens, explore gardens across America by state (very useful travel tool), see on line exhibits highlighting popular garden designs and trends from 1930 to 1940, focusing primarily on the New England States, such as The Garden Scrap Book of Lois Travis Thornton, and enjoy beautiful, inspirational photographs.  The Botanical Archive allows you to view almost 100 popular and historical garden species by common or Latin name.  Best of all, they want to hear your story, be it a cherished childhood memory, or something profound or amusing.  Visit the site, then send your story to YourStory@AmericanGardenMuseum.com. Image from emmabond.typepad.com.

  • Sunday, December 12, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Raise the Wreath

    Tired of spending the holiday season in the mall? Bring your family down to Weir River Farm, a property in Hingham, Massachusetts, managed by The Trustees of Reservations,  for the perfect way to celebrate the season. Join the staff to make the giant wreath that hangs from our big red barn during the holidays. The kids will love sharing a cup of cocoa, making evergreen door swags, and watching the finished wreath being hoisted up and illuminated. If there is snow, bring your sled for some extra fun! Please pre-register by calling 781-740-4796, or emailing mconnolly@ttor.org.

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Wreath Making Days, Monday December 6 – Thursday December 9

    For all of our fans out there, be advised we’re knee deep in pine needles over at The First Lutheran Church of Boston, 299 Berkeley Street, from today through Thursday, so if you need to find us, walk on over.  If you’ve ordered a wreath, you should have received a confirmatory postcard detailing the time of delivery, or in the case of pick up, when the wreath will be ready.  If you haven’t ordered a wreath, because, we assume, you’ve been held hostage by Somali pirates and have only just now been released, you may still walk on over to purchase a plain wreath or a wreath with a beautiful bow, but we’re afraid we cannot take any more orders for fully decorated wreaths – we are SOLD OUT! We’re just overwhelmed with the positive response from our past customers and from new customers we’ve found through our ads in the NABB Bulletin, the Back Bay Sun, the Beacon Hill Times, and the Boston Courant.  You may, however, put yourself on our mailing list for next season by either coming by, emailing info@bostonflora.com, or calling 617-859-8865 and leaving a message.