Boston Flora

Wednesday, May 14, 9:30 am – 11:30 am Eastern – Landscape Sketching, Online

Landscapes are a wonderful subject for drawings, but it can be difficult to know where to start. In this Harvard Museum of Natural History online workshop on May 14 with artist and educator Rachel Mirus, we’ll discuss how to select a composition, create a sense of depth and volume, and use a variety of marks to capture a dynamic variety of textures in a landscape. We’ll look at examples and have plenty of time for drawing and individualized feedback. The group will be limited to 12 participants, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome. This class is for adults. $30 for Harvard Museum members, $35 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/event/landscape-sketching-1

Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – The Wondrous World of Fireflies, Live and Online

Fireflies are among our greatest ambassadors for Earth’s natural magic. Yet they hold so many mysteries! Sara Lewis will explore the science behind their bright lights and illuminate their remarkable lifestyles. Human activities have put fireflies at risk, but we’ll learn how we can all help protect these dazzling creatures. The program is a joint presentation of Grow Native Massachusetts and the New England Botanic Garden, which will host the live event on May 14 at 7:00 pm Eastern. Free and open to all. Sara Lewis is the author of Silent Sparks. To register visit https://grownativemass.org/Our-Programs/calendar

Saturday, May 10 – World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day is a special day to celebrate these incredible birds and help protect them. World Migratory Bird Day is officially celebrated on the second Saturday of May in Canada and the US, and the second Saturday of October in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. However, every day is Bird Day, and you can celebrate birds and host events any day of the year! This year, we’re focusing on making our cities, villages, towns, and communities, from rural to urban, more bird-friendly. In 2025, WMBD will raise awareness about the many challenges migratory birds face due to human activities and expanding urban development. The campaign will advocate for strategic urban planning and conservation efforts that incorporate bird-friendly practices, making sure that our communities become havens for these remarkable travelers. The 2025 theme encourages action from all sectors, including national and local governments, businesses, community groups, and individuals worldwide. he 2025 poster, illustrated by Annamaria Savarino Drago of Mexico, features birds that depend on safe spaces. Look closely in the image to find the ways that you can create bird-friendly cities and communities.

What does “bird-friendly” mean? “Bird-friendly” means making our environment safe and welcoming for birds. We can do this by planting native plants, providing clean water, and avoiding the use of harmful chemicals. By creating and protecting shared spaces, we can help birds on their long journeys and make our communities more beautiful and healthy. Throughout the year, we will explore the many actions communities can take to make their spaces more bird-friendly. For more information visit https://worldmigratorybirdday.org

Saturday, May 10, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Kokedama

A Japanese gardening tradition, known as the “poor man’s bonsai.” Kokedama, which translates to “moss ball,” is a centuries-old art form that celebrates the harmony between nature and design. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society May 10 workshop is centered around creating a beautiful living plant arrangement that is both decorative and unique.

Led by Garden Educator, Melissa Pace, participants will learn techniques necessary to craft a thriving kokedama.

The role of substrate composition in supporting plant health and moisture retention
How moss functions as a natural moisture regulator.
The relationship between root structure, aeration, and plant stability
Best practices for plant selection based on growth habit, light requirements, and humidity tolerance

Each kokedama is not only a living garden but also a captivating conversation piece. Experiment with different displays, including a shallow dish or hanging with a macramé!

Show off your creation! We invite you to enter your kokedama in the New England Fall Flower Show this September! Either enter your kokedama from the workshop or use your new skills to create another one! Click here for details on dates and how to register. Pro Tip: Bring a box to safely transport your new creation home!

Workshop size is limited – Preregistration here is required. $45 for Mass Hort members, $53 for nonmembers.

Wednesday, May 7, 12:00 noon Eastern – Gardens of Glass, Online

The Royal Oak Society hosts an online recorded lecture with John Goodall on Wednesday, May 7 at noon Eastern. With the global expansion of 17th-century European trade networks, plant collecting became a matter of both economic and intellectual interest in Britain. Exotic fruits and flowers were prized as prestigious displays of wealth and refinement, fueling an obsession with horticulture among the elite. The fascination began with pineapples and soon extended to citrus trees; a trend particularly championed by King William III. By the late 18th century, a glass house or ‘greenhouse’ was an architectural mark of a gentleman’s garden, even if it was only to grow delicate fruits such as apricots or peaches. John Goodall, Architectural Editor at Country Life, will trace the rise, fall, and revival of Britain’s historic glasshouses, exploring their cultural significance and the renewed interest in their restoration today.

John Goodall has been architectural editor at Country Life since 2007 and has contributed to CL since 1994. He is the author of several books, including English House Style: From the Archives of Country Life and The English Castle (2011). English Castle received numerous accolades: the 2011 Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion and the 2013 Historians of British Art Book Prize (pre-1800). The work also received the G. T. Clark Prize for 2007–2012. He read history at Durham University and took an MA and Ph.D. in architectural history from the Courtauld Institute of Art. In 2003 he joined English Heritage as a senior properties historian. He had written several guidebooks for both English Heritage and the National Trust. He acted in 2007 as series consultant for the BBC 1 series How We Built Britain. Other projects include contributions to the photographic book The English Cathedral by Peter Marlow. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2001. Goodall is a patron of the Castle Studies Trust, a UK registered charity founded in 2012.

$15 for Royal Oak members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.royal-oak.org/event/zoom-rental-gardens-of-glass/

Tuesday, May 6, 7:00 am – 8:30 am Eastern (but recorded) – Conservation and “Restoration”, Online

The Gardens Trust’s final series of A History of Gardens will consider developments of the recent past. Starting with the arrival of the sleek, functional style of Modernism after the first world war, the talks will move on to explore contemporary thinking on the challenges of conserving and restoring historic parks and gardens, the rise of ecological perennial planting, the reappearance of allusive gardens and how a garden’s ‘spirit of place’ can guide sustainable plans for the future.

Themes and exemplars in garden-making are more difficult to identify without the benefit of distance and time. But considering recent ideas and approaches is bound to bring a thought-provoking end to our History of Gardens. This ticket link is for the sixth series of 5 talks in our History of Gardens Course at £35 or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8 via the links on the website. (Gardens Trust members £6 each or all 5 for £26.25). Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Ticket sales close 4 hours before the first talk.

Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk (if you do not receive this link please contact us) and a link to the recorded session will be sent shortly after each session and will be available for 2 weeks.

Week 2 on May 6 is The Conservation and “Restoration” of Historic Parks and Gardens in the Late Twentieth Century and Earliest 21st Century, a Personal View with John Watkins. In the last few decades, we have seen a renaissance for historic parks and gardens in the UK. The initial stimulus was arguably the Great Storm of 1987. It caused catastrophic damage, with an estimated 15 million trees flattened. But as Historic England later reported, for designed landscapes ‘the alarming destruction was often outweighed by the opportunities for renewal’ as a multimillion-pound landscape rehabilitation program led to turbocharged research and subsequent replanting and restoration. A second factor has been the establishment of the National Lottery in 1994, since when £2.1 billion has been awarded to projects supporting landscapes, parks and nature. A third factor in the renaissance has been a generally buoyant economy with more homeowners becoming interested in gardens and a growing garden tourist economy.

The lecture will provide a personal view highlighting selected ‘restoration’ projects over the last 40 years that have both conserved and rejuvenated many historic gardens and designed landscapes. John Watkins has led the Gardens and Landscape Team in English Heritage for 27 years and will be retiring in July 2025. He is a professional horticulturist with some 47 years’ experience, awarded the RHS Associate of Honour in 2016. He jointly edited and contributed to the English Heritage Manual: The Management & Maintenance of Historic Parks, Gardens & Landscapes (Frances Lincoln, 2007). His experience of high-profile restoration projects includes Chiswick House and Gardens, Down House, Eltham Palace, Wrest Park, Witley Court, Kenilworth Castle, Boscobel House, Audley End Kitchen Garden and Mount Grace Priory. He has recently completed major projects at Marble Hill in London, Belsay Hall in Northumberland. In April 2025 he was appointed as Chair of the Gardens Trust.

Saturday, May 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Glenluce Garden Open Day

Glenluce Garden is a small, personal, and romantic garden in Stow, Massachusetts. Entering by the western gate, you will find yourself on a mound with green paths beckoning in seven directions. Explore these paths to discover a grove of paperbark maples, an island of tree peonies, or a border of fragrant native azaleas. A pergola covered by climbing roses leads to a frog pond shaded by heptacodium and a courtyard with raised vegetable beds. Magnolias, rhododendrons, peonies, and roses abound in Glenluce Garden. The Garden Conservancy Open Day tour takes place May 10 from 10 – 4. $5 for Conservancy members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.gardenconservancy.org

Saturday, May 3, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Gibson House Spring Open House & Costume Exhibit

Celebrate spring with the Gibson House Museum on Saturday, May 3 from 1 – 4. Timed tickets on the half hour at 1pm, 1:30pm, 2pm, 2:30pm, and 3pm. Reserve your space at https://www.thegibsonhouse.org/

Join us for a self-guided tour and specialty costume exhibition featuring Victorian fashions that highlight the honored tradition of our local “Promenade,” a leisurely walk in the Public Garden. Make sure to visit our Victorian-themed photo booth and take your own photo in the elegant setting of the Gibson House. Finish your visit by enjoying a self-serve buffet of tea and sweets.

Costume exhibition presented in collaboration with the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (NSCDA).

Friday, May 2 – Saturday, May 31 – Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Wright-Locke Farm is excited to announce an exhibit of farm photography, The photos will be on display in the historic 1827 Barn through May 31. Make Hay While the Sun Shines is a compilation of work from participants in the Farm’s adult photo walks. These talented photographers captured the beauty of our farmstead and the moments nature takes your breath away. The exhibit is free and open to the public during the following hours: Wednesdays through Fridays, 1 – 3, and Saturdays, 10 – 2. A special thank you to the Winchester Cultural Council and Litho-Craft Printing for. helping make this exhibit possible.

Wednesday, May 14, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – Gardens on Film: Filming in Three Gardens, Online

Historic parks and gardens play a frequent – and frequently tantalizing – role in films and on TV. Where is the 18th century landscape that forms the background to scenes in Bridgerton? Which English country estate serves as Paris for both James Bond and Sherlock Holmes? Is that really a world heritage site being flooded for a scene in The Secret Garden?

Join The Gardens Trust on Wednesdays in May for behind-the-scenes at some of the locations used in costume dramas, children’s adventures, murder mysteries and much else. We’ll hear from a location manager on choosing the right gardens for shoots and from a garden historian on films in her own county, as well as the experience of three major players who regularly manage film crews in their historic landscapes – the National Trust, the Royal Parks and English Heritage. This ticket costs £35 for the full series of five talks or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8. To sign up, visit Eventbrite UK HERE. Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk.

The second talk on May 14 will explain how and why the National Trust allows filming in its historic gardens. It will encompass three shoots. First, the classic children’s story, The Secret Garden, the most recent version of which, filmed in 2019, took place in two of our gardens to help create the garden seen on screen. Second, Alice in Wonderland (below) used a garden chosen by the director, Tim Burton, even though the property, Anthony in Cornwall, had never hosted a film before. The third garden, Lamb House, was an example of filming in the actual garden that featured in the Mapp and Lucia books and where the author lived.

Harvey Edgington was London’s first full time Film Officer having created the role at the London Borough of Greenwich. This involved finding locations for films such as Patriot Games and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Directly before joining the Trust, he did similar work for Film London across the capital. Harvey swapped housing estates for country estates by setting up the NT Filming and Locations Office in 2003, a department he has headed up ever since. He has since spoken about his work at industry events in France, Spain, Sweden, Korea, Poland and the UK.