Drop in to The Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley on August 16 from 10 – 1 and learn about the Sansevieria plant family. These hard-to-kill plants come in a variety of shapes, colors, and styles. You’re sure to learn about the best new plant to add to your collection or start your plant family! FREE with Garden Admission ($10 for non-members, FREE for MHS Members). Learn more at www.masshort.org
Heritage Museums & Gardens Members are invited to join us on August 9 at 9 am for an exclusive and insightful lecture and discussion with James C. O’Connell, author of Becoming Cape Cod: Creating a Seaside Resort (University Press of New England, 2002). Jim was the first to write a comprehensive history of the tourism on Cape Cod and his book inspired and informed the Creating Cape Cod exhibit at Heritage. After the lecture, which will include a slideshow of historic postcards, Jim will be joined by Heritage’s Director of Collections & Exhibitions, Jennifer Y. Madden, for questions and discussion relating to the history tourism on Cape Cod. Attendees can then enjoy coffee and light refreshment following the program.
This special, members-only, in-person, program will take place in the Creating Cape Cod exhibit, located inside the Special Exhibitions Gallery at Heritage Museums & Gardens. It includes time for questions and discussion at the conclusion of the lecture, as well as exclusive early access to the new special exhibition, Creating Cape Cod. This program is free for Heritage Members. Advance registration is required as seating is limited.
Jim O’Connell’s talk on “Becoming Cape Cod: The Creation of a Seaside Resort” is based on his book about the history of Cape Cod’s development as a vacation mecca. The presentation, which is illustrated with rare historic postcards, traces Cape Cod’s resort history from its discovery by Henry David Thoreau before the Civil War to the present day. The talk covers three eras: 1870-1920, on the early years of the resort; 1920-1950, on the impact of the automobile on creating a tourist region with common marketing, a plethora of attractions, and a strong heritage appeal; 1950-present, on measures taken to preserve the Cape in the face of over development.
The decisive moment for the Cape’s development was the coming of the automobile during the 1920s. For the first time, tourists were able to explore the entire region. As a result, a plethora of cottage colonies, restaurants, antique shops, and historical landmarks appeared. After World War II, a boom ensued. Cape Cod’s greatest challenge has been preserving the natural environment, historic buildings, and cultural traditions that have shaped the Cape’s sense of place. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cape’s popularity for second-homeowners and the cost of housing has been growing. While this book is currently out of print, you can find it online at Amazon and AbeBooks.
This program is FREE for current Heritage Members. Please register in advance, as seating is limited. For questions about your membership, or to join contact the Development Department at membership@heritagemuseums.org or at 508-888-3300 x119 or x159. You may also join by clicking https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/join-and-give/membership/
For questions about this program, please email programming@heritagemuseums.org.
Stroll through summer gardens in full bloom! This guided tour sponsored by The Trustees on August 4 will take you to three Dorchester community gardens plus two unique home gardens, and introduce you to some of the gardeners who make these urban green spaces thrive. Along the way, you’ll enjoy a garden mixology demo and tasting, delicious dinner from a local restaurant, and making an infused herbal vinegar to take home.
All proceeds from the tour directly support operations and education in the Trustees’ network of 56 community gardens across Boston, including our 18 gardens in Dorchester.
Sign up for a time slot when you register: 5:00, 5:30, or 6:00pm.
The total walk is under a mile and the pace will be relaxed. The community gardens and walking route are wheelchair accessible; the home gardens vary. Please contact us for additional information about accessibility and any accommodations that might help you or your guests enjoy the tour.
Questions? Contact Michelle at mdelima@thetrustees.org or 978-338-1192. $60 for Trustees members, $75 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/76784/
What’s Out There® Weekend – St. Louis and the Missouri River Valley will bring to light the unique landscape legacy and local character of the city as reflected by its publicly accessible parks, gardens, plazas, cemeteries, memorials, and neighborhoods. Working in collaboration with Magnificent Missouri and myriad local partners, WOT St. Louis will engage a large and diverse audiences (typically 1,000+), offering two days of free, expert-led tours of more than two dozen sites that demonstrate the region’s diverse cultural landscape legacy, encouraging participants to discover the little-known design history of places they may pass every day. The Cultural Landscape Foundation is renowned for these weekend excursions and if you can carve out the time. For complete tour information visit https://www.tclf.org/whats-out-there-weekend-st-louis
The Federated Garden Clubs of Vermont presents a two day tour to the Canadian Tulip Festival Tuesday and Wednesday, May 16 & 17, 2023. You will board your private coach in White River Junction, with stops in Montpelier and Burlington, for the drive to Ottawa. This lovely city sits on the banks of the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal. See its stately Parliament Hill; and Rideau Falls, named for the curtain-like appearance they give. Upon arrival enjoy lunch together at the Lord Elgin hotel restaurant. Bags will be transferred to the rooms at check in time of 3:00pm. NOTE: A valid Passport, Passport Card or enhanced driver’s license is required to enter Canada. All Travelers must be vaccinated to participate in this tour. Guidelines for travel to Canada.
https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/covid-vaccinated-travellers-entering-canada After lunch transfer to the Commissioners Park for a walking tour and learn the incredible heritage of this Festival while visiting highlights such as the Queen Juliana Gift Bed, or the historic statue, The Man with Two Hats. Enjoy the Canadian Tulip Festival at Commissioners Park established to celebrate the historic Royal gift of tulips from the Dutch to Canadians immediately following the Second World War as a symbol of international friendship. Visit the Tulip Pavilion, a celebration of the gorgeous, adaptable flower that is the
Festival’s key attraction and much more. Explore the Festival’s roots and step back in time at the Heritage Pavilion. Experience the real-life sacrifice that took place right here in Ottawa in 1945. Meet the faces and hear from story-tellers the experiences of veterans from WWII, people who left their homes to join the fight for freedom halfway across the world. Enjoy a chance to shop for antiques and artisan crafts of the immediate postwar era. You’ll also have the opportunity to hear music as part of the Festival’s concert series. Tonight enjoy dinner (paid individually) at one of the many fine restaurants near your hotel.
On Wednesday, following a buffet breakfast at the hotel, Today enjoy a day in the garden, right in the heart of the Nation’s Capital, set against the stunning backdrop of Dows Lake. Or explore other beautiful sites of the city on your own. Lunch is paid individually. Check out time is noon and luggage will be stored until departure. 3:00pm Suggested departure time for Vermont.
Drop offs in Burlington, Montpelier and White River Junction. Arrival times TBA
Cost is $549 per person, double occupancy, with a single room supplement of $119. $100 per person deposit is required to confirm booking. Space is limited! Deadline for tour registration is September 16, 2022. Final payment due: 65 days prior to arrival date or March 11, 2023. For complete details, and to register, visit www.vermontfgcv.com
The Arnold Arboretum art shows are offered in-person at the Hunnewell Building at 125 Arborway (open noon–4pm, Friday through Monday) and virtually at www.arboretum.harvard.edu. In The Nature of Art/The Art of Nature, fourteen artists from New England Book Artists have their work on view this summer. Each artist takes a personal look at nature, combining their own interpretation of what resonates with them with a singular book design. From a Dragonfly to Wild Roses, a celebration of Walking in the Arboretum to a memorial to the Ashes of a lost farm, these artists bring an thoughtful and intriguing vision to the world of art within nature and the nature of books.
An Invasive Plant Mitigation Workshop will take place on August 9 at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, co sponsored by the Arboretum and by The Nature Conservancy.
Join Grounds Manager Ian Jochems to learn strategies for invasive plant and weed management at PHA that you can use in your own garden. We will cover trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants such as black locust, autumn olive, bittersweet, and garlic mustard. Attendees will be able to try out the different methods of management and each participant will leave with a management tool gift. $20 for PHA members, $35 for nonmembers.
Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/Invasive-Plant-Mitigation
Join Historic New England on August 11 on a 90-minute walking tour exploring the architectural gems, historic events, and remarkable people of Portsmouth, New Hampshire from the eighteenth century to today. Starting at Historic New England’s Langdon House, 143 Pleasant Street, the guided outdoor tour connects the storied South End neighborhood to the bustling West End, revealing along the way the vibrant character of New Hampshire’s iconic seacoast city.
The tour is one mile in length over brick and paved city streets. Rain or shine.
Members $15; Nonmembers $25. Log in or join now to have your discount applied at checkout.
Please call 617-994-5977 for more information. Purchase tickets at https://my.historicnewengland.org/13907/lan-walk-2
The Neighborhood Associationn of the Back Bay Special Events Committee invites you to join them for an evening on the Esplanade with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra on Wednesday, August 15, at 7:00 pm at the DCR Hatch Shell.
The evening’s presentation will be “Sounds of the Sea.” In this concert, animal songs and representations of sea life are woven together in a program conceived and presented in collaboration with the New England Aquarium. The Music of Maurice Ravel, Stella Sung, Claude Debussy and Bernard Hermann will transport us to the ocean. Debussy’s La Mer summons up the mysterious power and psychological depths of the wind and waves. Also, Moby Dick rises again in the haunting music of Bernard Herrman, Alfred Hitchcock’s most frequent collaborator.
If you are planning on bringing a picnic or food for dining under the stars at the event, please be aware that the DCR will be checking bags and backpacks. No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park. There is no charge for this event. However, chairs are available for rental that evening for $5.00.
Please RSVP to Gail Laffer at specialevents@nabbonline.org by August 10th if you are planning on attending the event and let her know if you would like to reserve a chair. Payment for the chair will be at the event.
Starting in August 2022, the City of Boston is launching a free, curbside food waste collection service for residents. To participate, residents must live in buildings with 6 units or fewer. Enrollment is limited, so sign up today.
This program will begin on August 1st and is available to the first 10,000 households who sign up. Composting ‘starter kits’ (instructions, a roll of liners, a kitchen bin and a collection bin to put on the curb on collection days) will be delivered to enrolled households in July.
For more about the program (and to register) go to: https://www.bostoncomposts.com
