Boston Flora

Tuesday, July 12 – Thursday, July 14 – Nantucket Garden Festival: A Celebration of Island Gardening

A collaboration of gardeners, educators, designers and business leaders, the Nantucket Garden Festival highlights the unique and beautiful garden ecosystems on Nantucket and focuses on the importance of sustainability, conservation and gardening ethics for the long-term health of the island. 2022 marks the 13th anniversary of the Festival! Join us for a celebration of gardening through a host of educational workshops, exquisite garden tours, family activities and parties. View the schedule of events here: www.NantucketGardenFestival.org.

The Keynote Presenter will be Kelly Norris, one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. An award winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design and in numerous television, radio and digital media appearances. His passion for planting at the intersections of horticulture and ecology has culminated in a new book New Naturalism: Designing and Planting a Resilient, Ecologically Vibrant Home Garden from Cool Springs Press. Kelly also presents plants for Cottage Farms Direct on QVC and lectures widely to consumer and industry audiences. He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for 8 years he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.

Other presenters include Meredith Hanson, a watercolor and acrylic artist, Hafsa Lewis, owner/founder of Hafsa and Co., a local floral design studio that “uses flowers to help businesses stand out”, Austin Eischeid, and independent garden design consultant based in Chicago, Chris Roddick, Head Arborist and Foreman of Grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Rebecca McMackin, Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

The Festival raises operating and scholarship funds for Nantucket Lighthouse School, and supports its horticulture curriculum. Nantucket Lighthouse School’s educational garden and greenhouse provides students with a living laboratory and a deeper connection to the natural world. With weekly horticulture classes, a program advised by long-time friend and Festival supporter, Russell Morash, students spend time in the garden and greenhouse planting, weeding, watering, observing and tending to their plants and beds.

Thursday, June 30, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – The Cradle of American Gardening: 300 Years of Philadelphia Horticultural History, Online

We’ve now all watched PBS’s Benjamin Franklin biography, and apologies to the Arnold Arboretum, but the Philadelphia region is home to more significant private and public gardens than anywhere in the country and enjoys a tradition of horticulture that goes back to the city’s inception in the late 17th century.

On June 30, the Smithsonian Associates and Nicole Juday Rhoads draw on two decades of study in historic horticulture to explore the cultural, political, economic, and even religious factors that influenced the surprising evolution of gardening and the establishment of world-class horticultural institutions in the region.

Rhoads introduces some of the historical figures who left their mark on Philadelphia’s landscape, from William Penn and his vision of a “greene countrie towne” to a sect of nature-worshipping, cave-dwelling Rosicrucians to the wealthiest plant collector in pre-Revolutionary America. $25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org

Friday, June 24, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Ask the Expert: Birds, Online

Want to learn more about our feathered friends? Join GBH News reporter Craig LeMoult and ornithologist David Allen Sibley for an online conversation on Friday, June 24 at noon, where you can fall deeply in love with the world of birds.

Sibley is the author and illustrator of the series of successful nature guides that bear his name, including The Sibley Guide to Birds. He is a contributor for Smithsonian, Science, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Birding, BirdWatching, North American Birds and The New York Times. He is the recipient of the Roger Tory Peterson Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Birding Association and the Linnaean Society of New York’s Eisenmann Medal. He lives and birds in Massachusetts.

Register for this virtual Ask The Expert event.We will email you the link to this virtual event once you have registered. Register for this FREE event HERE.

GBH will be using Zoom Webinar for this event. Zoom is free to the public but will require a computer download. You can download Zoom here. If you already have Zoom you will not need to download the platform again.

Tuesday, June 21, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Summer Solstice Celebration 2022: Night at the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture

Celebrate the longest day of the year and mark the beginning of summer—in person!—with the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. 11 Divinity Avenue in Cambridge, on June 21, 5:00–9:00 pm. Enjoy free admission to all four HMSC museums, hands-on activities, food, music and more! Don’t miss this wildly popular event for all ages. For more information visit https://hmnh.harvard.edu/event/summer-solstice

Wednesday, June 22, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Going Electric in the Landscape: Battery Powered Options, Online

Join Ecological Landscape Alliance and Matt Benzie on June 22 online as we take a look at Battery-Powered Landscape Equipment.

There are now practical alternatives on the market to gas-powered landscape maintenance equipment (GLMEs). Let’s talk about why they are worth a try and how to choose your best option. Join us as we talk with Matt Benzie, President and Owner of Indigenous Ingenuities, an environmental landscape design, build and management company located in Doylestown, PA that exclusively uses battery-powered equipment. During this 45-minute live Zoom Q&A, Matt will provide a quick overview of why we should avoid GLMEs and his reasons for making the commitment to battery-powered equipment. Then he will jump right into your questions for the bulk of this session.

Some topics that Matt can address are:

Is it practical to use battery-powered equipment?
What brands are the best for commercial use?
Is electric equipment more expensive? How do you quantify the value to your customers?
And more…

You can email questions in advance to help guide Matt’s remarks. Send to office@ecolandscaping.org. If you don’t submit questions in advance, no problem, we will also be taking questions throughout the event. When you register for Eco-Answers with the ELA Eco-Pros, you will receive your Zoom Webinar link in a separate email. This is a free ELA members-only event, but joining is inexpensive and simple. Visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/going-electric-in-the-landscape/

Saturday, June 25, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Garden Dialogues 2022: Greyledge Farm, Middletown, Rhode Island

Greyledge Farm’s historic farmhouse and studio began its complete restoration in 2016. The house was built in 1870, and the studio was used by John LaFarge, a famous nineteenth-century painter and stain-glass artist. Sited on just over three acres, the landscape is in the picturesque Paradise Valley and has been a subject for generations of artists, including LaFarge, William Trost Richards, and John Frederick Kensett.

Katherine Field and Associates’ project scope includes the entire three acres and was implemented over several years. The clients are passionate about plants and are avid gardeners. They worked closely with an arborist to preserve many of the existing trees, including the spruce grove. The intermittent stream manages invasive species, and rain gardens are opportunities for additional flowering borders to attract and sustain native species.

An existing pool was the only major element that was included in the new landscape. New wood decking created a soft surround, with several areas for pool-side relaxation. A new driveway replaced the former central entry and gave the property more parking, as well as privacy for the front porch.

Transplanted material included a large European beech, Japanese maple, large arborvitae, and dozens of shrubs and perennials. A privet hedge along Paradise Avenue was replaced with a tapestry hedge composed of a mix of native and flowering shrubs. This project shows how to create a cohesive landscape with endless horticultural diversity and allows the microclimates to speak to the nature of the created space. The design engaged the heart of the client, looking for ways to highlights the landscape’s natural rhythms and activities.

This Garden Dialogue, sponsored by The Cultural Landscape Foundation on June 25 from 10 – 12, will be led by Kate Field, Principal Katherine Field and Associates; Julia Driscoll, Landscape Designer, Katherine Field and Associates; Ray Maiello, RLA, Project Manager, Katherine Field and Associates; Greg Yalanis, Architect, Spring Street Studio; Clem Desjardins, Arborist, Stanley Tree; Laurie Sullivan, Landscape Maintenance, Schumacher; and Joe McCue, Senior Biologist, Mason & Associates.

All events will be subject to local guidelines on gatherings, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and stay-at-home orders. Attendance is limited, not only to maximize the safety of those attending but to promote an intimate learning experience. If this event needs to be postponed to comply with local ordinances, registrants will be notified directly. $100. Purchase tickets through Eventbrite HERE.

Photo courtesy Katherine Field and Associates, 2021

Tuesday, June 14, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Weird Little Things, Online

Many corners of our world still contain mysteries that scientists and naturalists alike investigate to understand more about life on Earth, ourselves, and our society. In this fascinating New York Botanical Garden online symposium, on June 14 from 6 – 8, we will pull back the curtain on Mother Nature to reveal some of her most intriguing secrets and celebrate the wonder of the most unusual, ancient organisms on our planet.

HUNTING ZOMBIE ANTS
NYBG mycologist João Araujo, Ph.D., will share insights from his research-both in the lab and in the field-on the unusual adaptations of the zombie-ant fungi. These parasitic fungi have evolved to take control of the ants they infect, and cause them to behave in ways they wouldn’t otherwise. Zombies, anyone?

SHAPESHIFTING SLIME MOLDS
Myxomycetes, or slime molds, are single-celled organisms commonly found in nature, even if their minuscule size makes them easy to overlook. Naturalist Alison Pollack (@marin_mushrooms on Instagram) will share her otherworldly macro photographs of these miniature marvels and provide an overview of their life cycle, morphology, and behavior.

LICHENS: NATURE’S PARADOX
Lichens are vibrant, remarkable microcosms structured around fungi. Both rugged and resilient, yet intricate and fragile, they are defined by contradiction and exist outside the normal rules of life. NYBG scientist James Lendemer, Ph.D., will discuss recent findings that shed new light on these fascinating creatures, placing them at the center of understanding ourselves and our changing world.

NYBG members $25, nonmembers $29. Register at www.nybg.org

Thursday, June 16, 7:30 pm – Woods Hole Film Festival: Bruce & Alvin

On the third Thursday of every month this summer, join the Museum of Science and the Woods Hole Film Festival in the Mugar Omni Theater for a lineup of independent film screenings amplifying inspiring and vital stories of climate change from some of today’s most visionary documentary filmmakers. First up on June 16 is Bruce & Alvin by Josh Seftel.

A short documentary (24 minutes) about the history and future of Alvin, one of the world’s only remaining publicly-funded manned submersibles, as told through the eyes of long-time Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution pilot Bruce Strickrott. We learn about the inspiration for this unlikely hero of the sea whose capacity to help us to see the deepest parts of the world’s oceans in person has led to discoveries that were once considered to be impossible.

As a pilot and program manager, Bruce views his job as one that allows him to change lives by taking scientists to the ocean depths. As one of a handful of people on Earth who operates this vehicle, Bruce is aware of the importance of what he does and of the need to pass on this knowledge to future generations to support science and discovery.

Panel conversation and Q&A with creative team to follow screening.

This screening is part of WHOI’s DISPATCHES FROM AN OCEAN PLANET series presented by the Yawkey Foundation. $15. Buy tickets HERE.

Sunday, June 19, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – Juneteenth Event and Rhode Island Slave History Medallion Unveiling

Join Historic New England on the Juneteenth holiday to honor the contributions of people of color to the growth of Casey Farm and to Rhode Island. At this family-friendly day, explore the farm on foot or on a hayride. Listen to music by the Nettukkusqk Singers, the URI African Drummers and Dancers, and Sidy Maiga & Afrimanding. Hear Lorén Spears of Tomaquag Museum, Casey Farm’s historians, and R.I. Black Storytellers speak about Indigenous and African American culture. Learn about the region from the Narrow River Preservation Association. The highlight of the day is the unveiling of a R.I. Slave History Medallion on the front lawn. Bring your chairs or picnic blanket and enjoy lunch purchased from local BIPOC-owned food trucks.
Please dress for the weather and leave pets at home.

Free Please call 401-295-1030 ext. 5 for more information. Casey Farm is located at 2325 Boston Neck Road in Saunderstown.

Saturday, June 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Landscape in Translation: Arts & Crafts Ideals in the 21st Century

With sweeping views of the Narragansett Bay, Blithewold was created as a seaside summer retreat in the 1890s and remained in the same family for almost 100 years. Today, this 33-acre estate evokes the romance of the Country Place Era. The landscape itself reflects the Arts and Crafts style with harmony between house and grounds and amongst the various gardens; garden rooms of an intimate scale ranging in character from mysterious to exotic, poetic to practical; carefully designed and locally crafted details including stonework, wellheads, and fountains; and a remarkable collection of more than 500 species of trees and shrubs. On June 18 at 1 pm, explore this landscape and its rich history in a Digging Deeper walking tour with Garden Manager Betsy Ekholm and Gail Read (gardens and greenhouse manager). The program is sponsored by the Garden Conservancy, and is $30 for Blithewold and Garden Conservancy members, $40 for general public. For more information, please contact the Garden Conservancy by telephone 845.424.6500, M-F, 9-5 Eastern, or sign up at www.gardenconservancy.org