Boston Flora

Thursday, February 10, 6:30 pm – Innisfree: An American Garden, Online

Morven Museum & Garden’s exciting Grand Homes & Gardens Distinguished Speakers Series returns with another stellar lineup. This year we travel to the Roaring 20’s starting at Innisfree in New York, then south to Swan House in Georgia, down to Ca’ D’Zan on Florida’s west coast; finally arriving in Miami’s Vizcaya. Held live in Morven’s Stockton Education Center, adjacent to the Museum, and simulcast on Zoom, in February and March, this illustrated lecture series brightens winter up and down the coast.

In person program includes light refreshments tailored to the theme of each week’s featured lecturer. Online virtual program includes recipes for make-at-home fare. SERIES TICKETS INCLUDE LIVE OR VIRTUAL TICKETS TO ALL 4 WEEKS OF PROGRAMMING. You may, however, sign up for individual sessions.

On February 10 at 6:30, Katherine H. Kerin, Landscape Curator, will discuss Innisfree. While the making of Innisfree spanned about 70 years, its roots are in the 1920s when Walter Beck and his wife, avid gardener and heiress Marion Burt Beck, began work on their Millbrook, New York country residence. Decidedly American, Innisfree merges traditional Chinese and Japanese design with Romantic and Modernist ideals and ecological design principles. While the house is no longer standing, it was adapted from an Arts and Crafts building at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden, Wisley, and we will have a view into the Beck’s collection of Asian, primarily Chinese art, which filled it.

Pricing is $15 – $90 for entire series. Register HERE.

Thursday, February 10, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – The Gardens of the Château de Versailles, Online

Louis XIV built the Château de Versailles, 12 miles/20 km southwest of Paris, between 1664 and 1715. He employed André Le Nôtre as landscape architect, Louis Le Vau as architect (succeeded by Jules Hardouin-Mansart), and Charles Le Brun as decorator, all of whom had worked at Vaux-le-Vicomte for Nicolas Fouquet. Le Nôtre laid out the vast gardens in the Classical style, with their wide allées flanked by geometric flower beds, 17 groves, 50 fountains, and especially la Grande Perspective that leads due west from the Galerie des Glaces to the mile/1.6-km-long Grand Canal and beyond to the setting sun. The formal gardens of Versailles soon became the model for gardens throughout Europe. The scale of Versailles was awe-inspiring: By the time Louis died in 1715, the original gardens of 250 acres/100 hectares had expanded to more than 4,000 acres/1,600 hectares, while the Grand Parc covered some 15,000 acres/6,100 hectares, enclosed by a wall 26 miles/42 km long. (By comparison, the Boulevard Périphérique around Paris is 22 miles/35 km long.) The gardens and park now cover 2,000 acres/800 hectares.

Speaker Gabriel Wick is a Paris-based landscape historian, writer and curator. He is an adjunct lecturer in architectural and urban history at the Paris campus of New York University. He received his doctorate in history from the University of London (QMUL) in 2017, and holds masters degrees in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley and historic landscape conservation from the National Architecture School of Versailles (ÉNSA – Versailles). He is the author of a number of books and scholarly articles on 18^th French landscapes. He is currently consulting with the Foundation Chambrun on the conservation management plan of the Marquis de Lafayette’s domain of La Grange-Bléneau.

This program is presented by Alliance Française Miami Metro in partnership with the Alliance Française Chicago with communication support from the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA, the French Heritage Society, the Garden Conservancy, the Historic Gardens Foundation, and WICE. $10 for members of a sponsoring organization, $20 for nonmembers. Register HERE. Garden Conservancy members use code MERCIAFMM. The program is presented in English.

Saturday, February 12, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – The Ecological Benefits of Native Bees and Predatory Wasps, Online

Native bees and predatory wasps share the same lineage and share many behaviors and habitat requirements. Predatory wasps feed their offspring invertebrates (insects and spiders) and bees diverged from this carnivorous diet to feed their offspring plant-based food (pollen and nectar). Flower-rich landscapes provide critical habitat for both adult bees and wasps because they each consume flower nectar; in addition, wasps need diverse, flower-rich landscapes to hunt for their prey. Heather will highlight many amazing natural history and biology facts about native wasps illustrating their nesting habitat, prey specificity, and the ecosystems services they provide—pest insect population control and pollination.

This program is part of the Mt. Cuba Center Winter Lecture Series and takes place online Saturday, February 12 at 11 am Eastern. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/the-ecological-benefits-of-native-bees-and-predatory-wasps-online/

About the Instructor:
Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. In addition to assisting with native bee research projects, she informs and educates audiences nationwide about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Her latest book, Wasps, was published in February 2021. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps occurring in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Heather is a National Honorary Director of Wild Ones. She also serves on the board of the Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary.

Thursday, February 10, 2:00 pm – The Northwest Gardens of Lord & Schryver, Online

In 1929, Elizabeth Lord & Edith Schryver, two young women from opposite sides of the United States, traveled to Salem, OR, and formed the first landscape architecture firm founded by women in the Pacific Northwest. Their complimentary talents and strong social network assured their success during the economic development of the region. They were consummate professionals who designed for a series of private clients and public institutions, as well as volunteering their time to enhance and secure the public landscapes of Oregon.

The Northwest Gardens of Lord & Schryver, by Valencia Libby, was published in November 2021 by Oregon State University Press, in cooperation with the Lord & Schryver Conservancy. Join The Garden Conservancy on Zoom on February 10 at 2 pm Eastern time for this webinar, as the author discusses her new book. $5 for Garden Conservancy and Northwest Network members, $15 general admission. Members of the Frank & Anne Cabot Society for Planned Giving have complimentary access to Garden Conservancy webinars. All Cabot Society members will automatically be sent the link to participate on the morning of the webinar. For more information about the Cabot Society, please contact Sarah Parker at sparker@gardenconservancy.org or 845.424.6500, ext. 214.

Valencia Libby gardens & lectures in Blue Hill, ME. She was an associate professor of landscape architecture & horticulture at Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA. In 2004, she served as the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Landscape History to Portugal. She has authored many articles on landscape preservation and women’s history.

Wednesdays, February 2 – February 23, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Ecology Lecture Series: Invasive and Non-Invasive Plants, Online

Join the Berkshire Botanical Garden for all four lectures in our ecology lecture series presented in partnership with Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Please note, all lectures are offered online and it is possible to register for individual lectures. The talks will take place Wednesdays, February 2 – 23 from 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

On February 2, the topic is Iconic Birds of Massachusetts and their Habitat. With a wide range of available habitats, Massachusetts is home to a fascinating array of birds. Join an experienced naturalist from Mass Audubon for an engaging talk about the noteworthy birds of Massachusetts and their incredible life histories. From migration to surviving the cold winters, we will explore the brilliance and challenges of our northeastern birds. This talk will include a captivating slideshow and discussion from a life-long naturalist with a passion for birds. Learn more about these avian friends and where to find them.

February 9 brings Building Healthy Soil in Harmony with Nature. Soil in many ways is the bedrock of successful environmental systems. Without good, healthy soil, these systems can collapse. Despite the importance of soil, we often don’t take the time to understand how it works, how we can cause it harm, and ways we can improve it. In this webinar we will explore the science of soil, learn what healthy soil is composed of and how it is created, and discover ways to prevent damaging soil. By the end you will begin to see how gardening in harmony with nature can build healthy soil, healthy plants, and rich ecosystems. Lecturer Duncan Himmelman, PhD, is the former Education Manager at Mt. Cuba Center, a consultant on garden design and plant selection, and a frequent lecturer on many horticultural topics. After earning his doctorate in Ornamental Horticulture from Cornell University and serving on the faculty of Olds College for 24 years, Duncan remains committed to nurturing the talents of people who share his love of plants, nature, and gardening.

February 16 is the date of Invasive and Non-Native Plants with Mark Richardson. A common topic when discussing habitat health is invasive and non-native species. Many of us know some species that we would refer to as invasive or non-native. Many of us have also been told how to think about or manage those species. However, rarely do we discuss what makes a plant invasive or non-native, if that criteria changed, what the data is currently showing about their presence if management practices adjusted with more data, and how climate change is impacting our view of invasive and non-native plants. These are just a few of the questions we should be asking. This lecture will discuss what classifies a plant as invasive or non-native and introduce some of those questions about a subject that touches all of our lives.

Mark Richardson has been the Director of Horticulture for Tower Hill Botanic Garden since 2018. He previously served as Botanic Garden Director for New England Wild Flower Society, where he oversaw Garden in the Woods and Nasami Farm native plant nursery. He has a passion for ecological horticulture and native plants and is co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens (Globe Pequot, 2018).

The final talk on February 23 is Wildflowers of Massachusetts. This program will feature the native wildflowers of a variety of natural habitats in Massachusetts, including forests, meadows, and wetlands. The emphasis will be on the early-blooming ephemeral wildflowers that will be in bloom in late April and May …something to anticipate in the depths of winter!

Ted Elliman worked for many years for Native Plant Trust as a staff botanist, invasive species program manager, and instructor of botany, ecology, and conservation classes. His book, The Wildflowers of New England, an identification guide to the region’s native flora, was published in 2016 by Timber Press. In the 1980’s, Ted started and directed an environmental education and wilderness adventure center in the Berkshires. Since the mid-1990’s, he has periodically led natural history tours to southwest China, where he worked for two years as a teacher and forest ecologist.

$40 for BBG and THBG members, $60 for nonmembers. Register on either sponsor’s website. The link to the BBG registration is HERE.

Thursday, February 3, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Predatory Plants, Online

Insectivorous and parasitic plants have evolved nutritional modes that are unlike the rest of the plant world, where self-sufficiency is the norm. This Native Plant Trust online class on February 3 from 1 – 4 covers more familiar pitcher plants, sundews, and dodder vines as well as lesser known groups such as the bladderworts and broom rapes (pictured below). Learn about the habitats, unusual life cycles, and curious behavior of these New England plants. Led by Neela de Zoysa, the class is $45 for NPT members, $54 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/predatory-plants/

Tuesday, February 8, 10 am GMT- Forgotten Women Gardeners: Miss Willmott’s Ghosts, Online

This February 8 Gardens Trust online lecture will focus on The Gardens of Ellen Ann Willmott through her own lens with Sandra Lawrence. £5. Register through Eventbrite HERE Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and a link to the recorded session (available for 1 week) will be sent shortly afterwards.

Horticulturalist, musician, botanist and polymath, Miss Ellen Willmott created three world-class gardens in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. None remain in the state in which she would have known them and two – at Warley Place in Essex and Tresserve in the French Alps – were destroyed after her death in 1934. Thanks to another of Willmott’s obsessions, however, we can at least glimpse into her world. We are only just beginning to understand the full extent of Ellen Willmott’s photography – which was both wide-ranging and high quality – and her published material represents a very small part of her output. This talk will explore Willmott’s gardens through her own images, many of which are newly discovered, discussing her techniques and comparing what she captured with what is left today.

Sandra Lawrence has written for all the broadsheets, many magazines and websites. Her fifteen books, for adults and children, include The Witch’s Garden (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew /Welbeck) and Anthology of Amazing Women (20-Watt). The Magic of Mushrooms will be published by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/ Welbeck in autumn 2022.

Sandra first became interested in Ellen Willmott when she attended an open day at Warley Place as a child circa forty years ago and interest eventually turned to obsession. Her new biography, Miss Willmott’s Ghosts, will be published by Manilla in May 2022.

Sunday, February 13, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Botanical Gardens World Tour: Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and Western Australia Botanic Garden, Online

Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape with Smithsonian Associates as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens in settings as far-flung as Shanghai, the Hudson River Valley, and Australia. In vibrant visuals they explore how each garden has taken a unique approach to design and interpretation as they all celebrate plant collections, conservation, education, and the distinctive environments and landscapes in which they bloom. On February 13, the focus will be on the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and Western Australia Botanic Garden.

The only garden in North America to focus solely on alpine plants, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens (below) in the Colorado Rockies is the highest-altitude public garden on the continent. Compact and exquisitely landscaped, it interprets the diversity and complexity of alpine plants of the world. Superb horticulture and educational signage are hallmarks of this remarkable garden.

Located in the world’s most remote provincial capital, Western Australia Botanic Garden is the jewel of Perth. Set above the Swan River in Kings Park, its landscape displays a highly regionalized collection of plants. Southwestern Australia is one of the earth’s five Endemic Kingdoms for plant diversity, making this garden one of the world’s most unique living laboratories.

Presenter Keith Tomlinson, superintendent of the American Horticultural Society, has worked as a naturalist for 35 years and studied wilderness areas and botanical gardens around the world. His is the author of numerous technical and popular articles on the conservation of plant diversity, botanical garden travel, and environmental education.

$25 for Smithsonian Associates members, $30 for nonmembers. You also save if you sign up for the entire series, with additional sessions on February 20 and February 27. Register HERE.

Wednesday, February 9, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Regenerating Suburbia One Garden at a Time, Online

Landscape design professionals can play a key role in regenerating our monocultural suburban landscapes. Understanding why this work is so vitally important and how we can create beautiful (even luxuriant) landscapes that capture carbon, create habitat in support of our native pollinators, and contribute to the cooling of the earth’s atmosphere.

Nadia Malarkey will share the philosophy that drives her work in the regeneration of landscapes, showing images from her own commissioned residential projects. These examples illustrate the use of a spatial design aesthetic for viable bio-diverse functional landscapes.

Ms. Malarkey’s gardens have inspired her clients with a deeper sense of environmental stewardship as well as drawn their friends and neighbors to the native plant aesthetic. This webinar, sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance, takes place February 9 at 1 pm, and is free to ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

Thursday, February 3, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – The Gardens of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Online

This illustrated lecture via Zoom, live from France, is part of a series that traces the evolution of the French garden from the enclosed gardens of the Middle Ages, through the magnificent Renaissance gardens created by Italian gardeners in the Loire Valley for the Valois kings upon their return from the Italian Wars in the 16th century, through the Classical gardens created by André Le Nôtre for Louis XIV and his court in and around Paris in the 17th century, through the landscape jardins à l’anglaise that swept France from the late 18th through the late 19th century, and ending with the revival of the formal jardins à la française at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. After an introductory lecture to give an overview of the development of the French garden and their designers over the past 500 years, the owners and historians of six of France’s most prestigious state- and privately-owned gardens open to the public will tell the stories of how their gardens were designed – and often redesigned more than once over the centuries – evoking the key designers and historical figures and events associated with their gardens. The series will conclude with an overview of the major parks and gardens of Paris.

Between 1641 and 1661, Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances Nicolas Fouquet built the magnificent Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte 34 miles/55 km southeast of Paris. He hired the architect Louis Le Vau to design the château, the artist Charles Le Brun to decorate it, and the landscape architect André Le Nôtre to design its gardens and park. It was the trio’s first major collaboration and became the model for the French Baroque style, less dependent on Italian influences. The gardens of Vaux represent the pioneering work of the French formal garden, where for the first time Le Nôtre created a garden from scratch as an extension of Le Vau’s château. The garden is celebrated for its perfect symmetry and Le Nôtre’s trademark “long perspective”, defined by a central axis that disappears into the distance. Inspired by the grandeur of Vaux-le-Vicomte, Louis XIV soon retained the team of Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Nôtre to build the château and gardens of Versailles.

Speaker Alexandre de Vogüé and his two brothers are the fifth generation of their family since 1875 to own the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. Alexandre spent his childhood at Vaux, went to university in Paris, and then spent the next 20 years in Chamonix and traveling the world as a professional mountain guide. In 2011 he returned to Vaux, where he is now Director of Development and President of the French and International Friends of Vaux-le-Vicomte Conservancy. Alexandre is also responsible for Vaux’s art collection. He and his brothers are co-authors of A Day at Vaux-le-Vicomte (Les Éditions Flammarion, 2015). A new book about the domain, Vaux-le-Vicomte – Private Invitation, by Guillaume Picon, was published by Les Éditions Flammarion in October 2021.

All the lectures will be in English. $20 – General admission $10 – Garden Conservancy members with code MERCIAFMM Register HERE.