Boston Flora

Wednesday, February 9, 11:00 am – The Indigenous Roots of Sustainable Forestry, Online

Building upon a millennia-old tradition of environmental stewardship, Indigenous peoples have developed innovative systems to manage the forests that remain under their sovereign control in ways that support commercial enterprise, protect cultural use, and promote ecosystem health. Join Michael Dockry, Ph.D., as he discusses current forest management projects and the increase in partnerships between Indigenous communities and federal and state forest managers.

Michael Dockry, Ph.D., is a professor of Tribal Natural Resource Management at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. His academic focus is on incorporating Indigenous knowledge into forestry and natural resource management, supporting tribal sovereignty, and addressing tribal environmental issues.

This online New York Botanical Garden lecture will take place February 9 at 11 am. $15 for NYBG members, $18 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

Wednesday, February 9, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Harvard University Herbaria Live Tour

Native Plant Trust has partnered with staff at university herbaria throughout New England to offer a special inside look at the region’s most impressive plant specimen collections. The February in person program will feature the Harvard University Herbaria with Michaela Schmull, on February 9 from 1 – 2. $15 for Native Plant Trust members, $18 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/harvard-university-herbaria/

Wednesday, February 2, 2:00 pm – A Princely Estate: The Duchy of Cornwall, Online

The Duchy of Cornwall is England’s first and oldest dukedom founded in 1337 by King Edward III for his son and proclaimed heir, Richard of Woodstock – the Black Prince. The estate was created to provide the heir apparent to throne and his family with an income during the period he was Prince of Wales.

Today, almost 700 years later, the Duchy performs the same role it did at the outset. The present holder of the title is His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales and the estate will pass to his son, Prince William, when he accedes to the throne.

In his Royal Oak Foundation talk on February 2 at 2 pm, Ian Cox will explore this unique English institution and look at its history, its holdings and some of its peculiarities. The work and stewardship of the Duchy by Prince Charles, the longest serving Duke of Cornwall, will be considered and projects such as the organic farm at Highgrove and Poundbury new town in Dorset will be highlighted. Ian Cox studied at the Universities of Keele, London and Glasgow. He developed his career as a decorative arts historian in the 1980s and was the Director of the Christie’s Decorative Arts Programme at the University of Glasgow and then Director of Studies for Christie’s Education in London. Ian also ran a prestigious Decorative Arts Summer School for Christie’s in New York and was Co-Director of the Victorian Society of America London Summer School. Ian has published widely in the history of the decorative arts, particularly on furniture and ceramics. In more recent times, he has directed cultural holiday programmes for the ACE foundation in Cambridge and is a regular round the world lecturer for the Seabourn and Silverseas cruise lines. He has been a lecturer for The Royal Oak Foundation in the USA since 2006.

In addition to the live lecture, you may choose to purchase a rental version of the talk, available from February 3 – February 14. $15 for Royal Oak members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.royal-oak.org/events/winter-2022/cornwall/

Tuesday, February 1, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, GMT – Forgotten Women Gardeners: A Passion for Plants and Politics, Lady Dorothy Nevill, Online

This February 1 Gardens Trust online talk focuses on the turbulent life of Lady Dorothy Nevill (1826-1913), who gardened at Dangstein, W. Sussex, where she amassed an enviable plant collection and interacted with Sir William Hooker of Kew and Charles Darwin. Although occasionally tainted by scandal, Lady Dorothy survived it all through a passion for both plants and politics.

Dr Catherine Horwood is an experienced speaker and the author of many books on social history including Gardening Women. Their Stories from 1600 to the Present (Virago, 2010) and Potted History – How Houseplants Took Over Our Homes (Pimpernel Press, 2020). Her biography Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants (Pimpernel Press, 2019) was selected as the European Garden Book of the Year in 2020.

£5. 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. Register through Eventbrite HERE.

Wednesday, February 2, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Between Wild and Cultivated: The Marginal Garden and its Care, Online

The “marginal garden” explores the boundaries between the wild and the cultivated, particularly the interface of where native plant species meet naturalizing garden ones. Such places have ideally achieved a reasonably stable co-existence. Marginal gardens, including Innisfree, can be exciting and surprising, and can challenge our conceptions of both what ‘nature’ and ‘cultivation’ are.

However, like any natural or semi-natural habitat they are never completely stable. Their creation and management requires the insights, knowledge and skills of both horticulture and ecology, and suggests strongly we need a new profession that brings these two areas, formerly separate, together. We also need to look critically and objectively at our management techniques, particularly for managing invasive species, and ask how these can be used to enhance the biodiverse marginal garden.

Presenter Noel Kingsbury is a renowned planting-design consultant and writer on gardens and naturalistic planting, with over 20 books to his name. Noting that “few garden writers are as prolific or as influential,” Noel has been called ”the great chronicler of contemporary planting design…this generation’s Gertrude Stein.” His newest book, Wild: The Naturalistic Garden (Phaidon, March 2022) profiles gardens around the world including Innisfree. www.noelkingsbury.com

This is the first in Innisfree Garden’s 2022 Lecture Series, Romanticism at Innisfree: Nature as Muse. The public programs will explore the wide-ranging cultural and artistic embodiments of Romantic ideals and their impact on Innisfree Garden. Held as a lunchtime virtual series on Wednesdays at 1 pm Eastern time, they are free to all Innisfree members, $15 for the general public, or $75 for the series (one free lecture) Register now.

Thursday, January 27, 1:00 pm – The Gardens of the Château de Valmer, Online

Like its Loire Valley neighbor the Château de Villandry, the Château de Valmer dates back to the reign of François 1er. And like Villandry, the gardens at Valmer are laid out on a series of terraces that follow the slope of the hillside and end with the 2.5-acre/one-hectare ornamental kitchen garden (potager) that once fed 40 people and now grows edible plants and flowers to be enjoyed during the summer as well as vegetables to be preserved in tufa cellars during the winter. The château’s moat has become a separate garden. The domain also produces some excellent Vouvray wines! The Garden Conservancy is delighted to offer this virtual lecture on January 27 in partnership with the Alliance Française Chicago with communication support from the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA. the French Heritage Society, the Historic Gardens Foundation, and WICE. $10 if a member of a sponsoring organization, $20 general public. Register HERE.

Speaker Alix de Saint Venant and her husband Aymar are the fourth generation of their family to own the Château de Valmer since 1888. Passionate about Valmer, Alix rediscovered the 17^th century plan for the gardens, became a landscape gardener, and dedicated herself to the restoration of its Renaissance gardens. Alix is the co-author of Le Potager d’Alix de Saint Venant au château de Valmer (EPA, 2013). Finally, her son Jean is in charge of the 86-acre/35-hectare vineyard, taking over from his father and ensuring that the fifth generation will carry on the family tradition.

Saturday, February 5, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Valentine’s Wreath Workshop

Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester is holding a Valentine’s Wreath Workshop on Saturday, February 5 from 11:30 – 12:30. This is a fun opportunity to create your own decorative heart shaped wreath from natural, compostable materials. You will use twine, vines, ribbons, paper, sticks, dried flowers, and berries. $45. As long as it is safe to do so, these workshops will be in-person, at the farm. All necessary supplies will be provided and participants will go home with their own creations. Register at https://www.wlfarm.org/adult-education-programs/

Saturday, February 12 – Sunday, March 20 – Prismatic, An Orchid Exhibition

Inspired by color and light, Tower Hill Botanic Garde has combined dazzling plant displays and vibrant art installations to bring you this year’s orchid exhibit, Prismatic! This experience begins as soon as you enter the lobby and continues throughout Tower Hill’s indoor spaces, including the Limonaia and Orangerie, which are adorned with 1,400 colorful orchids and sparkling works of art. Your journey also includes a walk through a rainbow in the Milton Gallery and a view of a shimmering George Sherwood sculpture in the Cafe.

This year’s theme is Prismatic. So, what do prisms have to do with orchids? The answer is light! Prisms capture light, which depending on the type of prism, separate visible light into spectral colors, like you see in rainbows. Plants, including orchids, utilize the energy of light for photosynthesis, which helps create the beautiful blooms you will enjoy during this exhibition. Combining these two elements allows us to create an exhibit that accentuates the power of light and highlights the beauty it is responsible for. This is an experience you will not want to miss!

Free with admission to the garden. Admission tickets must be reserved online in advance. All who are able must wear masks indoors at Tower Hill Botanic Garden until further notice. Tower Hill is following the mask guidance provided by the CDC. Click to reserve your admission ticket

Wednesday, March 16 & Thursday, March 17, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Cannabis Symposium, Online (Early Registration Discount)

With the increased legalization of cannabis throughout the United States this impactful plant is getting a lot of attention. With that attention brings lots of questions and curiosities. Tower Hill Botanic Garden is committed to exploring the horticultural components of the cannabis and hemp plant. This online symposium on March 16 and 17 from 6 – 8:30 will bring together experts in the fields of horticulture and science to help understand the many questions and topics surrounding the biology, applications, and care of this plant. The symposium is geared toward anyone with an interest in cannabis and hemp as well as professionals. Speakers include Monique McHenry, PhD, Pete Apicella, Maggie Kinsella, John de la Parra, and Ernest Anemone.

$75 for Tower Hill members, $90 for nonmembers, $40 for students. Fee includes a gate pass for a future visit. Early Registration (before February 1) discounts available ($55/$70/$25) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Thursday, January 27, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm – Recording the Garden, Online

Long-term gardening is easier when there’s a sense of continuity. Individual gardeners and community gardening teams can greatly benefit from recordkeeping to maintain consistency and direction over time. In this Native Plant Trust webinar on January 27 from 12:30 – 2, we discuss strategies to track what is planted in the garden and where, where plants came from, how well plantings survive over time, which gardening practices work best for a given location, and basic phenology concepts to help track the timing of plants’ life history events. Participants will also learn how to use garden records to track gardening experiments whose results can help inform future decisions about planting and maintenance. Led by Melanie Kenney, the program is cosponsored with the Ecological Landscape Alliance and is $18 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $23 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/recording-garden/