Boston Flora

Tuesday, April 12 – Thursday, April 14 – The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Flower Show School Course II: Growing, Staging, Exhibiting and Judging

The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts will conduct a Flower Show School Course II: Growing, Staging, Exhibiting, and Judging, on April 12 – 14, featuring one of our own members, Kaye Vosburgh, along with Cathy Felton, as instructors. The event will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 11 Beaver Street in Milford, Massachusetts.

Kaye Vosburgh has a B.S. in Biology and a Masters in the Art of Teaching. She is an NGC Master Judge and a Design and Procedure Instructor. Kaye has chaired several award winning Standard Flower Shows and won numerous awards in the New England Spring Flower Show. She is a member of 3 garden clubs, including the one she started with her Master Gardener co-workers. Kaye is a Sogetsu Ikebana Instructor of the highest rank, Riji. She has demonstrated throughout the Central Atlantic Region, at CFAA in Florida and in Ecuador. Kaye’s favorite activity is sharing creative moments with other designers and students.

Cathy Felton has a B.S. in Zoology and has studied at the former Landscape Institute of Harvard University, but a love of horticulture led her into the garden club world which now includes lecturing and teaching. She is a Garden Club of America Horticulture Judge; American Daffodil Society Judge; and Chairman of the American Daffodil Society Judging School; and a Master American Hosta Society Judge. Cathy has served on the National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC), national board as Horticulture Chairman and Vice Chairman of Gardening Study Schools. She is also an NGC Master Flower Show Judge and Horticulture Instructor for flower show schools, and a member of both the Hamilton-Wenham Garden Club and the the North Shore Garden Club in MA.

To register, contact Ruth Gorman at Ruth.Gorman3@gmail.com.

Sunday, March 27, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – The Gardens of Versailles with Marie Dessaillen, Online

Ordering the construction of a 2,000 acre garden to woo his beloved Louise de La Vallière might seem a bit over the top. But that was Louis XIV, the Sun King, Louis the Great. He used art and distractions to showcase his glory and consolidate his absolutist power, and the gardens of Versailles exemplify that to perfection. He created a fairytale garden from an unsanitary swamp and former hunting lodge of his father. Versailles garden was the house of gods and goddesses, and its castle became the capital of France from 1682 to 1789.

This March 27 Context Travel online Conversation will explore the history of this masterpiece by André Le Notre. We’ll discuss everything from the technical difficulties in shaping the ground symetrically to transporting (and pressurizing) the water for the 55 fountains. We’ll learn about the architect of the castle, Louis Le Vau, and the optical illusions he created. We will also explore the iconography of the statues to understand the not-so-hidden meaning of Versailles: a French garden charged with political discourse.

Versailles was the gilded cage of an aristocracy prone to rebel: the gardens provided entertainment, parties, firework displays, as well as a way for this iron-willed king to control his possible enemies. European kings and princes tried their best to emulate this model, yet never quite succeeded. We’ll discuss examples beyond the gates of the “little” park as we tantalize over a series of palaces with their gardens, some in the French style, some in the English manner, with the gem that is the charming hamlet of Queen Marie-Antoinette.

Led by an expert on XVIIth century French history and art history, Marie Dessaillen, this interactive seminar will deepen our understanding of the wonders of a garden that never fails to impress its 8 million yearly visitors. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased knowledge of aristocratic French society in the XVIIth century. We’ll also learn how this garden was filled with a deep meaning and intention at the time of its creation. $36.50. Register at www.contextlearning.com

Tuesday, March 22, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Simple Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Nature Photography, Online

Introducing the first celebrity NEGC photo webinar workshop with internationally renowned photographer, Mollie Isaacs.

“Jump start your nature photography skills in this educational, entertaining, and inspirational online session. Learn easy yet powerful techniques to improve your photography right away. See a variety of examples showing various simple techniques to use with flowers, birds, macro, and landscapes. Get tips on composition, using natural light to your advantage, benefits of cropping, getting better focus, and much more. This presentation will help you see your world through fresh eyes and create exciting images of all the things you love.“

When: March 22, 2022 Time: 4:00 pm-5:30 pm EDT

Who can attend: exclusively for the members of our New England Garden Clubs ( ie the federated clubs of CT MA ME NH RI VT)

$10. Register HERE. After registering, you’ll receive an e-mail with the link for joining the webinar. You’ll receive a reminder one week, one day and one hour before the webinar starts. You can log on from your computer and view the webinar from the safety and comfort of your home. Note: Register even if you can’t attend the live session. The webinar will be recorded and if you’re registered, you’ll receive a link to the webinar that you can view for at least the next 30 days.

Tuesday, March 29, 2:00 pm – Celebrating a Sesquicentennial: The Founding of the Arnold Arboretum, Live and Online

The Arnold Arboretum was founded on Friday, March 29, 1872. Exactly 150 years later, we invite you to join Lisa Pearson, Head of the Arboretum Library and Archives, for a special sesquicentennial lecture! Pearson will discuss the earliest benefactors of the Arboretum, the events surrounding the founding of the institution, and the busy first two decades during which the infrastructure and living collections were installed on the grounds. This event will also be livestreamed to YouTube. To sign up for the virtual livestream instead, click here. To sign up for the live presentation, click here.

All attendees age 12 or over must bring proof of vaccination in order to enter the building—please bring either a vaccination card or a digital copy. Visitors age 17 and older must also present a valid driver’s license or government-issued form of ID, such as a passport. Attendees are required to wear masks indoors.

Registration is limited to 40 in-person attendees. We ask that you only register if you are sure you will attend, and only register one person per form submission. Parking is available on-site at the Weld Hill Research Building. Find directions here.

Saturday, March 19, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Herbs, Botanicals and Wellness in Colonial New England, Online

Join the Shirley Eustis House Association online on March 19 at 10 am to explore the herbal pharmacy in early American gardens with Master Gardener Mary Lou O’Connor. Mary Lou will highlight the growing selection of medicinal plants in the historic gardens at Shirley Place and how they were used to promote wellness and treat illnesses and injuries in early New England. She’ll also discuss how Native American knowledge and African traditions combined with European herbal know-how to make for a particularly American herbal medicine cabinet or pharmacopeia. Co-sponsored by the Roxbury Historical Society. Questions: contact Suzy Buchanan at director@shirleyeustishouse.org. Donations encouraged. Register with Eventbrite HERE

Monday, March 14, 5:30 pm – Urban Forest Plan Virtual Open House

The City of Boston, with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of the Environment, will hold a Virtual Meeting on March 14 at 5:30 pm.

Project page: boston.gov/urban-forest-plan Add to calendar: Event page Join the meeting: bit.ly/Urbanforestplan

Tuesday, March 15, 6:00 am Eastern – Gardens of Delight: Aladdin-like Gorgeousness, Online (Recording available for 7 days)

After the Muslims conquered Persia and established their centre at Damascus, domestic infighting led Abd al Rachmann, the only survivor of the original Umayyad dynasty, to flee to North Africa, raise an army, conquer Southern Spain and establish himself in Cordoba. As the benign Mediterranean climate allowed the cultivation of exotic imports, to enhance the wide variety of indigenous plants, he followed the Persian custom and created magnificent royal gardens bursting with rare flowers and luscious fruit. He also encouraged investment in agriculture, promoted the study of botany and medicine, and created a civilization of unparalleled elegance in the arts, architecture and horticulture. The ensuing tradition of verdant courtyards, fertile orchards and splendid gardens continued down the centuries, culminating in the Alhambra. Ironically, this was the last outpost of the Moors on European soil. An enduring source of intrigue, romance and delight, the Hispano-Moorish gardens have fascinated writers and artists inspiring such twentieth century designers as Thomas Church, Luis Barragan, Russel Page and Fernando Caruncho. This Gardens Trust ticket for the March 15 lecture is available HERE through Eventbrite.

Fernando Caruncho’s house, Madrid, Spain

Wednesday, March 23, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay Glass Flowers Tour

A docent will lead Garden Club members on a custom tour of the recently restored “Glass Flowers”. The internationally acclaimed Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants is one of Harvard’s most famous treasures and is the only collection of its kind in the world. This unique collection of over 4,300 models, representing more than 780 plant species, was created from 1887 through 1936 by glass artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, a father and son team of Czech glass artists. The Glass Flowers gallery was renovated in Spring 2016, introducing rebuilt, original historic wood and glass display cases, new state-of-the-art lighting, humidity, and vibration control systems. The new space design and interpretation showcases the ongoing scientific relevance of the gallery and enhances the visitors’ experience of the models. In this exhibit one can see examples of the flora of the world in bloom all at once.

This long awaited tour, twice postponed due to Covid, will take place March 23 at 2 pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

This program is for Garden Club of the Back Bay members only. The Club is charged by the person and we are required to give the Museum an accurate number of attendees. If you rsvp and can not attend, please let us know! If you’d like to add your name, rsvp by March 14 to Christine Hirshland :
chirshland@aol.com

Enter The Harvard Museum of Natural History through the 26 Oxford Street entrance.
We will meet at 2:00 on the third floor, just outside the gift shop, near the glass flowers exhibit area. You will be asked for proof of full vaccination plus a government issued id to enter the museum.

Tuesday, April 5, 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay Annual Tea

The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s Annual Winter Tea at the Courtyard Restaurant at the Boston Public Library was rescheduled – to a beautiful April date! Enjoy delicious scones, sandwiches, petit fours and a variety of teas along with warm and friendly conversations. Ticket sales are now closed. Some Covid precautions are in place: We cannot welcome walk-ins. Everyone who attends must be fully vaccinated – bring your card. If you have signed up but are unable to attend please contact Mary Ryan by clicking HERE. Mary is keeping a waiting list. Tickets are non-refundable.

Saturday, March 12, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea, Online

Out of the 1860s, as the United States engaged in a civil war, abolished slavery, and remade the government, the public park emerged as a product of these dramatic changes. New York’s Central Park and Yosemite in California both embodied the “new birth of freedom” that emphasized the duty of republican government to enhance the lives and well-being of all its new citizens. A central figure directly connected with abolition, the Civil War, and the dawn of urban and national parks is Frederick Law Olmsted, whose pre-war journalism about the South, design work on Central Park, and ground-breaking Yosemite Report created an intellectual framework for the “park idea.” Marking the bicentennial of Olmsted’s birth, a new book by Rolf Diamant, former superintendent of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site and Ethan Carr, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, offers a new interpretation of how the American park—urban and national—came to figure so prominently in our cultural identity, and why this more complex and inclusive story deserves to be told.

The Arnold Arboretum will present Rolf Diamant and Ethan Carr on March 12 from 2:30 – 4, and will also be presented in-person at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research Building at 1300 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131. To sign up for the in-person event, click here. Presented in collaboration with Friends of Fairsted, the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, and the Library of American Landscape History. Register HERE.