Winter fruits are festive decorations during the holidays, piled in bowls or cascading out of cornucopias, but on a wreath, artificial varieties are lighter, won’t shrivel, and won’t rot or attract bugs, all of which are benefits. We pride ourselves on our natural accents and decorations but in some cases we have to reach for plastics, glass, and glitter.
UK-based garden writer Greg Loades offers a fresh approach to garden design, fusing classic English cottage style with the new perennial movement. Using lush images of big, colorful blooms combined with striking grasses and native plants, Loades will illustrate practical insights into what The Telegraph calls his “secret technique that opens up a world of nostalgia for gardeners with small spaces.” This New York Botanical Garden online lecture will take place January 18 from 1 – 2, and is $26. Register at www.nybg.org.
Greg Loades is the author of The Modern Cottage Garden, named one of 2020’s top books by Gardens Illustrated. He contributes to Kew, Landscape, Bloom, and Garden News and has served as an editor for both BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine and The English Garden.
The Denver Botanic Gardens Center for Global Initiatives offers trips that traverse continents. Space is limited for all trips. COVID-19 vaccinations required for all participants. On April 26 – May 7, travel to the Garden of the Gods: A Springtime Journey to the Greek Islands. Greece in spring is a magical experience. It’s the time of the year when the entire country becomes a vast natural garden. Greece is home to a stunning number of plant species, comprising the richest flora in Europe. More than 6,000 species thrive in the country, of which about 10 percent are endemic and can be found nowhere else in the world. On this springtime journey we will witness the beautiful display of wildflowers that cover the land among ancient sites, old villages and notable islands. Host is Dr. Sarada Krishnan, director of horticulture and center for global initiatives at the Gardens. : $5,990 per adult, double occupancy. Single room supplement: $790. Call Thalassa Journeys at 866-633-3611 or email Reservations@ThalassaJourneys.com. For the complete itinerary and details visit https://www.botanicgardens.org/our-impact/trips-travel
Over the years we have been fortunate to work with John Lindemann at The First Lutheran Church of Boston, who started as a parishioner, took over the management of the secular end of things at the Church, and recently moved out of state with his family. We don’t know who will be our contact person next season, but missed having the chance to say goodbye to John and thank him for his good humor and flexibility. So this post is a virtual Thank You, John, for everything,
From soaring peaks to lush rainforest, from gorgeous vineyards to carefully cultivated gardens, The American Horticultural Society is thrilled to once again offer the opportunity to experience the wonders of New Zealand. Please join us, as we visit some of the most spectacular places on earth while experiencing this special country’s unique culture and history, February 5 – 27, 2022. Updated brochure and reservation form (includes pricing information)are now available.
Featuring a unique blend of destinations and culinary delights, this tour achieves a perfect balance between invigoration and relaxation and its Southern Hemisphere summer is a treat for winter-weary visitors.
Our AHS Host for the trip will be Rachel Muir, an environmental scientist and ecologist who over the course of a 40 year career worked for a variety of private firms and Federal agencies. Now retired, she spends her time writing, traveling, gardening, and teaching at the North Carolina Arboretum. Our Tour Leader is Richard Lyon a native Kiwi who practices landscape architecture in southeastern Pennsylvania. Tour highlights include:
Explore the fundamentals of perspective with Carol Ann Morley and take your drawing skills to a new level. Learn methods of measuring and how to draw in proportion; foreshortening; overlapping shapes and illusion of depth; linear and atmospheric perspective; light source; and techniques of shading with graphite. Examine how key shapes like the cube, cone, sphere and cylinder underlie all organic subjects and are the
foundation of drawing. Beginner to experienced students welcome. Friends of WCBG $225, nonmembers $275. To register, email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu or call 781-283-3094. This class will take place in person in the Putnam classroom at the Gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley.
We know. We should be kinder. Attribute our 2021 dark humor to our distress that we can’t be at The First Lutheran Church of Boston making beautiful wreaths for Boston. But the display below looks to be part of a Tim Burton movie set. Another example of Why We Decorate. Captions welcome at info@gardenclubbackbay.org.
Woody Minnich will be returning to the Massachusetts Cactus and Succulent Society virtually on Zoom by popular demand after his visit with us during his 2019 northeast speaking tour, when he spoke about “The New, Rare, and Seldom-seen Cacti and Succulents of Mexico.”
Woody’s reputation as an educator and engaging presenter has taken him all over the world to speak about cacti and succulents, sharing his expertise and discoveries as a writer, lecturer, field explorer, grower, and photographer. He is an active leader in the Cactus and Succulent Society of America and its western affiliates. Members who heard him speak in 2019 will remember his colorful stories, his warm humor, and down-to-earth style. The event is open to members and membership is a modest $20 per year, with many interesting programs, exhibits and sales available to members. For more information and to register visit https://cssma.org/meetings-%26-programs
Native Plant Trust’s seven sanctuaries hold a wealth of information about the unique and rare plant life and natural communities that occur throughout New England. In this January 11 webinar, Native Plant Trust’s Ecological Programs Coordinator Bud Sechler will go beyond applied management to discuss exciting current research methods and goals underway at each plant sanctuary. The session begins at 1:00 pm Eastern, and is $12 for Native Plant Trust members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/research-sanctuaries/
We wish you all the very merriest of days. The Garden Club of the Back Bay thanks you all for your continued support of our Club and mission, and hope you continue to find interesting events to participate in with our website’s help during the coming year.
