Boston Flora

Thursday, November 4, 2:00 pm – Flower Flash with Lewis Miller, Online

Join The Garden Conservancy for the second webinar of our four-part Fall 2021 Literary Series, as Lewis Miller, author of Flower Flash (Monacelli, September 21, 2021) presents the evolution of his “Flower Flashes.” The presentation will document his Flower Flashes, from the first, spontaneous one in 2016 to the profound installations of the pandemic, and include behind-the-scenes snapshots, his inspirational material, and fan contributions.

A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. Please note that registration will end 24 hours prior to this webinar.

$45 Webinar PLUS one copy of the book Flower Flash by Lewis Miller (retail price $55)
$15 General admission; webinar only
$5 Garden Conservancy members; webinar only
(This program is also eligible for purchase with an online membership credit.)

Free for members of the Garden Conservancy’s Frank and Anne Cabot Society for Planned Giving, but please pre-register by emailing Sarah Parker so that we can send you the Zoom link on the day of the program.

All others, register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/education/education-events/virtual-talk-lewis-miller

Wednesday, November 3, 12:00 noon – Blue Carbon: The Role of Estuaries in Combating Climate Change, Online

Blue Carbon refers to the ability of certain coastal ecosystems – salt marshes, seagrass beds, and mangroves – to capture and store carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. Coastal ecosystems are more efficient than upland forests at this process of carbon sequestration, but they tend to be smaller and in more densely populated areas. We have already lost many of our coastal ecosystems, and they remain under pressure from human development and from sea level rise. Recent interest in blue carbon is bringing new attention to the importance of maintaining healthy and thriving coastal wetlands, for all the benefits that they provide, including habitat for fisheries and migratory birds, flood protection, and climate mitigation. This Ecological Landscape Alliance online presentation on November 3 at noon will explain how carbon cycles through coastal systems, what makes these environments so efficient at carbon sequestration, and what measures can help to protect and restore coastal ecosystems. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at www.ecolandscaping.org

Speaker Hilary Stevens is the coastal resilience manager at Restore America’s Estuaries. She oversees the Blue Carbon and Living Shorelines programs. She is a geologist and environmental scientist with extensive experience in coastal resource management. Ms. Stevens has worked on coastal issues and climate change adaptation around the U.S. and globally, with an emphasis on using best-available science to address community needs and improve resource management. She has a particular affinity for island communities, stemming from her time working in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, and as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. She holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.

Saturday, November 6, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Paste Paper Collage Workshop

This Massachusetts Horticultural Society workshop on November 6 from 10 – 5 is designed to be both an enjoyable and playful introductory art project for the art novice and will also help the more experienced artist to further develop their skills in composition, pattern maaking and design. You will be creating interesting shapes, and exploring texture all through the use of collage, at The Gardens at Elm Bank with instructor Nan Rumpf.

Together we will create textured paste paper using colorful paint mixtures and a variety of texture tools. We will then use scissors and adhesives to design intriguing compositions using our textured paste paper. The instructor will provide handouts, paper, mounting boards, texture tools, paint mixtures, brushes, and adhesives.
There will be a $5 materials fee to be paid to the instructor. Time frame includes a 60 minute lunch break. Please bring a bag lunch or money to go out for lunch. The class is $58 for Mass Hort members, $65 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org.

Student Materials List

Please bring the following materials to the workshop:

• a sharp scissors

• a nonabsorbent hard smooth backboard (Plexiglass works well)

• a bag lunch or money to buy lunch nearby

• a work apron – or just wear old clothes

• disposable gloves

• paper towels

• hand wipes

• a plastic tablecloth

• an acid free glue stick

Saturday, November 6, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm – Digging Dahlias

These tender perennials are garden stars, but left in the ground they won’t last through a New England winter. With a few tricks, you can preserve and multiply your dahlias, enjoying them for years to come! Berkshire Botanical Garden faculty member Jenna O’Brien will guide students through digging, cleaning, division, and overwintering techniques. She’ll also share insights on a few of her favorite varieties. This is a hands-on workshop on November 6 at 11 am in the garden; students are encouraged to bring their own clippers, and are welcome to bring dahlia tubers from home. $15 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/digging-dahlias

Jenna O’Brien, owner and founder of Viridissima Horticulture & Design since 2003, has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. Jenna specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care, and country estate garden management.

Monday, November 1, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Empathy and Inclusivity in the Public Realm

The third and final installment of the New York Botanical Garden’s 23rd Annual Landscape Design Portfolio online lectures takes place November 1 at 6:30 pm with David Rubin speaking on Empathy and Inclusivity in the Public Realm. Known for his design talent and advocacy for social justice within urban spaces, David Rubin will share his concern that the connective tissue of our cities—the “third spaces” between work and home—are not truly public or reflective of the general population. His work reflects his belief that “accessibility begins with the invitation to participate.” In this presentation, Rubin will illustrate how his designs explore issues of identity and accessibility with a focus on Franklin Park and the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., as well as Eskenazi Health Hospital and the Cummins Distribution Headquarters in Indianapolis. The founding principal of DAVID RUBIN Land Collective in Philadelphia, David Rubin, PLA, FASLA, FAAR, has garnered awards for his empathy-driven designs from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects, in addition to the prestigious Garden Club of America Rome Prize in Landscape Architecture from the American Academy in Rome
in 2011. A graduate of Connecticut College and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, he is a Design Critic at Harvard. $15/$18. Register at http://nybg.org

Tuesday, November 2 – Thursday, November 4, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Drawing Dried Leaves

The rhythmic forms of dried leaves present great images to draw. Under the tutelage of Carol Ann Morley, capture the drama and grace of these beautiful leaves as they twist and turn. Choose to draw solitary forms or branches of overlapping leaves. Drawing concave, convex shapes can sometimes be a challenge — we will explore their complexity through a series of graphite exercises analyzing the spatial depth and angles to bring clarity to these great leaf forms. Render them in contrasting graphite tones or explore their colors and shapes with the brilliance and fun of mixed media. Open to artists of all levels.

Carol Ann Morley is an illustrator and dedicated teacher of botanical illustration working in New Hampshire. She founded the Botanical Art Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden and teaches illustration there and at other major botanical gardens.

This three day class at Berkshire Botanical Gardens will take place November 2 – 4 from 10 – 4, and is $320 for BBG members, $350 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/drawing-dried-leaves-capturing-their-beauty-and-drama

Sunday, October 31, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm , and Wednesday, November 3, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Flower Photography from Start to Finish (Hybrid Course)

This Tower Hill Botanic Garden program consists of two sessions. The first session will take place on October 31 from 10:30 – 1:30 in person and the other session is virtual. When registering, please select both sessions.

If you’ve found that your garden photos don’t quite have the impact that you were hoping for, this class is for you. Join professional outdoor photographer Paul Nguyen in this two-session blended learning class, and discover how to create stunning close-ups and artistic images of your plants and gardens. The first session meets at Tower Hill and emphasizes proper technique, equipment choice, camera settings, and composition to create the best possible in-camera captures, as we investigate trees, leaves, and other Autumn subjects. The second session happens online over Zoom, and reveals the editing techniques that experts apply to give their photos that additional “pop” and polish that bring them to life and make them ready for printing or sharing.

Requirements for the first session:
Camera with a zoom lens or dedicated macro lens
Tripod
Clothing and footwear that allow for mobility and flexibility

Optional equipment:
Reflector/diffuser
Close-up flash
Kneeling pad or folding seat

Requirements for the second session:
Laptop or computer with speakers and a stable high-speed internet connection

Professional Photographer Paul Nguyen is a native of Massachusetts with over 30 years of experience in film and digital photography. He currently specializes in digital photography of natural landscapes and wildlife from New England and around the world. In April 2017, he served in the prestigious National Parks Artist in Residence program, at Petrified Forest, Arizona. His work also includes an exclusive assignment as the photographer for the Gallery on the Charles River at the Museum of Science, Boston. Since 2019, he has been an affiliated artist at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His images have been licensed by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, Tamron USA, Amazing New England Artworks, and numerous local and international publications, and his outstanding image-making and teaching have gained him equipment sponsorships from Tamron USA and Sun Surveyor. Paul currently serves as a program guide and brand ambassador for Swedish outfitter Fjallraven.

Paul lives and works out of Hopkinton, MA, and can be seen promoting and selling his work at art shows across New England throughout the year, and is also a lecturer and contest judge for local camera clubs and the New England Camera Club Council. The Boston Camera Club awarded him Judge of the Year honors for 2015-2016. He offers local and destination photography workshops through his business, BlueHour Photo Ventures, as well as private one-on-one instruction.

$60 Member Adult; $75 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Sunday, October 31, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm – Drawing Leaves and Seeds

Whether it’s acorn leaves and nuts or a milkweed pod and leaves, explore the wondrous and sometimes crazy shapes of seed pods through observational drawing. Add color with colored pencils and learn how to achieve an accurate shape and the importance of shading. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on October 31 is focused on learning and applying botanical illustration skills. It is an all levels workshop but it is encouraged to have some basic illustration experience.

Materials List (Not included with registration):

Mixed media paper pad, 9″ x 12″, such as Canson XL or Strathmore or Canson Mi-Tentes Drawing Paper Pad, assorted colors
Colored pencils, assorted colors, brands such as Prismacolor, Caran d’Ache, Derwent, Faber-Castell Polychromos
No. 2 pencil and an eraser

Instructor Carol Schwartz graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE

Holiday Wreath Project 2021 Suspended

We are sad to announce that The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2021 Holiday Wreath Project must be suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions and concerns. We are disappointed the neighborhood will be a little less festive in December without our beautiful wreaths. This decision was not made lightly – there were many factors and options considered, but ultimately we chose to take the most prudent approach for everyone’s safety.

For those who may be holding gift certificates, please email info@gardenclubbackbay.org. We will be in touch with you to discuss alternate redemption options.

Please stay safe and we wish you all the best this season.

Saturday, October 30, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Growing Cacti and Succulents in New England

Cacti and Succulents thrive in desert locations all over the world. Growing them in New England can pose quite a few problems for these arid loving plants. In this October 30 Tower Hill Botanic Garden class we will discuss the ways that we can help our cacti and succulents acclimate to living in the northeast. Too much water, not enough sun, too organic soil, these are all big problems for cacti and succulents. But, with the right horticultural knowledge they can all be easily solved. We’ll also go over propagation, containers, where to buy, and local resources for all things cacti and succulent related. Feel free to bring any plants that you have questions about as well.

Joel Mullen is the President of the Kaikou Bonsai Study Group. He has been growing bonsai trees for over 10 years and has trained with artists all over New England. Joel is the Lead Tropical Grower and the Education Coordinator at New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, MA. Eastern Opuntia image courtesy of GoBotany.

$30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE