Boston Flora

Sunday, September 15, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm – Boston Local Food Festival

The 2024 Boston Local Food Festival will return Sunday, September 15 from 11 am-5 pm (Rain date: 09/22)

Calling all of New England’s masterful food makers – chefs, fishermen, farmers, and food artisans! Join culinary craftsman for the 2024 Boston Local Food Festival on Sunday, September 15th. On the 15th, we will savor the flavors of Massachusetts and beyond. From chef demos to a Family Fun Zone and a thrilling seafood throw-down, there’s something for everyone.

SBN’s Boston Local Food Program is thrilled to report that last year, the 2023 Boston Local Food Festival was the largest and most successful festival we’ve organized in our 13-year history. The day was a true celebration of local food and the power of community. Hurricane Lee took a break from its torment and allowed for perfect weather that brought people out of their homes and to the festival’s heart. We couldn’t have done it without every one of you – our vendors, sponsors, volunteers, the City of Boston, the Greenway Conservancy, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

Our annual Boston Local Food Festival has been hailed as one of Boston’s top 10 food events since 2010. We are thrilled to be able to continue celebrating and supporting New England local food producers and businesses with our festival.

Wednesday, September 18, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm Eastern – Audubon Redrawn: A New Look at the Artist and The Birds of America, Online

John James Audubon—naturalist, artist, and creator of the celebrated The Birds of America—is widely regarded as America’s first great watercolorist, but his artistic journey has never been examined.

Roberta J. M. Olson, curator of drawings emerita at the New-York Historical Society, professor of art history emeritus at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and author of Audubon as Artist: A New Look at The Birds of America, explores how Audubon studied both past and concurrent artists to forge innovative, dazzling works of fine art. Olson delves into the contemporary controversies surrounding this legendary figure, who, for the first time in history, accurately represented all avian species life-size and was an early advocate for conservation of the environment and wildlife.

Smithsonian Associates presents a Zoom presentation with Roberta Olson on September 18 at noon Eastern. $20 for Smithsonian members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/audubon-redrawn

Saturday, September 14, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – The Botany of Booze

The Arnold Arboretum is full of plants that can be used to make alcohol. We have the classics like grapes, hops, and juniper, as well as ingredients for more obscure liquors and liqueurs like sweet birch, spruce, and bamboo. Join Manager of Adult Programming and Events Sarah Nechamen in front of the Hunnewell Building on September 14 at 2 pm for a free walk to explore these plants and the spirits they create. This program unfortunately does not involve sampling alcoholic beverages. The group is limited to 24, so sign up now at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/

Accessibility: This walk will include paved roads, mulch paths, and mowed grass. We will ascend and descend some gradual hills. Participants will be notified via email at least 24 hours in advance if a program needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather, and will be notified by phone if a program must be cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice. Click here to view our full inclement weather policy. If you have questions about the status of a program, please email publicprograms@arnarb.harvard.edu or call the Visitor Center desk between 10:00am and 4:00pm at (617) 384-5209.

Saturday, September 14, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Bristol County MA & Providence County RI Open Day

Four unique gardens will be on view with the Garden Conservancy on September 14 from 10 – 4.

The Garden at Power Street in Providence (below) is a new garden: the borders were built in 2017 and planting began in the fall of 2018. A city lot 70 × 70 feet, the garden is mostly filled with flowering perennials and features a summer house folly. Previously there was no garden, just a worn-out lawn. Laura Wilson designed the structure, and Kevin Bacon built the stone wall. The design pays homage to Colonial Revival gardens of 100 years ago.

Also in Providence is Sycamore Farm Community Garden. Sycamore Farm is an urban agriculture oasis in Providence’s historic West End neighborhood. Visitors will delight in touring a whimsical mix of organically grown vegetables, berries, herbs, and flowers in raised beds tended by nine neighboring families and the garden owner who lives on the property in a newly constructed home. A beehive dwells under the boughs of an old beech tree that takes up a full third of the farm. The perimeter fence and deck are made of tamarack that was hewn and milled in Rhode Island. A water feature wends through the garden, from downspouts to a little pond. This rock river solves two problems: drainage from the new house’s roof and what to do with the piles of newly excavated foundation stones and pebbles—the remains of two buildings that were buried decades ago on this double lot. Decades ago, a community garden grew up on the then vacant lot. The present owner, an urban agriculture advocate, purchased the lot when it fell into neglect. Still a work in progress, Sycamore Farm is once again happily flourishing and providing joy to all who garden within or who walk and drive by it.

The third Providence garden is a College Hill Urban Oasis. Designed by Andrew Grossman, this urban garden in the heart of College Hill near Brown University is a miniature paradise. Located at the intersection of two quiet streets in the Stimson Avenue historic district, it is enclosed by a tall board fence with lattice insets. The garden features a boisterous arrangement of hydrangea bushes and hydrangea trees accented by a contemporary fountain amid pots of tall grasses and flowers.

Finally, back in Seekonk, Massachusetts, is Andrew Grossman’s own garden. As he says “My 1-acre property, which borders the Martin Wildlife Refuge and the Runnins River, is home to a wide variety of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and flowering trees. In the spring of 2021 we completed work on a swimming pool garden, which is planted with a low maintenance assortment of predominantly summer-blooming favorites. The remainder of the property includes a blue-and-white garden with a rectangular lily pond, a hot-colored garden with a checkerboard thyme patio, a cottage garden planted with roses and other old-fashioned cultivars, and a rustic pond surrounded by bog plantings. There is also a cutting garden currently planted with David Austin roses, dinner plate dahlias, and sun flowers. The house and property has been featured in numerous national publications, including Design New England, Old House Journal, Garden Gate, Flower, Country Living Gardener, Country Home, and Fine Gardening. In 2016 the gardens were awarded first place in HGTV’s Gorgeous Gardens competition.”

Each garden entry is $5 for Conservancy members, $10 for nonmembers. Register in advance at www.gardenconservancy.org

Thursday, September 12, 6:45 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – How We Healed the Earth … and How We Can Do It Again, Online

Glaciers are melting. Oceans are rising. Surface temperatures worldwide are rising. It’s enough to drive us all into eco-despair. But despair not. We have solved planet-threatening problems before, atmospheric scientist Susan Solomon argues, and we can do it again. The path to success begins when an environmental problem becomes both personal and perceptible to the general public, Solomon says. Healing the planet is a long game won not by fear and panic, she explains, but by the union of public, political, and regulatory pressure. Smithsonian Associates presents the author on September 12 at 6:45 pm Eastern for a Zoom discussion.

Solomon knows firsthand what those solutions entail. She led an expedition to Antarctica in 1986 that made discoveries key to healing the damaged ozone layer. Solomon connects this career-defining triumph to the stories of environmental victories against ozone depletion, smog, pesticides, and lead to extract the essential elements of what makes change possible. The heroes in these stories range from angry mothers to gang members turned social activists to upset Long Island birdwatchers to iconoclastic scientists (often women) to crafters of brilliant legislation.

Solomon’s new book, Solvable: How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It Again (Chicago University Press), is available for purchase when registering. $20 for Smithsonian Associates members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/how-we-healed-earth This program is part of Smithsonian’s Earth Optimism initiative.

Saturday, September 14, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Buzzing into Autumn with Bees!

Buzz into autumn on September 14 at 9:30 am with New England Botanic Garden as we guide you in planning a bee-utiful garden full of the best pollinator plants. Peek inside our resident honeybee hive and sweeten your experience with a honey tasting featuring local varieties and honey straight from the source. It is beekeeping with no “stings’ attached.

Buzz into autumn with New England Botanic Garden as we guide you to planning a bee-utiful garden, a visit to our hives, and a honey tasting.

Instructor Hunter Blanchard is a horticulturist at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA. He has been with the organization since 2018, serving in roles that allow him to share his passion for making plants accessible to people and for nurturing growing things. Today, Hunter leads a three-person team responsible for 10 acres of naturalistic garden spaces that foster plant biodiversity and support pollinator populations through a focus on North American native plant species. He enjoys interpreting these garden spaces for visitors through tours and talks, hoping that these learning opportunities inspire people to engage more with plants at home or in other areas of their lives. A community builder, Hunter serves on the board of directors for F.E.R.N., a nonprofit that supports conservation by promoting synergy between individuals, communities, and organizations, and on the Conference Planning and Education Committees for the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Hunter holds an A.S. in sustainable horticulture from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and a B.S. in plant soil science from Umass Amherst.

Alyson Prokop serves as the Manager of Adult Education at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylton, MA. She joined NEBG in May 2024 after a decade at the Royal Botanical Gardens Canada, where she worked as a botanical horticulturist overseeing the Teaching and Community Food Gardens, in addition to her roles as Public Programs Coordinator and Horticultural Societies Liaison. She is passionate about leading and expanding garden programs, with a particular interest in initiatives that connect people with plants. Alyson is especially interested in food security and strives to make programming accessible to diverse audiences.

Alyson’s background as an educator, field botanist, horticulturist, and market gardener informs her dedication to promoting biodiversity and sustainable practices. She prioritizes integrating community engagement and botanical stewardship in program development. Guided by her values of continuous learning, collaborative leadership, and sustainability, Alyson aims to contribute to plant conservation and educational projects in a managerial or curatorial role within botanical gardens.

$35 member adult, $45 nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org

Monday, September 16, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – Longwood Gardens: Still Growing, Online

Smithsonian Associates presents an online lecture on September 16 at 7 pm on Longwood Gardens. For more than 115 years, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has been recognized as one of the world’s most important and beautiful collections of gardens and glasshouses. As he explores its indoor spaces, Karl Gercens, Longwood’s conservatory manager, draws on his quarter century of making and maintaining displays that have dazzled millions of visitors. Learn how the historic Orangery went from utilitarian citrus production to now displaying more than 50,000 pots of blooming flowers and trace the East Conservatory’s history of facelifts since its 1927 debut.

Gercens also previews the centerpiece of “Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience,” a transformation of 17 acres of its conservatory and grounds. The 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory, scheduled to open in November, is built on the 19th-century tradition of glasshouses and incorporates new sustainable technologies. The steel-and-glass structure’s asymmetrical peaks will rise from a pool on which the entire building will seem to float, and its interior islands of Mediterranean-inspired gardens will be set amid pools, canals, and fountains in a tapestry-like design. Register at https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/longwood-gardens-still-growing $25 for Smithsonian members, $30 for nonmembers.

Sunday, September 22, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – The Hurricane That Changed Mount Auburn

The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 (aka the Yankee Clipper or Long Island Express) was the deadliest and most damaging hurricane to ever strike New York and New England. Making landfall on September 21, the Category 3 storm caused nearly 700 fatalities, left 63,000 people without homes, and toppled 275 million trees. In Massachusetts, storm surges measured between 18-25 feet and the hurricane’s greatest wave height of 50-feet was recorded in Gloucester.

Mount Auburn Cemetery lost more than 800 trees in a single day and over 1,000 more suffered significant damage. Despite all the damage, the Cemetery saw an opportunity to replant and replace what was lost while expanding and diversifying its collection. From 1939-1940 alone, over 1,500 new trees and shrubs were introduced to the Cemetery, many of which are still standing today.

Join Jim Gorman, arborist and MAC staff member, on September 22 at 1 pm for a curated tour of several of the now-mature trees planted after the hurricane. Check in at Story Chapel. Registration required at https://www.mountauburn.org/event/the-hurricane-that-changed-mount-auburn/

Tuesday, September 17, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Backyard Bash!

Join Friends of the Public Garden and partner Boston Parks & Recreation Department for the ultimate outdoor post-conference party at Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common. From 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17, celebrate in your parks with lawn games, frozen delights, mocktails, a live DJ, great company, and so much more… The event is free and open to the public. It’s a fantastic opportunity to unwind, socialize, and meet new friends. Perhaps there will be cornhole.

Tuesday, September 10, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Goth Your Garden: Garden Design

Want a garden that is more unusual than usual? In this New England Botanic Garden design class on September 10 at 6 pm, you will learn about dark, spiky, leathery, and creeping plants for your goth-themed garden. From native plants in shade gardens to dark leaves and flowers in full-sun gardens, we will cover a variety of planting situations and seasonal interest.

During this class, we will cover a variety of plants for every planting situation and every season. We will also have a brief tour of the Garden to see some of the plants that we will discuss. In the second part of the class, we will discuss the basics of garden design and practice designing a small goth cottage garden. We will also discuss adding plants with flare to an existing garden to help bring it to the dark side.

Every garden needs some décor, and we will share a few ideas fit for the spookiest and most stylish house on the block. The goal is to help you plan your garden in the fall so that you can plant it in the following spring. All materials included as well as a themed mocktail.

Instructors: Meg Varnes & Liz Ives

Meg Varnes has been with New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill for over 9 years. She is the Conservatory and Formal Garden Horticulturist 2 and manages several hundred conservatory plants, thousands of orchids during the Orchid Exhibition, and the gardens surrounding the conservatories with a team of 2 gardeners. She has a bachelor’s in Ornamental Horticulture and Floriculture from Delaware Valley University and is a lifetime gardener who loves connecting people with plants. Her favorite garden space at NEBG is The Court – A Garden Within Reach, because it allows her to use plants that stimulate all the senses and is a garden designed to be accessible to all.

Liz Ives serves at the Registrar at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, where she is passionate about making art and arts education available to everyone. As a textile arts teacher with 25 years of experience in all types of education, from college lectures to private mentorship, Liz believes firmly that anyone can do art if they have a desire to try.

Liz has a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago in textile arts and an MA in history from Villanova University with a focus on material culture. She believes that learning about material culture, the things created and used in daily life, can teach us about the past and inform the present. In her personal life she enjoys sewing, weaving, spinning yarn, fashion history, quilting, natural dyeing, embroidery, and many other types of textile arts. As a long-time kitchen and garden witch she enjoys cultivating her own goth garden.

$65 Member Adult; $75 Adult (Includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.nebg.org