Boston Flora

Thursday, July 29, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Selection and Care of Houseplants, Online

Growing living plants in apartments, condominiums, single family resistance, offices and public areas can provide pleasant indoor environment, purify air, and improve health. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden online talk on July 29 from noon – 1 will take you through the steps of how to choose right plants for the indoor conditions and how to care for houseplants through winter and year round.

Dr. Yonghao Li, a plant pathologist, works in Plant Disease Information Office at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, CT. Dr. Li’s oversees the execution, coordination and daily oversight of The Plant Disease Information Office, a full-service plant disease diagnostic laboratory serving Connecticut. He has more than 30 years of experience in gardening, disease diagnosis, and pest management.$10 Member Adult; $15 Adult This program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation.This webinar will be RECORDED and available for 2 months all registrants. Register HERE.

Sunday, July 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Pollinators and Plants: Watercolor Techniques

Take a short walk through the Tower Hill Botanic gardens on July 25 looking for just the right blossom to paint. Take a few photos of blooms that have a butterfly or bee if you’re lucky. Then at the comfort of a table, use your watercolors to paint your favorite flower. There will be instruction from Carol Schwartz on the steps involved in painting a flower and how to add a butterfly or bee. Materials are not included.

Carol 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 at https://purchase.towerhillbg.org/PatronEducation.aspx?pid=420

Additional Program Information

Materials (Supply your own–not included with registration)
1. Watercolor or mixed media paper pad, 9? x 12?, such as Canson XL or Strathmore 400 Serie
2. No. 2 pencil and an eraser
3. Watercolor set, pan or tubes, suggested brands include Winsor & Newton, Pelikan, Raphael, Royal Talens Van Gogh, Koi
4. Three watercolor brushes; one small round brush size 0 or 1, one medium round brush size 2-5, one large round brush size 6-8
Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill, which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, or parking spaces, in addition to some noise.

Wednesday, July 28, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Capture the Herbal Harvest

Midsummer is herbal harvest time. On July 28 from 9:30 – 11:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, learn how, and when, to pick your culinary herbs and how to prepare them for drying or freezing. We will begin by harvesting fresh herbs from Tower Hill’s vegetable garden, then discuss classic, time tested ways to preserve the flavor and fragrance of kitchen herbs by enhancing commonly used condiments. Learn how to make a variety of herb vinegars, including fire cider vinegar, as well as herb butter and herb salt so you can enjoy the benefits and flavors of your favorite herbs all year round!

Each student will make a quart of herb vinegar to take home and enjoy. Recipe sheets are included. Instructor Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A lifelong gardener, herb grower and cook, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral, gardening and cooking skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. An entertaining lecturer, she weaves stories and legends throughout her informative talks and demonstrations. Her gardens, floral work and retail shop have been featured in many books, national magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The American Gardener, Victoria, Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living Gardner, Colonial Homes, the Herb Companion, and Traditional Homes.

$50 Member Adult; $65 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Thursday, July 22, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Flower House Detroit with Lisa Waud, Online

In October 2015, 37 floral designers and over 100 volunteers from across North America came together to fill an abandoned Detroit house with American-grown fresh flowers and living plants. An estimated 3,400 curious visitors explored the house over the 3-day exhibition, and the installation hosted 3 weddings and dinner for 180 people. The project received international media attention-with an estimated 287,000,000+ media impressions.

Why did this project touch so many people? In this American Horticultural Society online presentation, botanical installation artist and recipient of the AHS 2021 Frances Jones Poetker Award Lisa Waud describes her extraordinary project from idea to exhibition. Touching on sustainability, creative fundraising, and the power of community, Lisa will discuss what about the installation was so magnetic to so many people across the world-exploring her thoughts on beauty, blight, and nostalgia, and the themes of risk-taking, logistics, and collaboration through the lens of the large-scale installation.

Join us for an online presentation Thursday, July 22 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm (EDT). Register today! AHS members must log in to access the discounted $10 ticket (non-members $15). This presentation will not be recorded and no refunds will be given.

Thursday, July 22, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, and Sunday, July 25 (Field Session) – Introduction to Mushrooming, Online and In Person

Mushrooming can be a fun and safe hobby if you know the guidelines. Learn about many Novice and Beginner-Level mushrooms, their health benefits, and how to stick to “safer” classes of edible mushrooms with an interactive online webinar. In addition to the webinar you can register to go on a mushrooming walk at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. We will take the information we learned in the webinar and apply it out in the field. The field session is limited to 25 people. If you are interested in signing up for the field session, c lick this link to register for both the webinar and the field session.

July 22 Online Webinar: The basics of mushrooming

July 25 Field Session: Applying what we’ve learned while exploring the woods of Tower Hill

Rachel Goclawski, Naturalist and MA Certified educator is a Programmer The Museum of Natural History, Sudbury Valley Trustees, Scouts of Eastern MA and other organizations. She is a contributing writer for The Cook’s Cook: Now, Forager Magazine and has been featured in The Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram, and local television talk shows. Rachel comes from a long line of foragers, including her great-grandfather, Arthur W. Fairbanks, founder of the Boston Mycological Club. Visit her Facebook page for Forage to Table tips and other sustainable skills posts: www.facebook.com/cookingwithmrsg

Webinar Only: $15 Member Adult; $20 Adult Register at www.towerhillbg.org

Friday, July 30, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Revolution Gallery Opening Reception

New York-based artist Marc Dennis, known for his hyper-realistic and strikingly detailed paintings, presents a collection of two dozen paintings in oil-on-canvas and watercolor, many of which were created expressly for this Berkshire Botanical Garden show, running through Monday, September 6. Says Dennis of his work, “I’ve always been fascinated by my own silence while spending time in the woods. As a painter I create a kind of silence as well. My paintings are filled with exuberance, color, shape, form, beauty, mystery, often a sense of narrative and almost always an explosiveness, yet they remain silent. My work for the exhibition REVOLUTION was inspired by my admiration, intrigue and interest in the natural world and my own silence within that world. My artistic intention for this body of work is to communicate beauty as a series of experiences – each painting providing a place for contemplation, journey and exploration…I create hyper-realistic paintings that celebrate beauty as a kind of tension between the classical and the contemporary based on my experiences in nature. Artistic intention is often derived from exploring the charged subjects of perception, memory and pleasure with paintings that strike the eye and seduce the mind. I paint in order to convey my love for life. It’s that simple.” Dennis is represented by Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles CA, and Palm Beach, FL.

The Leonhardt Galleries are open free with Garden admission daily, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and are COVID compliant based on state and federal mandates. Masks are mandatory while visiting the Garden and its galleries.

Berkshire Botanical Garden is a COVID compliant facility. Masks are mandatory while on on the grounds, and timed ticketing is required. Reserve tickets here!

Thursday, July 22, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Milkweeds and Dogbanes

Milkweeds (Asclepias) are some of the most attractive and fragrant wildflowers, and they are magnets for butterflies and pollinators. Learn about their special relationship with monarch butterflies, complex flower structure, ingenious pollination strategy, and protective chemical arsenal. This Native Plant Trust class at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on July 22 at 12:30 will help you identify the common and rare species and recognize their surprising range of habitats. You will also learn tips for milkweed cultivation and discuss the dangers that threaten this native plant.$60 for members and $72 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/milkweeds-and-dogbanes/

Tuesday, July 20, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Conversations with Olmsted: Creating Parks for the Ages, Online

Olmsted 200 invites you to join a July 20 webinar at 3 pm Eastern time in our Conversations with Olmsted series as we explore different aspects of Olmsted’s far-reaching influence on America’s physical landscape and social fabric. Frederick Law Olmsted and the Olmsted firm believed that thoughtfully-designed public parks could bring communities together and provide residents and visitors with a host of health, economic and environmental benefits. Over a century after their creation, parks in New York, Louisville and Seattle face new opportunities and challenges.

Moderated by Karen Phillips, FASLA and 2021 LAF Medal Honoree in conversation with three innovative leaders of historic Olmsted parks, this program will examine the importance of public parks in addressing today’s ecological, social, and cultural changes as well as the need to sustain them for future generations. Panelists include:

Susan Donoghue, President and Park Administrator, Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks
Layla George, President/CEO of Olmsted Parks Conservancy in Louisville, KY
Jennifer Ott, Assistant Director of HistoryLink and Steering Committee Chair of Volunteer Park Trust in Seattle, WA

Share your thoughts and questions about the event using #ConvoswithFLO and #ParksfortheAges. Don’t forget to follow us and tag us @Olmsted200.

To learn more about the Olmsted 200 bicentennial celebration and find nationwide events honoring the life and legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, please visit olmsted200.org.

By registering for this free event, you agree to receive communication from The National Association for Olmsted Parks and Olmsted 200. You will receive the Zoom link via email 24 hours before the event. Register through Eventbrite HERE

Mondays, July 19 – August 2, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Color Theory for Floral Design, Online

Colors—like flowers themselves—evoke feeling and sentiment, and set the mood. Explore the role of color in floral design using a spectrum of flowers. This online New York Botanical Garden three part online course gives you a solid grounding in color theory, while highlighting the latest hues and color combinations.

Materials: Students will be expected to purchase flowers before each class based on the instructor’s color guidelines. Registrants will be emailed a week before the class begins. This course requires the purchase of additional materials. Please refer to the Materials List when registering for more information.

$215 fee. Register HERE.

Sunday, July 18, 1:00 pm – Italian Gardens: From Campania to Lombardy, Online

Renaissance-era Italy has provided a plethora of marvels for modern travelers to explore. Too often overshadowed by paintings and sculptures held in museums, are Italy’s gorgeous gardens. These extravagant, breath-taking and innovative works of art revolutionized European garden design and which and still inspire present-day garden designers and guests. Today Italy’s remarkable gardens boast contemporary masterpieces as diverse as they are beautiful. During our time together in this seminar, we will take an adventure through a medley of glamorous public gardens in four distinct regions of Italy.

Beginning from Rome and Campagna, we’ll stop by the hidden Vatican Gardens and Palazzo del Quirinale. Then we’ll proceed ahead to the spectacular Villa d’Este at Tivoli, the bizarre Bomarzo, the sublime Villa Lante, and the romantic Garden of Ninfa.

From there we set out for Florence and Environs, to experience the grandiose Boboli Gardens and the privately-owned Villa Torrigiani. We’ll also dive into the Medici villas at Castello, Petraia and Fiesole, the elegant Villa Gamberaia, and the private Fattoria di Celle with its world-renowned collection of site-specific sculpture.

We’ll conclude our journey with a stopover and Venice and travels through the lakes on Lombardy. We’ll discover the extravaganza of Isola Bella and Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore, and Villas Carlotta, Cicogna Mozzoni and Melzi on Lake Como. Our conversation will also spotlight the Palazzo Malipiero, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Fondazione Querini Stampalia and the Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore in Venice

Led by an expert on gardens and garden history, Dr. Toby Musgrave, this interactive seminar will showcase and celebrate a selection of Italy’s great and inspiring gardens. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with increased knowledge and understanding of Italy’s great and diverse, and inspiring botanical history.

This seminar is a part of Context Learning’s ongoing series featuring International Gardens. For more details, please click here. $36.50. Register at www.contextlearning.com