Thursday, December 13, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Digital Photography: Capturing Botanic Images

Melissa Pace, garden educator, artist and photographer, will lead a Massachusetts Horticultural Society workshop that will give you an understanding of the elements of photography; line, texture, shape, space and color to add “wow” to your garden photography. This program is ideal for novice photographers using tablets, phones and simple cameras. Learn key elements in the classroom and take a few walks to practice in the gardens. The class takes place Thursday, December 13 from 10 – 4 in the Parkman Room at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Mass Hort Member Cost: $75; General Admission Cost $110. Register at www.masshort.org.

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Friday, December 21 – Winter Solstice Celebrations with The Trustees

Various properties managed by The Trustees will host Winter Solstice Celebrations on December 21.

The earliest event (4:30 – 7 pm) takes place at Long Point Wildlife Refuge in Martha’s Vineyard. Follow the luminaries on a a self-guided trail walk through the woods at Long Point. The path begins and ends at our visitor center where we’ll have a fire pit complete with s’mores and warm beverages to keep you toasty. Trustees members $5, nonmembers $10.

Join Musketaquid Arts and Environment and the Old Manse in Concord from 6 – 9 pm to celebrate the shortest day of the year There will be a roaring fire, smores, and hot cider to warm us, and music from the Voices of the Earth Chorus. Warm up inside the Old Manse during our free open house.

If you are in Ipswich, take a leisurely hike through the dunes of the Crane Wildlife Refuge to celebrate the winter solstice. On this, the shortest day of the year, we’ll take advantage of the dark with a stroll beneath the stars. We’ll warm up after our walk with hot cider, rum, and refreshments in the Tavern at the Inn at Castle Hill. The perfect balance to counteract the bustle of the holiday season! Please note: We will be hiking up and down dunes, through soft sand, for approximately 2½-3 miles – a fairly strenuous hike. $32 Trustees members, $40 nonmembers.

The William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington, from 6 – 7:30 pm, will have a small bonfire to burn the yulelo. You will share some favorite 19th century winter poems and learn about the history of the Christmas tree. Afterwards, enjoy hot cocoa and a 19th century baked treat in the dining room (or stay at the bonfire!). Feel free to bring your favorite poem, too! $5 suggested donation.

On a different note, Powisset Farm in Dover will host a Solstice Fondue Dinner from 6 – 8 pm. Fondue is a tradition dating to the 18th century, based on the classic combination of melted cheese and wine. Enjoy the camaraderie of cooking at your table as you prepare classic fondue — inspired by the contemporary bounty of the farm — for yourself and your tablemates. Learn about the fondue tradition from our local Swiss food historian. Bring your friends for a delicious evening out in the warm environment of Powisset’s farm kitchen. Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Please note space is limited and pre-registration is required. Email powissetfarm@thetrustees.org or call 508.785.0339 to find out if there is space remaining. $40 adult members, $50 nonmembers. This event is part of the Powisset Cooks! program.

In Milton, at Governor Hutchinson’s Field, from 6 – 8 pm, come together with family and friends on the darkest day of the year, and celebrate the return of the light. We’ll gather around fires to make s’mores, tell stories, and watch a talented fire dancer perform to music. $9 Trustees members, $15 nonmembers.

For complete details on all these celebrations, visit http://thetrustees.org.

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Fridays – Sundays through December 30, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Winterlights

NEW: This holiday season, the gardens at two of The Trustees’ most popular historic homes, Naumkeag in Stockbridge and The Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover, will sparkle with thousands of shimmering holiday lights. Each weekend features performances and activities for the whole family, from the young to the young at heart. See something new throughout the season. Don your coats, pull on your boots and join us for a new family tradition!

Select a date online at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/special-events/winter-lights.html to purchase your tickets. Entrance to the gardens is ticketed in 15-minute increments between 5-8PM. Upon selecting a date, you will be prompted to select an arrival time. Please be prepared to arrive 10 minutes prior to your ticketed entrance time to help expedite the check-in process.

Trustees Members: $12
Nonmembers: $17
Children 12 and under: FREE

Questions about Winterlights? Email naumkeag@thetrustees.org (Naumkeag) or andover@thetrustees.org (The Stevens-Coolidge Place).

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Friday, December 7, and Saturday, December 8, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – The Farm Nisse

The Nisse – a farm elf from Scandinavian folklore – will visit Appleton Farms  in Hamilton and Ipswich on December 7 and 8 from 4:30 – 5:30 pm. While we wait for the Nisse to awake from her slumber in the hayloft, there will be children’s holiday crafts, cookies and hot chocolate, and carols. Upon her decent from the hayloft, the Nisse must be offered her porridge. If the porridge isn’t just right, she will play tricks on the farmers and tie the cows tails in knots! If she likes the porridge, she will let us help spread the magic seeds bringing good fortune to the farm in the year ahead.

Registration is by the family- if you have 6 or more in your family, please register 2 families as we want to have enough cookies and hot chocolate for all. $24 per family for members of The Trustees, $30 for nonmembers. Register at www.thetrustees.org.

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Saturday, December 8, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Measure Twice, Cut Once: Introductory Tree and Shrub Pruning

Put down the hedge shears! Through both classroom instruction and hands-on field training, this December 8 class at the Arnold Arboretum will include what’s, whys, and how’s of proper pruning approaches and techniques. Andrew Gapinski will focus on small ornamental trees, young shade trees, and shrubs with general approaches towards maintaining a plant’s natural form and encouraging health and vigor. Note: Pruning for fruit production will not be covered in this offering. Dress for indoor and outdoor learning. Class begins at 9:30 am in the Hunnewell Building. Fee $32 Arboretum member, $42 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

Introductory Tree and Shrub Pruning
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Friday, December 7, 6:45 pm – Genetic Diversity and Phyloecology of the Western North American Pyrola picta Species Complex

Species in the Pyrola picta complex have broadly overlapping ranges along montane corridors from western Canada to Mexico and in some regions can be found in close sympatry. Using geographical and climatic affinity for phylogenetic ancestral state/area estimation under multiple dispersal and vicariance models, Dr. Diana Jolles, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences and Director of the Plymouth State University Herbarium at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire investigated the environmental conditions under which these species likely evolved. Initial estimates suggest that the P. picta species complex originated in the Sierra Nevada of California and that subsequent speciation was associated with dispersal to distinct geographical locations and ecological settings within the present-day, collective range. The present-day distribution is likely the result of secondary contact caused by climatic shifts and subsequent range expansion. Among other things, this study highlights the importance of specimen annotation for studying species’ geographic range characteristics. Dr. Jolles will speak at the December meeting of the New England Botanical Club on December 7 at 6:45 at Harvard University’s Haller Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge. The lecture is free and open to the public.

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Tuesday, December 4, 1:00 pm 0 3:00 pm – Infusing Your Life with Herbs for the Holidays

There exists a quantity of pleasures to be encountered by using herbs in your everyday life. The aroma, taste, and visual delight of herbs can elevate your cuisine; help in cleaning your home; and bottle up a little bit of summer to help brighten a winter day. Using fresh herbs ensures that you not only enjoy the product of your labors, but a sensory experience as you create them.

In this December 4 Massachusetts Horticulture class, from 1 – 3 in the Education Building at 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, Karen O’Brien will demonstrate how to make three items that will keep you in the holiday spirit. Make an honey-herb butter for holiday meals, craft a scented cinnamon stick tree, and put together a lavender/lemon salt scrub. Perfect for you or for gift-giving! Learn how to take simple household staples, such as butters, sugars, vinegars, and more and transform them into something special with the addition of fresh herbs, infusing your world with the scents and colors of summer. These products will enliven your household throughout the year, and will start your own herbal adventure.

Karen O’Brien’s herbal business The Green Woman’s Garden is located in the southwestern town of Richmond, NH. She has unusual herb plants, including medicinals and native herbs for sale, runs workshops on various herbal adventures, and occasionally participates at farmers markets and fairs. Karen lectures and presents workshops on all aspects of herbs and gardening. She is the Botany and Horticulture Chair of The Herb Society of America, is past Chair of The New England Unit of H.S.A., is Secretary of the International Herb Association, and is Past President of the Greenleaf Garden Club of Milford. She is the editor and contributing author to several Herb of the Year™ books, including Capsicum, Savory, Artemisia, and Elderberry, produced by the IHA. Her gardens are a little like her – eclectic, a little bit wild, but well-intentioned.

$35/Mass Hort member; $50/general admission. Register at www.masshort.org or call 617-933-4973.

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Tuesday, December 4, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Backyard Carbon Sequestration: How You Can Help Webinar

Landscapers and gardeners have long known that soil is not simply the stuff that props up plants. But not everyone knows that organic and native plant gardening practices can help mitigate climate change by building and protecting soil health.

In this December 4 Ecological Landscape Alliance free webinar presentation at 1:30 pm, Adrian Ayres Fisher will review the characteristics of healthy soil, how plants and soil life work together to store carbon below ground, and how gardeners and landscapers can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Adrian Ayres Fisher, a Chicago-area native, is Sustainability Coordinator at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois. Among other duties, she is in charge of two large rain gardens and a small prairie area that is certified as a Monarch Waystation. She is active in Chicago Wilderness initiatives, the West Cook Chapter of Wild Ones, and volunteers with the Plants of Concern rare-plant-monitoring program in Cook County Forest Preserves. She has trained and volunteered as a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener and was the native plant buyer for an independent nursery. Her backyard pollinator reserve has been included in local garden walks. Ms. Ayres blogs at http://ecologicalgardening.net and is a featured writer at http://Resilience.org.

To register, visit https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-backyard-carbon-sequestration-how-you-can-help/

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