The public is invited to take a walk through participating art galleries in Nantucket on July 20 (5 – 9) and July 21(10 – 4) featuring floral interpretations of artwork. Free. Participating galleries in and near town will be announced soon. For more information visit www.nantucketgardenclub.org.
This half-day Arnold Arboretum course on July 19 with Jerry Bond, Urban Forestry Consultant at Urban Forest Analytics LLC will demonstrate how to incorporate estimates of tree load into ordinary tree risk assessment. Jerry Bond will present the concept and complexity of tree load and provide an overview of the research about load factors. He will then move on to solving the problem of including tree load, the most important development in the field over the last two decades, into the daily work of an arborist. In an outdoor session, participants will apply what has been learned to develop a load profile. The program concludes by considering the utility of this approach across the tree industry. This program takes place at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research Building, located at 1300 Centre Street, Roslindale. $75. Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.
Join the Provincetown Art Association and Museum on Sunday, July 15 from 10 – 3 for the 21st Annual Secret Garden Tour, a self-guided journey through Provincetown’s stunning gardens. Enjoy exclusive access to private gardens in a walkable loop in a residential neighborhood in Provincetown, free admission to PAAM, free parking, and free transportation between you car, the gardens, and the Museum. $40. For ticket information email info@paam.org.
Create soothing, healing salves and lotions to pamper your skin, at this Cambridge Center for Adult Education class on Saturday, July 14 at 1 pm. Learn the basics of making herbal infused oils, salves, lotions, for your own skin-soothing preparations without any synthetic ingredients; especially helpful for those with sensitive skin. Bring home a lip balm, healing salve, and lotion, each scented with your individual choices of essential oils. These products make marvelous gifts and are simple and easy to make! A $30 materials fee is payable to the instructor at the class, which will be held at 44 Brattle Street in Cambridge. Instructor: Iris Weaver. $50 fee. Register at http://learn.ccae.org/modules/shop/index.html?action=courseBrowse&TagID=254
Fruit trees and berry bushes are scattered among plots of veggies and wildflowers, providing food for pollinators as well as food for the gardeners. The four-season beauty of these trees and bushes are especially lovely when they flower in the spring, are fun to observe as they produce their various fruits in the summer and then turn lovely colors for autumn, and have beautiful profiles in the winter. Visitors are likely to leave with an edible souvenir, depending on what’s ready for harvest. More importantly, we hope they will be inspired to try a bit of edible landscaping on their own property. “Discretionary” is the best accessibility description. It’s neither Accessible nor Difficult, but there is a sloped, unpaved pathway down from the street. Image from Country Living Magazine. For address and more information contact http://www.nausetgardenclub.com/contact/ The proceeds from the garden tour will benefit the Nauset Garden Club. Admission:$5 per garden, Rain or Shine.
The proceeds from the Barnstable Education Foundation Garden Tour on Friday, July 13 from 10 – 4 will benefit the Barnstable Education Foundation. Admission:$5 per garden. Rain or Shine. Details at https://www.barnstableeducationfoundation.org/hydrangea-fest
Cape Cod Hydrangea Garden, South Dennis
Come and visit a lovely Cape Cod Hydrangea garden created by a granddaughter of a farmer. You’ll see that the gardener loves growing beautiful flowers, plants, bushes, vegetables, and trees. Gardens surround the house and embrace the lay of the land incorporating terraced stonewalls to take advantage of the sunshine, and creating a structured backdrop for the plantings. You’ll find lots of annual and perennial flowers, and discover new varieties you might want to grow yourself. View this garden from many levels and terraced
Pamela’s Garden, South Yarmouth
When you visit Pamela Phipp’s gardens you’ll see a plant-lover’s paradise. This landscape has evolved over time, but it started with a scraggly lawn. Pamela’s first decision was to have no lawn at all, so If you’re also interested in a turf-free yard, come experience the diversity and beauty you can create. Trees and shrubs that Pamela has happily “taken in” have become a foundation for borders and paths. Hydrangeas and perennials play an important role, and there’s a great deal of beauty packed into a third of a acre. This is a real person’s garden that will inspire and delight visitors. Accessibility: Discretionary – Mostly flat but a few steps and narrow paths.
Marlene’s Garden, Osterville
A cypress glade emptying to “Sam’s” kettle pond beyond provides the backdrop for a mixed deciduous shrub and perennial garden. See the creative use of bird feeders and houses with an arbor and water feature visible from seating areas. Two raised beds feature dahlias, and an herb and perennial garden border the deck which hosts containers of annuals and patio tomatoes. Walk along the garage to see the vegetable garden and zinnia bed, and note that the garage is divided in half: her garden shed and his tool/fix it shop. Day lilies, hydrangeas will be in flower and you’ll see several specimen trees as you stroll around this third-of-an-acre village property. Accessibility: Discretionary – Parts are flat but also uneven land, soft ground, sets of stairs.
Five Cape Cod gardens will be open for viewing on July 12 and July 13 from 10 – 4.The proceeds from the garden tours will benefit the Osterville Garden Club. $5 per garden tour. RAIN or SHINE.
Garden #1 The Cobb Astro Park, Hyannis
As gardeners, you will be fascinated by the wind sculptures, two unique water sculptures, and a Pathway of Discovery, which is home to 27 white marble busts of people who have changed the way we look at the universe, and ultimately ourselves. Search for the raised bed gardens maintained by the Garden Club of Hyannis and the Osterville Garden Club and the school’s memorial garden. Volunteerism and 12 years of community effort have produced this gathering space for strolling, learning, meditating, reflecting, and socializing. Accessible
Garden #2 A Propagation Garden, Centerville
The owners of this garden have been propagating trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals here for over 50 years. The couple is particularly knowledgeable about pollinator plants. Their greenhouse shelters the immature plantings and the composting bins provide soil filled with nutrients. As you explore the paths of the garden, you will notice many propagated hydrangeas including ‘Niko Blue’, ‘Todi’, ‘Bombshell’, and others. Discretionary
Garden #3 Cape Cod’s Bountiful Landscape, Centerville
In Centerville’s historic village, this property surrounds a sea captain’s house built in 1730. You can savor the sight of completely organic vegetables and flowers growing in a 50 ft.X 20 ft. year-round “hoop house”. The homeowner will be on hand to share the how-to’s of growing your own fresh produce year-round in an easily constructed hoop house heated by solar power. Accessible
Garden #4 Seaside Gardens A-Z, Osterville
Home overlooks beautiful hydrangeas out to the crystal waters of West Bay. Equally as spectacular is the elegantly designed raised beds vegetable garden with everything edible from A (artichokes) to Z (zucchini). All around this lovely property are flowerbeds bursting with blooms. The owner lovingly starts between 1500-2000 annuals and vegetable seedlings in her greenhouse every year. Accessible
Garden #5 Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, 345 Bone Hill Rd., Barnstable, MA 02635
Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary features a perennial garden maintained by the Osterville Garden Club. Tour a native bird garden with breathtaking views of Barnstable Harbor. Explore the Butterfly Mosaic Trail filled with pollinator plants that attract many species of butterflies, dragonflies, and bees. Stroll a short boardwalk through a salt marsh and meander down many trails to discover habitats that encourage and sustain wildlife. Long Pasture’s Visitor Center will be open for you to explore as well. Accessible.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47888485/heritagemuseumgardens.0.jpg)
Walk the grounds of the Heritage Museum and Gardens, 67 Grove Street in Sandwich on Friday, July 13 from 1:30 – 2:30 with Mal Condon, Heritage’s Hydrangea Curator, to learn about the pests and disease issues that most commonly affect hydrangeas. Learn how Heritage uses a more sustainable approach to control pest problems.
The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival returns, celebrating the iconic plant that makes Cape Cod so stunning in July. See the expanded North American Hydrangea Test Garden, participate in workshops, purchase plants, and tour the garden, which includes over 150 spectacular species and cultivars. All programs are free with museum admission. For more information visit https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/event/hydrangea-festival-2/
Discover the essential elements and principles of floral design while creating three different styles of arrangements. You will learn how to achieve long-lasting freshness and select the perfect containers and flowers for the look you want to achieve. Seasonal flowers, foliage, and themes will be emphasized. A materials fee of $45 (cash or check only) is payable at the first class. The Cambridge Center for Adult Education class on Wednesday, July 11 at 2 will be held at the Cass School of Floral Design, 531 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown. $100. Register online at http://learn.ccae.org/modules/shop/index.html?action=courseBrowse&TagID=254
The 2018 Fort Williams Park Foundation Garden Tour will feature several spectacular properties and private gardens in Cape Elizabeth and South Portland, Maine. All proceeds from tickets, program advertising, and sponsorships will benefit the Arboretum Project of the Fort Williams Park Foundation. The tour takes place on Saturday, July 14, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tickets are available at https://fortwilliams.org/product/garden-tour-2018-tickets/ or at area retailers by June. Tickets cost $30 in advance and $40 on the day of the event.
Simply show your online receipt or gift certificate when you check in at the Registration table at Fort Williams Park. Look for an “Online Tickets” check-in line, where we will have your name on a list. Tickets are non-refundable and the tour takes place rain or shine.
