Boston Flora

  • Thursday, October 18 – Saturday, October 20 – Gardener’s Study Weekend in the Brandywine Valley and Perennial Plant Symposium at Scott Arboretum

    Join Berkshire Botanical Garden staff members October 18 – 20 for a three-day study weekend in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. The cornerstone of this trip includes attendance to the Perennial Plant Conference held at the extraordinary Scott Arboretum located on the campus of Swarthmore College. Attended by professionals and avid home gardeners from the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, this conference is by far the most sophisticated, cutting edge gardening conference held on the East Coast. This three-day trip includes transportation, tours of exceptional gardens and admission to a world class gardening conference. There will be a bit of free time for relaxing and resting weary feet! The BBG staff is eager to share this wonderful gardening adventure with you.

    Included in the $1,075 cost:

    Motor coach transportation
    Attendance to the Fall Perennial Plant Conference at Swarthmore College
    Admission to Mt. Cuba Center, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA, Scott Arboretum, Swarthmore, PA
    Overnight accommodation Thursday and Friday night.
    All breakfasts and lunches.

    Evening meals are on your own; a variety of different restaurants are located within walking distance of the hotel. The cost includes a $150 tax deductible donation to the Berkshire Botanical Garden. This trip is for Berkshire Botanical members only, so join now.

    Withdrawals: To withdraw your registration from a class, please contact us as soon as possible so we can make your space available to others. If you give us at least 7 days’ notice prior to the event, we will refund you less an administrative fee equaling 25% of the program cost. To register, visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/gardener%E2%80%99s-study-weekend-brandywine-valley-perennial-plant-symposium-scott-arboretum

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  • Monday, August 20, 7:00 pm – Seaweed Chronicles: A World at the Water’s Edge

    An ancient, and vital, part of nature’s ecosystem, seaweed is now emerging as an increasingly important source of food in a world faced with diminishing natural resources.

    In Seaweed Chronicles, acclaimed nature writer Susan Hand Shetterly opens a window into the world of this fascinating organism by providing an elegant, often poetic look at life on the rugged shore of the Gulf of Maine. Shetterly offers a close look at the life cycle of seaweed, and introduces us to the men and women who farm and harvest it–and their increasingly difficult task of protecting this critical natural resource against forces both natural and man-made. Ideal for readers of such books as The Hidden Life of Trees and How to Read Water, Seaweed Chronicles is a beautiful tribute to a little-known part of our country and a significant contribution to our understanding of our natural habitat.

    Susan Hand Shetterly is the author of the essay collections Settled in the Wild and The New Year’s Owl, as well as several children’s books, including Shelterwood, named an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children by the Children’s Book Council. She lives in Maine. She will speak about her book at Porter Square Books, 25 White Street in Cambridge, on Monday, August 20 at 7 pm. More information at https://www.portersquarebooks.com/event/susan-shetterly-seaweed-chronicles

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  • Saturday, September 1, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Building Meadows and Seedbanks

    Helia Native Nursery, 95 East Road in Alford, Massachusetts will hold a Building Meadows and Seedbanks morning on Saturday, September 1 from 10:30 – noon. Learn how to build a wildflower meadow. Collect seed in the wild and learn how to clean and store the seeds. The workshop includes an eco-tour of Sky Meadow Farm, and is $20. If you are interested in attending, email helianativenursery@gmail.com. More details at http://helianativenursery.com.

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  • Saturday, September 15 – Under the Harvest Moon

    Under the Harvest Moon: Cider to Sidecars, will be celebrated Saturday, September 15, from 6 pm – 11 pm. The evening benefits The Worcester County Horticultural Society and Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  The lively event features cocktails and seasonal hor d’oeuvre served amidst Tower Hill’s wild and cultivated beauty.  Guests will also enjoy seasonal farm-to-table dining, live music, unexpected auction items, and other surprises sure to delight – all under September’s spectacular Harvest Moon. For complete details, visit http://towerhillbg.org/harvestmoon.

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  • Friday, August 17 -Sunday, August 26, 12:00 noon – 10:00 pm – Marshfield Fair

    The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. and The Marshfield Agricultural & Horticultural Society present a Design Division of a Standard Flower Show at the Marshfield Fair, Route 3A, Marshfield, from August 17 – 26.   More information on the Fair is available at www.marshfieldfair.org.   The Exhibitors Handbook may be viewed at http://marshfieldfair.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/horticulture.pdf

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  • Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Self-Guided Audio Tours

    Berkshire Botanical Garden has announced the addition of self-guided audio tours as a new way of viewing its 23 gardens located in Stockbridge, MA.

    New this season, the audio tour allows visitors to walk at their own pace while listening to narrated commentary located at 21 points of interest throughout the 15-acre Garden. The audio tour is included in the price of admission, and BBG members can always take the tour free of charge.

    “We are constantly seeking to enhance our visitors’ experience when they tour our beautiful gardens, and this self-guided audio tour will give our visitors the flexibility to hear in-depth knowledge about the plants we feature and the Garden’s history, no matter when they choose to visit,” said Garden Executive Director Michael Beck. “The audio tour includes garden highlights chosen for their visual impact and educational appeal.” Some points of interest include the original 1937 herb garden, the pond garden and the rose collection.

    The audio tour was created in conjunction with the Garden’s horticulture and education departments working with Guide ID, which provides interactive guides to museums worldwide, including the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, Hall Place Gardens, Bexley (United Kingdom), and throughout the US including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, and the California Science Center in Los Angeles. It was produced by Sandpail Productions with voice talent provided by Grace Angela Henry, owner/founder of New York City-based A Voice for All Reasons.

    Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at the intersection of Routes 102/183 in Stockbridge, MA and is open daily, 9 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. In addition to free audio tours, docent-led tours are offered daily at 11 a.m. and are also free with Garden admission.

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  • Xerces Society and Bee City USA Merge

    For over 45 years, the Xerces Society has worked to make a better world for bees, butterflies, tiger beetles, snails, mussels, and many other invertebrates, and ultimately, to make a better world for us. They have worked to protect the most vulnerable animals on the planet, provided information on how to protect these animals to land managers responsible for millions of acres of wildlands, and helped create and restore more than 700,000 acres of habitat on farms. They have also engaged with people in towns and cities, providing information on how to best care for invertebrates in these built landscapes. In the last year, however, they have greatly expanded their efforts in urban and suburban areas, offering even more resources and training to park managers, gardeners, and others.

    Fitting perfectly with this increased presence in urban areas,  Bee City USA is becoming part of the Xerces Society. Bee City USA brings a unique approach that encourages cities and college campuses across the United States to develop and implement a plan for helping pollinators and then receive recognition for their efforts through becoming a “Bee City” or “Bee Campus.” Under the direction of Phyllis Stiles, a tireless advocate for pollinators who founded Bee City USA in 2012, scores of cities and campuses across the US have become affiliates, each making a public commitment to support bees and improving their landscapes for these and other pollinators. Bee City USA has achieved great success. Just a few months ago Phyllis announced the 115th affiliate—70 cities and 45 campuses—and there are more joining each month. Phyllis will continue this effort as a Xerces employee.

  • Sunday, August 26, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Seed Saving

    Seed saving brings tremendous benefits to the willing gardener. Learn how seeds develop, stay dormant, and germinate. This New England Wild Flower Society hands-on workshop on August 26 from 10 – 3 at Nasami Farm Nursery in Whately covers harvesting, cleaning, and storing a wide spectrum of native seeds. Spend time in the field observing and collecting seeds, then practice cleaning. Take your work home with you. Bring a lunch and dress appropriately for the field. The workshop will be led by Kate Stafford, and is $66 for NEWFS members, $80 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/seed-saving-1

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  • Through Tuesday, October 2 – Continuation: Seasons at the Arboretum

    Jim Harrison worked for the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in 2008, photographing the landscape through four full seasons. After that year, he returned, worked at his own pace, and expanded his perspective. For him, the Arboretum became a living, ever changing laboratory in which to explore the simple but fundamental act of observation.

    Harrison photographed in rain and snow, at dawn and dusk, even working on days when the beauty of the Arboretum seemed less obvious, or in some cases all too obvious. In time, he also began to see plants in relation to their surroundings. The photographs in this exhibition will encourage viewers to think in new ways about both the place and the process. His show, Continuation: Seasons at the Arboretum, will be on view in the Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall through October 2.

    Note: For exhibition availability, refer to Hunnewell Visitor Center hours at https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/visit/hours-services-and-policies/.

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  • Saturday, September 1, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm – Church House Tour with Page Dickey

    Join Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, September 1 for a unique opportunity to tour Church House, Page Dickey’s gardens and surrounding 17 acres of fields and woods located in Falls Village, Connecticut. Ideally situated with a view of the Berkshire Hills, it is a gardener’s classroom with groves of shadblow (Amelanchier), a saltwater pool accented by hydrangeas and flowering shrubs, and a small cottage garden surrounding the house. Meadow paths rich in native flowers lead to a lime rock-strewn woodland and ravine with a vernal pool. Transportation to and from BBG is included in price and time. Please dress for the weather. $35 for BBG members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/church-house-tour-page-dickey

    Page Dickey is a gardener and garden writer living and gardening in Falls Village, CT. Her books include Embroidered Ground, Gardens in the Spirit of Place, the award-winning Breaking Ground: Portraits of Ten Garden Designers, Duck Hill Journal: A Year in a Country Garden, Dogs in Their Gardens and Cats in Their Gardens. A contributor to numerous magazines over the years, she lectures across the country and is one of the founders of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. She lives and gardens with her husband in the company of assorted dogs, cats, and chickens.

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