Boston Flora

Monday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 26, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm, and Saturday, March 1, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm – Bones of the Garden: Strengthening the Design

All memorable landscapes have one thing in common â€“ strong â€œbones.â€ The placement of trees and shrubs creates form, directs movement, and organizes the garden. Learn to situate and integrate these stately elements into the cultivated landscape. Explore the concepts of scale, the creation of space, and the impact of change over time. Cheryl Salatino, Landscape Designer, Dancing Shadows Garden Design, will teach this three part New England Wild Flower Society course on Monday, February 24 and Wednesday, February 26 from 6:30 – 9, and Saturday, March 1 from 9:30 am – 1:30 pm. You will experience first-hand how these concepts can change your approach. Using these concepts, develop your own site-specific design and receive feedback on designs and plant combinations. During the final session, inspect the â€œbonesâ€ of Garden in the Woods with a late winter walk. Image from www2.fiskars.com.

The classes take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, and the fee is $132 for NEWFS members, $160 for nonmembers. Register on line at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/hor4223.Â

Thursday, February 20, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Planning a Cook’s Kitchen Garden

Do you love to cook? Wouldn’t you like to step out your door and pick the ingredients for your evening meal? Gardeners know that home-grown food tastes the best. Learn how to select the best tasting varieties for your kitchen garden and make a plan for successful harvests from spring to fall. Learn simple preservation techniques and strategies for eating from the garden all year long. On Thursday, February 20, from 7 – 8:30, vegetable grower Tim Wilcox will discuss growing techniques and how to make the most of limited space, at the gardens at Elm Bank in Wellesley.

Tim Wilcox owns The Kitchen Garden farm in Sunderland, MA where he grows specialty vegetables for farmers markets, restaurant chefs and grocery stores throughout the Pioneer Valley. Tim started the farm in 2006 with his wife Caroline Pam and together they have grown from a 1-acre garden to a full-blown farm of 25 acres. His favorite crops are garlic, herbs, chili peppers and tomatoes, which inspire him to create amazing homegrown meals from cuisines as diverse as Italian and Thai.

Lecture Fee $15 for Mass Hort members; $20 non-members.Â Register at www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4973.

Thursday, February 20 – Sunday, February 23 – The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show

The Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show will be held Thursday, February 20 – Sunday, February 23 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island.Â Hours are 10 am – 8 pm Thursday through Saturday, and 10 am – 6 pm on Sunday.Â The show combines Americaâ€™s passion for gardening with its love affair for classic cars. Vintage autos, which stir memories, will be the centerpieces for the unique gardens, which will be created by some of the most talented landscapers of the Northeast. Examples may be a 1950s period garden featuring a classic Belaire or an Italian piazza featuring a classic Ferrari. The 2014 Flower Show will be like no other show in the country.Â For complete details visit www.flowershow.com.

Saturday, February 22, 2:00 pm – Wild Animal Neighbors

In cities and suburbs around the world, wild creatures such as coyotes, alligators, and mountain lions are showing up where least expected. How can they survive in the contemporary world of concrete, steel, and glass? Ann Downer discusses the factors that bring these creatures to our backyards and ways to create spaces for people and animals to live side by side, in a talk and book signing at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, on Saturday, February 22 at 2 pm. Regular museum admission rates apply. Visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu for more information.

Thursday, February 20, 6:00 pm – English Heraldry

Again, another announcement not strictly horticultural, but which may appeal to our readers.Â On Thursday, February 20, the British Society will hold another evening of “Britishness” with a talk on English Heraldry with John Shannon, President of The College of Arms Foundation (see its coat of arms below).Â Mr. Shannon’s presentation will cover the evolution of English heraldry, the history of The College of Arms and the origins of several of the current Royal Arms including those of Elizabeth II – The Queen, Prince Philip – Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles – Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Prince William – Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus.

During the optional dinner, Mr. Shannon will discuss how Americans may apply to The College of Arms for proving a right to arms or for the granting of honorary arms.The talk will take place at The Chilton Club, 152 Commonwealth Avenue, by courtesy of Hope Baker.Â Cocktail reception will begin at 6 with the presentation at 6:30.Â An optional dinner with the speaker will begin at 7:45.Â Reception and presentation – $50.Â Reception, presentation and optional dinner – $150.Â If you wish to be seated at the speaker’s table, the cost will rise to $200.Â RSVP no later than February 17.Â To reserve, click here and follow the directions.

Friday, February 14, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Valentine’s Day Campy Terrariums

Because terrariums donâ€™t have as many rules as you think they do. Because Valentineâ€™s Day is kind of dumb. This niche urban garden supply class is intended for people who have an basic knowledge of building a terrarium (or not) and want to put together a something with a little more personality. Class includes everything. Even glitter. Couples, singles, everyone is welcome. The Friday, February 14 class time has been bumped up to 6 – 8 pm to accommodate romantic dinners, but if you need to arrive later, just let us know. $75 registration fee. Visit www.nicheboston.com or call 857-753-4294. Picture from www.oddyssea.com.

Thursday, February 20, 7:00 pm – Pollinator Gardens: The Beautiful Buzz

Come to the Miller’s River Environmental Center on Thursday, February 20, for a special meeting when Christine Beckert Long, North Quabbin Garden Club president and graduate of the New Wild Flower Societyâ€™s Native Plants Studies program, will show us how our garden choices, both of plants and practices, can significantly encourage pollinators to get to work and make our gardens bloom and produce beautifully. This is a joint meeting of Athol Bird and Nature Club with the North Quabbin Garden Club. Free and open to all 7:00 PM at MREC 100 Main Street,Â Athol.

Sunday, February 16, 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm – History of Camellias in Boston

New Englanders have been growing decorative plants for centuries. Many large estates in the Boston area featured glass greenhouses and significant collections of camellia trees. Discover the rich history of camellia cultivation from the late 1700s through the 1900s at this illustrated lecture by Lyman Estate Greenhouse Manager Lynn Ackerman on Sunday, February 16, at 1:30 pm.Â After the lecture, visit the 1804 Lyman Estate Greenhouses, enjoy our large camellia collection in bloom, and shop with advice from staff experts.Â $5. Registration is required. Call 617-994-5959 or email programinfo@historicnewengland.org. Image from www.southernweddings.com.

Thursday, February 20, 7:30 pm – Unusual Bulbs

The Wollaston Garden Club presents a lecture with Russell Stafford on Unusual Bulbs at the Wollaston Congregational Church Social Hall, 48 Winthrop Avenue in Wollaston (Quincy), on Thursday, February 20 at 7:30 pm.Â The public is invited.Â As a trained and experienced ecologist, horticulturist, botanist, and plant enthusiast, with a deep understanding of plant ecology and an expansive knowledge of plant material (and a boffo collection of plants), Russell delights in working with homeowners to create gardens that harmoniously express the unique particulars of their place. He also enjoys collaborating with landscape architects and designers as a plant material consultant. For more information contact Kathleen Ceurvels at ceurvels@comcast.net.

Wednesday, February 19, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Invasive Plants: What Follows Success Webinar

Many projects designed to control and eliminate invasive species meet with success only to find that an unintended consequence of success results in new infestations and unexpected problems. Invasive Plants: What Follows Success reviews the concepts and strategies that are used to deal with the successful removal of invasive species and the prevention of the establishment and spread of new species that arise when necessary actions that follow success are not taken into consideration prior to control efforts.Â This free webinar, on Wednesday, February 19 from 7 – 8, is sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association, and you may register on line at https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/944497270.

About the Presenter:
John Peter Thompson is a contractor and consultant working with USDA ARS, APHIS, Forest Service and the National Park Service, as well as the Africa Trade Office of Maryland (Parker & Associates), and Invasive Plant Control, Inc..
Mr. Thompson is a nationally recognized speaker on horticulture, invasives, bioeconomics and history. he was born in California but has lived in Maryland for the last 52 years. He owned and operated a small business for ten years before returning to the family nursery and garden center business in 1988 starting as a warehouse janitor and finishing as CEO and Chairman of the Board in 2008. During this time, while managing the perennial production and sales department, he was awarded the Perennial Plant Association Retailer of the Year award in 2000.
Mr. Thompson has been reappointed to the National Invasive Species Council Advisory Committee (NISC ISAC) having previously served as Vice Chair and Secretary. He is the Maryland Nursery & Landscape Association liaison to the Maryland Invasive Species Council and expert subject matter member of the State of Maryland’s Invasive Plant Council. He also is an active user of social media â€˜Tweetingâ€ daily @InvasiveNotes with over 6925 followers as well as a writer of essays about social, scientific and philosophic issues on his blog, Invasive Notes (www.ipetrus.blogspot.com). John Peter works as a volunteer advocate to politicians and policy makers as President of the National Agricultural Research Alliance.