Boston Flora

Tuesday, January 7, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – Irrigation Tips for Landscape Designers

The Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wild Flower Society will co-sponsor Irrigation Tips for Landscape Designers on Tuesday, January 7, from 9 – 11 (snow date Wednesday January 8), a panel discussion lead by Theresa Sprague and Trevor Smith, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.Â $20 for ELA and NEWFS members, $25 for nonmembers.

The goal of most irrigation systems is to produce healthy landscapes while conserving water.Â For landscape designers to achieve this goal, irrigation systems need to be well designed.Â This panel discussion will held you understand the basics of irrigation systems in order to improve communication with irrigation contractors.Â For more information email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.Â Theresa Sprague is the owner of BlueFlax Design in Mattapoisett, where she focuses on merging science with the fine art of landscape design.Â She holds a Masters Degree from the Conway School of Landscape Design and is currently ELA’s Vice President.Â Trevor Smith is owner of Land Escapes, a full service ecological landscaping company in the Boston area. He is currently ELA’s President.

Wreath of the Day – Merry Christmas

We at The Garden Club of the Back Bay wish you and yours the merriest of holidays.

Tuesdays, February 4 – March 18, 5:45 pm – 7:45 pm – Residential Landscape Design

In this multi-session New England Wild Flower Society and Cambridge Center for Adult Education course appropriate for beginners, learn different aspects of the landscape design process, with special emphasis on the use of native plants in the residential landscape. Workshop sessions focus on design methods involving site analysis techniques and schematic design tools. Consulting with the instructor, work on a project of your own choosing. Interspersed with design work are lectures on plants and habitats, including information on plant choice and placement in the landscape. A list of required materials will be discussed at the first class. Classes begin on February 4, from 5:45 – 7:45, and are taught by Karen Sebastian, principal, Karen Sebastian LLC Landscape Architecture. Classes will take place at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education on Brattle Street in Cambridge, and the fee is $209 for members of the sponsoring organization(s), or $245 for nonmembers. You may register at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/hor4002.Â Image of one of Ms. Sebastian’s landscapes from www.bostondesignguide.com.

Wreath of the Day – Mother Daughter Teamwork

One of our younger decorators brought her mother, newly relocated to Boston, with her this year, and we all had such fun welcoming her to the neighborhood.Â The twosome are an awesome pair, producing fabulous designs such as the wreath pictured below, one of a matched pair for King’s Chapel Parish House.Â The request was for a blue bow with copper accents, and if you walk past the doors on Beacon Street in Beacon Hill you can observe these close up.Â Wreath Week is a priceless opportunity to meet neighbors – we encourage participation from anyone willing to lend a hand.

Wednesday, January 8, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – A Husband’s Point of View of Gardening

The Tewksbury Garden Club will present A Husband’s Point of View of Gardening with Neal Sanders on Wednesday, January 8, from 7 – 8, at the Tewksbury Senior Center, 175 Chandler Street in Tewksbury.Â Neal is an author and garden lover, and his humorous horticulture lecture is free and open to the public, but please bring a canned food donation for the Food Pantry.Â In Mr. Sanders’ words:

“Eight years ago, I helped sell the company that had been my long-time employer. When the sale was done, I had two â€˜sensibleâ€™ offers that would have kept me in the corporate world. To make a long story short, neither option appealed.

There was something else I wanted to do, something that had been on my mind for a couple of decades: I wanted to see if I could write fiction. Not the Great American Novel. Not poetry. Not some thinly disguised autobiographical cathartic work. I wanted to see if I could tell a rousing good story using believable characters people would root for. I wanted to write stories with satisfying conclusions that sprinkled enough clues about the outcome throughout the story to make a reader say, â€˜why didnâ€™t I see that coming?â€™ Oh, and I wanted to write stuff that people would actually go out and buy. In short, I wanted to write mysteries, suspense, and thrillers.

Since then, Iâ€™ve published seven books: Murder Imperfect, The Accidental Spy , Deal Killer, The Garden Club Gang, A Murder in the Garden Club, and Murder for a Worthy Cause. All are available in both print and Kindle editions at Amazon.com and in book stores . My latest, Deadly Deeds, has just been published.”

Wreath of the Day – Legacies

Another new designer, the daughter of one of our Past Presidents, came one day to help out, and designed the indoor wreath below.Â The customer asked for a cream bow and all natural accents – the very fancy silk brocade bow is offset by feathery miscanthus flowers, lotus pods, milkweed pods, and pearls.Â We are happy she subsequently joined the Garden Club!

Friday, January 10 – Sunday, January 12, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Leaves in Pen and Ink

Following a brief review of the Crowquille pen’s basic techniques, Carol Ann Morley encourages you to bring classic sophistication and grace to your pen and ink illustrations. Move beyond beginning stipple to create texture and tone with hatch and cross hatch.Â Through the study of selected pieces by master illustrators and the practice of recreating sections of those works, find the confidence to effectively apply these techniques to your own pen work.Â Some drawing and dip pen skill advised (but it’s also a great way to polish up your dip pen skills!)Â This Wellesley College Botanic Garden class takes place Friday, January 10 – Sunday, January 12 (snow date Monday January 13) from 9:30 – 3:30.Â Wellesley Friends $250, nonmembers $300.Â For complete information, call 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

Wreath of the Day – New Talent

Each year we discover the hidden talents of new members who haven’t decorated before, and they quickly become stars.Â In the next few posts we will feature their sensational work.Â The classic wreath below, replete with red berries, pine cones, and plaid ribbon, with just a hint of gold sparkle, was created by a member who could only come by after work, and in a few short hours each day created some of the most outstanding wreaths we sent out this year.Â We are shy about naming names, only because we are unable, for the most part, to honor special decorator requests each year, but if you Friend us on Facebook you may discover more.

Saturday, February 22 – Wednesday, March 5 – Wild Tanzania: An Eco-Friendly Safari

Still looking for a last minute Christmas gift? Journey with the Harvard Museum of Natural History into the heart of East Africa and go off the beaten path to learn about the culture, people, and wildlife of Tanzania. Marvel at a vast and unspoiled landscape under the equatorial sun and enjoy comfortable tented camps and small lodges, beautifully situated for their proximity to the seasonal concentrations of wildlife. Begin in Enashiva, a nature refuge in the Loliondo area just east of Serengeti National Park, and a model for community-based tourism. With multiple Masai villages nearby there will be opportunities to visit homes, talk with people, and learn about challenges facing the people today. We will go on game drives â€” both day and night. Drive to the Serengeti, spending the days amidst untamed wilderness where lion, cheetah, warthog, and millions of hoofed animals roam. Travel to the lush and verdant Ngorongoro Crater, a massive caldera inhabited by rhinoceros, elephant, and black-maned lion. En route, visit Olduvai Gorge, the site of the Leakey family’s remarkable discoveries. We spend the last two nights at Gibbs Farm, a peaceful sanctuary surrounded by breath-taking scenery (pictured below.)Â The study leader is Professor Andrew Biewener, and the cost of the trip is $6,975 per person, double occupancy, with a $1,300 single supplement option available.Â Call 617-495-2463 for more information, or click on to the Harvard Museum link above.

Wreath of the Day – Winter Solstice/Moonlight Sonata

Another named wreath, featured today during the Winter Solstice.Â The customer asked for a Winter Solstice Theme, and this could have gone in a number of different directions, including Wiccan.Â The decorator chose to emphasize silver and white, reminiscent of frost, and a rich texture of greens.Â Subtle but bright, the white and silver ribbon has “full moon circles.”