Boston Flora

Remember Endangered Species on Your State Tax Form

Help protect Box Turtles, Peregrine Falcons and other endangered wildlife by supporting the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund when you file your state income tax this year. Since 1983, Massachusetts tax filers of Form 1 have had the option of donating to this effort through the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Fund when filing their state income tax (Line 32a: “Endangered Wildlife Conservation”), and tens of thousands of people have done so over the years.

All contributions go directly into the Fund, an important portion of the annual operating budget of DFW’s Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP), which conserves and protects endangered species and their habitats in Massachusetts. Over 20,000 tax filers support the program with over $200,000 in critically-important donations each year. Won’t you join them? With your contributions to the Fund, you directly help to study, protect, and restore endangered animals and plants and their habitats. Donations help restore populations and conserve and maintain habitat for many vulnerable kinds of wildlife, from raptors to reptiles.

Contribute directly to the Fund by writing a check payable to: “Comm. of Mass-NHESP Fund” and sending it to: NHESP, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, 100 Hartwell Street, Suite 230, West Boylston, 01583.

Friday, April 26 – Sunday, April 28 – Nantucket’s 39th Annual Daffodil Festival

Celebrate spring on Nantucket when the island’s three million daffodils are in full bloom. Everyone is invited to enjoy the festivities, which include the Nantucket Garden Club’s Annual Daffodil show, both a dog and a children’s daffodil parade, a Daffy Hat Pageant, and a vintage car parade featuring more than 100 daffodil-decorated automobiles. Visit www.nantucketchamber.org for a complete list of all events, or telephone 508-228-1700.

Saturdays, April 13 and April 20, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Creative Digital Photoshopping

Award winning photographer, Gail Hansche-Godin, will visit the Petersham Art Center for a two-part program on using creative digital photoshopping techniques. The classes will be held on Saturday, April 13, and Saturday, April 20, from 9 AM-12 Noon. The Photoshop Elements program will be the basis of the instruction, but the ideas reviewed would be useful for anyone. Beginning to experienced photographers will benefit from the class to learn how to create any imaginable work, from funny and whimsical to the classically beautiful.

Gail will begin the first part of the program by demonstrating image enhancement by adjusting lighting, color and clarity. She will discuss the use of proper work flow and how to use short cuts to speed up the work. Function of tools, using layers, burning (darkening) and dodging (lightening) areas of a photo, removing unwanted areas of a photo, cloning from one image to another (adding images), filters, and converting to black and white will be some of the discussion points. For the second day of the program, participants come back to the class with questions from practicing assignments from the first program.

The classes will be tailored to the level and needs of each individual participant.

Gail is a well-regarded teacher and artist who has won numerous awards in international photography competitions. She has had her photographs published in National Wildlife, Massachusetts Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy and Massachusetts Audubon Connections magazines. She is especially passionate about advocating for preservation of our wildlife treasures and natural heritage through photographic art.

The two-part class is $30 for Petersham Craft Center members and $45 for nonmembers. There are no computers provided but the instructor will demonstrate on her own computer, or participants may bring their own computers. Call the Petersham Art Center at 978-724-3415 to register or for more information. The Art Center is located at 8 North St, just off Rt. 32, near the Petersham Common.

Saturday, April 6, 3:30 pm – A Celebration of David Austin Roses and Afternoon Tea

Are you a rose enthusiast? A newcomer to the world of roses? Or perhaps youâ€™re a fan of Downton Abbey and all things British? Come to Russellâ€™s Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road, Wayland, on Saturday April 6th to join in a celebration of these finest of British institutions: English Roses and Afternoon Tea.

At 3:30 (before the rose presentation) enjoy a Tea hosted and poured by Gay Hughes from GayGrace Teas. Gay is passionate about tea and has created the Traveling Tea Shoppe. She offers over 30 premium quality loose teas from around the world. Delight in the discovery of new and well -established premium teas along with advice on brewing the perfect â€œcuppaâ€.Â Sit back, sip your tea and envision yourself in an English garden! Whether you identify more strongly with the aristocracy or the serving staff is up to you.
The fee is $6.00 per person. Seating is limited and pre-registration is strongly recommended.

While there is a fee for the Tea, the English rose portion of this event is free and open to all.Â At 4:30 pm,Â representatives of David Austin English Roses will give a special informative presentation. David Austinâ€™s English roses have been bred to combine the fragrance, form and character reminiscent of the traditional English cottage garden. David Austin, himself, has spent some 60 years developing roses which incorporate the form, beauty and fragrance of Old roses, while being sustainable and flowering repeatedly throughout the summer.Â Learn about the David Austin breeding program and the beautiful roses it has produced; discover their uses and swoon over the images of the many varieties which will be available at Russellâ€™s this spring. Just imagine how they will look in your own garden as you admire them while sipping tea.
Reservations may be made by email or telephone to: 508-358-2283 ext. 451 OR suzys@russellsgardencenter.com.

Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am – Camellias on Parade

Every year the camellias at the Polly Hill Arboretum on Martha’s Vineyard put on an incredible floral display in April.Â Join the Arboretum staff on Saturday, April 13, beginning at 10 am, to learn more about these wonderful plants and how Polly’s persistence in obtaining hardy specimens resulted in the display we enjoy today.Â Don’t miss this walk, a sight for winter weary eyes.Â $5 public fee, free for PHA members.Â For directions, visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

Wednesday, April 10, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Urban Beekeeping

Noah Wilson-Rich, Ph.D., founder of Best Bees Company in South Boston, will discuss raising bees in the rural, suburban, and urban habitats of eastern Massachusetts. Wilson-Rich does research to improve honey bee health and also sets up hives in schools for educational purposes. This lecture is the centerpiece of the Somerville Garden Club April meeting, to be held Wednesday, April 10 from 7 – 9 at the Tufts Administration Building, 167 Holland Street in Somerville. All SGC meetings are free and the public is invited to attend. Meetings include club announcements, a horticultural question and answer segment, and a raffle of donated plants and garden-related items. Parking is available, and the building is a short walk from the Davis Square Redline T station. Meetings are on the second floor, wheelchair accessible. For more information visit www.somervillegardenclub.org.

Thursday, April 18, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Land vs. Landscape

â€œThings are because we see them, and what we see, and how we see it, depends on the Arts that have influenced us. One does not see anything until one sees its beauty.â€ In this way Oscar Wilde explains in The Decay of Lying that the fogs above the Thames were first seen only when Turner painted them. Similarly, a â€œlandâ€ becomes a â€œlandscapeâ€ only through an artistic process. Land can be considered the zero degree state of a landscape that is waiting to be discovered. With a background in civil engineering, architecture and landscape architecture, Bas Smets, Principal of Bureau Bas Smets in Brussels, has developed a specific approach to representation that enables him to reveal an unseen landscape, starting from a very precise reading of the existing land. His projects range from the conception of territorial strategies to the construction of public spaces. In addition to these public missions, he creates one private garden a year.

This Sylvester Baxter Lecture of the Harvard Graduate School of Design will take place in the Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, 48 Quincy Street in Cambridge on Thursday, April 18 from 6:30 – 8 and is free and open to the public.

Saturday, April 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Ginkgo Fest: A Symposium About Ginkgo biloba

On April 20, three prominent biologists will join forces to share all they know about the unique tree species, Ginkgo biloba.Â Ginkgo is a plant species that has existed since the Jurassic period with few evolutionary changes and continues to thrive today. This special symposium includes a series of lectures, a tour of the Arboretumâ€™s Ginkgo biloba collection, and lunch with a tasting of ginkgo nuts. Ginkgo artifacts and illustrations from the Harvard Libraries and collected paraphernalia will also be on display. So don your best ginkgo outfit (we know you have at least one article of clothing with a ginkgo leaf on it) and immerse yourself in the history and biology of this relict species.

Peter Crane, Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean of the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and Professor of Botany, Yale University, and co- author of the just published book, Ginkgo: The Tree that Time Forgot, Yale University Press,Â William “Ned” Friedman, Director, Arnold Arboretum and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, and expert in the reproductive biology of early seed plants, including Ginkgo biloba, and Peter Del Tredici, Senior Research Scientist, Arnold Arboretum and Adjunct Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, a botanist who has studied ginkgo for more than 20 years and searched for and located remnant wild stands of ginkgo on the slopes of mountains in southwest China, will be the three luminaries speaking at the symposium.

WHEN: Saturday, April 20, 2013, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. View details and registration at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?DayPlanner=1165&DayPlannerDate=4/20/2013

WHERE: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street, Roslindale, MA. http://arboretum.harvard.edu/visit/weld-hill-directions/

Thursday, April 18, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Spring Ephemerals

The Natick Garden Club welcomes Joan Butler and Jana Milbocker on Thursday, April 18, beginning at 7 at the Natick Community Senior Center, 117 East Central Street in Natick, in the Great Room on the first floor. Joan Butler and Jana Milbocker of Enchanted Gardens Landscape Design in Holliston are garden designers, writer and lecturers. They will introduce us to the joys of Spring Ephemerals, those wonderful wildflowers that bloom in early spring, then disappear for the rest of the year. They have authored weekly gardening articles for the Holliston Reporter, Holliston Tab and Gatehouse Media, Inc., which have been published nationally.Â Image from www.hoosiergardener.com. Open to the public for a $5 fee.

Thursday, May 16, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill

The Beacon Hill Garden Club has donated more than $1 million in its eighty-five history. The Beacon Hill Garden Clubâ€™s contributions to over 200 local, state and national horticultural and conservation organizations have improved the urban landscape of Boston and beyond. This non-profit organization comprised of fewer than 100 members has raised money through its Annual Tour of the Hidden Gardens and through the publication of four Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill books. On Thursday May 16th, the Beacon Hill Garden Club will host its 84th annual tour of the Hidden Gardens with a first ever Presidentâ€™s Luncheon at the Hampshire House and release its new book, The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill: Creating Green Spaces in Urban Places. This yearâ€™s tour combined with the Presidentâ€™s Luncheon and the sale of the new book are expected to reinvigorate the tour and raise significant money for charitable grants.

This yearâ€™s tour on Thursday, May 16th will open the gates to twelve hidden gardens and four â€œribbonâ€ gardens that are viewed from the street. It is a self-guided tour and takes place rain or shine from 9:00am-5:00pm. Tour tickets ($35) and VIP Tickets ($75 includes tour ticket, Presidentâ€™s Luncheon and gift) are available for purchase online at www.beaconhillgardenclub.org. Tour tickets can also be purchased at select Charles Street stores and on the day of the tour for $40 at the Hostess Booths on Charles Street. Advance reservations are required for the Presidentâ€™s luncheon where tour guests will enjoy a sumptuous spring buffet while overlooking Bostonâ€™s beautiful Public Garden. All tour guests are invited to enjoy complimentary tea and refreshments at the Church of the Advent and shop the Tour Boutique. The Beacon Hill Garden Club will be using Square technology so that customers can conveniently pay for tickets, gifts and books with their credit card on Tour Day.

Since the Beacon Hill Garden Club released its last book eleven years ago, urban gardening has taken root in todayâ€™s urban culture playing a much larger role as city dwellers look to bring â€œgreenâ€ into their daily lives and beautify their outdoor spaces, however small and limiting. It is with this sensibility that the Beacon Hill Garden Club Book Committee created its fifth edition, The Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill: Creating Green Spaces in Urban Places (88-page, full-color, hard bound book, 111 color photographs, $35). This edition unlocks the secrets and shared wisdom of club members through the photography of Peter Vanderwarker and Thomas Lingner/The Able Lens. It is a primer for all urban gardeners who want to learn more about how character, walls, paving, levels, gates and doors, ornaments, furniture, light, color and plants can elevate any outdoor space into an urban oasis. The book will be released in May and available for purchase on Tour Day and through the organizationâ€™s website.