Boston Flora

Tag: American Horticultural Society

  • Thursday, June 2 – Carol R. Johnson: Great American Gardeners Award Ceremony

    The American Horticultural Society’s 2016 Landscape Design Award will be presented to Carol R. Johnson, founder and chairman emeritus of Carol R. Johnson Associates of Boston, Massachusetts.  The award is given to an individual whose work has demonstrated and promoted the values of sound horticultural practices in the field of landscape architecture.  Carol has been a landscape architect for more than 50 years.  Among her notable projects are the redesign of the Mystic River Reservation and the creation of urban parks such as John Marshall Park in Washington, DC.  She taught landscape architecture at her alma mater, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and has lectured at other universities in the US and abroad.  She is a trustee for the Hubbard Educational Trust, founded to further education in landscape architecture throughout the United States.

    The award will be given on Thursday, June 2 during the Banquet at River Farm, the AHS headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.  To attend, visit www.ahs.org/awards, or call 703-768-5700.

  • Tuesday, May 17 – Saturday, May 21 – AHS President’s Council Trip to Chicago

    The year the annual American Horticultural Society President’s Council Trip destination is the greater Chicago area from May 17 – 21.  Participants will explore world famous parks and gardens, and stay at the historic Drake Hotel overlooking Lake Michigan.  The trip includes visits to notable private gardens in the area, as well as many of the city’s renowned public gardens including the Lurie Garden in Millennium Park, Chicago Botanic Garden, The Morton Arboretum, and Garfield Park Conservatory.  A special guided tour of the Ball Horticultural Company’s laboratories and trial and demonstration gardens also has been arranged.  To obtain a trip itinerary and learn how to join the President’s Council, email development@ahs.org, or visit www.ahs.org/ways-to-give/presidents-council.

  • Thursday, November 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Prepping for the Holidays

    Learn how to select and use fresh fruits and vegetables from the supermarket, woody herbs from your garden and locally grown evergreens and berries to decorate your home for Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society talk on Thursday, November 12 from 7 – 8:30 will cover gathering, preparing and using seasonal plant material as well as mechanics and containers. Two arrangements will be demonstrated

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A life long gardener, herb grower and cook, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral, gardening and cooking skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. An entertaining lecturer, she weaves stories and legends throughout her informative talks and demonstrations.

    She has presented at Monticello, The American Horticultural Society’s Youth Symposium, the Pennsylvania Lavender Festival and International Herb Association as well as Colonial Williamsburg, the Ozark Folk Center and the New England, Rhode Island and Cincinnati Flower Shows.  Image from www.prestonbailey.com.

    Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15. Register online at http://www.masshort.org/Thursday-Night-at-the-Hort/

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society’s 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we highlighted one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    This is our final promotion for AHS’s auction, and this time it’s a trip to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens hosted by Bob Brackman, Executive Director. Your visit for up to four includes a private tour of the Garden’s 38 acres, including its latest expansion project, lunch with Executive Director Bob Brackman at the Carriage House Bistro on site, and admission to the Garden for up to four

    Located in San Antonio’s urban core, the San Antonio Botanical Garden celebrates South Texas – its plantings, its heritage, and its future. Native and adapted plantings give year-round color to the water-saving ethos the Garden exemplifies, from the Texas Native Trail native area to the Desert in Bloom, where cacti and succulents thrive. Designed by Emilio Ambasz, the futuristic Lucile Halsell Conservatory features five glasshouses and will be the focus of the Garden’s new entry plaza. Now underway, expansion plans for the Garden fold an additional eight acres into the Garden’s footprint, with a Family Adventure Garden, and Culinary Garden complete with outdoor kitchen, adding exciting promise to the Garden’s future.

    Executive Director of the Botanical Garden, Bob Brackman oversees the public/private partnership between the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden Society. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design. Prior to coming to San Antonio 10 years ago, Bob was VP and Director of the Cheekwood Botanical Garden, 1993-2006. His botanical garden career began in 1981 at the brand-new Dallas Arboretum. Bob has been awarded the Professional Citation of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association.

    Best times to visit: Spring and fall are the best times to visit the Garden, which is located just north of downtown San Antonio. While in the city, visitors will want to explore the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk and the historic Spanish missions (five in total, including the Alamo), now designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016.

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society’s 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we are highlighting one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    For the golf enthusiasts who travel to South Carolina in the winter, this one’s for you.  Visit Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina with Botanical Garden Director Andy Cabe.  Your visit for up to four include a personal tour of the Riverbanks Botanical Garden with Garden Director Andy Cabe, lunch with Andy at one of Riverbank’s on-site eateries, and of course admission to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.

    Located on the west bank of the Saluda River and connected by bridge to the renowned Riverbanks Zoo, the Riverbanks Botanical Garden features scenic river views, spectacular valley overlooks, and themed gardens. The Walled Garden, the horticultural jewel of the Botanical Garden, opened to the public in 1995 and is filled with scents, colors, and textures of plants from all over the world. Riverbanks’ Old Rose Garden features 120 varieties of roses, including one of the largest public collections of Noisette roses in the world. Known for their sweet perfume and repeat bloom, the Noisettes originated in Charleston, South Carolina, so hold a special place in regional history. In addition to its botanical collections and natural beauty, the Garden site has significant historical value as the location of one of South Carolina’s first water-powered textile mills. (Depending on interests, a tour of the Riverbanks Zoo may also be included as part of this experience.)

    Andy Cabe, Botanical Garden Director at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, is a Columbia native and a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Andy has been with Riverbanks for over 15 years. He enjoys working with all types of plants, but bulbs are one of his true passions. One of Andy’s current projects is the development of a new, 3-acre, interactive children’s garden which is slated to open in late 2015.

    Best times to visit: while anytime is a good time to visit Riverbanks, March, April, and May are peak months. Garden enthusiasts might want to avoid spring break which is usually the busiest time of year when crowds are at their peak.  Conditions/Limitations for this item: tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016.

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs. This week we are highlighting one auction item a day selected from hundreds of options. For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    Today’s item is a visit to the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania hosted by Paul Meyer, The F. Otto Haas Executive Director. Your visit for up to four includes a personalized golf cart tour of the Morris Arboretum and Bloomfield Farm, and refreshments in the garden with Executive Director Paul Meyer, 2014 winner of the American Horticultural Society’s prestigious Liberty Hyde Bailey Award

    The Morris Arboretum’s 92-acre public garden is an ever-changing horticultural display featuring a spectacular collection of rare and mature trees in a Victorian landscape. The Arboretum boasts many exceptional features such as a formal rose garden, a swan pond, open vistas, wetlands, sculptures, garden architecture, and an elegant Fernery — the only restored free-standing fernery in North America. The iconic Out on a Limb canopy walk takes visitors 50 feet up into the treetops for a bird’s eye view of the canopy. Bloomfield Farm is an adjacent, non-public, 74-acre research and support site. Its Horticulture Center is certified as Platinum LEED®, illustrating the Arboretum’s commitment to the highest level of sustainability.

    During your tour, Paul will discuss the origins, development, recent restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic gardens. The Morris Arboretum was founded in 1887 as a private estate, and established in 1932 as an arboretum and public garden. Paul will also focus on his favorite plants in the Arboretum’s living collection, which contains over 12,000 trees and shrubs. He will share insights about the attributes of those species, and how these individual plants became part of the Arboretum’s collection

    Paul Meyer has been the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania since 1991, and has played a major role in the restoration of its late-Victorian gardens. He is a leader in the field of plant exploration and evaluation, having completed twelve expeditions to countries including China, Korea, Taiwan, Armenia and the Republic of Georgia. The Arboretum is a year-round destination and the gardens offer four seasons of interest, and is an easy train ride from Boston.

    Conditions/limitations for this item: Tour to be arranged at a mutually agreeable time subject to host’s availability by October 31, 2016; this personalized tour is available only on weekday mornings, afternoons, or early evenings.  Photo by Paul Meyer.

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs.  For the next few days we will highlight one auction item a day selected from many delightful options.  For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    Today’s offering is a visit to Portland and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, hosted by Jane L. and Lee Taylor. Your visit will include:

    A personal horticultural highlights tour, including visits to some of Jane’s favorite gardens and historical sites in the Cape Elizabeth area, a Maine lobster lunch, cooked and served in Jane and Lee Taylor’s backyard garden, and lots of fun for the eco-minded!

    Portland is Maine’s business, financial, retail, and “foodie” capital, and the largest city in the state. Seascapes and cityscapes blend harmoniously in Portland, perched on a peninsula, jutting out into island-studded Casco Bay. The metropolitan hub of Maine’s south coast region, Portland is a progressive, lively city incorporating the character of yesteryear into a modern, urban environment. A short four-mile drive south from Portland takes you to Cape Elizabeth, home of Fort Williams Park and the Portland Headlight, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

    Jane Taylor is founding curator of the renowned Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The first of its kind – and a hit since its inception – the 4-H Children’s Garden has served as inspiration for children’s gardens across the country. In recognition of her pioneering contributions to the field of youth gardening, Jane was honored in 2000 by the American Horticultural Society as the namesake of the Society’s Great American Gardeners Award recognizing excellence in youth gardening. Jane and Lee retired to the Portland area in 2007, and Jane delights in sharing her pride in her new hometown with visitors.

    Best time to visit: June through September (some blackout dates apply). Image from www.lighthousegetaway.com.

  • Saturday, January 9 – Wednesday, January 20 – Gardens of the Cape, South Africa, with Optional Safari

    Experience firsthand one of most diverse botanical regions of the world. Visit private gardens that reflect the history and culture of the region, and tour world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Be captivated by a land of extraordinary scenic beauty.

    This American Horticultural Society study tour has been specially created for AHS. In addition to the historic seaport of Cape Town, our travels will take us to the Cape Winelands, Western Cape, and Coast regions. See African wildlife as well, when you stay another three days for the optional safari.

    This is an intimate tour for only 18 travelers, so places are going quickly. Prices and forms may be found at http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/AHS_Travel_Reserv_Int_2016_SoAfrica_rev.pdf. Please register as soon as possible. View full brochure at http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/South-Africa_2016_WEB.pdf

  • 2016 Great American Gardeners

    Nominate your horticultural hero for one of the 2016 Great American Gardeners Awards. Each year, the American Horticultural Society celebrates outstanding achievements, encourages excellence, and inspires innovation in the art and science of horticulture through its Great American Gardeners Awards Program.

    Submit your nomination to honor a memorable professor, a favorite garden book author, or the driving force behind an incredible community project. Complete your nomination online or using our printable nomination form by September 30, 2015. Award recipients will be announced in the March/April 2016 issue of The American Gardener magazine. Email education@ahs.org or call (703) 768-5700 ext. 121 with questions.

  • Wednesday, October 7 – Thursday, October 15 – Gardens In and Around Rome

    See Rome from a new perspective – spectacular gardens from the Renaissance to modern times.

    The American Horticultural Society itinerary for its October 7 – 15 trip includes gardens of immense importance, such as the grounds of the Villa Farnese, perhaps the greatest masterpiece of Italian landscape design. There are also some notable names in garden history featured in our itinerary, such as Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola, one of the leading Renaissance garden designers (see his work below, photo from www.myartprints.co.uk,) and Russell Page, a renowned 20th century landscape architect.

    Many of the gardens are privately owned and only open by special invitation. Enjoy this intimate experience with a small group of like-minded travelers, and the ease and convenience of a single hotel, the five-star Grand Hotel de la Minerve, in the center of historical Rome. AHS host will be Landon Reeve, AHS Board Member and owner of one of the country’s largest full-service landscape firms for over 40 years. Nicola Howard of London-based Specialtours will be the tour leader. For more information email development@ahs.org or call 703-768-5700, ext. 127. For full brochure visit http://www.ahs.org/uploads/pdfs/Rome_2015_8x10-NEW.pdf.