Boston Flora

Tag: american Household Botany

  • Saturday, April 7, 8:30 am – 3:00 pm – Celebrating Herbs!

    The Herb Society of America, New England Unit, will sponsor Celebrating Herbs!, a symposium to be held Saturday, April 7, from 8:30 – 3 at the Hunnewell Carriage House, The Gardens at Elm Bank, in Wellesley. Speakers will include Kelly Orzel, Judith Sumner, and Betsy Williams.

    Betsy Williams will present Herbal Weddings: Old Traditions, Modern Uses. An herbal wedding is the essence of romance! The perfumed air, the delightful colors and the ancient symbolism of the plants blend to create a truly magical day. The program includes the stories and traditions of wedding herbs and the language of flowers, cultural directions for growing the herbs, garden design suggestions and how to use herbs and herbal flowers creatively in wedding flowers, food and drink. Image below from www.weddingwindow.com.

    Judith Sumner is a botanist and popular lecturer at the Arnold Arboretum, Garden in the Woods, and Assumption College. She is the author of American Household Botany, a History of Useful Plants, 1620 – 1900, and The Natural History of Medicinal Plants.

    Kelly Orzel, of Bowery Beach Farm at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, specializes in culinary and scented plants including 50 varieties of scented pelargoniums. The Backyard Gardener is her recent book.

    The early bird fee for Herb Society members is $85, $90 for non-HSA members, postmarked on or before March 10. All registrations after March 24 are $105, and registration closes March 28. No walk-ins. Registration includes coffee/tea and morning refreshments, plus a catered herbal lunch. The New England Unit of The Herb Society of America, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. Proceeds from this fund-raising event will be used to help support educational projects. For more information visit http://www.neuhsa.org/2018Symposium.html

  • Sunday, February 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Women in Botany

    Judith Sumner, botanist, author, and educator, celebrates women’s many roles in botany, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, February 26 from 10 – 4. Expert practical botanists – as gardeners, cooks, herbalists, and midwives – women have also become recognized professional botanists contributing significantly to plant science through exploration, research, and publication. Beginning with colonial America and the work of Jane Colden, explore the role of women in botanical studies and documentation. Recognize the role of women in protecting biodiversity (including the origins of the New England Wild Flower Society) and the work of Beatrix Farrand and others in ecology and landscape design.  In addition to lecture, slides, and discussion, peruse primary source materials from the Society library and participate in hands-on activities that commemorate the diverse roles of women in botany. This lecture is offered in collaboration with The Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture. Fee for members of either organization is $72 per person, and for non-members, $87. Register on line at www.newfs.org, or at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Thursday, July 22, 4:00 pm – Herbs in History: The Practice and Lore of Medicinal Botany

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge, continues its Horticulture in History series on Thursday, July 22 at 4 pm with a lecture, book sale and signing by author Judith Sumner. Beginning in prehistory, plants were known as the most reliable sources of essential medicines. Learn about traditional herbs and their many uses from ancient to modern times. Consider the best known herbal families, such as the mints and the mustards, and examine the basis for their efficacy. Traditional lore such as the Doctrine of Signatures, will provide historical context and breadth. This is an herbal adventure, spanning the medicinal botany practiced by the Greeks and Romans to the herb gardens of colonial America, herb use during wartime, herbs in the New England landscape, and modern herbal practices.

    Judith Sumner is a popular lecturer for botanical and horticultural organizations, including the Arnold Arboretum, New York Botanical Garden, and Garden in the Woods. She is the author of several books including The Natural History of Medicinal Plants and American Household Botany.  To register ($20), log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

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