Boston Flora

Tag: Arboretum

  • Thursday, February 6, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – A Rose is a Rose: The Art of Botanical Prose

    Attention gardeners, readers, and writers! Come in from the cold on Thursday, February 6 from 2 – 3:30 at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum for an afternoon as delightful as a spring garden. Jonathan Damery, the associate editor for Arnoldia, will provide an enlivening and breathtaking tour of the artistry found in horticultural and botanical reference books. Bask in the profound eloquence of even the most exhaustive of botanical descriptions. Often cloaked in scholarly tomes, these compositions boast opinion, passion, simply gorgeous wordsmithing, and even intrigue, in some cases. Fee $5 Arboretum member, $10 nonmember Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Saturday, June 29, 2:30 – 4:00 pm – Reveal the Hidden Forest: Fungi at the Arboretum

    Susan Goldhor, Biologist and President of the Boston Mycological Club, along with Joel Kershner, Arboretum Field Studies Guide and BMC member, will lead an Arnold Arboretum walk on Saturday, June 29, from 2:30 – 4 (rain date June 30), meeting at the Bussey Street Gate.  Turn your attention to the fascinating world of fungi at the Arboretum.  Discover and identify some of the fungi that interact in complex ways with other organisms under the soil, within leaves, on bark and rocks.  In case of inclement weather contact 617-384-5209.  Reserve on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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  • Wednesday, December 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Deadly Nightshades: From Potatoes to Poisons

    Outside of the grasses and beans, few plant groups have contributed more to influence global cuisine and culture than the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Members like potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants have figured prominently not only in human nutrition, but also in the history of New England and the world. At the same time, poisonous relatives like tobacco, mandrake, henbane, and belladonna have contributed to its other, more sinister reputation. Join Gregory J. Anderson, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, at the Hunnewell Building at Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, December 7, from 7 – 8:30 for a deeper look at both sides of the family line.  Free, but registration requested.   On line registration is available at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Thursday, November 3, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Sustainable Practices for Managed Landscapes

    Managing our environment responsibly is a challenge that requires us to make philosophical and behavioral changes. In his work over the past 25 years, Eric T. Fleisher has developed protocols to help our landscapes recover from the harmful impacts of industry and chemicals. He will describe the design and implementation of a sustainable landscape management program, using the highly trafficked public spaces at Battery Park City and the campus at Harvard University as models. Fleisher’s programs avoid the use of toxic chemicals and significantly reduce the use of nitrogen in the landscape. His techniques focus on encouraging natural nutrient cycling systems through proper soil management and plant care. This Arnold Arboretum lecture will be held in the Hunnewell Building on Thursday, November 3, with refreshments served at 6, and lecture at 6:30. Offered with the Boston Society of Landscape Architects
    Free to Arnold Arboretum and BSLA members; $25 General Admission. Students: call 617-384-5277 to register for free.  You may register online as well, https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/info.aspx?EventID=1#November.

  • Arnold Arboretum Interpreter Training

    Expand your knowledge of the Arnold Arboretum and share your passion for plants with others.  Arboretum Interpreters will be trained to talk knowledgeably about the Arboretum and plants.  In addition to training on Arboretum history, plant terminology, and the landscape, volunteers will learn interpretive techniques to effectively engage with visitors of all ages.  As an Arboretum Interpreter, you will have casual interactions and conversations with visitors, one-on-one or in small groups.  You’ll help people find their way through the landscape, explore the fascinating world of plants, communicate how the Arboretum is a living museum, and make Arboretum history come alive.  Fall 2011 training will be held at the Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway in Boston,  and there is no no fee.  Punctuality and attendance at every session, as well as commitment to the program, are very important.  The training will be held on three Tuesdays and two Saturdays in September:

    Saturdays, September 10 and 17, 10 am – 3 pm

    Tuesdays, September 13, 20 and 27,  6 pm – 8:30 pm

    The Arboretum Interpreter program is a partnership: you provide your time, commitment and enthusiasm, and the Arnold Arboretum provides rich resources, experienced staff, and special benefits for volunteers.  It is also a wonderful opportunity for self-growth and for reaching out to Arboretum visitors to communicate the importance of plants in our lives.  An application form may be found at www.arboretum.harvard.edu (click on Get Involved, then click on Volunteer.)  After receipt of your application, a staff member will contact you.  An interview will then be scheduled.

     

  • Saturday, April 16, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Growing Plants from Seeds

    There’s nothing more satisfying to a gardener than growing plants from seeds. From annuals and perennials to trees and shrubs, success can be achieved if you understand what triggers germination. Expert propagator Jack Alexander will share techniques for starting various types of plants from seeds in this Saturday, April 16 class at the Dana Greenhouse Classroom at the Arnold Arboretum. Students will leave class with a selection of seeds raring to grow. Aftercare will be necessary. Level: Beginner. Fee: $55 nonmember. To register, contact Marc Devokaitis at 617-384-5209, or log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Monday, January 10, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The Secret Lives of Honey Bees

    Most people are familiar with the sight of a honey bee forager as she visits flowers in a garden or park, but few people know the rich story of the life of a colony within the darkness of a hive.  Wellesley College Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Heather Mattila studies the social organization of honey bees, and her hives lend a lively presence to the arboretum.  heather will unravel the secret life of honey bees, including the different kinds of bees that are found in hives and the jobs that they do, as well as the means by which honey bees communicate to ensure that the end result of their interactions is a healthy and productive colony.  The program, on Monday, January 10, will begin with tea at 2 pm, followed by the lecture at 2:30.  $10 for WCFH members, $15 for non-members.  Register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Sunday, December 5, 1:00 pm – New England Champions

    Join Mount Auburn Cemetery Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman on Sunday, December 5 at 1:00 pm for a walk through Mount Auburn, an arboretum of national importance, to view its numerous trees that have been measured as the largest specimens of their respective species found within New England.  Rain or shine.  Admission is $5 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $10 for non-members.  Mount Auburn Cemetery is located at 580 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, and more information may be found at www.mountauburn.org, or by calling 617-876-4405.  Photo below of Camperdown elm by Monkeyfilter.

  • Saturday, April 3, 9 am – noon – Pruning Basics

    Learn the why’s and how’s of pruning – why to prune, if you even need to prune, when to prune, and what cuts to make.  Wellesley College Botanic Gardens Senior Horticulturist Tricia Diggins teaches you to make cutting edge decisions about nearly every pruning job from house plants to large tres.  She explores with you how these general principles relate to specific plants like flowering shrubs, evergreens, older trees, young plants and fruit trees.  Approximately half the class time will be indoors and the remaiinder will be outside in the Hunnewell Arboretum and Alexandra Botanic Gardens, looking at the pruning needs of a variety of trees and shrubs.  The Wellesley College Hunnewell Arboretum can be damp under foot in early spring.  Please dress appropriately for the weather.  Class number HOR 10 080, WCFH members $20, non members $25.  To register, or for directions, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Pruning Tools

  • Thursday, November 12, 10:00 am – Garden Design Luncheon at Blithewold Mansion

    Join Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum for their annual Garden Design Luncheon at the Rhode Island Country Club with Guest speaker William Cullina, Plant and Garden Curator for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  A well known author (Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses,  Understanding Orchids) and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures to gardens and professional groups.  The lecture price of $75 for Blithewold members, $80  for non-members includes a delicious lunch, and be sure to enter the raffle for exciting prizes, including a Boston get-away.  The date is Thursday, November 12, beginning at 10 am, at the Rhode Island Country Club, 150 Nayatt Road, Barrington, Rhode Island.  For more information, or to register, log on to www.blithewold.org, or email jmurphyedu@blithewold.org.

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