Phyllis Craine, local chicken owner and paralegal, presents a session through the Arnold Arboretum on Thursday, March 4, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the evening at the Hunnewell Building in Jamaica Plain. As the movement to eat locally grown food gains momentum, there has been an increase in the number of people who are gardening. Parallel to this is a growing interest in raising chickens. Some cities and towns don’t allow backyard birds. Some do under conditional circumstances, while towns such as Arlington have put chicken-keeping up for vote. If you’ve ever considered raising a few laying hens of your own, this class is for you. We’ve invited suburban chickenista Phyllis Craine to provide basic information needed to start a small flock, the advantages of various breeds, insight into local chicken-keeping regulations, and the symbiotic relationships between garden and fowl when your birds come home to roost. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $20 Arnold Arboretum member, $25 nonmember
Tag: Arnold Arboretum
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Thursday, March 4, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – Landscape Maintenance: An Organic Approach
The Arnold Arboretum is sponsoring a one day seminar with James J. Agabedis, Jr. of Minuteman Landscaping, Inc. on Thursday, March 4, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Improve your understanding of horticulture and enhance your landscape skills. This all-day class will introduce the basics of horticultural landscape maintenance. James Agabedis is the owner of Minuteman Landscaping, an all-organic land care company. Having worked in the industry since 1986, Jim is a pro at communicating with customers and employees, and brings a solid understanding of current landscape practices to the classroom. He is a Northeast Organic Farming Association-certified Organic Land Care Professional and emphasizes organic techniques in this class. Jim will present the following topics: landscape maintenance practices; soil fertility; plant growth and health; planting and pruning techniques; plant evaluation; equipment safety; and turf care. The class will take place indoors and on the grounds of the Arnold Arboretum. Certificates of attendance will be given to attendees. The fee includes morning coffee and program materials. Bring a lunch and beverage. Register early as this class fills quickly – log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu. Fee $90.
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Saturdays, February 27 and March 6, 9 am – 12:25 pm – Introduction to Winter Tree Identification
You have a second chance to take this two session program with Kyle Stevens, if you missed the November dates. The Arnold Arboretum is sponsoring a two session class on Saturday mornings, February 27 and March 5, beginning at 9:30 a.m., with Arborist Kyle Stephens. This class will provide an overview of the information necessary to identify deciduous trees during their dormant season. Looking at specific character combinations, participants will learn to determine the genus and species of several types of trees in the Boston area. The group will begin indoors with a discussion of basic classification techniques and then go outside to the Arboretum grounds to explore maples, oaks, lindens, buckeyes, hickories, hornbeams and as many other trees as time will allow. This class is recommended for the beginner-to-intermediate tree observer. The first class meets at the Dana Greenhouse Classroom. The second class meets at the Hunnewell Building. Dress warmly for spending the morning outdoors. A hand lens may be helpful, but is not necessary. Fee $65 Arboretum member, $75 nonmember. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Saturday, February 20, 1 – 3 pm – Summer in Winter: Paintings by Anthony Apesos
The Arnold Arboretum invites you to a reception with artist Anthony Apesos on Saturday, February 20, from 1 – 3 pm, at the Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall in the Arnold Arboretum. The exhibit, Summer in Winter, will be on view January 9, 2010 through March 3, 2010, and Mr. Apesos will also give an artist talk on Thursday, February 25, from 6:30 to 8 pn. For more information log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
Anthony Apesos has been painting the Arboretum since he moved to Jamaica Plain in the early 1990s. His recent series of paintings shows the Arboretum at the height of summer’s verdant glory. A perfect antidote to winter weather, Apesos depicts the wide-ranging Arboretum landscape in deep summer, from the rugged outcrops of Hemlock Hill to the meadows from which dawn redwoods spring.
Anthony Apesos is a professor of painting and art history at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. His paintings are inspired by such landscape artists as George Inness, John Constable, and Samuel Palmer.
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Saturday, February 20, 9 am – 12 noon – Pruning in Winter
Join Jen Kettell, Horticultural Technologist at the Arnold Arboretum, on Saturday, February 20 at 9:00 a.m. in the Hunnewell Building at the Arboretum for this single session pruning workshop. Jan presented this program earlier in January, and you have a second chance. With no leaves on the branches to obscure your view, this is the best time of year to study a tree’s structure and shape it for improved air circulation, silhouette, and strength. Jen Kettell, an International Society of Arboriculture-certified arborist and accredited Organic Land Care professional, will explain the reasons for pruning and what to consider when pruning dormant trees, shrubs, and vines. She will demonstrate techniques, give guidelines for determining which plants benefit from winter pruning, and explain how plants heal from pruning wounds, even when dormant. Bring your questions to this classroom discussion and demonstration. Fee $30 Arnold Arboretum member, $35 nonmember. To register, or for more information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Sunday, January 24, 1:00 – 1:45 pm – Winter Wellness Walk
Great scenery and exercise, who could want more? A brisk winter walk will help you stay healthy and connected to the Arnold Arboretum at a time when the landscape is pared down to its beautiful bones. The emphasis is on fitness, with a healthy dose of information on seasonal plants and points of interest.  Join an Arnold Arboretum docent for this free walk, starting at 1 pm on Sunday, January 24 and lasting approximately 45 minutes. Meet at the Hunnewell Visitor Center. No registration is necessary. After the tour, warm up with a cup of tea or hot chocolate in the Visitor Center. For more information or possible weather cancellations, please call 617-384-5209. For directions, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Reminder: Tuesday, January 19, 7 – 8:30 pm – Spirit: Garden Inspiration
Dan Pearson is one of the most important and influential landscape designers working today. At the heart of all his gardens lies an unshakable theme – his reverence for the power and delicacy of nature. In this lecture on Tuesday, January 19, beginning at 7 pm at Trinity Church on Copley Square, Dan will demonstrate his design process, in which he extrapolates on the spirit of place as it emerges through geography, history, architecture, and native flora. Dan will explain how he believes landscapes—both wild and designed—speak to us, how human interventions in the landscape can animate and inform, and how they can serve to memorialize and to heal.
Fee $20 Arnold Arboretum member, $25 nonmember
Dan Pearson is a landscape designer with an international reputation for design and planting excellence. His key strengths are horticultural expertise, an informed and intuitive approach to the organization of space, and the practice of ecological and sustainable design principles. Dan trained at Wisley, a Royal Horticultural Society garden, and at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He is a weekly gardening columnist for The Observer, before which he was a columnist for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He is co-author of The Essential Garden Book (with Sir Terence Conran) and author of The Garden: A Year at Home Farm. He has presented and appeared in several TV series and has designed five award-winning Chelsea Flower Show gardens. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Tuesdays, February 9 & 23, 6:30 – 8:30 – Horticultural Math
Here is a two session course you’re really going to love. Kevin Bell, Director of Community and Cooperative Education at Norfolk County Agricultural High School, will speak on Tuesday, February 9 and Tuesday, February 23, from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum on a challenging topic for many of us. You’ve probably heard the phrase “math makes cents,â€and now you can put it to good use. This class will cover the basics of horticultural math with topics such as determining the amount of topsoil or mulch for an area, calculating fertilizer and lime applications, figuring how many plants to use in a garden bed or border, and using conversions in the industry. It makes no difference whether you are a hobby gardener or a landscape professional—this refresher math class will increase your productivity and accuracy in planning your gardens and lawns!
Fee $45 Arnold Arboretum member, $55 nonmember. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Mondays, February 8, 22, and March 1, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Landscaping with Native Plants
Join Michael Lance, owner and designer with Wild Regeneration, at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on three Mondays, February 8, February 22, and March 1, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, for this native plant design class. Gardeners, smitten by a display of natives at a garden center, erroneously infer all sorts of attributes from the word “native,â€such as “hardy,â€â€œresilient,â€â€œtough,â€or even “better.â€All of these traits may indeed apply to any native plant; however, this is dependent on the conditions in which the plant is grown. For example, a tough native wetland plant won’t be resilient when planted along the hot, dry edge of a driveway. In this class with designer Michael Lance you will learn about native plants that would be most suitable to your garden site. Michael will present some of the plants that he incorporates when designing gardens for clients, with class sessions about native trees, shrubs, and perennials. He’ll emphasize edible and medicinal plants, trees and shrubs that exhibit ornamental characteristics, and perennials that can withstand and thrive in urban and suburban New England conditions. Throughout the class Michael will incorporate organic techniques and his philosophy for developing healthy and beneficial garden habitats.
Fee $70 Arnold Arboretum member, $85 nonmember. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
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Saturday, February 6, 10 am – 2:30 pm – Winter Tree Observations: Deciduous Trees
You may already have taken Carol Govan’s evergreen tree identification class – now move on to deciduous trees. On Saturday, February 6, from 10 – 2:30, Carol will present a workshop at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden in this program co-sponsored by the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and the Arnold Arboretum. Winter is a great time to identify trees based on their overall structure and twig and bud characteristics. Close observation can also reveal clues to the adaptive strategies of various tree species. You will begin indoors at the Wellesley College Greenhouse Visitor Center, carefully looking at twigs and other tree parts, discovering family and genus similarities, and examining indicators of the growth cycles of deciduous trees. After lunch Carol will lead you through the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens to identify trees, observing both large- and small-scale details. Bring a lunch and hand lens and dress for cold weather. (Snow date: February 13)
Fee $50 WCFH or Arnold Arboretum member, $65 nonmember. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.