Boston Flora

Tag: Arnold Arboretum

  • Thursday, October 29, 5:30 pm – Landscapes for Art with Ann Kearsley

    Come to The Landscape Institute, 30 Chauncy Street, Cambridge, MA on Thursday, October 29 to hear Ann Kearsley speak about her exhibition of landscape design work, including drawings and photographs that document the process from foundations to cranes to finished installation of built landscapes and of sculpture installations.  Ann Kearsley MLA, MLAUD, principal/owner of Ann Kearsley Design, has been designing landscapes for art since 1996. Her lecture will discuss the challenges of designing landscapes for modern sculpture, using examples of her work that include sculpture by Tony Smith, Mark di Suvero, Willem de Kooning and others. Sculpture has been placed in landscapes for millennia. For centuries, figurative forms in public landscapes and private gardens communicated specific meanings through formal expressions of shared cultural iconographies. In the 20th century, as the imagery of abstract art moved away from mainstream culture, the role of sculpture in designed landscapes began to change as well, creating an opportunity for our consideration of the relationship between sculptural and landscape forms.

    This lecture is free and open to the public.  The exhibition will continue through December 3, 2009.  The reception begins at 5:30, the lecture at 6:00.  Please rsvp to landscape@arnarb.harvard.edu, since seating is limited.  For directions and parking information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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  • Sunday, October 25, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying the 25 Most Common Trees in Boston

    Just how dumb do you feel when someone says “You’re in the Garden Club.  What’s this tree called?” Perhaps you smile and say it’s a native Eastern whortleberry.  Lie no more. In just a few hours on Sunday, October 25,  you can learn to identify 90 percent of the trees growing in Boston, both native and nonnative (like the ailanthus, below). Beginning in the classroom in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, you will briefly review the characteristics of the 25 most common trees and learn the botanical terminology necessary to describe them. You will then walk the grounds of the Arboretum to look at mature specimens of these trees. Your instructor is Kyle Port, Manager of Plant Records at the Arboretum. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
    Fee $45 Arnold Arboretum member, $55 nonmember.

    http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/CAPS/pestInfo/pics/big/treeHeaven1.jpg

  • Saturday, November 7, 10 am – 12:30 pm – Conifers for Urban Sites

    Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Horticultural Curator Dennis Collins is the go-to guy for teaching about conifers.  He will use the Arnold Arboretum’s vast collection of conifers to show those that would be suited for smaller spaces in city gardens. Dennis will also recommend plants that can withstand some of the stressors common to urban sites, such as extreme wind or heat.  Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes for this class, which takes place entirely outdoors.  The location is Bussey Street Gate, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain.  For directions, and to register, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.  Cost is $30 for members of WCFH and the Arboretum, $35 for non members. Araucaria heterophylla photo courtesy of Rundstedt B. Rovillos.

    Araucaria heterophylla by Rundstedt B. Rovillos.

  • Sunday, November 8, 9 am – 4 pm – Natural History and Ethnobotony of Medicinal Plants

    Judith Sumner, Botanist and author of The Natural History of Medicinal Plants, will present a fascinating lecture on Sunday, November 8 beginning at 9 in the morning. Before the time of written records, early people used plants to relieve symptoms and cure disease, forming the basis of the modern study of ethnobotany and the starting point for the history of medicinal plants. During this one session intensive course on the history and current directions of medicinal botany, to be held at Garden in the Woods, we will track the knowledge of medicinal plants from prehistory through the spectacular work of the Renaissance herbalists, the Doctrine of Signatures, and the development of the European medical tradition. New World settlers carried the seeds of medicinal plants with them to North America, where European medical knowledge commingled with Native American lore. The class will consider herbal medicine in nineteenth century America, the field of zoopharmacognosy, and the current ethnobotanical approach to drug discovery. You will gain an understanding of human-plant interactions and botanical cures for human disease and the importance of preserving the diversity of medicinal plants.
    Fee $77 member of either the Arnold Arboretum of NEWFS, $91 nonmember
    Offered in collaboration with the New England Wild Flower Society. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    Medicinal plant by Khor Hui Min.

  • Saturday, October 31, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Barking Mad!

    Michael Dosmann, Curator of Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum, will speak on Saturday, Oct 31 , 1:00–2:30pm, at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain.
    As the weather changes and leaves drop, focus your attention on bark, an often-overlooked ornamental feature of woody plants. The Curator of Living Collections is mad for bark! Join him on a stroll to find trees and shrubs with beautiful, colorful, textural bark. Free.  Advance registration requested.  Log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu for directions and registration.

    http://www.1920-1200-wallpapers.com/1920x1200%20Images/Abstract/bark.jpg

  • Mondays, November 2, 9, 16, 30, and December 7, 6:30 – 8:30 pm – A Garden in Your Mind’s Eye: Developing Your Vision with Tony Bernstein

    Incorporating philosophy, aesthetics, economics, and theories as well as practicalities, it’s no wonder that planning a garden design can overwhelm. In this class, designer Tony Bernstein, Principal at SLDA Landscape Design Associates, will teach about core design principles, but will also coach you to clarify what you desire of a garden. Through exercises and discussions, he’ll encourage you to be introspective to develop design concepts that are reflective of your personality and lifestyle. Melding your inner visions with external factors, you will begin to develop a satisfying and cohesive garden design. In this class you will explore design foundations, philosophies, aesthetics, sensibilities, and practicalities. You will finish the class with rough sketches and plenty of ideas to develop during the winter. Fee: $140 Arnold Arboretum of NEWFS member, $168 nonmember.  Offered in collaboration with the New England Wild Flower Society. Please note there will be no class Monday, November 23.  All classes will be held in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum.  For more information, or to register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or telephone 617-384-5277.

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  • Sunday, October 18, 10 am – 2 pm – Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology and Control

    Ted Elliman, Vegetation Manager of the New England Wild Flower Society, in collaboration with the Arnold Arboretum, will present this one day class on Sunday, October 18, from 10 am – 2 pm at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  This course will provide an introduction to about 40 of the most common invasive non-native plants in our local landscapes (see Japanese knotweed below). Through lecture, discussion, power point presentation, herbarium specimens, and a walk outside, you will become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants which are so disruptive of natural ecosytems. Ted will discuss management techniques for many of these species, on both a home and a larger landscape scale. Homeowners and property managers who wish to get a head start on invasive control this year will appreciate the timing of this course, which will allow them to learn to identify young invasive plants before they become camouflaged by other vegetation. The New England Wild Flower Society’s Invader’s Magazine, as well as the Massachusetts Field Guide to Invasives, will be available for purchase at a discount. Fee $44 for members of the Arboretum or NEWFS, $52 nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/wfs_images/fallopia_japonica_japanese_knotweed.jpg

  • Sunday, October 18, 2 – 5 pm – Painting Fall Foliage

    Revel in fall color under the guidance of Rebecca Arnoldi, artist and naturalist, an instructor who combines an artist’s eye with botanical knowledge. Combine careful observation with fluid watercolor painting to express the essence, energy and emotion stirred by the natural world. All levels are welcome. The class meets at the Arnold Arboretum. Fee $50, offered in collaboration with the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4517909/nconwayfoliage-main_Full.jpg

  • Saturday, October 24, 1 – 3 pm – Botanica: Scanography by Marty Klein

    The Arnold Arboretum invites you to attend a reception with Artist Marty Klein on Saturday, October 24, from 1 – 3 pm in the Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall of the Arnold Arboretum.

    Marty Klein is fueled by an insatiable and wide-ranging curiosity to see familiar natural forms in new and refreshing ways. Using a flatbed scanner as a camera, Marty Klein captures images of plants and other natural objects with incredible depth and contrast. The images are very different from traditional photographs, yet remain close in spirit, imbued with an arresting vitality. Several new works in this show use specimens gathered by special permission from the Arboretum’s living collections.  The exhibition continues through December 15, 2009.

    Marty Klein holds a BA and a Master of Regional Planning from the University of Massachusetts, and over the years has worked as an artist, photographer, blacksmith, and land protection activist.  For more information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    Roadside foliage

  • Saturday, October 24, 9:30 am – 12 noon – Assessing Tree Health and Structure

    Dave Ropes, Consulting Arborist, Tree Specialists, Inc., will give a class at Garden in the Woods in Framingham in collaboration with the New England Wild Flower Society and the Arnold Arboretum on Saturday, October 24, from 9:30 am – 12 noon.  Proper tree care requires assessment of the entire tree system from roots to shoots. Learn how to properly assess a tree’s health and structure with techniques used by professional arborists. Learn which types of structural defects compromise the integrity of the tree and require attention, and which are merely aesthetic concerns. Study and evaluate tree foliage, twig growth, and the presence of pathogens and diseases. A classroom session will cover tree physiology and site conditions that relate to tree health, followed by a field session to look at a variety of trees at Garden in the Woods. Appropriate for landscape professionals as well as property owners who want to know how to decide what can be done and when to call a professional arborist.
    Fee: $30 for Arnold Arboretum or NEWFS members, $36 nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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