Boston Flora

Tag: Berries

  • Garden How-To Free Online Smart Gardening Workshops

    Horticulture Magazine has a series of free download’s on its website which give you access to great garden speakers from the comfort of your own home. No new live workshops are currently scheduled as of this date, but you may access recordings of past workshops at http://www.hortmag.com/smart-gardening-workshops

    Here are highlights of two presentations of interest. We will feature more in the coming weeks:

    Good Berry, Bad Berry: Identifying Wild Edible Plants in Your Area
    Foraging is hot right now, but did you know there are berries in your own back yard that you can eat? Have you walked your local greenway and wondered if the berries you spied were edible? Good Berry, Bad Berry is a homeowners guide to who’s edible, who’s toxic, and how to tell the difference. There are a few recipes with good berries that you probably never knew were edible. Beautyberry jelly anyone? This presentation by Helen Yoest takes the audience through examples of identifying wild edible plants…in your own area.

    The Downsized Veggie Garden: How to Garden Small Wherever You Live, Whatever Your Space
    The downsized garden is about adjusting your growing to small quarters. The audience will see what other creative gardeners have done to find room to grow herbs, tomatoes and other produce in a very small space. Decks, patios and windowsills are all included. New containers make growing on a deck a piece of cake—examples include using containers made to sit on the railing and stacking containers vertically to save space. Presenter Kate Copsey is the author of The Downsized Veggie Garden (February 2016, St. Lynn’s Press).

  • Sunday, March 11, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Organic Berry Growing in the Home Garden

    Want to learn how to grow the fruits your family loves? Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are delicious and nutritious, and beloved by kids of all ages. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on Sunday, March 11 from 1 – 4 will cover: variety selection, planting site recommendations, soil and nutrient needs planting, spacing, mulching, pest control strategies, structural considerations (containers, netting, frames, etc.) and pruning/thinning.

    Patti Powers has been growing small fruits organically since 1978, first at her farm in Western Massachusetts, and for 26 years at Cheshire Garden in Winchester, NH. She studied Plant and Soil Science and Botany at UMass, and worked for 10 years as a researcher in the UMass Entomology Department studying insect behavior. THBG member price is $30, nonmembers $35. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

    Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week (a detail of one of our wreaths is seen below)  by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 1, from 1 – 3 pm.

    Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Mondays, January 25 and February 1, 10:00 am – 12 noon – Winter Shrubs and Plantings

    Sandy Vorce is the study group leader for this two part class in Winter Shrubs and Plantings, part of the Tufts University Osher Life Long Learning Institute conducted at Tufts’ Medford campus.  From berries to needles, branch color to fragrance, there are many shrubs that hold particular interest in the New England winter landscape.  Explore the variety, habitat and value of these plants through photographs, stories and samples.  The first session takes place Monday, January 25, and the second will be held Monday, February 1, from 10:00 am – 12 noon.  Sandy Vorce is the Property Manager at Mass Audubon Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary.  She is a Master Gardener trained in ecological landscaping and has a passion for nature and love of wildlife. Call 617-627-5699, or log on to www.ase.tufts.edu/lli for more information.  $50 for Osher Life Long Learning Institute members, $85 (includes annual membership dues) for the general public.

    http://img2.timeinc.net/toh/i/a/yard/winter-bloomers-01.jpg

  • Wednesday, December 2, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

    Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 2, from 1 – 3 pm.

    Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.
    http://www.anthonyschristmastrees.com/images/lg_traditional_22.jpg

  • Saturday, December 5, 10 am – 12:30 pm – Boxwood, Fragrant Greens and Berry Centerpiece

    Create a beautiful, long lasting fresh centerpiece for the holiday season at this workshop with Betsy Williams, taking place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, December 5 at 10 in the morning.  Choose an attractive pot or basket to fill with a lush arrangement of fresh boxwood, fragrant evergreens, California bay and rosemary, accented with sprays of eucalyptus berries, rose hips, pine cones and ribbons.  Greens arrangements are fun to make and, kept well watered, will last the holiday season.  Use your arrangement to decorate the dining table, entry hall, living room, kitchen, porch or doorstep.  Please bring clippers and an apron to class.  Cost $55 for Tower Hill members, $60 for non-members.  Register on-line at www.towerhillbg.org.

    http://flowersbysleeman.com/mcart/images/tf90-3i.jpg

  • Thursday, November 12, 5:30 – 7:30 pm – Wild Foraged Wreaths

    The Trustees of Reservations will hold a special workshop at the Long Hill Horticulture Center on Thursday, November 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Using unusual evergreens, blueberry twigs, cones, berries, mosses, bark, and lichens from Long Hill, expert floral designer Bonnie Stafford will lead this botanically inspired workshop. Learn about the natural materials, enjoy the wreath making demonstration, and then create your own exquisite foraged wreath. All materials supplied.  Trustees members $28, non-members $35.  To register, call 978-921-1944, x 4018, or email bzschau@ttor.org.  For directions to Long Hill, log on to www.thetrustees.org.

    http://www.greenunion.co.uk/blog/images/door_wreath.jpg

  • Wednesdays, October 7 & 14, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Introduction to Home Orcharding

    With careful planning, home orcharding can be a low-maintenance means to grow lots of nutritious food in small and challenging spaces. This class would be useful to anyone who has a little space and wants to grow fruit, including pomes, stone fruits, berries and nuts. The class covers the process of planning, planting, and caring for a home orchard. The beginner home orchardist will receive a step-by-step guide to evaluating your space, selecting the right plant and nursery, developing a maintenance plan, and an introduction to reference materials.  The class will take place on two successive Wednesdays, October 7 and 14, from 6 pm to 9 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, and will be taught by Benjamin Crouch, proprietor of Land of Plenty Organic Landscaping.  Cost is $45 for Tower Hill members, $50 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.  Last day of registration is September 30.

    http://www.bighorsecreekfarm.com/images/Red%20Astrachan.jpg