Boston Flora

Tag: Betsy Williams

  • Saturday, January 23, 10:30 am – 12:30 am – Pot Et Fleur

    Plant a lovely winter garden to grow indoors while you are waiting for the garden to grow outdoors! Combine potted plants with fresh cut flowers in a decorative container. With proper care, the plants will last for many months and the fresh flowers can be replaced when desired. Please bring floral scissors and an apron to this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class on Saturday, January 23 from 10:30 – 12:30. Plants, flowers, container and mechanics will be supplied by the instructor, Betsy Williams.

    To register for this event, please call Gayle Holland (508) 869-6111 x124 or email gholland@towerhillbg.org. Online registration is currently in the process of being revamped, but THBG member price is $75, nonmember price $90.  Photo from www.welwynflorist.co.uk.

  • Thursday, November 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Prepping for the Holidays

    Learn how to select and use fresh fruits and vegetables from the supermarket, woody herbs from your garden and locally grown evergreens and berries to decorate your home for Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society talk on Thursday, November 12 from 7 – 8:30 will cover gathering, preparing and using seasonal plant material as well as mechanics and containers. Two arrangements will be demonstrated

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A life long gardener, herb grower and cook, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral, gardening and cooking skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. An entertaining lecturer, she weaves stories and legends throughout her informative talks and demonstrations.

    She has presented at Monticello, The American Horticultural Society’s Youth Symposium, the Pennsylvania Lavender Festival and International Herb Association as well as Colonial Williamsburg, the Ozark Folk Center and the New England, Rhode Island and Cincinnati Flower Shows.  Image from www.prestonbailey.com.

    Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15. Register online at http://www.masshort.org/Thursday-Night-at-the-Hort/

  • Saturday, October 24, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Heirloom Pumpkin Harvest Centerpiece

    Make an autumn centerpiece that can be used for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, in this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class led by Betsy Williams on Saturday, October 24 from 10 – 12. Heirloom pumpkins are actually a hard-shelled squash. Flatter then Halloween pumpkins, they come in shades of celadon, forest green, cream and peach. An uncut heirloom pumpkin makes an elegant base for a striking harvest arrangement of richly colored dried flowers, herbs, grains, pods, nuts, mosses, berries and preserved leaves. The finished arrangement can be used as a harvest table accent for many weeks. All plant material, glues and Heirloom pumpkins are supplied by the instructor. Be sure to bring a pair of floral scissors and apron with you. Tower Hill members $75, nonmembers $90. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, August 29, 9:30 am – 1:00 pm – Mrs. Thrift’s Savory Herbal Kitchen

    Join herbalist Betsy Williams for a morning of herbal learning and savory tasting at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, August 29th, followed by a delicious herb flavored lunch. Learn how to harvest and preserve fresh herbs, then how to use those herbs, fresh and dried, to enhance the flavors of ordinary condiments in ways that add savory layers of flavor to everyday family meals and also become special gifts to friends and family. It’s simple, fun and very satisfying!

    Betsy Williams will demonstrate how to create delicious, savory herb butters, vinegars, mustards and herb salts as well as three types of pesto. Students will sample each condiment and then make a pint of herb vinegar, container of herb butter and bottle of herb salt to take home.

    For lunch we will make a tangy white bean salad that we will enjoy on a bed of locally-sourced greens dressed with extra virgin olive oil and herbed vinegar then finished with a creamy Bulgarian feta cheese and a drizzle of mint pesto. Fresh baguettes with herb butter, lemonade with mint and lemon balm and a bit of sweet dessert will round out our herbal luncheon. After lunch, we are all invited to take an optional walk through Tower Hill’s beautiful herb and vegetable garden.

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally. THBG members $70, nonmembers $85. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, May 16, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Vegetables for Small Spaces: Containers, Window Boxes and Raised Beds

    Grow your own vegetables on your porch, patio or balcony all season long. Fresh, delicious and available when you are ready for them, many of our favorite veggies grow happily and productively in small spaces. Learn where to order seed suitable for small spaces, which containers to use, and how to plant, care for and harvest your favorites, then begin your own potted vegetable garden.

    Each student enrolled in this Tower Hill Botanic Garden class on Saturday, May 16, from 10 – 12:30, will receive a Veggie for Small Spaces Garden Kit: vegetable seed catalogs from New England growers, detailed handouts, 2 packets of vegetable seed easily grown in containers, a 14 inch plastic pot, a bag of soil, a tomato plant suitable for a pot and support stakes and ties for the tomato. We’ll plant the tomato in class. All materials included. Please bring an apron and flower scissors to class.

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally.  THBG members $65, non-members $80.  Register online at www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111.

  • Sunday, May 3, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – The Portable Potted Herb Garden

    Grow your own culinary herbs, available for snipping from May to November. Nothing enhances meals like the taste of fresh herbs. Create an herb garden that can be moved from place to place to take full advantage of available sunlight. Plant 6 classic culinary herbs in a 14″ container to grow on a sunny porch, patio or doorstep. Plants, pot, soil and a copy of instructor Betsy Williams’s cookbook, Mrs. Thrift Cooks, are included. Tastings of a selection of herb butters, pestos, vinegars and salts, as well as rosemary walnuts, are also included. Please bring an apron and flower scissors to class.

    Betsy teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally. $75 for THBG members, $90 for non-members. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111.  Image from www.revmodern.com.

  • Tuesday, January 20, 9:30 am – Mrs. Thrift Cooks Up a Storm

    When Mrs. Thrift (Betsy Williams) cooks, basic home-cooking becomes a palate awakening experience. On Tuesday, January 20, beginning at 9:30 am at the Needham Public Library, 1139 Highland Avenue in Needham, Mrs. Thrift shows you how to make her favorite condiments such as herb vinegars, mustards and herbal butters. Then she teaches you how to use them to lift everyday cooking to a new level of taste. Sponsored by the Needham Garden Club – a $4 donation from non Needham Garden Club members is requested. For more information email bonniewaters@comcast.net.

  • Saturday, December 13, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Holiday Table Garden

    On Saturday, December 13, from 10 – 12:30, join Betsy Williams at Tower Hill Botanic Garden for a Holiday Table Garden workshop.  Plant a fragrant, flowering long-lasting winter garden for holiday decorating or as a seasonal gift.  All materials are included.  Fee is $75 for THBG members, $90 for nonmembers.  To register visit www.towerhillbg.org. Image from www.projectgreenscaping.com.

  • Sunday, November 23, 12:00 noon – 2:30 pm – Thanksgiving Centerpiece

    Make a beautiful, long-lasting table arrangement in the Williamsburg tradition, combining fresh fall flowers, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seasonal berries with preserved autumn leaves, in this Thanksgiving Centerpiece workshop taught by instructor Betsy Williams at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on Sunday, November 23 from 12 – 2:30.  The fee is $75 for THBG members, $90 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, September 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Apples, Apples, Apples

    Apples aren’t just for eating! They have played an important role in Harvest and Winter celebrations for at least two thousand years. Learn apple history, folklore and magical traditions at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on Saturday, September 27, from 10 – noon with Betsy Williams. Watch a demonstration of apple pomanders and apple cinnamon ornaments, then make an apple candle and a fresh Autumn Apple Potpourri to enjoy at home. Recipe and craft handouts included. Visit www.towerhillbg.org for more information, or click HERE to register. $60 Tower Hill members, $80 nonmembers.