Boston Flora

Tag: Cambridge Public Library

  • Saturday, October 21, 10:30 am – 11:30 am – Pruning Fundamentals

    Proper pruning of trees and shrubs improves their health and structure while enhancing their appearance in the landscape. On October 21 at 10:30 am, learn basic pruning principles, including how to make proper cuts, when to prune different species, and how to select and maintain tools. This New England Wild Flower Society class is part of our Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA).

  • Tuesday, September 5, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Building a Drought-Tolerant Garden

    There are drought-tolerant plants and then there are the drought-tolerant superstars. Join Dan Jaffe on Tuesday, September 5 at 6 pm to explore landscaping techniques for drought-proofing your garden. Learn which plants managed best during the worst drought on record—from bee balms for dry, sandy sites to the toughest black-eyed Susans.

    This class is part of our Urban Gardening Series a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). Photo from www.todayshomeowner.com.

  • Wednesday, July 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Nibbling on Nature in the City

    On Wednesday, July 12 at 7 pm, join Russ Cohen as he discusses the comestible virtues of at least three dozen wild plants commonly found in urban habitats such as vacant lots, bike path edges, ball fields, weedy areas around community garden plots, and your yard. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with information on which parts of the plant are edible, seasons of availability, preparation methods, and guidelines for safe and environmentally responsible foraging. Pictured is epazote, an herb widely used in Mexican cuisine, which grows freely throughout the city.

    This class is part of our Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). You may register at www.newfs.org.

  • Wednesday, May 10, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Food in the City

    Even in the city you can grow your own fresh produce. During this Wednesday, May 10 lecture, we will discuss garden design and installation, crop planning, plant selection, and organic and ecologically responsible pest and disease management. Whether your goal is to transform your lawn into a vegetable garden or just grow a few herbs, you will learn the techniques for producing edibles in an urban space. Marie Macchiarolo will lead the discussion.

    This class is part of New England Wild Flower Society’s Urban Gardening Series a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by New England Wild Flower Society in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA).

     

  • Wednesday, May 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Challenge of a Public Native Plant Garden: Maintenance, Interpretation, and Compromise

    The New York Botanical Garden’s new Native Plant Garden opened in 2013. Designed by Oehme van Sweden, it includes a diversity of microclimates on 3.5 acres of varied terrain with a planting plan of almost 100,000 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, ferns, and grasses. On Wednesday, May 3 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, curator Michael Hagen will explain how this garden is successfully maintained, and their criteria for what constitutes “native” in species selection and the use of cultivars. This very public landscape presents native plants in a contemporary style, with an emphasis on aesthetics over recreating habitat. Michael will share his observations about how the public perceives and responds to the value of this native plant palette, along with ideas for inspiring others to “go native.”

    Michael Hagen is Curator of both the Native Plant Garden and the Rock Garden at NYBG. He previously served as Staff Horticulturist for over 11 years at Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York and was Garden Manager at Rocky Hills in Mt. Kisco, a preservation project of the Garden Conservancy.
    This lecture co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and Grow Native Massachusetts.

    Door open at 6:30 for general seating, and the event is free and open to the public.

  • Saturday, February 11, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Plants for the Winter Garden

    It’s relatively easy to design a garden for the height of spring; more challenging is creating a garden that looks beautiful in the dead of winter. On Saturday, February 11 from 10:30 to noon, come learn about the many native plants that offer winter interest and how they can help your garden shine in winter.

    This New England Wild Flower Society class is part of our Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by Society staff in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). Mark Richardson will lead this session. For more information visit www.newfs.org.  Image from www.coolgarden.me.

  • Wednesday, January 11, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Naturalistic Gardening

    Some prefer the pomp and precision of a formal landscape, while others enjoy gardens inspired by nature. Learn how to take inspiration from the mountains, rivers, and fields of New England and create beautiful, naturalistic gardens. Dan Jaffe will cover every topic from plant selection and layout to sustainable practices.

    This January 11 class is part of New England Wild Flower Society’s Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by Society staff in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA). Cosponsored with the Cambridge Conservation Commission.

  • Wednesday, November 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Urban Gardening Series: Native Edibles

    You don’t have to compromise; you can have plants in your garden that look beautiful, promote pollinators, and are edible. From ramps to fiddleheads and Jerusalem artichoke, our native flora is chock-full of tasty, landscape-worthy plants. Join Dan Jaffe on Wednesday, November 2 from 7 – 8:30 at the Cambridge Public Library for a talk on New England’s best edibles. Questions concerning conservation of rare edible species will be addressed.

    This class is part of New England Wild Flower Society’s Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by Society staff in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway, Cambridge, MA).

  • Wednesday, April 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Spring Wildflowers: Ephemeral Beauty with a Purpose

    Carol Gracie, author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast, will speak at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, on Wednesday, April 6 from 7 – 8:30 as part of Grow Native Massachusetts’ public lecture series. Doors open at 6:30 and the lecture is free.

    Our native spring wildflowers evolved in the once contiguous forests that stretched the length of the East Coast and west to the prairies. Their flowering coincides with increased sunlight and warmth before the forest canopy leafs out, and their associations with the early-flying insects of spring are remarkable. Come learn about the life cycles of selected species in detail— and why many populations are in a marked decline due to human activity. By understanding their evolutionary relationships to forest habitat, we can better protect these ephemeral beauties on all lands, and integrate them into our woodland gardens.

    Carol Gracie is a botanist and highly-skilled photographer. In addition to Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History, she has authored several field guides. Her botanizing in South and Central America has led to seven tropical plant species and one genus being named for her.

  • Saturday, February 20, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Gardening for Pollinators

    Native plants are not only beautiful, they are undoubtedly the best source of food for pollinators, because plants and their pollinators evolved together. Covering everything from understanding how to attract specific pollinators to finding the right plants, this Saturday, February 20 class with Dan Jaffe will help you turn your garden into a pollinator sanctuary.

    This New England Wild Flower Society class is part of our Urban Gardening Series, a set of classes designed to help city dwellers grow healthy, sustainable, and beautiful urban gardens. Led by Society staff in partnership with the Cambridge Conservation Commission, these free classes take place at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, beginning at 10:30 am in the Lecture Hall.