Boston Flora

Tag: College Botanic Garden

  • Saturday, April 10, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Wow! Botany is Exciting

    Carol Govan is back at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Saturday, April 10, with a class beginning at 9:30 a.m.  Do you love plants and want to understand them better? Enjoy early arrival of spring in the WCBG Greenhouses as Carol Govan introduces botany using basic terminology, direct observations and journaling to explore basic plant morphology (seeds, roots, shoots, flowers and fruit). No previous experience is necessary. Class meets at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens Visitor Center.  Fee $50 Arnold Arboretum or WCBG member, $65 nonmember.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.botany.com/img/plants/dictionary-plants-flowers.jpg

  • Friday, March 12, 10 am – 4 pm – It’s a Small World: Macro-Digital Photography

    Take photos within inches of your subject.  Discover how to create stunning close-ups of flowers and other plant features in this one-day workshop with photographer David Kahn.  Begin the day with a discussion of equipment, preparation, composition, lighting, tips and tricks, as well as see examples of what can be achieved.  Then practice macro techniques using a variety of settings in the Ferguson Greenhouses and Visitor Center of the Wellesley College Botanic Garden.  This hands-on workshop is ideal for photographers who want to explore their own creative vision as well as artists who want to record small details as a reference for future artwork.

    Requirements: a digital camera and a good working knowledge of how to use it.  A more complete list of requirements and options will be available online, at www.wellesley.edu/SCFH.  You may email horticulture@wellesley.edu if your are unsure if your equipment or experience are sufficient.  Course Number DIG 10 101.  Cost: WCFH members $75, non-members $95.  Snow date Friday, March 19.

  • 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.

    http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/5500733/2/istockphoto_5500733-oak-tree-winter-silhouette.jpg

  • Saturday, January 30, 10 am – 2:30 pm – Winter Tree Observations: Evergreens

    Carol Govan has been a popular speaker with The Garden Club of the Back Bay.  Join her on Saturday, January 30 at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden for this one session class beginning at 10 am.  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 evergreens. 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 Arnold Arboretum or Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture member, $65 nonmember.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    Evergreen Needles and Snow by ...Rachel J....

  • Monday, January 25, 10:00 am – Eat Your View: Native Edible Plants for Your Gardens

    Expand your palate as well as your concept of food’s place in the garden with native edibles planted in blended garden displays.  In this illustrated lecture New England Wild Flower Society’s Botanic Garden Director Scott LaFleur takes us behind the design and installation of the Garden in the Wood’s new edible plant garden – designed to help change the way we look at the food production system here in the U.S., where most of our daily foods are non-native and produced in mass quantity using fertilizers and pesticides.  Using all native plants, Scott weaves together design approaches, horticultural techniques, and culinary uses that you can translate to your own home.  Scott discusses the concept of a blended landscape, using ornamental plants and edible plants in a design that blurs the lines between a beautiful and a functional garden.  Blended landscapes truly allow you to Eat Your View.  The program will take place at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Monday, January 25, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and is co-sponsored with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Junior League of Boston Garden Club.  WCFH, Arnold Arboretum, and NEWFS  members $15, non-members $18.  The course number is HOR 10 060, and you may register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or by emailing horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Persimmons by Henna Lion.

  • Tuesdays & Thursdays, January 5,7,12 & 14, 9:30 – 2:30 – Where in the World?

    Where in the world are all those exotic fruits, vegetables and spices grown?  In this four-day seminar at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden, learn about exotic produce in their native lands and see up close those growing in the Ferguson greenhouses.  Observe, research and record them in drybrush watercolor.  Sarah Roche’s expert instruction will give you the skills to capture textures and tones and the vibrant colors of fruits and vegetables – your paintings will look good enough to eat.  Snow date Tuesday, January 19, should a session be canceled.  Course number BAC 10 148.  WCFH members $200, non-members $250.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Tropical fruits in the Philippines by Roberto Verzo.

  • Wednesdays, October 21 & 28, 7 – 9 pm – Greening Up Your House: A Guide to Growing Indoor Plants

    Not sure your thumb is green enough?  Wellesley College Botanic Garden Senior Greenhouse Horticulturist Tony Antonucci helps dispel any black thumb self-images.  Tony oversaw the Ferguson Greenhouses “greening” and shares how your houseplants can be grown more safely without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  In the first session, he will show you the basics and special Greenhouse tips for houseplant care: light, water, pruning, and feeding.  Trouble shooting and pest control will also be covered.  Session two will be a hands-on workshop using the same plants the Greenhouse staff grows for the New Student Plant Give Away.  You will get your hands dirty and discover proper techniques for repotting, dividing, and pruning pot bound plants with their masses of tangled roots.  Take home your newly potted plants and watch them grow.

    As a special topic, Tony will cover Indoor Kitchen Gardens.  Apply green methods of growing indoor plants to indoor herbs, lettuce, and other food plants.  Tony explains the particular needs of an indoor kitchen garden and discusses the various methods you can use to successfully create one of your own.  Course Number HOR 10 040.  WCFH members $36, non-members $45.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    beautiful houseplant by katiescrapbooklady.

  • Monday, October 19, 2:00 pm – The Gardens of Paris

    Experience the gardens of Paris as close up as you can hope for without being there.  Wellesley College Botanic Garden docent and former Paris garden tour guide Maureen Bovet provides us with her unique view of Paris’ most beautiful parks and gardens.  Maureen will show us well known historic parks – Luxembourg, Parc Monceau (pictured below, photo courtesy of Marcel Germain), Jardin des Plantes, Medieval Garden of Cluny Museum, and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont – as well as several exciting new Paris gardens – Parc de Bercy, Promenade Plantee and Andre Citroen, with their innovative urban park designs.  She will discuss French garden design and plant cultivation, along with the fascinating history of these parks.  The program will begin with tea at 2:00 pm, and the lecture follows at 2:30.  WCFH members $10, non-members $13.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.wellesley.edu/SCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Parc Monceau by marcelgermain.

  • Saturday, October 10 – Monday, October 12, 9:00 am – noon – An Introduction to Plant Ecology

    When we see a flower or tree in our garden, we are often unaware of the myriad ways in which that plant’s growth and form is affected by other organisms and its environment.  This three consecutive morning course will explore key concepts in plant ecology with environmental scientist Katie Alt Griffith.  Each session will start with a lecture in the Wellesley College Botanic Garden Visitor Center and then move outdoors into the botanic gardens for observational studies and other structured activities in the field.  Please bring a notebook or journal and pencil, as well as a hand lens (available at Staples) and a field guide, if you have them.  Dress appropriately for going outdoors, rain or shine.  The botanic gardens contain stairs and uneven surfaces.  This course is co-sponsored with Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.  WCFH members $75, non-members $90.  For more information, or to register for course number HOR 10 020, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Leaf-footed bug on Adam's needle by Ken-ichi.

  • Tuesday, September 1 – Thursday, September 3, 9:30 – 3:30 – Fern Morphology: Beyond the Fronds

    Spend three days at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden (September 1 – 3, 9:30 – 3:30) with Dick Rauh looking at and drawing ferns.  Learn to appreciate the variety of forms and the subtlety of color and texture that characterize them.  Study the fern life cycle, dissections, diagnostic characters and fern vocabulary.  With Dick’s guidance, compose these elements: a drawing of a frond or habit, details of pinna form, sori and scales into a scientific illustration in graphite or pen and ink.  Members of Friends of Wellesley Botanic Garden – $250, Non-Members $300.  Print a reservation form from the web site, www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or send a check made payable to Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and mail it to Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203.