Boston Flora

Tag: Dennis Collins

  • Tuesday, July 24, 9:00 am – 10:30 am – Extending the Flowering Season

    Adding new plants to the collections at Mount Auburn Cemetery which flower in late spring or summer is not just about adding color to the landscape. This initiative is also a response to climate change and the general trend of plants flowering earlier and earlier each year. Join Dennis Collins, Horticultural Curator, on this walking tour to learn about this important horticultural initiative. The event will take place Tuesday, July 24 at 9 am, and is $7 for Friends of Mount Auburn, $12 for general public. Register at http://mountauburn.org/event/extending-the-flowering-season-3/

    Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

    Image result for Season ticket

  • Wednesday, July 12, 9:00 am – 10:30 am – Extending the Flowering Season

    Adding new plants to the collections at Mount Auburn Cemetery which flower in late spring or summer is not just about adding color to the landscape. This initiative is also a response to climate change and the general trend of plants flowering earlier and earlier each year. Join Dennis Collins, Horticultural Curator, on Wednesday, July 12 at 9 am on this walking tour to learn about this important horticultural initiative. Free for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $12 for nonmembers. Register online at http://mountauburn.org/2017/extending-the-flowering-season-2/ Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Image from www.tclf.org.

  • Thursday, November 10, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – 2016 ELA Season’s End Summit: Landscape Design with Maintenance in Mind

    Beautifully designed landscapes are a delight to the senses. We all love the temptations shown in colorful garden publications, so full of promise and potential. All too often, the love affair ends when the maintenance begins. Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance on Thursday, November 10 at the Community Harvest Project Barn, 37 Wheeler Road in North Grafton for the 7th annual ELA Season’s End Summit to explore Landscape Design with Maintenance in Mind with our distinguished lineup of presenters. We will reconnect with colleagues, reflect on the past growing season, and get inspired for the next.

    Designing and Installing Landscapes After Invasive Species Removal

    Panel of Experts:
    Past ELA Presidents Explore Design and Maintenance
    – Panel Moderator, Theresa Sprague (Blue Flax Design), ELA President
    Panelists include past ELA Presidents Dennis Collins, M.L. Altobelli, and Trevor Smith.
    Darrah Cole (Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy)

    Creating Sustainability – sustainable design and maintenance on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  Darrah will share the successes and challenges of a highly used, busy urban park. The Greenway is one of Boston’s only organically managed parks, comprised of a mix of design styles and approaches. The Greenway has many areas devoted to native and pollinator plants, along with a diverse collection of shrubs, trees and spring flowering bulbs. Darrah will discuss design intent and the details of plant selection, focusing on what has succeeded and where adjustments were required. Fitting all these pieces together to create a vibrant, healthy, beautiful environment in the midst of downtown Boston takes thoughtful ingenuity, collaboration, and a serious commitment to sustainable values.

    Christie Dustman (Christie Dustman & Company)- Design Solutions for Low Maintenance Landscapes

    Fee $85 – $110 – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/2016-ela-seasons-end-summit-landscape-design-with-maintenance-in-mind/#sthash.tLzreIOP.dpuf

  • Thursday, July 14, 9:00 am – 10:30 am – Extending the Flowering Season

    Adding new plants to the collections at Mount Auburn Cemetery (580 Mt. Auburn Street in Cambridge) which flower in late spring or summer is not just about adding color to the landscape. This initiative is also a response to climate change and the general trend of plants flowering earlier and earlier each year. Because so much biological activity is centered around the time when plants are flowering, the life cycles of insects, and subsequently, the health of other wildlife species such as birds, are a concern. Come on this walk with Dennis Collins, Horticultural Curator, on Thursday, July 14 from 9 – 10:30 and learn about this recent addition to Mount Auburn’s list of horticultural initiatives for the next five years. Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. $7 for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $12 for non-members. Register online at http://mountauburn.org/2016/extending-the-flowering-season/

  • Thursday, January 16, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm (Snow Date January 17) – Managing Large-Scale Landscapes Sustainably

    Join the Ecological Landscaping Association (ELA ) and Wellesley College on Thursday, January 16, from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Wellesley College Science Center for a symposium on the development and maintenance of large-scale landscapes that utilize fewer inputs, are designed and maintained with the environment in mind, and become more sustainable over time. Experts who work daily in successful, sustainable large-scale landscapes will lead four panel discussions. If you are interested in sustainable landscapes for colleges, parks departments, public agencies, cemeteries, golf courses, forests, land trusts, public gardens, or other large landscapes, this event is for you.

    Maintaining Large-Scale Landscapes
    Landscapes Over Time, Soil Compaction, Invasive Plants, Recycling Organic Matter, and Sourcing Quality Compost

    Panelists: Dennis Collins, Mount Auburn Cemetery, John Forti, Strawbery Banke Museum, and Stuart Shillaber, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.  Please note that both Dennis Collins and John Forti are past Garden Club of the Back Bay presenters.

    Large Lawns: Ecological Approaches
    Mowing Frequency, Inputs, Pests, Disease, and Alternative Energy Mowers

    Panelists: Richard Luff, Sagamore Golf, Fred Newcombe, PJC Ecological, and Anthony Ruggiero, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

    Runoff as Resource: Large Scale Stormwater Solutions
    Erosion to Irrigation, Collection Options, Dealing with Large Rain Events, Water Quality, Minimizing Demands of Potable Water

    Panelists: Tom Benjamin, LA/Sustainable Designer, Brad Buscher, Groundwork Lawrence, Eden Dutcher, GroundView, and Kate Venturini, University of Rhode Island

    Managing Semi-Wild Landscapes

    Designating “Semi-Wild” areas, Identifying Invasive Plant Threats, Setting Management Priorities, Tackling What is Feasible (and Leaving the Rest)

    Panelists: Tobias Wolf, Wolf Lighthall, Heidi Kost-Gross, G/S Associates, and Sandy Vorce, Mass Audubon

    Registrations are limited – Use This Link to Register Online Now

    For more information: ela.info@comcast.net

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  • Tuesday, February 15, 1:00 pm – Conifers: Suviving Winter with Grace

    The “flowering plants” that get all our attention during the growing season have finally cleared the stage. It’s now time to see another group of plants shine.

    Mount Auburn’s conifer collection is notable for its diversity (nearly 80 different types) and depth (more than 1,500 plants). Some of the specimens are truly unique for their great age, impressive size or rarity.

    On Tuesday, February 15 at 1 pm, join Dennis Collins, Mount Auburn’s Horticultural Curator, for a walk to see and learn about some of the many conifers that make up this ancient and sometimes under-appreciated group of plants. $5 for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $10 non-members. Call 617-607-1982, or log on to www.mountauburn.org for more information, or to register.

  • 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.

  • Saturday, October 3, 9:00 am – 12 noon – The World’s Flora: Home in New England

    Embedded in the New England landscape and filling the catalogues of our nurseries are many plants that have achieved a sort of “resident” status here. Some of them may be among the earliest plants introduced to America from distant parts of the world; others arrived here more recently. This program, to be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, October 3, from 9 – 12,  combines an indoor slide presentation with an outdoor walkabout to observe some of these plants growing in the on the grounds of Tower Hill.

    We will look at imports from a variety of habitats that were well suited for our conditions, including those that were altogether too well suited and now are designated “invasive species.” Whether you are a gardener tempted to try exotic plants, a geography buff who wants to learn more about the habitats of certain plants, or someone who is merely intrigued by the way in which plants can adapt to different environments, come join us for this brief sampling of international flora.

    Instructor Dennis Collins is a plant taxonomist on the staff of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. He has degrees in arboriculture and park management, urban forestry and landscape management, and biodiversity and taxonomy of plants. He has worked at the Stockbridge School of Agriculture in Amherst, Mass., and the University of Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, in Scotland, and has taught many courses on horticultural subjects at Mount Auburn and the Arnold Arboretum. Once, long ago, he led a group of intrepid Garden Club of the Back Bay members on a walking tour of Mt. Auburn, which is still talked about as a highlight of our many wonderful programs. To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org. The fee is $15 for Tower Hill members and $18 for non-members.

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