Boston Flora

Tag: Elm Bank

  • Thursday, August 21, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Tea Blending Basics

    Move beyond commercial tea, and learn how to blend your own unique herbal tea blends, at a Tea Blending Basics workshop to be held Thursday, August 21 from 11:30 – 1 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.

    Community herbalist and educator Steph Zabel will demonstrate how to create delicious, cooling teas for summertime as well as cold and hot water infusions. She’ll discuss the art of choosing roots, leaves, flowers, and berries to make harmonious blends and also discuss the medicinal uses of the herbs we use.

    Steph Zabel is a community herbalist and educator based in Somerville MA. She teaches about practical herbalism and topics and offers individual holistic health consultations.

    Steph is also the founder and organizer of Herbstalk, a community conference that teaches people about herbalism. Learn more about her work at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com. The workshop fee is $15 for Mass Hort members, $18 for non-members. Register by calling 617-933-4943, or visit www.masshort.org.

    http://herbstalk.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-28-at-10.18.13-PM.png

  • Thursday, August 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Garden Herbs and Spices for Home Brewing

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on Thursday, August 7, from 7 – 8:30 for a lecture on the description and history of hops, and the decades of the Northeast’s leadership in US hop production. Discover how you can grow hops at home, the structures you can use for the vines. Roger Savoy will also describe each individual ingredient in beer: malt, hops, yeast and water. Learn how we use those to make beer, supplimenting the four ingredients with adjuncts and specialty herbs, spices, fruits and such.

    Roger Savoy is President of Homebrew Emporium, which sells equipment and supplies to make beer, wine, cheese and other home prepared foods. He taught at and worked as a consultant and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Incubator, helping small businesses develop locally and internationally. He, wife Anita, and friend Bruce Lucier purchased a small 500 sq ft homebrew store in Rensselaer, NY in 1997. Since then, the company has become the largest in the Northeast and one fo the largest in the country. He has been a regular on NPR, and frequently speaks at brewing related events.

    Roger is also an avid cook and gardener. His garden has many herbs including those used brewing, such as hops, coriander and lemon balm.  Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15.  The lecture takes place in The Parkman Room at the Education Building, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  Register online at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e9hk0rw5b3814e98&llr=kzaorjcab, or call Katie Folts at 617-933-4973.

  • Thursday, July 17, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Flowers that Fly: Habitat Gardening for Butterflies

    On Thursday, July 17, beginning at 7 pm in the Parkman Room at the Education Building, Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Sharon Stichter will share images and distinguish between larval host plants, giving examples for garden-friendly species, and nectar sources which appeal to a wide range of butterfly species. An annotated plant list for New England Gardens will be provided.

    Sharon Stichter has co-taught a course on pollinator gardening for the New England Wildflower Society, and presents to many garden clubs on the topic. She draws on her personal experience of creating a butterfly garden at her home in Newbury, Massachusetts. She was past Editor of the Mass Butterfly Club journal, author of the website The Butterflies of Massachusetts: A New Look at their History and Status, and a participant in several scientific studies on butterflies and climate change, with associated publications.  Mass Hort members $10, non-members $15.  Register by calling 617-933-4973, or visiting www.masshort.org. Photo by Lisa Daley-Bromberg courtesy of Massachusetts Audubon Society.

  • Wednesdays, July 9 – July 30, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Perennial & Shrub Planting Design for Seasonal Color

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society four session workshop with Maria Von Brincken of The Boston Architectural College examines planting design, color combinations and effective bed layout. In this workshop students will learn to combine the user’s experience and circulation systems, with massing and form to create stunning plant combinations.

    Students will practice design applications based on color theory, texture, and form to create seasonal planting combinations, winter form, and backdrops to highlight waves of color. Students will design a front and back garden focusing on impact through planting design and form, students may select their own sites.

    Learn personalized color palettes and planting layouts to create combinations for ongoing colorful displays. The role of planted containers will be discussed and included in design. The class format includes lecture, discussion of reading, design support and review of weekly design exercises.

    This workshop, taking place Wednesdays, July 9 – 30 from 9:30 – 12:30, is best suited for individuals who have working knowledge of some garden plants and a strong interest in horticulture.

    Cost: $240 for members of Mass Hort, $265 for non-members. Register on line at www.masshort.org. The class will take place in The Parkman Room at the Education Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.

  • Thursday, June 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Biology and Control of Common Invasive Species

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society class, to be held on Thursday, June 19, from 7 – 8:30 in the Parkman Room, Education Building, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, will introduce you to the biology and control of common invasive plants.  Learn how to time organic and chemical controls to manage your landscape. The class will be conducted by Bruce Wenning, Ecological Landscaping Alliance.  $10 Mass Hort members, $15 non-members.  More information may be found at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday, June 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Ecological Landscape Design: A Gardener’s Primer

    Beautiful and environmentally sustainable residential landscapes integrate the gardener’s aesthetic vision with the dynamics of a site’s natural systems.  Landscape architect Ann Kearsley will explain how to assess your property’s ecological condition and develop more sustainable garden layouts and planting strategies on Thursday, June 12, from 7 – 8:30 in the Parkman Room in the Education Building, Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley.  Using case studies of projects from her own practice, Ann will illustrate some of the basic principles of ecological landscape design, including site analysis, developing planting plans based on plant communities, supporting healthy soils, integrating stormwater management, and increasing bio-diversity in your own corner of the planet.  $10 Mass Hort members, $15 non-members.  More information may be found at www.masshort.org.

  • Sunday, June 8, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm – South Natick Garden Tour

    One of the area’s most sought after events of the season, The 7th Annual South Natick Garden Tour, will be held for one day only on June 8, 2014 from 2 to 6pm. The tour is anticipated by many to be one of the most exclusive opportunities to view the private spaces of a few of the area’s most cultivated gardeners. All garden addresses will be released on the day of the event, except for one, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society and their gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Guided tours of these gardens will be offered throughout the day and the tour will conclude with a wine and cheese reception between 4:00-6pm for tour participants at Elm Bank. Additionally, the other participating garden locations will feature discussions on garden design, annual and perennial plant selection, bee keeping and general information from a master gardener. Proceeds of the tour will go to benefit Natick’s historic Bacon Free Library.
    Tickets are on sale now for $30 and $35 on the day of the event – June 8, 2014.
    They can be purchased by contacting the Bacon Free Library at 508-653-6730 or by
    visiting the library in person, 58 Eliot Street, Natick.

  • Saturday, May 24, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – New England Daylily Society Spring Plant Sale & Auction

    New England Daylily Society (NEDS) is holding its SPRING PLANT SALE AND AUCTION on Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the First Congregational Church, 1 Church Street, Wakefield, MA. from 10AM TO 12 noon; auction begins at 12:30 and continues until all daylilies are sold. Daylilies are the “PERFECT” perennial since they are low maintenance, tough, hardy, and drought-tolerant. They require some sun. Their diversity is in the color palette, the height, and the flower form and pattern. Every garden needs some daylilies. By planting both early blooming and late blooming daylilies, you can extend the bloom season from late spring to October. Three to four varieties of daylilies together can create a stunning garden. Smaller daylily cultivars can be suitable for container gardens. Most daylilies will be priced at $5 – $10; some slightly higher sell by vendors. More expensive daylilies will be in the auction. Visit the NEDS website at www.nedaylily.org for additional information.

    NEDS is nonprofit organization and maintain gardens at the Elm Bank in Wellesley; Heritage Museum in Sandwich and Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston (meeting location). These daylilies cannot be bought at hardware stores and most garden stores; the plants come from club hybridizers. Photo courtesy of NE Daylily Society by Marlene Harmon.

  • Sunday, May 18, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm – Gardeners’ Fair at Elm Bank

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on Sunday, May 18, for the annual Gardeners’ Fair, featuring White Flower Farm’s Great Tomato Celebration, Society Row Plant Sale, specialty vendors, and children’s activities, plus food and special lectures.  Special Mass Hort members’ hours 8 am – 9 an, and public hours 9 am – 3:30 pm. The Gardeners Fair and the Society Row Plant Sale includes a variety of vendors carrying everything you need to plan, dig, plant, and enjoy your home garden space. The Gardeners’ Fair is your opportunity to find rare and unusual perennials, trees and shrubs; ready-to-plant herbs and vegetables; and tomato varieties by the dozens. It’s also a chance to hear talks by an expert, find unique garden tools, garden ornaments and accessories, as well as other gardening necessities.

    White Flower Farm will be back. They’re bringing ‘The Great Tomato Celebration’, which features over 80 tomato varieties ranging from heirlooms and popular hybrids (see sample heirlooms from White Flower Farm below.) If you’re confused by all the choices, they’ll have experts on hand to offer advice on flavor, yield, disease resistance and planting instructions. White Flower Farm will also have a large selection of herbs and vegetable seedlings, plus planting implements.  Mass Hort members free, General Public $5.00.

    http://images.whiteflowerfarm.com/4900a.jpg

  • Saturday, May 3, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Mushroom Walk and Talk

    Join Michael Rogers, CLS, on Saturday, May 3, from 10 – 11:30 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, to learn how to identify and harvest edible mushrooms. Rogers is a laboratory scientist and mushroom enthusiast who has been researching all different types of native mushrooms throughout the Sudbury Valley and beyond. Learn how to identify species, focusing on those native to Massachusetts and general information on what not to eat. Enjoy a guided hike and lecture. $15 for Massachusetts Horticultural society members, $20 for non-members. Register by calling 617-933-4943, or visit www.masshort.org. Image from www.honest-food.net.

    http://honest-food.net//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/honey-mushrooms.jpg