Boston Flora

Tag: Elm Bank

  • Wednesday, July 13, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – A Garden Walk and Design Tutorial with Adrian Bloom

    Please join The Massachusetts Horticultural Society beginning at 9:00 a.m. for a continental breakfast in the James Crockett Memorial Garden (below) at Elm Bank. At 9:30 a.m., you’ll step into the Bressingham Garden for a hands-on look at the garden, led by its designer. Adrian will talk about the garden’s underlying design principles and the choice of specific materials, including ‘hardscape’ items. He’ll discuss his choices of color and texture. Now that the garden is entering its fourth season, he’ll also talk about changes to the garden and how the New England climate comes into play. All of this will be interspersed with a commentary on how all of this relates to an urban or suburban homeowner’s desire to create a memorable garden. Questions are encouraged.

    Please plan for at least one hour for this event, which will be held rain or shine. It is limited to 40 participants and pre-registration is a must. The cost, including continental breakfast, is $45. Preference will be given to Mass Hort members, but if space remains after July 11, the cost for non-members will be $55.

    To reserve a place for this event you may register online or call 617-933-4995.

  • Wednesday, June 29, 7:00 pm – The Xeric Garden

    Wednesday Evening at Elm Bank continues Wednesday, June 29, with Mike Nelson speaking about the Xeric Garden. This rainy summer notwithstanding, watering restrictions – or even outright bans – have become a fact of life for gardeners. Water conservation doesn’t have to mean less garden or a less attractive garden. There are terrific plants, and especially grasses, that get all the moisture they need from Mother Nature. These plants combine into eye-pleasing landscapes that have the extra attraction of being low maintenance. We’ve invited Mike Nelson, who teaches agronomy, to come explore the ‘xeric’ – Greek for ‘dry’ – garden in New England.

    All “Wednesday Evenings” talks begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the Education Building at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley. They end when the last question is answered. The cost to Mass Hort members is $10 per talk or $50 for the series of ten. The charge for non-Mass Hort members is $15 per talk. Refreshments and beverages are served at all talks.  For more information log on to www.masshort.org.  Reservations are not required.  Image below from Woldumar Nature Center.

  • Monday, June 13, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Healthy Food for Healthy Kids

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society has initiated its Garden to Table Program, to help people of all ages and all levels of gardening experience to grow, cook, preserve, and enjoy healthy local food.  On Monday, June 13, from 6-8, come to the Crockett Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, to hear Sally Sampson, founder and president of Chop Chop magazine, a one-year-old local magazine that encourages families to spend time together in the kitchen.  Chop Chop is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  The cost is $20 for MHS members and $25 for non-members.  You may register online at www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4995.

  • Saturday, June 11, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, June 12, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Antiques at Elm Bank

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank Reservation again hosts the annual Antiques at Elm Bank on Saturday, June 11, 9 – 5, and Sunday, June 12, 10 – 4, at 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  More than 100 dealers will be on the spacious grounds, and 25 more inside two air-conditioned buildings,  along with free parking, a food court, and live music by Lou Yelle.  For more information, log on to www.masshort.org or www.neantiqueshows.com.

  • Monday, June 6, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The First Harvest

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society presents The First Harvest, its first fresh food tasting, part of the Garden to Table Program, helping people of all ages and levels of gardening experience to grow, cook, preserve, and enjoy local healthy food.  This three course cooking demonstration in the Crockett Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, will take place Monday, June 6, from 6 – 8, and in the event of rain, will be moved to the Carriage House.  The event will be led by John Lawrence of Peppers Fine Food, and the cost is $40 for MHS members, $45 for non-members.  Register online at www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4995.   Below is Asher Brown Durand’s The First Harvest in the Wilderness, available in reproduction from www.oilpaintinghk.com.

  • Wednesday, June 1, 7:00 pm – Gardening in Raised Beds with Sally Muspratt

    Sally Muspratt will be the featured speaker at Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Wednesday Evenings at Elm Bank in Wellesley, Massachusetts on Wednesday, June 1, beginning at 7 pm, in the Education Building.  One of Mass Hort’s most popular lecturers, Sally is a landscape designer with an eye for both the novel and the practical.  In this talk entitled Gardening in Raised Beds, she’ll show that raised beds – a standard practice for vegetable gardening – is also a great idea for annuals, perennials, and even shrubs.  Her programs are always lushly illustrated and you’ll leave with dozens of great ideas.  The cost to Mass Hort members is $10 per talk, or $50 for the series of ten.  The charge to non-members is $15 per talk.  Refreshments and beverages are served at all talks, and reservations are not required.

     

     

     

  • Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 pm – Native Perennials for Spectacular Borders

    As part of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Wednesdays at Elm Bank series, on Wednesday, May 18, they welcome Laura Eisener to speak on Native Perennials for Spectacular Borders. Laura is that rare horticulturalist – one whose passion for her subject is equaled by her communication skills. One thing she is especially keen on is the use of ‘nativars’ – cultivars of native plants – in the garden.

    Resistant to disease and ignored by deer and rabbits, native plants deserve close attention from gardeners. Now, plant breeders are crossing natives to create new terrific new varieties. The perennial border is a great place to showcase these plants and Laura will show you how to incorporate them into your own garden.  The fee for the program is $10 for Mass Hort members, $15 for non-members.  For directions and more information log on to www.masshort.org.  Photo from the excellent online journal www.thegardenerseden.com.

  • Wednesday, May 11, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – The Best Garden in Boston Can Be the One in Your Back Yard

    Paul Miskovsky has created, hands down, some of the most stunning gardens in New England. He has a horticulturist’s eye and he’s an artist who uses a Bobcat to sculpt nondescript properties into showcases for their owners.

    But he’s also a guy who believes that great gardens begin with selecting the right plants. And, you don’t have to have a million bucks to spend to create a garden with an ‘aura’. All it takes is a good eye and some imagination. Last year, Paul’s imagination landed his own garden on the front cover of the Boston Globe magazine’s annual gardening issue. On May 11, Paul will talk about choosing annuals and perennials for your garden. He’ll start by taking you on a walk through the Bressingham Garden at Elm Bank, which is chock full of unusual perennials. (Paul has more than a passing familiarity with the garden, he helped built it in 2007 and maintains it today, interpreting the vision of its designer, Adrian Bloom). You’ll then head back to the classroom to hear Paul talk about what works – and doesn’t work – in the home garden.

    Because of the garden walk component of the program, the starting time will be 6:30 p.m. Please assemble in front of the Elm Bank Education Building. The fee for this program is $10 for Massachusetts Horticultural Society members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are not required. As always, refreshments will be served.For more information, log on to www.masshort.org.

  • Saturday, May 7 – Three Plant Sales of Interest

    The Boxborough Garden Club will host a plant sale, raffle and bake sale on Saturday, May 7, from 8:30 – 11:30 am on the Boxborough UCC Community Church Lawn, 723 Massachusetts Avenue in Boxborough.  On the same day, from 9 – 1, the New England Unit of the Herb Society of America will host its 31st Annual Great Herbs & Heirloom Plant Sale at Elm Bank Horticultural Center’s Field, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, where they will sell culinary, fragrance, remedy herbs, heirloom tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplants, and the herb of the year – horseradish!  You may also buy hand planted container and fairy gardens for Mother’s Day gifts, and there will be free chives and johnny jump-up plants for the kids.  For more information, log on to www.neuhsa.org.  The Norwood Evening Garden Club will be holding its Annual Plant Sale at Hawes Pool Park in South Norwood, from 9 – 1, and they say this is an excellent opportunity to purchase a gift for Mom as well as plants for your own garden.  Perennials from member gardens will be offered at reasonable prices, most under $10.  Some annuals, herbs, single geraniums, patio pots, and hanging baskets will be featured – call 508-668-4039 for more information.  All sales from these three events will promote civic projects, so find your spot and bring cash or checks, rain or shine.

     

  • Saturday, March 26, 10:00 am – Start Sharp

    Before you head out this spring to cut off those broken branches or prune your shrubs back into shape, you need the right tools – saws and clippers with sharp edges free of sap and resin. Dull cutting surfaces can do serious damage to the plants you’ve nurtured through years of patient care. There’s no reason why you can’t sharpen your own tools and, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, members of the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association will show you how.

    Start Sharp, the first educational program of the new year at Elm Bank, is presented jointly by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and MMGA. And, it’s free. It’s Mass Hort’s way of kicking off ‘Saturday Mornings at Elm Bank’ and introducing the 2011 educational series to old and new gardeners alike.

    Bring a reasonable number of clean (dirt-free) tools you’d like to have sharpened to the Education Building at Elm Bank. If you have a sharpening tool, bring that, too. Master Gardeners will show you how to clean and sharpen blades. By the end of the morning, you’ll know what tools you’ll need to maintain your gardening implements at home and to use them properly. You’ll also learn the difference between bypass and anvil pruners and what type of job each tool is best for, and when you need to use a saw rather than clippers.  For more information, and directions to Elm Bank, log on to www.masshort.org.