Boston Flora

Tag: Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • Wednesday, May 11, 11:00 am – Save the Date: Party in the Park

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will again host the Justine Mee Liff Fund Luncheon, Party in the Park, on Wednesday, May 11, at the Pinebank Promontory on Jamaica Pond in Boston.  This major fund raising event helps preserve the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace. The genius of Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed more than 1,100 acres of meadows, woodlands and paths, can be enjoyed by all more than 100 years after the completion of his work, thanks to the stewardship of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy in collaboration with its public partners.

    The Party in the Park is one of the conservancy’s surest signs of spring and one of the most anticipated social events in Boston. To date, the luncheon has generated a $7.25 million for the parks. The proceeds go directly to the Justine Mee Liff Fund for the Emerald Necklace that underwrites improvement projects in the Emerald Necklace.

    Every May, just as spring declares itself in Boston, the luncheon draws hundreds of parks champions to gather for an elegant lunch served in a beautiful tent in one of the Necklace parks. Known as the “hat lunch” because so many guests complement their spring wardrobes with flowers and feathers, the party is planned over the course of a year by an all-volunteer committee to ensure a memorable afternoon. For more information, call 617-522-2700.  Buy tickets online at www.emeraldnecklace.org/party-in-the-park.

  • Sunday, October 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bike Tour of the Emerald Necklace

    Sunday, October 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bike Tour of the Emerald Necklace

    Join docent Barbara Nazarewicz, as she leads a bike tour from the Fens to the Arnold Arboretum to enjoy the seasonal beauty of the Emerald Necklace. Return to Shattuck Visitor Center. Free, but registration required. Space limited. Sponsored by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Register on line at www.emeraldneckace.org.

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  • Sunday, October 4, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Emerald Necklace YogaFest

    On Sunday, October 4, enjoy a day long yoga festival, connecting people and parks to benefit the Emerald Necklace.  The event will take place at Clemente Field in the Back Bay Fens from 9 – 3.  General admission is $50, Supporter tickets are $125, and Advocate tickets are $250.  There will be Yoga, AcroYoga, food trucks, vendor booths, and more.  In the event of rain the party will move indoors.  You will find more information at www.emeraldnecklace.org/EmeraldNecklaceYogaFest.  Media partners are Boston Magazine and Hub Health, Boston.  Music by Djour Entertainment.

  • Sunday, August 9, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Planting the Seed for Our National Parks

    Planting the Seed for Our National Parks, The 150th Anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Yosemite Report, will be celebrated Sunday, August 9, 10:00–11:00am.
    Location: Outdoors, by a giant sequoia, Conifer Collection of the Arnold Arboretum, honoring the 150th anniversary of Olmsted’s Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove: A Preliminary Report, 1865 and its vision for national parks

    Known to many for creating public parks in cities, Frederick Law Olmsted was also an important advocate for scenic preservation across America. In his 1865 report, Olmsted articulated – some say for the first time by anyone – the role of government in protecting and making accessible our nation’s scenic landscapes for the enjoyment of all people in a democracy. Join us in the landscape by a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) as we read aloud portions of the report with Olmsted’s eloquent and prescient prose on the actual anniversary of its first public reading by its author.

    Special guest reader: Dayton Duncan, Emmy Award-winning producer/writer of PBS’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Performers: Maliotis Chamber Players, flute ensemble; Diane Edgecomb & Margot Chamberlain, Celtic harp and spoken word.

    Parking: Park on Bussey Street. Enter the Arboretum through the Bussey Street or Walter Street Gates and follow signs for Conifer Path to the giant sequoia.

    Public Transportation: Take the T to Forest Hills. Exit the T station on the upper level. Cross Washington Street and enter the Arboretum through the Washington Street Gate. Follow Blackwell Foot Path to South Street. Cross South Street to reenter the Arboretum. Turn left at the intersection on Hemlock Hill Road and follow signs to the event.

    Note: bring a low chair or cushion to sit upon. Wear comfortable walking shoes as Conifer Path traverses a steep incline. For general information: www.nps.gov/frla, 617-566-1689

    For directions and parking information: www.arboretum.harvard.edu, 617-384-5209. Co-sponsored by Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. This program is made possible in part by generous support from the Friends of Fairsted.

  • Tuesdays, June 2 – June 30, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Evening Garden Strolls

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s popular Evening Garden Strolls begin with a visit to the Kelleher Rose Garden. Tucked behind a yew hedge in the Back Bay Fens is a serene and inviting garden with more than 1,500 roses surrounding a recently restored 1930’s-era fountain and statuary. You’ll walk beneath trellises blanketed with climbing roses (Don’t miss the delightfully scented Mr. Lincoln!) and enjoy the sights and scents of nearly 200 varieties of roses. As an added bonus, you’ll have the opportunity to see (and talk with) rosarians and volunteers in action as they prune, deadhead and tend to the garden. The Stroll continues on to the oldest continuously operating WWII Victory Gardens in America. Covering just over 7 acres, the 500 gardens are an eclectic mix of flowers, herbs and vegetables, each one offering a style and design all its own. You’ll follow meandering paths that pass by everything from Japanese-inspired gardens to a chef’s array of herbs and edibles.

    The Strolls are led by Conservancy Docents who share the fascinating stories of these special places. You’ll learn about a very special rose that resides in the Kelleher and why Victory gardeners still occasionally dig up bricks in their spaces. The Strolls begin at 6 pm on June 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, starting at the Kelleher Rose Garden in the Back Bay Fens. Free.

  • Garden Club of the Back Bay Announces 2015 Grants

    At the Annual Meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, held May 11 at The College Club of Boston, the membership voted to approve the following recommendations of the Executive Committee.  Co-Presidents Jackie Blombach and Jolinda Taylor were pleased to announce that, in addition to $20,000 to be spent directly by our Club for Back Bay tree care (primarily pruning and inoculation), other not-for-profit organizations will benefit from our fund raising efforts throughout the year, primarily our Twilight Garden Party and Holiday Wreath Sale.

    $5,000 to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee for its tree care program, Dutch elm disease monitoring, and soil improvement.

    $5,000 to the Friends of the Public Garden for inoculation against Dutch elm disease for certain Belgium elm street trees not located on the Mall, planted beyond Massachusetts Avenue.

    $4,000 to The Esplanade Association for its tree care program and planning, including updating inventory and data manipulation.

    $3,000 to the Boston Nature Center of the Massachusetts Audubon Society to support scholarships for summer camp for children ages 5 – 14 from local neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

    $3,000 to the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for the planting of perennials in the Fenway.

    $2,000 to the Charles River Cleanup Boat for general operating expenses.

    $2,000 to the Trustees of Reservations/Boston Natural Areas Network in support of the MBTA Indigo Line/Fairmount Indigo Line Project, which will convert City-owned vacant lots along the rail corridor into parks and gardens.  This donation will help convert a vacant lot at Windermere Road in Uphams Corner.

    $1,500 to the Friends of Copley Square for treating trees with fertilizer and fungicide for root stress.

    $1,000 to the Blossom Fund of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America in recognition of its 25th Anniversary.

    We thank all our contributors and patrons whose generosity allows us to make these grants.  We hope to see many of you at this year’s Twilight Garden Party on June 4.

  • Saturday, May 9, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, and Sunday, May 17, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Historic Treasures of the Back Bay Fens

    What do a 17th-century Japanese Temple Bell, an historic bridge made of Roxbury puddingstone, and a tree once thought extinct have in common? They all reside in the Back Bay Fens.  Learn about these and other treasures on a guided walking tour of the Back Bay Fens that is sure to bring out the history detective in you.  The tours, presented by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, will take place Saturday, May 9 from 11 – 12:30, and Sunday May 17 from 1 – 2:30.  Free and open to the public – meet at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway.  Contact 617-522-2700 or email info@emeraldnecklace.org for more information. Dan Tobyne photo below.

  • Saturday, May 30, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Green Spaces: Paintings from Olmsted’s Parks

    The Emerald Necklace Conservancy will present an exhibit of watercolor and gouache paintings by artist Lynette Lombard titled Green Spaces: Paintings from Olmsted’s Parks.  The exhibit will be mounted in the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway, and will be on view Saturdays and Sundays beginning May 3 from 11 – 4.  An artist reception and talk will be held on Saturday, May 30, from 2 – 4, and is free and open to the public.  In her artist statement, Lynette writes that, while painting on site during the summer of 2014, “I was struck by the variety of Olmsted’s visual rhythms and serpentine movements to create paths of light and dark, which weave a drama in my work.” She received her MFA from Yale University School of Art and is a Professor of Art at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.  For more information contact info@emeraldnecklace.org, or call 617-522-2700.

  • Sunday, May 3, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – A Walk with Mr. Olmsted Through the Historic Back Bay Fens

    See the Back Bay Fens through the eyes of the man who designed and built it.  Join Frederick Law Olmsted, as portrayed by Gerry Wright, along with an Emerald Necklace docent, as they lead a walk through the historic landscape on Sunday, May 3.  Learn how Mr. Olmsted transformed an area described by a 19th century city engineer as “The foulest marsh and muddy flats to be found anywhere in Massachusetts” into the first link in his chain of parks we know today as the Emerald Necklace.  Hear the story of a remarkable life from the man himself. Meet at 1 pm at the Shattuck Visitor Center, 125 The Fenway.  Free and open to the public, presented by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

  • Wednesday, May 13, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Party in the Park

    Please join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for the 12th Annual Justine Mee Liff Fund Luncheon at Pinebank Promontory overlooking Jamaica Pond on Wednesday, May 13.  A cocktail reception begins at 11:00 am, followed by the luncheon at 12:30.  The 2015 Liff Spirit Award will be presented to Mark Volpe, Managing Director, Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Tickets begin at $450, and may be purchased on line at www.emeraldnecklace.org/party-in-the-park/ by April 24, or you may call 617-522-2700.  Complimentary valet parking and trolley service will be available.