Boston Flora

Tag: Falmouth

  • Thursday, June 24, 10:00 am – Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars Workshop

    On Thursday, June 24, beginning at 10 am at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, join Sharon Lovejoy and Page Edmunds for a Green Parents and Grandparents Workshop entitled “Toad Cottages and Shooting Stars Workshop: Child-Friendly Activities for Green Parents.”

    Sharon Lovejoy is an author, illustrator, lecturer, teacher and children’s garden adviser to the American Horticultural Society. She has been a guest on Today at NBC, PBS’s Victory Garden, and the Discovery Channel. She has four grandchildren, and divides her time between San Luis Obispo, California, and South Bristol, Maine. Sharon and Page Edmunds of Workman Publishing will lead workshop participants through a variety of activities that will help you to turn an hour, a day, a weekend into a lifelong memory. Sharon’s book contains 130 hands-on activities that connect grandparents and grandchildren through nature – in the kitchen, the garden and the art room. Participants will receive a book and activity kit (included in the registration fee), and will preview some of the hands-on activities that can be done with children. [This is a workshop for adults only.] Please register online now at www.highfieldhall.org or call 508-495-1878, ext. 313 to reserve your place. $15 per person includes the book and activity kit.

    http://www.sharonlovejoy.com/Toad%20Cottages.jpg

  • Saturday, September 26, 1 – 3 pm – Behind the Scenes at the Chelsea Flower Show

    Spend an inspiring afternoon at the Heritage Art Museum in Sandwich, Massachusetts, with Paul Miskovsky, an award winning landscape designer/horticulturist from Falmouth, MA.  In 2007, Miskovsky had the opportunity to work at the world’s most prestigious horticultural event, The Chelsea Flower Show, in London England for The Blooms Of Bressingham as a volunteer. Join him for a behind the scenes photo journey of the show’s setup to the completion – you will be astounded at the scale and quality of this event!  For more information, log on to www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/event.  The lecture will take place in the North Wing of the Art Museum. Free with Museum admission.

  • Sunday, July 5, 1:00 p.m. – Highfield Hall Estate Walk

    The story of Highfield Hall coincides with the arrival of the railroad in Falmouth on July 18, 1872. The ability to reach Cape Cod from Boston or from New York by train transformed the area from a quiet farming and fishing community to an exuberant summer community. Middle class families stayed in inns, many of them homes converted to lodgings to handle the explosion of summer visitors. Wealthier families built seaside estates in areas such as Quissett, Chapoquoit and Penzance.

    Among the newcomers escaping the heat of the city were the Beebes of Boston. James Madison Beebe, wealthy from various dry goods and manufacturing businesses, and his wife, Esther E. Beebe, first converted the Thomas Swift House on Shore Street to a summer home they called Vineyard Lodge. They subsequently bought more than 700 acres of land on the hill above the railroad station, more than half of which has been preserved as Beebe Woods.

    After the death of their father in 1875, his children built two grand residences on the hill. Brothers Pierson and Franklin and sister Emily built a lavish “summer cottage” in the Queen Anne stick style modeled after the British Pavilion in the great 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Highfield Hall was completed in 1878, and its sister mansion, Tanglewood, where the J. Arthur Beebes took up residence, was finished in 1879. Thus began over fifty years of Beebes living and entertaining in their “summer cottages” at Highfield. In its heyday, the hill must have been a bustling scene. The miles of carriage trails, riding trails, gardens, two huge homes, and numerous outbuildings required a small army of servants to maintain. The Beebes even started a farm on Shore Street to provide produce for their Falmouth and Boston residences.

    Join docents on the first Sunday of each month ( in addition to July 5, you may attend on August 2, September 6, October 4 & November 1) at 1p.m. for a special estate walk of the Beebe property. Learn about the building of Highfield Hall and its sister mansion, Tanglewood, explore the grounds and gardens, and hear about the Beebe family members who lived a lavish Victorian lifestyle during the late 19th and early 20th century. $5 donation suggested. Walks will not be held in the event of rain.  Reservations are encouraged, but not required, by calling 508-495-1878 or emailing registrations@highfieldhall.org.  For directions and more information, log on to www.highfieldhall.org.

  • Sunday, June 7 , 6 a.m. – noon – Paul Parent Live Broadcast

    Mahoney’s Garden Center in Winchester will host a live broadcast of Paul Parent’s Gardening Advice show on Sunday, June 7 at Mahoney’s Garden Center in Winchester, Massachusetts.  Paul Parent has been on the radio providing gardening advice to listeners in New England for the last twenty years.  Paul’s expert gardening advice is now heard on stations all over the country with one half million listeners.  The Live Broadcast is from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and the Q & A will be from 10 a.m. – noon.  Seating is limited so please sign up early to reserve your seat.  Log on to www.mahoneysgarden.com for more information and to register.  The same event will take place in Falmouth on Sunday, June 28, from 6 a.m. to noon.