Boston Flora

Tag: floral design

  • Tuesday, July 17 – Thursday, July 19 – Nantucket Garden Festival

    The 10th Annual Nantucket Garden Festival highlights the unique and beautiful garden ecosystems on Nantucket and focuses on the importance of sustainability, conservation and gardening ethics for the long-term health of the island. Scheduled for July 17th-19th, the festival celebrates gardening through creative workshops, exquisite garden tours, children’s workshops, family activities and an opening night party. The keynote speaker will be Thomas Rainer, Principal of Phyto Studio in Washington, DC. In a workshop entitled The Inspired Plantsmen: Nature-Inspired Approach to Plant Selection and Composition, Rainer, a leading voice in ecological landscape design, will discuss how plants fit together in nature and how to use this knowledge to create landscapes that are resilient, beautiful, and diverse. Both practical and inspiring, this talk will explore a synthesis of ecology and horticulture—resulting in an intentionally designed and managed plant community where population dynamics are encouraged within an aesthetic framework. Rainer’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, July 18th.

    The Festival is also thrilled to be welcoming Jennie Love of Love ‘n Fresh Flowers to Nantucket for the Festival’s first-ever Celebrity Floral Design Workshop. This half-day event, hosted in the Nantucket Yacht Club’s Governor’s Room, will include six hours of hands-on design and instruction. Participants will leave with a bouquet and a centerpiece (an abundance of flowers!). All flowers used during the workshop are grown by Love at her organic, urban flower farm in Philadelphia. Owner and Creative Director at Love ‘n Fresh Flowers, Jennie Love is a trained horticulturist and life-long farmer. Jennie first began flower farming in 2007 and launched her thriving event design studio in 2009. A charismatic and passionate business woman, Jennie found her natural niche as a “farmer florist” for wedding and special event design, becoming a recognized leader in the local flower renaissance with her distinctively lush and textural creations. She has been prominently featured in major press, including the New York Times, for her farm-to-centerpiece efforts, as well as in numerous photo shoots, magazines, style blogs, and books. She was named one of the top wedding florists in the nation by Martha Stewart Weddings (Spring 2015 issue) and received a special In Season spread featuring her work in the Summer 2016 issue of the magazine. This workshop takes place Wednesday, July 18 from 9 – 3. ($1,000 if you register before June 30, $1,250 thereafter)

    Jennie has led many design workshops and classes, including the sold-out Seasonal Bouquet Project workshops and several accredited classes for Longwood Gardens’ Floral Design Certificate program. Jennie is currently Vice President for the national Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and writes a regular column for the Cut Flower Quarterly. More information about Love ‘n Fresh Flowers and Jennie are available at http://www.lovenfreshflowers.com.

    On Tuesday from 9 – 11, join a Victory Garden Talk and Tour with Russell Morash, hosted by Russell and Marian Morash and sponsored by Johnny’s Selected Seeds ($85 before June 30, $100 thereafter). Also on Tuesday, from 10 – 12, is a floral arrangement workshop with Megan Soverino ($300/$350),  and a Mommy & Me Garden Tea Party from 2 – 4 ($65/$75).  If you prefer to be at the other end of the island, there will be two ‘Sconset Walking Garden Tours, one with Jenne Atherton from 2:30 – 4:30 and a second from 3 – 5 with Katie Hemingway (each $75/$85)

    Wednesday brings a Lincoln Circle Walking tour with Julie Wood from 9 – 11 and a Lincoln Circle Walking Tour with Fabrizia Lu Macchiavelli from 9:30 – 11:30 ($75/$85).  You may wish to participate in Fairy Gardens & Floral Crowns with Alana Cullen and Bee Shay from 10 – noon ($50/$60), and end the day with a Garden Soiree from 6 – 9 at Middle Brick ($150/$200).

    Thursday features Monomoy and Polpis Garden Tours with Amy Pallenberg from 9 – 11 ($75/$85) and an Intimate Garden Talk and Lunch with Gordon Hayward at the Nantucket Culinary Center from noon – 2 ($200/$225).  The Mommy & Me Garden Tea Party returns to the Nantucket Lighthouse School from 2 – 4 ($65/$75).

    To register, and for a complete calendar of events, visit http://www.ackgardenfestival.org/

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  • Wednesday, April 18, 7:00 pm – It Must Be Spring

    The North Reading Garden Club will hold a benefit program on Wednesday, April 18 at 7 featuring Tony Todesco, floral designer, who will create a program entitled It Must Be Spring. Tony’s designs will be raffled off at the end of the show, along with gift baskets created by North Reading Garden Club members. Guests are welcome, $12 in advance, $15 at the door. The event will take place at the Union Congregational Church, 148 Haverhill Street in North Reading. For advance tickets email Lisi Lesch at ecolesch@gmail.com.

    Image result for tony todesco floral designer

  • Saturday, October 7, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Fall for Local: Floral Workshop with Little State Flower Farm

    There are few things more indicative of the change of the seasons than the shifting colors and textures of the leaves, flowers and trees surrounding us. Join Jill Rizzo of Studio Choo East and Anna Jane Kocon of Little State Flower Company for a collaborative floral design workshop focusing on bringing the fleeting beauty of autumn into your home. The class will take place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, October 7, from 1:30 – 3:30. We’ll start with a show-and-tell on the basics: selection, flower care, cleaning and seasonality. We’ll discuss the selected color palette and our favorite ways to tweak traditional autumn hues. The arranging demonstration will focus on combining gestural branches and foliage to make a unique structural base, then we’ll show you how to layer and nestle your favorite blooms for a composition that is full of movement and air. Workshop cost ($165 for Tower Hill members, $175 for nonmembers) includes all materials for students to take home (flowers and vessel). Floral snips will be provided for use during the workshop but students are encouraged to bring their own. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Jill Rizzo is the owner of Studio Choo East, founded in 2009 in San Francisco with best friend Alethea Harampolis. In 2015, she opened a New England branch of the studio focused on creating uniquely wild floral designs for weekly clients, weddings, and workshops. Co-author of The Flower Recipe Book and
    Branches and Blooms, her work has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Real Simple, Veranda and Sunset.

    Anna Jane Kocon is the founder and owner of Little State Flower Company; a five acre specialty-cut flower farm based on Aquidneck Island in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Little State focuses on sustainable, environmentally-friendly growing practices in an effort to create local, healthy options for the wedding and event industry in and around Rhode Island.

  • Friday, April 28, 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm, and Saturday, April 29 – Monday, May 1, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Art in Bloom

    Mark your calendar for Art in Bloom 2017 and celebrate this exuberant spring festival at the MFA. This joyous rite of spring pairs fine art and floral design with offerings of free guided tours among MFA treasures, plus workshops, demonstrations, and lectures. Garden clubs and professional designers from across New England create floral arrangements inspired by the MFA’s works of art.

    Highlights this year include a special evening preview on Friday night April 28, starting at 5 pm. The popular Members’ Night is Saturday, April 29 and Community Day with children’s activities is Sunday, April 30. Enjoy the Art in Bloom Café with its casual dining and lighter fare among masterpieces of European painting in Koch Gallery, 250.

    Ariella Chezar, an expert on painterly arrangements offers master classes on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, and, on Saturday, April 30, presents a lecture and demonstration with techniques for creating designs that are dramatic, unexpected, and even magical. Art in Bloom is sponsored by Wilmington Trust.  For complete information visit www.mfa.org.

  • Saturday, January 29, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Open Top Terrarium

    On Sunday, January 29 from 12:30 – 2:30 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, learn how to plant, and maintain, a miniature garden in a bowl. Plant an attractive 8″ open-topped glass container with a selection of decorative slow-growing plants, then design a landscape for your indoor garden. Choose from a selection of polished stones, river pebbles, sea glass, shells, lichen covered twigs and decorative mosses to create a living picture that will delight your eye all winter long. With a little water and occasional pruning, your open terrarium will give you many months of pleasure. Please be sure to bring a pair of floral scissors to class. All other materials included. THBG members $60, nonmembers $75.

    Betsy Williams teaches, lectures and writes about living with herbs and flowers. A gardener and herb grower since 1972, Betsy trained as a florist in Boston and England. She combines her floral and gardening skills with an extensive knowledge of history, plant lore and seasonal celebrations. Betsy is the author of several books on the uses and stories of herbs and flowers. She has appeared on the Discovery Channel and greater Boston cable stations as well as local and national radio talk shows. Betsy lectures and teaches locally and nationally.

    Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.  Image from www.27east.com.

  • Sunday, November 20, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Autumn Holiday Centerpiece

    On Sunday, November 20 from 1:30 – 3, instructor LauraJean Pecci of LJ Floral & Event Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts, will lead a Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop. Create a lush, natural centerpiece perfect for your Thanksgiving table.  LauraJean’s work has been featured in Style Me Pretty, Boston Magazine, and WellWed.  All materials are included in the fee of $90 for Tower Hill members, $105 for nonmembers.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org or call 508-869-6111, ext. 124.

  • Wednesdays, September 28 – November 2, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Beginning Floral Design Course

    Learn the nuts and bolts of how to arrange flowers in several styles with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  You’ll have the opportunity to create your own designs and receive feedback from expert instructors and judges to gain confidence in designing your own arrangements for home, giving, or competition.  Pre-registration required.  No class on Wednesday, October 19.  MHS members $115, nonmembers $145.  Sign up at www.masshort.org.

  • Mondays, September 19, November 14, and May 1, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Back to Basics: Designing Principles in Floral Design

    Join the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for a series of interactive programs with distinguished Massachusetts designers demonstrating how to create designs. The sessions will take place on Monday, September 19, 2016, Monday, November 14, 2016 and Monday, May 1, 2017.

    Time: 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
    The Espousal Center
    554 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA 02452

    Total Fee: $45.00 for all 3 sessions
    Make check payable to GCFM, Inc. Please mail check & registration to: Ruth Evans, 11 Willowbrook Drive, Framingham, MA 01702, and note your Garden Club affiliation on your check.

  • Wednesdays, June 1 – June 15, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Hands-On Floral Design

    Bring a little bit of your garden indoors. In this three-session class Massachusetts Horticultural Society class to be held Wednesdays, June 1 – 15 from 7 – 9 at Elm Bank, learn how to arrange flowers that you may find in your garden and yard. Barbara Rietscha, owner of Stow Greenhouses in Stow MA, will bring seasonal flowers from her farm to the class and teach you how to condition and arrange them. In the first class, you will be creating an arrangement in a glass cylinder vase. The second class will teach you how to create a dining table centerpiece and for the third class bring your own vase to arrange in. Flowers for all sessions are provided as are vases for sessions 1 and 2. Bring your own flower cutters/scissors and a vase for session 3. Each evening you will go home with a beautiful arrangement of fresh, locally grown flowers.

    Stow Greenhouses is a cut flower farm and floral design studio specializing in fresh-from-the-garden arrangements for weddings and special life events. They sell retail at many area farmers’ markets and at the Boston Public Market. Stow Greenhouses brings the best of what is blooming from their garden to your vase.  Mass Hort members $150, nonmembers $200.  Register at www.masshort.org.

  • Saturday, January 30, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – Fresh Ideas with Fresh Flowers

    Saturday, January 30, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – Fresh Ideas with Fresh Flowers

    Join National Garden Club Master Judges Thelma Shoneman and Maureen Christmas on Saturday, January 30 from 10:30 – 1:30 at the Worcester Art Museum as they explore the world of floral design. The demonstration will present exciting combinations of plant materials and new design techniques. The stunning results will be raffled off to the audience. Immediately following will be a buffet-style lunch and a special docent-led tour of Flora in Winter!  WAM members $30, nonmembers $40. To reserve your seat: Call 1-800-838-3006, or buy online at www.worcesterart.org.

    Thelma