Boston Flora

Tag: Friends of the Public Garden

  • Wednesday, May 24, 8:00 pm – Lighting at The William Lloyd Garrison and Domingo Sarmiento Statues

    Please join the Friends of the Public Garden as we flip the switch and celebrate the installation of permanent lighting at the William Lloyd Garrison and Domingo Sarmiento statues on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. On Wednesday, May 24 at 8 pm, gather near the Garrison statue on the Dartmouth-Exeter block. The ceremony will take place near the Garrison, and attendees will then be welcome to travel up to the Gloucester-Hereford block to view the newly lit Sarmiento, as well. The lighting and landscape improvement work was made possible by the generosity of Back Bay neighbors during the Friends’ 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign. To learn more about the May 24 celebration or the Friends’ work in your three parks, please visit friendsofthepublicgarden.org or call (617) 723-8144.

  • Thursday, April 27, 6:00 pm and Tuesday, May 2, 2:00 pm – Tulip Tour

    Inspired by The Friends of the Public Gardens’ free public Untold Stories of the Public Garden tours, our first-ever Tulip Tours explore the history, horticulture, and sculpture of our nation’s first public botanical garden at arguably its most beautiful season.

    Tours take place Thursday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m. Each tour is limited to 25 participants. A $15 per person fee supports our work in the three parks. To register visit www.friendsofthepublicgarden.org

  • The Friends of the Public Garden Master Plan

    Incorporating your ideas, the Friends of the Public Garden and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department created a roadmap toward a more accessible, resilient, and inclusive space for the present and into the future.

    VIEW THE PLAN

  • Wednesday, October 12, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Friends of the Public Garden Campaign Celebration and Members Reception

    Raise a glass to the Friends of the Public Garden’s 50th Anniversary Campaign with fellow Friends Members and celebrate all the ways that Members impact these beloved greenspaces. Enjoy drinks and appetizers overlooking the sunset in the three parks from the top floor of the UMass Club on Beacon Street. RSVP today to info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org. If you are not yet a member, join now.

  • Now Through Fall, 2022 – Sobek: Art on the Boston Common

    Our parks are home to 42 pieces of public art – the largest collection in Boston. Temporary public art gives us all the opportunity to explore our parks in a new way. We are excited to share the most recent piece commissioned specifically for the Common, with the community. With a unique canvas to fill, the Friends of the Public Garden went looking for a uniquely Boston artist to share their talents with our community. We are thrilled to welcome Sobek and his surrealist aerosol work to Boston Common. Sobek has created a mural depicting the history of the Common, specifically for the seasonal restroom trailer along Charles Street. This installation will be in place through fall. For a biography, and artist’s statement, visit https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/our-parks/the-common/public-restrooms/

    The Friends acknowledge the term “graffiti” has negative connotations for many of us. Here in the parks we spend thousands of dollars and many hours dealing with this type of vandalism. But graffiti can also be art. Graffiti art takes the techniques and methodologies behind street graffiti and applies them to other mediums. Graffiti art takes graffiti off the streets and allows it to be sold, exhibited, and displayed in other environments. The Friends also want to celebrate the 30th year of the Mayor’s Mural Crew employing Boston high schoolers to create large-scale public art projects across Boston’s neighborhoods and City parks.

  • Tuesday, June 28, 9:30 am – 11:30 am (Rain Date June 29, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm) – Charlesgate Alliance Tree Dedication

    Representatives from the Charlesgate Alliance, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Landing Studio, elected officials, as well as our partner organizations the Esplanade Association and Friends of the Public Garden will be on hand to join the celebration. 

    Tuesday, June 28th, from 9:30-11:30am

    Rain date:
    Wednesday, June 29th, from 1:30-3:30pm

    This achievement, more than a year in the making, and stewarded from start to finish by Garden Club of the Back Bay Past President Margaret Pokorny in conjunction with Dan and Marie Law Adams of Landing Studio, has given the Charlesgate area its first new trees in many years.

    The dedication will take place in The Grove area of Charlesgate Park, where 14 of the 15 new trees were planted. You can reach the area at the terminus of Marlborough Street and Charlesgate East, bounded on the north by Beacon Street.

    With the addition of the new trees, recently refurbished DCR lighting, and red chair seasonal seating, the Grove is starting to look like the park it was always meant to be.

  • Sunday, May 8, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Duckling Day

    Celebrate Mother’s Day in Boston’s most beautiful parks at the Duckling Day celebration and parade on Sunday, May 8th.

    A beloved tradition for over 30 years, the event celebrates the children’s classic book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Every year, hundreds of children parade through Boston’s most picturesque parks, dressed like characters from the story. Led by the Harvard University Marching Band, the parade will begin in the Boston Common at the Parkman Bandstand and end in the Public Garden near the famous Make Way for Ducklings sculptures. Bring your cameras – this is the most adorable event in all of Boston!

    Prior to the parade will be Playtime on the Common, a vibrant array of family entertainment from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. All activities are included with event admission:

    · Interactive Circus Games with Esh Circus Arts
    · Jenny the Juggler
    · Peter O’Malley, magician
    · Jump, climb, and play with Knucklebones
    · Meet our giant Duck!
    · Visit with the Harvard University Band
    · Make Way for Ducklings reading station
    · A goody bag for every kid – full of Duckling Day-themed items!

    The registration fee is $35 per family group in advance (before May 6) and $40 per family the day of the event. Guests are required to follow City of Boston public health advisories and mandates in place at the time of the event. Each child who registers will receive a special goody bag. Register through the Friends of the Public Garden HERE.

  • Friday, April 29 – Green & White Ball: Save the Date

    The Friends of the Public Garden will return to the Four Seasons Hotel Boston on April 29 for its signature fundraiser, The Green & White Ball. This event typically sells out well before the date, so for more information contact Amanda McGuire, Development Manager, at amanda@friendsofthepublicgarden.org, or call 617-723-8144.

  • Thursday, April 21 – Friends of the Public Garden Annual Meeting: Save the Date

    Thursday, April 21 – Friends of the Public Garden Annual Meeting: Save the Date

    Join The Friends of the Pubic Garden for its 52nd Annual Meeting at the Omni Parker House Hotel on Thursday, April 21. The featured speaker will be Senator-Elect Lydia Edwards. All signs point to an in-person meeting; watch for details at http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org

  • Wednesday, December 15, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – Sharing the Adventure: Design Communications for Ecological Landscapes, Online

    When a designed landscape succeeds, it’s a sign that there’s been strong communication across the project team. It means that the designers understand the clients’ goals and resources, and that the clients understand how their new landscape will look, how it will change, and how it will be managed over time.

    In this Ecological Landscape Alliance online December 15 presentation, Toby Wolf will explore strategies for making the design process a shared adventure. Toby Wolf is a landscape architect whose designs connect people with the natural world. His work includes planning and design for Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Wellesley College, the Native Plant Trust, Cornell Botanic Gardens, Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, and for homeowners throughout the Boston area. Mr. Wolf is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University and has taught at Cornell, RISD, SUNY ESF, and the Landscape Institute. He serves on the Horticulture Committee of the Friends of the Public Garden and on the board of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/sharing-the-adventure-design-communications-for-ecological-landscapes/