Boston Flora

Tag: Garden Club of the Back Bay meeting

  • Wednesday, October 20, 10:00 am – An Update on the Boston City Hall Project,Online

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s October meeting will take place October 20 at 10:00 am online on Zoom. Kate Tooke, Associate Principal, ASLA, PLA, will discuss the Boston City Hall Plaza redesign and the next stages in the process. The City of Boston has a short video we recommend to bring you up to speed on the project before the meeting: https://www.boston.gov/departments/public-facilities/city-hall-plaza-renovation

    Kate is a landscape architect at Sasaki. Her project leadership, strategic thinking, design eye, and technical skills have been instrumental in the success of diverse projects ranging from master planning to site-scale work. As a naturally interdisciplinary thinker, she excels at collaborating across disciplines to craft elegant, contextual solutions to complex design challenges.

    Prior to discovering landscape architecture, Kate was a high school math and physics teacher in the Boston Public School system. Her passion for inspiring and empowering urban youth infuses her work as a landscape architect. She values engaging stakeholders in the design of their own urban public spaces through lively workshops, and is particularly interested civic open spaces that support the play and learning of city children. Kate pursues independent research on children’s outdoor environments, including schoolyards, playscapes, and outdoor classrooms.

    Kate holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts, a master’s degree in education from Lesley University, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Dartmouth College. She earned the 2011 National Olmsted Scholar award, the highest honor of the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF), for her work on urban schoolyards, and has since served on LAF’s board of directors. Kate remains active in the academic world through teaching appointments at the Rhode Island School of Design and University of Massachusetts Amherst as well as through volunteer work with local public schools.

    Please note: As COVID and its variants create new challenges, we have decided to hold this presentation virtually on ZOOM. If you are a Garden Club member, you will receive a notice. If you are not a member and are interested in attending, click HERE and we will put you on the notification list.

  • Tuesday, September 21, 10:00 am – Guided Horticultural Tour of Zoo New England

    Tuesday, September 21, 10:00 am – Guided Horticultural Tour of Zoo New England

    The 2021/2022 Garden Club of the Back Bay program year kicks off with an outdoor field trip/walking tour of Zoo New England, 1 Franklin Park Road in Boston. Michelle Martinat, horticulturist at Zoo New England, will lead us on a tour of the gardens at the Zoo and discuss the planned changes to select areas, including the project to be funded by The Boston Committee of the GCA restoring an historic rock garden. Michelle oversees, develops and curates a living collection of plants to meet the needs of animal exhibits, display gardens and plant conservation priorities for Zoo New England.  She previously worked as a landscape designer, horticulture instructor, and conducted molecular toxicology research.This is currently planned as a members only event, due to our commitment to keep the tour group small, but if more people sign up than can be accommodated in one group, a second tour will be arranged. Masks are required while indoors. If you have not already responded, click HERE.

  • Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay April Meeting, Online: Container Garden Demonstration by Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens

    Thursday, April 15, 2:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay April Meeting, Online: Container Garden Demonstration by Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens

    Sean Murphy and Emily Montany from Rouvalis Flowers and Gardens will present several approaches to container gardening in the city and under various conditions, during the April meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

    Sean and Emily are co-owners of Rouvalis, located on West Cedar Street, in Beacon Hill.  Rouvalis is a premier boutique floral shop that provides creative and unique arrangements with a signature style that is well known. Their flowers are sourced and hand picked from local farms or imported from destinations like Holland, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. Their award-winning design team uses the finest quality flowers available throughout the world and create stunning pieces, ever-changing with the seasons. 

    Please RSVP by April 11 to Christine Hirshland by clicking here: chirshland@aol.com

    A ZOOM link will be sent a few days before the program. Free and open to the public. The session begins at 2 pm Eastern time.

  • Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to host its November 5 meeting online on Zoom, beginning at 10 am, with Frederick (Bud) Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator with Native Plant Trust. The lecture addresses the identification and control of many of the invasive plant species that are an unwelcome and persistent presence in forests, fields, and wetlands. Through this visual virtual presentation, we will examine the impacts of several invasive species and discuss methods for managing invasive plant populations.

    Before joining Native Plant Trust, Bud was ecologist at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy. He studied conservation biology at Antioch University New England.

    An email notification will be sent to Garden Club of the Back Bay members. If you are not a member and are interested in participating, email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Thursday, February 6, 10:00 am – Polishing the Masterpiece: Naumkeag’s Garden Preservation as a Fine Art

    Thursday, February 6, 10:00 am – Polishing the Masterpiece: Naumkeag’s Garden Preservation as a Fine Art

    The Trustees of Reservations has been gifted with remarkable cultural resources that continue to connect people to place on some of Massachusetts’ most iconic properties.  The organization’s current public gardens initiative has invested in the reawakening of its landmark gardens and landscape.  Recently the organization completed a four-year restoration of Fletcher Steele and Mabel Choate’s garden masterpiece at Naumkeag, overlooking the Berkshire hills, and proved that its National Landmark gardens continue to draw members and visitors to its never-ending seasonal beauty.  

    Cindy Brockway, Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, will share the story of Naumkeag’s remarkable transformation and the discoveries learned in polishing one of the Commonwealth’s more remarkable masterpieces.  This February 6 talk will be the February meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and will begin at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue.

    rsvp to Jackie Blombach before January 31st  by clicking here:
    jdb.lily@comcast.net  Please let Jackie know if you you’ll be staying for lunch.
    Optional Lunch:   An optional buffet luncheon will be served after the program. Enjoy seasonal specialties of soup and salad with a selection of protein, followed by dessert.  

    You may purchase your lunch by clicking here:
    https://bostonflora.com/product/monthly-meeting-

  • Wednesday, March 5, 10:00 am – Fascinating Fungi of New England

    Let Lawrence Millman escort you on a journey into the amazing natural history of over 150 Northeastern fungi species on Wednesday, March 5, beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Learn how to make spore prints, discover which species are edible and which are poisonous, and find out which mushroom the Vikings ate before their raids. His book Fascinating Fungi of New England will be available for purchase and signing.

    This Garden Club of the Back Bay meeting is free for GCBB members, and a $5 contribution is suggested for nonmembers. An optional lunch at a separate cost will follow the meeting. Guess what we’re having for lunch? Members will receive written notice of the event, and nonmembers may email info@bostonflora.com for more information.

    http://lawrencemillman.ebumu.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/FascinatingFungiNE.jpg

  • Wednesday, February 24, 10:00 am – Should I Become An Organic Gardener?

    The February meeting of the Garden Club of the Back Bay will take place Wednesday, February 24, beginning at 10 am, at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.  Dianne Plantamura has been an organic gardener for over 30 years, and shares her training as a Master Gardener in this presentation on the benefits, costs and challenges of gardening organically.  Dianne’s first memory in life was sitting at age 3 or 4 in the warm soil of her grandfather’s truck garden.  Raised on the now celebrated Mediterranean cuisine, she has always been interested in tasty and nutritious food, a synonym for organically raised food.  She will tell us why she considers organic methods crucial for human health and for the well being of the earth.  In addition to her work as a Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Dianne is an officer in the Groveland Garden Club and works as Executive Director of the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.  The meeting is free and open to the public.  An optional vegetarian, organic lunch will follow the meeting at a cost of $20 per person, and pre-registration is essential.  You may sign up by emailing info@bostonflora.com.

    http://guerrillahealthwatch.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/organic_produce.jpg