Boston Flora

Tag: Garden Club of the Back Bay

  • Thursday, May 27, 12:00 noon – The Duchess of Rutland: Belvoir Castle and ‘Capability’ Brown, Online

    Thursday, May 27, 12:00 noon – The Duchess of Rutland: Belvoir Castle and ‘Capability’ Brown, Online

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to announce its live virtual May program, welcoming the Duchess of Rutland speaking on Belvoir Castle and ‘Capability Brown’ – Discovering a Lost Landscape. The program will take place on Zoom on Thursday, May 27 at noon.

    Belvoir Castle (pronounced “Beaver”) is the most fabulous fairy-tale castle in England. From its high hill it broods over immense tracts of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire. It is one of the great treasure houses of the country and its chatelaine for the new millennium is Emma, 11th Duchess of Rutland. Since taking charge of the estate she has shaken off the dust-sheets and brought back to life a castle that had slept since the 2nd World War.
     

    As a 21st century duchess, Emma’s role is very different from that of her forebears. How do you maintain for the future a 1000 year old estate with huge overheads? An estate with 16,000 acres of tenanted farms, 400 properties, 50 employees, a thriving local community and a castle with 2.5 acres of roof? Seeking advice from the legendary Duchess of Devonshire, she was shocked to learn that, when it comes to Dukedoms, it is the women who earn the money and the men who spend it!
     

    In her book, Belvoir Castle and Capability Brown – discovering a lost landscape the Duchess tells the story of her discovery of plans for the park, drawn up in 1780 by the great landscape designer Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, but then shelved and left forgotten. Her predecessor, Elizabeth, the 5th Duchess (known as the ‘Builder’) had started to implement these plans and now, over 200 years later, Emma is bringing them to fruition.

    Please RSVP by May 21st  to Jackie Blombach by clicking here:  jdb.lily@comcast.net. The program is free for Garden Club of the Back Bay members. Non-members may register online for $10 by clicking HERE.

    A ZOOM link will be sent a few days before the program. PLEASE NOTE:  This program will not be recorded.

  • The Garden Club of the Back Bay Self-Guided Magnolia Tour

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay Self-Guided Magnolia Tour

    On this self-guided Magnolia Tree Tour, created by The Garden Club of the Back Bay Tree Committee, you’ll walk the length of Commonwealth Avenue, starting at Arlington Street spanning up to Massachusetts Avenue and beyond. Along the way, you’ll learn interesting facts ranging from history, to tree-specific facts, to what our Club’s Tree Committee is currently working on as it relates to these beloved historical trees.

    A PDF of the tour may be downloaded free of charge by registering on Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-bay-magnolias-self-guided-tour-tickets-148494706665 Your confirmation email from Eventbrite will contain the link There is also the option of adding a tax deductible donation to help finance the tree canopy work of the Garden Club of the Back Bay, but it’s not a requirement.

  • Monday, January 25, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm – Virtual Annual Winter Tea

    Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Garden Club of the Back Bay Program Committee is making changes to our Winter/Spring programs that we’d like to share with you.  

    The programs previously listed in the Yearbook for March and April have been changed. ALL currently planned programs will be conducted on ZOOM. You will receive an announcement about one month before EACH event and a link will be sent to all members who sign up for each program.

    Meanwhile, save the date for Monday, January 25 from 3:30 – 5:30 for our Annual Winter Tea. Invitations will be sent right after the New Year, and will be announced on the website, https://bostonflora.com. Thank you www.sirjasonwinters.com for the perfect image.

  • Holiday Wreaths 2020

    We are sad to announce that The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2020 Holiday Wreath Project must be suspended due to COVID-19 concerns.  We will return in 2021.   We are disappointed the neighborhood will be a little less festive in December without our beautiful wreaths.

    Gift certificates will be honored next year – just ignore the stated expiration date if you are a lucky winner or bidder.

    Proceeds from our wreath sale have always gone directly to neighborhood tree care. To continue to support that program, we invite you to visit www.gardenclubbackbay.org/donate/  to make a donation.  If you don’t wish to give online, a check is always welcome at PO Box 991017, Boston, MA 02199. 

    Whether or not you choose to donate, please be sure to follow us on our website, on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our Daily Digest, where we will feature From the Archives: Wreath of the Day beginning after Thanksgiving.  We can offer sponsorships for Wreath of the Day posts as well – perhaps your family or your business would like to be associated with this annual and very well followed tradition? If so, email info@bostonflora.com for more information.

  • Wednesday, September 23, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – GCBB Fall Flower Arranging Workshop on Zoom

    Wednesday, September 23, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – GCBB Fall Flower Arranging Workshop on Zoom

    The first meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2020/2021 program year will be a virtual flower arranging workshop on Wednesday, September 23 from 4 – 6 pm. Join Garden Club members for a late afternoon session led by GCBB member, Nancy Cyr.  Nancy is a Senior Flower Associate at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  She studied flower design with a number of teachers including Francoise Weeks.  She believes that flower arranging is for everyone and that, while it is fun to have access to special and unusual flowers, you can achieve beautiful effects with flowers from the grocery store and weeds picked on your walks.  At the end of the workshop, Nancy will take questions from participants.

    There will be a $40 fee for flowers and vase.  To pay your $40.00 fee through the Garden Club’s website, click here:   https://bostonflora.com/shop/

    Or if you prefer, pay by check (made out to the Garden Club of the Back Bay) and mail to Jolinda Taylor, 276 Marlborough Street, Boston, MA  02116. Responses and payment must be received by September 18.

    Flowers/vase can be picked up on Wednesday morning, September 23 between 10 and 11 am at the parking lot of the First Lutheran Church, 299 Berkeley Street. These will be the same flowers/vase that Nancy will use for her demonstration. There is a limit of 20 people for this option. NOTE: Please wear a mask when you arrive to pick up your flowers/vase.

    Floral supplies limited to 20 attendees.  Others may join the call with their own flowers and vase. There will be no charge if you are participating with your own materials, but in order to receive the Zoom link and list of recommended materials, you must email Jolinda by clicking HERE.

  • Wednesday, April 12, 10:00 am – The Evolutionary History of Plants

    Wednesday, April 12, 10:00 am – The Evolutionary History of Plants

    Dr. William E. (Ned) Friedman, Director of The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, will address the April 12 joint meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and The Beacon Hill Garden Club. Along with the origins of vascular plants and seed plants, the origin of flowering plants represents one of the three most significant evolutionary radiations of land plants during the last 475 million years. With over 250,000 extant species, angiosperms are the largest and most diverse group of plants ever to have evolved. Paradoxically, we know less about the early evolutionary history of angiosperms than we do about many considerably older groups of land plants. Indeed, Darwin’s “abominable mystery” continues to challenge evolutionary biologists.

    Dr. Friedman’s research program focuses on the organismic interfaces between developmental, phylogenetic and evolutionary biology. Remarkable recent advances in the study of the phylogenetic relationships of organisms have provided the raw materials for critical studies of character evolution in plants, animals, fungi, and all other forms of life. Armed with hypotheses of relationships among organisms, he seeks to explore how patterns of morphology, anatomy and cell biology have evolved through the modification of developmental processes.

    Due to space limitations, we regret this meeting will be open only to members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and the Beacon Hill Garden Club. The lecture will begin at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. Members of both clubs will receive written notice of the event, but may rsvp at any time prior to April 7 at info@bostonflora.com.  Photo by Justin Ide, Harvard Staff Photographer, Harvard Gazette.

  • Thursday, March 31 – Sponsorship Deadline for Garden Club of the Back Bay’s Twilight Garden Party

    Thursday, March 31 – Sponsorship Deadline for Garden Club of the Back Bay’s Twilight Garden Party

    On Tuesday, June 7, we will host a spectacular party at the Massachusetts headquarters of the National Society of the Colonial Dames, and we invite you to join us as a sponsor of our annual fund raising event.

    sponsorship levels

    Please print the Twilight Garden Party 2016 Sponsorship Form and send your check no later than March 31, 2016 to meet the invitation-printing deadline. Sponsorships and event tickets may also be purchased in our Online Store!

     

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc. is a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation
    under the provisions of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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  • Friends of the Public Garden Docent Tours

    More than a dozen people, including members of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, have recently taken a very special interest in the Public Garden and have been studying this iconic greenspace for hours on end. What they are learning about America’s first public botanical garden is not for a class or research for a book. This studious bunch is the inaugural group of volunteer docents of the Friends of the Public Garden that will be serving as guides for a new tour program. Incoming GCBB Vice President Sherley Smith and Beacon Hill resident Sidney Kenyon have been key organizers for this special endeavor.

    Walking a route that encompasses the northern half of the Garden, tour participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Garden’s special place in the history of Boston and the country. Hour-long tours will include interesting facts and anecdotes about history, horticulture, and sculpture. Casual visitors of the area are likely to find a new appreciation of its significance and neighbors who use it frequently are likely to discover at least a thing or two that might surprise them.

    Docents have spent many volunteer hours learning about the Garden and working to craft their tours. In February, their training began with a Friends-sponsored lecture, Searching for the Histories of the Boston Public Garden by Boston University Professor Keith Morgan, held at Suffolk University. Friends President Emeritus Henry Lee gave a talk at the Friends office that traced the Garden’s history as well as the founding of the organization and highlights from its 45 year work in caring for the Garden in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Additional information sessions included trees and plantings by Friends Project Manager Bob Mulcahy; the history of the Swan Boats by fourth generation owner Lyn Paget; and the Garden’s sculpture including the Friends sculpture care program by Friends Collections Care Manager Sarah Hutt.

    FOPG members $5, nonmembers $15. Register online at http://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/programs-projects/tours-2/ Tours run through September, and you are advised to bring a hat, sunscreen, and dress for the weather.  Photo below by Caroline Phillips-Licari.

    (Photo: Caroline Phillips-Licari)

  • Thursday, May 29, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – A Green Colonnade: The Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    Conceived as the centerpiece of a grand boulevard meant to rival those of Second Empire Paris, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was an integral feature of the original Back Bay plan of 1858.  Extending ten blocks, from Arlington Street to Kenmore Square, this linear park is today both the verdant heart of the neighborhood and a vital link in the Emerald Necklace, connecting the Public Garden and Common to the east with the Fens and Franklin Park to the west.  One hundred feet wide and studded with distinguished memorial statuary beneath a canopy of ornamental trees, the Mall we know and cherish may, in fact, owe as much to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as to the nineteenth.  Continuously evolving to reflect the changing city around it, the Mall has been prudently husbanded to absorb the addition of new monuments, the introduction of accessibility and the incorporation of lighting, to say nothing of the vigilant management of its plant materials.  As a result of such tireless efforts, this much-loved place seems only to grow in beauty and meaning from year to year.  Explore the many ways in which the Mall has become not a facsimile of itself but the ongoing fulfillment of a farsighted vision.

    The May 29 tour, beginning at 5 pm, will be led by William Young, Assistant Director for Historic Districts, who has staffed the Back Bay Architectural Commission since 1991, and Margaret Pokorny, Chair of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee of The Friends of the Public Garden, and past President of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc.

    Meeting place will be confirmed at time of reservation.  Free and open to the public, but as no more than 30 participants may be accommodated, pre-registration is required.  Co-sponsored by the Back Bay Architectural Commission, The Friends of the Public Garden, The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc., and The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.  Contact info@nabbonline.org to reserve a place before May 22.

    http://fopg.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/commonwealth_avenue_malll_hamilton_cleaning1_web3.jpg

  • Wednesday, March 6, 10:00 am – New York Garden Spaces

    Maureen Bovet presents the green side of the Big Apple to The Garden Club of the Back Bay on Wednesday, March 6, beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. This photo show explores the wonderful public parks of New York City. Maureen was born and raised in NYC and her passion for gardening began there. She offers a unique view of the green spaces available to be enjoyed by natives and visitors alike. The history and the horticulture of these parks are illustrated by beautiful slides from her collection. Included are Wave Hill, the garden at The Cloisters, Olmsted-designed Central Park, with its 70-year-old Conservatory Garden, the new High Line Park modeled on a Paris railroad bed reuse, The New York Botanical Garden, and Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan looking out at the Statue of Liberty. She will discuss garden design and plant cultivation along with the fascinating history of these parks. Maureen is a Museum Associate at the MFA on the Flower Team, a graduate of Wellesley College, and a former student at the Arnold Arboretum Landscape Institute and the UMass Green School.  An optional lunch ($20) will follow the presentation.  Free to GCBB and College Club members, $5 contribution requested from nonmembers.  If you wish to attend, please email info@bostonflora.com to put your name on the list.