Boston Flora

Tag: Garden in the Woods

  • Friday, August 9, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Rain Gardens and More

    Rain gardens take advantage of the natural abundance of rainfall, rather than wasting it as runoff, using water flowing from roofs, driveways, or lawns to create beautiful gardens.  Learn about additional rainwater retention strategies such as bog gardens, roof gardens, swales, and terraces, tailored for particular situations or to solve problems such as erosion, icy walkways, or wet basements.  With an inspirational slide program, past Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Dori Smith will review design options, construction details, and case studies.  Feel free to bring photos of a site issue to discuss.  The August 9 program will take place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, and the fee is $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers.  Cosponsored by the Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Massachusetts Audubon Drumlin Farm.  Visit www.newfs.org to sign up.

    http://carnivorousplants.homestead.com/files/Bog2005/Bog_Garden_May_2005_100_1829_1024X767.jpg

  • Tuesday and Wednesday, July 16 & 17, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Landscape for Life

    This two day New England Wildflower Society course on July 16 and 17 provides you with the knowledge, skills, and understanding to work with nature in your garden.  Conventional gardens often work against nature, damaging the environment’s ability to clean air and water, reduce flooding, combat climate change, and provide all the other natural benefits that support life on earth, including us.  The good news is that even one home garden can begin to repair the web of life.  Find out how it is possible to create a great looking garden that is healthier for you, your family, your pets, and the environment, while saving you time and money. Learn techniques for working with soil, water, energy, and native plants to help make your garden more earth-friendly and sustainable.  Bring a bag lunch each day to Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts.  Your instructor will be Mark Richardson, Horticulture Director, and staff at New England Wild Flower Society.  $75 for NEWFS members, $90 for non members.  Visit www.newfs.org to register.

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  • Tuesday, July 23, 10:00 am – 1:30 pm – A Gardener’s Challenge: Growing Trilliums, Lady’s-Slippers, and Other Complicated Species

    Despite their reputation for being difficult to grow, many of our most beloved wildflowers can be grown successfully with a little inside knowledge. Dan Jaffe of the New England Wild Flower Society shares tips about some of the methods used at New England Wild Flower Society to grow such plants as lady’s slippers (Cypripedium), trilliums (Trillium) , trailing-arbutus, (Epigaea repens), and other complicated genera and species. Emphasis is placed on creating the correct growing conditions for these species, allowing the plants to take care of themselves more successfully, without the constant attention that many of these plants are reputed to need. After the Tuesday, July 23 lecture, we walk the Garden in the Woods to see these plants in place. Bring a bag lunch. Special discounts on the featured plants will be available in the Garden Shop that day. The program runs from 10 – 1:30, and the fee is $46 for NEWFS members, $56 for nonmembers. Register at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/Minnesota/ladys-slipper-flower.jpg

  • Saturdays, July 13, 20, and 27, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Introduction to Plant Families: Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Violaceae, and Ericaceae

    Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Violaceae, Ericaceae. . . Expand your understanding of New England’s wild plants by learning interesting clues about their family relationships. Use microscopes and walk the Garden in the Woods to study live plants and find diagnostic characteristics. With instructor Carol Govan, examine woody and herbaceous plants belonging to several families to observe their similarities and differences. Learn basic formulas for plant structure and how to apply these to other families encountered. Handouts will be provided before class begins so novices can become familiar with basic botanical terminology included in Go Botany and Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, which will help you enjoy looking at plant structure. Bring lunch and a hand lens to class. Fee $180 member, $216 nonmember, offered with the New England Wild Flower Society. Register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu. The class will be held on three successive Saturdays, July 13, 20 and 27, from 10 – 2.

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  • Tuesday, June 18, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Ericaceae Family Focus

    Many different members of the Ericaceae, or heath family, thrive in New England’s acidic soils. This Arnold Arboretum class, offered with the New England Wild Flower Society and taking place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Tuesday, June 18, 9:30 – 12:30, begins with images and a description of the attributes of this family, including a demonstration of Go Botany to see the various genera. Along with botanist instructor Carol Govan, you will then walk outdoors to visit Garden in the Wood’s collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries, leatherleaf, dog hobble, and more, also looking for evidence of nectar thieves and buzz pollination. Fee is $40 for Arboretum and NEWFS members, $48 for nonmembers. Register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu. Crowberries below courtesy of www.digitalnaturalhistory.com.

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  • Tuesday, June 4, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Native Shrub Heroes

    The New England Wild Flower Society and the Ecological Landscaping Association will co-sponsor Robin Wilkerson, Landscape Designer, in a lecture entitled Native Shrub Heroes on Tuesday, June 4, from 10 – 1 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  Learn about plants that offer color and form to our landscapes, but also provide nourishment and habitat for birds, mammals, and insects.  Find out which shrubs can replace any non-native invasive shrubs lingering in a back corner of your garden – burning bush, anyone?  Discover the reasons for going native in your plant selection, as Robin introduces you to a choice collection of beautiful and well-behaved indigenous plant.  Following the lecture and slide program, walk the Garden to see these shrubs in their early summer glory.  $40 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $48 for nonmembers.  Register on line at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010242.

    http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/PlantFinder/low/L980-0901020.jpg

  • Sunday, April 28, 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History

    The Ecological Landscaping Association, New England Wildflower Society, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Massachusetts Audubon Drumlin Farm, and Tower Hill Botanic Gardens will co-sponsor Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History, with author Carol Gracie, on Sunday, April 28, from 1:30 – 3:30 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  The wildflowers that brighten our woodlands in spring are more than just a delight for the eye and a lift for the winter-weary spirit.  Each has a role in the environment, with often interesting interactions with pollinators and seed dispersers.  Topics will include adaptations for early blooming, medicinal and other uses, the origin of wildflower names, pollination and seed dispersal, and the latest scientific research on the ecology of these beautiful plants.  Following the lecture and book signing, enjoy an optional docent-led walk through Garden in the Woods in its early spring glory.  $15 for members of a sponsoring organization, $18 for nonmembers.  Register by calling 617-436-5838, or visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

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  • Thursday, April 4, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Watergardens: The Voice of Our Landscape

    Water is the key to life on this planet, yet it is the one resource we take most for granted.  Trevor Smith shows how we can add water to our landscape in both large and small ways to reduce urban noise pollution, create habitat, attract wildlife and create our own everyday getaway.  Join the Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wildflower Society on Thursday, April 4, from 6:30 – 8:30, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham,  to find out about different types of rainwater harvesting methods, and the many benefits of capturing and reusing storm water.  In addition, learn about natural, holistic swimming ponds and how easy they are to install in your garden.  Trevor Smith is the owner of Land Escapes, a full service ecological landscaping company in the Boston area that specializes in Garden Design, Eco-Rain Recovery, Water Features, and Living Wall Installations.  For more information email ela.info@comcast.net or call 617-436-5838.

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  • Saturday, March 16, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Late Winter Mushrooms

    Join mycologist Lawrence Millman on Saturday, March 16, from 1 – 3:30 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham to discover what fungi can be found in New England at the end of winter.  Learn about survival strategies of these species, then walk through the Garden in search of some of them.  The underside of a log is the equivalent of a nice cozy chair in front of the fire for many fungi.  Copies of the instructor’s new book, Fascinating Fungi of New England, will be available for purchase.  $21 NEWFS members, $25 nonmembers. Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Wednesday, March 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Knowing Our Wild Edibles: Finding, Growing, Eating

    Whether you’re interested in your health, sustainability, or simple pleasure, knowing your wild edibles is a skill worth cultivating. From wild broccoli to cucumber root, wild edibles are around us everywhere. Explore some of the best wild edibles for foraging and cultivating in this New England Wild Flower Society seminar on Wednesday, March 13, from 10 – 12 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Focus on specific species as well as harvest and learn preparation techniques from Dan Jaffe, Propagator and Stockbed Grower at NEWFS. Sustainable practices will be stressed. Wild broccoli image from www.crabappleherbs.com.  Co-sponsored by Massachusetts Audubon Society Drumlin Farm. $26 for sponsor members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at www.newfs.org.

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