Boston Flora

Tag: Garden in the Woods

  • Sunday, December 12, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Shrubs in Winter

    The leaves are nearly gone from most shrubs, but you can still learn to recognize them, in this Sunday, December 12 class co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. The session will run from 10 – 2 at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham.

    In this class, instructor Roland “Boot” Boutwell focuses on a number of macro-characteristics such as branching patterns, growth habits, bark, persistent fruit, galls, and habitats to help us identify more than 20 native New England shrubs in late fall and winter. We also discuss the natural history of the shrubs we see.

    The program begins with a classroom session and then moves into the field. Look for such species as witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), and, of course, winterberry (Ilex verticillata, below) and wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens).

    The class will cost $48 for NEWFS and Mass Audubon members, $56 for non-members. Pre-registration is necessary. Contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303, or email registrar@newenglandwild.org.

  • Thursday, December 9, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Energy-Wise Landscape Design

    Design your landscape so it saves energy and contributes to a healthier environment.  Instructor Sue Reed helps you discover tips to lower your home’s heating and cooling costs, minimize fuel used in landscape construction, maintenance and everyday living, and choose products and materials with lower embedded energy costs.  This lecture, Energy-Wise Landscape Design, will take place at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, on Thursday, December 9, from 10:30 – 12 noon.

    Our landscapes are full of opportunities to reduce energy consumption–most of them involve little or no cost, and some will actually save money. Find out how to shrink your energy footprint while enhancing your property and adding value to your home. Sue Reed will sell and sign her widely acclaimed new book on the topic following the program. Pre-registration is necessary; contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303, or email registrar@newenglandwild.org.  $15 for NEWFS members, $18 for non-members.

  • Tuesday, November 30, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wildflower Propagation

    Come to Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham on Tuesday, November 30, from 10 – 2. Learn tips for raising wildflowers from seed, allowing access to an astonishing variety of species not often seen in garden centers or nurseries. Develop a deeper appreciation of plant physiology and evolution.

    Instructor Kate Pawling discusses seed physiology and ecology as well as the various techniques used to germinate and grow a wide variety of native species, including such challenging genera as Trillium.  Photo below is marsh marigold.

    Discuss seed and spore collection and storage. Clean and sow a variety of seed to take home and grow. All materials provided.  Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.$48 for NEWFS members, $58  for non-members. For additional information, log on to www.newenglandwild.org.

  • Saturday, December 4, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Identifying & Enjoying Herbaceous Plants in Late Fall

    When herbaceous plants have died back and look “disenchanted,” it is still possible to identify some of them by closely examining their dried leaves, stems, and persistent fruits and seeds.

    Join Frances Clark at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham on Saturday, December 4, from 10 – 1, for a classroom exploration to investigate 25-30 weeds and native herbaceous species growing in disturbed habitats, fields, and woodland edges. Examine specimens close at hand to learn identification features and intriguing seed-dispersal mechanisms.

    The cost of this class is $36 for NEWFS members, $42 for non-members. Pre-registration is necessary; contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303, or email registrar@newenglandwild.org.

  • Saturday, November 13, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Understanding Botanical and Horticultural Names

    In this workshop on plant nomenclature, taking place Saturday, November 13, from 1 – 4, students will have the opportunity to sort out the confusion associated with plant names.  You will discuss common names, binomial scientific names, and the history of nomenclature since Linnaeus.

    The current rules of nomenclature will be reviewed, and you’ll see why and how plant names sometimes change.

    This program takes place at the New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, is co-sponsored with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and costs $40 for NEWFS or Arboretum members and $48 for non-members.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 617-384-5277.

  • Saturday, October 2, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Clean Water Action’s 16th Annual Benefit Party

    Please join Clean Water Action on Saturday, October 2, from 3 – 5 at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, for its 16th Annual Benefit Party.  Help Clean Water Action lead the way to a healthy environment and support its work to elect pro-environmental candidates to office, as well as lobby on behalf of policies to protect our water cycle, keep diesel pollution out of our air, make producers responsible for the end disposal of the products they make, such as computers and mercury thermostats, and replace toxic hazards in our homes, workplaces and communities with safer alternatives.  Call 617-338-8131, x 210, for more information.

    http://common2.csnimages.com/lf/1/hash/2821/346117/1/Classics+12+oz.+Mineral+Water+Glass+(Set+of+4).jpg

  • Through September 7 – Water Whimsy

    New England Wild Flower Society has partnered with New England Garden Ornaments of Sudbury, MA, to present Water Whimsy, a small show of large and small fountains. In addition to the permanent Michael Mazur fountain at the entrance (below) and the Nate McCullin bird baths in the Wildlife Garden, Water Whimsy features nine bubbling, flowing, and standing water installations located at the entrance to the Curtis Path and in the Idea, Edible, Rain, and Patio gardens. Composed of chiseled stones, millstones, staddle stones, stone balls, molded balustrades and caps, granite bowls, and bamboo, these hand-carved and one-of-a-kind fountains bring a special ambiance to their garden settings. Water Whimsy continues in the Garden through September 7. For more information, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Thursday, July 22, 4:00 pm – Herbs in History: The Practice and Lore of Medicinal Botany

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge, continues its Horticulture in History series on Thursday, July 22 at 4 pm with a lecture, book sale and signing by author Judith Sumner. Beginning in prehistory, plants were known as the most reliable sources of essential medicines. Learn about traditional herbs and their many uses from ancient to modern times. Consider the best known herbal families, such as the mints and the mustards, and examine the basis for their efficacy. Traditional lore such as the Doctrine of Signatures, will provide historical context and breadth. This is an herbal adventure, spanning the medicinal botany practiced by the Greeks and Romans to the herb gardens of colonial America, herb use during wartime, herbs in the New England landscape, and modern herbal practices.

    Judith Sumner is a popular lecturer for botanical and horticultural organizations, including the Arnold Arboretum, New York Botanical Garden, and Garden in the Woods. She is the author of several books including The Natural History of Medicinal Plants and American Household Botany.  To register ($20), log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    http://www.globalherbalsupplies.com/herb_information/images/aloe-vera.jpg

  • Thursday, July 15, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm – Wetland Plant Identification

    In this New England Wild Flower Society workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, July 15, from 9:30 – 3:00,  you will focus on a variety of wetland community types, their ecology, and common indicator species. Following a short introductory lecture, you will visit wetland habitats, including a red-maple swamp, a flood-plain marsh, and a pond. While in the field, take advantage of the season by exploring ferns, sedges, and various aquatic species, as well as shrubs and trees. Bring a hand lens, lunch, and come prepared for wet feet in the field.  Frances Clark will lead, and the price to participate is $61 for NEWFS members and $72 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.

    http://www.nhdfl.org/library/images/photo-index/Hamp06_18.jpg

  • Sunday, July 11, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Fancy Ferns Workshop

    The New England Wild Flower Society is holding a Fancy Ferns Workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, July 11, from 10 – 4.  Some of our most beautiful ferns are “three-times cut.” Lady fern, hay scented fern (below), and several wood ferns are the more common taxa in this group.  Don Lubin and Raymond Abair will discuss vocabulary, frond morphology, and field identification characteristics. The class involves careful observation of fronds from these species, and possibly a hybrid as well.  The indoor session includes a lecture and the use of dissecting microscopes, followed by a field session to see the ferns in various habitat areas of the Garden. Bring a bag lunch and a hand lens if you have one.  The fee to attend is $66 if a NEWFS member and $78 if a nonmember.  You may register at www.newfs.org.

    http://images.whiteflowerfarm.com/29059a.jpg