Boston Flora

Tag: Grasses

  • Friday, September 5, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Grass Menagerie

    Grasses are an integral component of naturalistic plantings, the garden style popularized by New York City’s High Line and the “Dutch Wave.” But with names like Schizachyrium, Spodiopogon, and Hakonechloa, they can be bewildering to even experienced gardeners. Join plantsman Robert Clyde Anderson at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Friday, September 5, from 2 to 5 p.m., for an overview of the most useful and beautiful species and cultivars for our climate, with an emphasis on their ecological value, distinguishing characteristics, and design possibilities. This three-hour session will include an illustrated lecture, handouts, and an on-site walkabout on the BBG grounds, as well as time for questions and shared experiences.

    Robert Clyde Anderson is a garden designer, consultant and writer who found his way to the Hudson Valley after a New York City career in illustration and book design. A native of Louisiana and a lifelong gardener, he has designed and maintained gardens in Columbia County as well as working in area nurseries, most recently at Pondside Nursery in Hudson for five years and before that, at Loomis Creek Nursery in Claverack for eight years. Robert makes his home in Stuyvesant, where he maintains a two-acre “laboratory” garden that includes shrub borders, a sunny, terraced xeric garden, a shady, wooded streamside area, a moist meadow planting, a kitchen garden, and a small flock of chickens.

    BBG members $50, nonmembers $70. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/grass-menagerie

  • Saturday, June 7, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Grass Menagerie

    Grasses are an integral component of naturalistic plantings, the garden style popularized by New York City’s High Line and the “Dutch Wave.” But with names like Schizachyrium, Spodiopogon, and Hakonechloa, they can be bewildering to even experienced gardeners. Join plantsman Robert Clyde Anderson at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 4 p.m., for an overview of the most useful and beautiful species and cultivars for our climate, with an emphasis on their ecological value, distinguishing characteristics, and design possibilities. This three-hour session will include an illustrated lecture, handouts, and an on-site walkabout on the BBG grounds, as well as time for questions and shared experiences. BBG members $50, nonmembers $70. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/grass-menagerie

    Robert Clyde Anderson is a garden designer, consultant and writer who found his way to the Hudson Valley after a New York City career in illustration and book design. A native of Louisiana and a lifelong gardener, he has designed and maintained gardens in Columbia County as well as working in area nurseries, most recently at Pondside Nursery in Hudson for five years and before that, at Loomis Creek Nursery in Claverack for eight years. Robert makes his home in Stuyvesant, where he maintains a two-acre “laboratory” garden that includes shrub borders, a sunny, terraced xeric garden, a shady, wooded streamside area, a moist meadow planting, a kitchen garden, and a small flock of chickens.

  • Wednesday, February 5, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – The Botany of Design, Online

    Using his book Understanding Perennials as a starting point, Bill Cullina tackles the thorny subject of garden design in an innovative way. In this fun and informative Mt. Cuba Center talk, he explores such things as the reasons for big leaves, variegation, red foliage and flowers and ways to create more satisfying designs without breaking the budget. He looks at life beyond the color wheel, and the importance of healthy soil and reveals some of his best horticultural secrets while weaving together aesthetics, psychology, botany, and ecology. Both beginning gardeners and seasoned pros will be able to learn from and enjoy this talk. Bill Cullina is the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum. He is a well-known author, lecturer, and authority on North American native plants. His books include Wildflowers; Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines; Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses; and Understanding Perennials.

    This program takes place online on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/botany-of-design-online/

    Looking into the rear garden at 3 Bush Road, Kew. Plants included Fatsia japonica, Dicksonia antarctica, Phyllostachys nigra, Musa bajoo and Eriobotrya japonica.

  • Friday, April 5, 7:00 pm Eastern – Unlocking the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes: Fresh Approaches to Identifying These Challenging Plants, Live and Online

    Join the New England Botanical Society on Friday, April 5 for its monthly meeting. Ted Elliman, MA botany/ecology instructor, retired, Native Plant Trust, and Lauren Brown, Connecticut author, VP Connecticut Botanical Society, will speak on Unlocking the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes: Fresh Approaches to Identifying These Challenging Plants. Non-members may register for the meeting access link here.

  • The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts YouTube Channel

    Check out Fun with Floral Design short videos with Margo Yie and Ruth Evans on the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts YouTube Channel. Right now, Autumn Flower Arranging Ideas include using hydrangeas, dahlias, grasses, alliums, and mums. Each clip runs from 2 – 3 minutes. You can subscribe, or simply watch, at your leisure. Each segment contains at least one good tip for enhancing your flower arranging skills.

  • Friday, July 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, and Saturday, July 27, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Grasses of the Northeast

    Friday, July 26, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, and Saturday, July 27, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Grasses of the Northeast

    This Native Plant Trust comprehensive survey covers more than 40 common and representative genera of grasses. The first day of this two-day workshop includes a talk and discussion, microscopic examination of specimens, and observation of dried plants; the second day is devoted to field studies. The class will be taught by Dennis Magee at Garden in the Woods, and is $132 for NPT members, $160 for nonmembers. Cosponsored by the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org.

  • Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Introduction to Grasses

    Join Dennis Magee, author of Grasses of the Northeast, for this intensive look at grasses at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury on Wednesday and Thursday, September 23 and 24, from 9 – 4.

    These fascinating plants are all around us but are little-known to most people. Fresh plant material and dissecting microscope exhibits will be used to teach key identification features for each taxon. The first day will be spent in lecture and lab learning the necessary background material and identification concepts. The second day will be in the field identifying grasses and relating them to the material introduced in class on Wednesday.

    $120/$100 for PHA members. $80 for professionals associated with Island land management or conservation organizations. Pre-registration required, class limited to 8. Please bring lunch each day. Register at http://www.pollyhillarboretum.org/workshop/introduction-to-grasses/

  • Thursday, September 12, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Survey of Late Season Grasses of the Northeast

    This New England Wild Flower Society workshop on Thursday, September 12 from 9 – 3 focuses on the grasses which are in identifiable condition in late summer and early fall. Key identification characteristics are given for 10 tribes and about 60 genera of common grasses using dried specimens and microscope displays. Following a morning session of lecture and observation of the plant materials, there is an afternoon field trip to observe as many grasses as can be found in the time available. Students are expected to have a good understanding of basic botanical nomenclature and concepts for this higher level class. Bring a bag lunch and a good 10x to 15x hand lens. The instructor is Dennis Magee, author and environmental consultant. $77 for NEWFS members, $91 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/bot3517.

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  • Thursday, September 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Survey of Late Season Grasses of the Northeast

    This New England Wild Flower Society workshop, to be given by Dennis Magee at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, September 15 from 9 – 3, focuses on the grasses which are in identifiable condition in late summer and early fall. Key identification characteristics are given for 10 tribes and 60 or so genera of common grasses using dried specimens and microscope displays. Following a morning session of lecture and observation of the plant materials, there is an afternoon field trip to observe as many grasses as can be found in the time available. Students are expected to have a good understanding of basic botanical nomenclature and concepts. A good 10x to 15x hand lens is essential.  NEWFS member fee is $72, nonmembers $86.  Register at www.newfs.org.

  • Saturday, October 23, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ornamental Grasses with Robert Herman

    The stature, movement and rustling of grasses make them a unique group of plants for the garden. Join horticulturist and educator Rob Herman at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Saturday, October 23, from 10 – noon, to discover the reasons for using grasses, how to place them and how to select the right grasses for any garden. Explore the beautiful grasses, some known and some relatively unknown, for every habitat from sunny, dry locations to wet shady spots. This program is designed for both gardeners new to gardening with grass as well as experts in the field.

    Robert Herman has over 25 years of experience as a professional horticulturist and educator, including seven years in Europe as “Meister” for Countess von Zeppelin Nursery in Germany. He has worked for the Missouri Botanical Garden and as the Director of Horticulture for White Flower Farm. He was recently awarded the 2010 Teaching Award from the American Horticultural Society.  $20 for BBG members, $25 for non-members.  You may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.