Boston Flora

Tag: Greater Boston

  • Holiday Wreaths from The Garden Club of the Back Bay

    We wish to highlight reasons why supporting The Garden Club of the Back Bay through our 2009 Holiday Wreath Sale is so important to the Back Bay, the City of Boston, and the Greater Boston Area, so from now through the end of November, we’ll feature posts which focus on different projects funded by our loyal and generous customer base.

    Today, let us consider the rather prosaic but important task of tree pruning.  It’s not glamorous – no one ever swoons over the thought of lopped off tree limbs.  Without periodic pruning, however, tree branches fall in storms,  tearing off bark and allowing pathogens to enter the trees, weakening and often ultimately killing them.  Tree limbs which are not pruned back hit pedestrians in the face, interfere with traffic, obscure traffic signals, and create misshapen and often ugly silhouettes.  Building shadows  force trees to lean toward the light, so growth is lopsided.  Pruning can give such trees a more graceful appearance.  The City of Boston naturally believes in pruning, but budgetary restrictions only allow pruning when a tree is in danger of toppling over and crushing personal property.

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay came to the rescue a number of years ago, allocating a portion of our yearly budget to the task of pruning.  We hire an excellent licensed arborist, Bob Lorie,  to prune existing trees during street cleaning days when cars have been cleared from the streets. There are approximately 600 sidewalk trees in the Back Bay and most trees have been pruned at least once. We continue regular pruning of the smaller trees to get them above the height of traffic and to give them a good shape as they mature. We also offer pruning services for front yard trees at a group rate.  We hope you will consider purchasing one of our lovely wreaths.  Proceeds support our pruning efforts.  To order, and for more information, click here.

  • Saturday, October 17, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 41st Annual South End House Tour

    The South End Historical Society (SEHS) presents its 41st Annual South End House Tour on Saturday, October 17, from 10 – 5.  This self-guided tour of private homes and public spaces begins at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, where you pick up your tickets and guidebook.  Tickets are $25 each, and may be purchased on line at www.southendhistoricalsociety.org.  For more information, call 617-536-4445, or email admin@southendhistoricalsociety.org.

    The South End Historical Society  is a group of interested citizens that recognizes the unique architectural and cultural history of the South End of Boston. Through the efforts of the society, the South End has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest Victorian brick rowhouse district in the United States.

    During its first thirty years, the SEHS has worked continuously to retain the Victorian integrity of the South End and reintroduce the greater Boston area to the South End with its annual House Tour as well as numerous historical programs and events. The SEHS also encourages research, conservation, and education to protect and promote interest in our local historic buildings, monuments, and sites.

    The South End Historical Society is one of the primary contributors to the preservation of the South End and a supporter of its ongoing revitalization.

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  • Tuesday, October 6, 9:00 am – Esplanade Association Shopping Day at Lord & Taylor’s

    The Esplanade Association (www.esplanadeassociation.org) was invited to participate in a charity event that Lord & Taylor is holding on October 6th starting at 9 am at Boston and Greater Boston stores.  They are offering a number of groups a special shopping day at Lord & Taylor as a way to benefit each group’s cause. Lord & Taylor has given TEA 200 tickets to sell for their special shopping day for $5 each. That money goes directly to TEA. The tickets offer not only entry into the shopping day but also special coupon discounts of 20% and  15%  for sale and regular priced items, including 15% off cosmetics & fragrances (which is never offered) and 20% off one pair of Ugg boots if you want to purchase one. (Ugg boots are apparently very much in demand and don’t go on sale).  There will be special store give-aways, store raffles of $500 gift cards and prizes, music, AND this is an opportunity for people to help TEA.  If TEA supporters visit Lord & Taylor on October 6th and turn in their tickets, we will be eligible to win thousands of dollars in additional money.

    If you would like to participate and help our partner organization The Esplanade Association, email Jeryl Oristaglio at jerylori@gmail.com.

  • Wednesday, September 16 – Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay Annual Meeting

    The Annual Meeting of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th at the Algonquin Club on 217 Commonwealth Avenue.  Paul Grogan, President and CEO of The Boston Foundation will speak on The Foundation’s Indicators Project which has been widely honored as one of the most significant research projects of its kind.  The fourth and latest report will be issued this fall.

    Boston today stands at a crossroads. The American Dream seems out of reach for many, and demographic trends threaten to undermine some of the extraordinary progress made in recent decades. Charting the way forward is the Boston Indicators Project, a signature initiative of the Boston Foundation, drawing on a wealth of data generated by area public agencies, civic institutions and community-based organizations and used to identify critical challenges and opportunities for the region and the neighborhoods that define it.
    The author of Comeback Cities: A Blueprint for Urban Neighborhood Revival and a member of  the legendary team of leaders assembled by Boston Mayor Kevin White, Paul Grogan brought a passion for cities and a deep understanding of civic culture to his leadership of one of Boston’s storied nonprofit organizations. The result has been a new national model for community foundations committed to enabling the regions they serve to compete successfully in the complex world of the 21st century.

    The Boston Foundation is one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations.  Mr. Grogan will provide a thumbnail of the Foundation’s history and role in Greater Boston and the Back Bay and where they are today.  For time of the meeting, and to rsvp, please telephone Lois Harvey at 617-247-3961, or email info@nabbonline.com.

    Derby Photo