Boston Flora

Tag: Grow Native Massachusetts

  • Wednesday, February 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern- Meadowmaking for Beginners, Live and Online

    The lawns that cover tens of millions of acres in the U.S. have many detrimental environmental impacts, including that they offer very little habitat value to insect pollinators and other at-risk wildlife. Abandoning turf monocultures is vital in our fight to halt biodiversity loss. To do this, many people are embracing meadow-style plantings of native grasses and wildflowers. Unfortunately, creating an ecologically valuable meadow is not as simple as deciding to stop mowing. Landscape designer and author Owen Wormser will talk about a range of different design, site preparation and maintenance approaches, and discuss how to choose the right ones based on your resources and landscape conditions. He will also describe strategies for working with neighbors, HOAs and municipalities so that your blossoming meadow landscape is welcomed into the community. This New England Botanical Garden at Tower Hill class will take place February 7 at 7 pm, online and in person at Tower Hill.

    Owen Wormser was born and raised in rural Maine. He grew up in a small town, surrounded by the profound presence of the natural world. This marked the beginning of his ever-deepening relationship with the earth and plants. He earned a degree in landscape architecture and quickly learned to use regenerative, low-maintenance practices in designing and building landscapes. Owen actively practices the skills and perspectives necessary to effectively weave people and the natural world back together. Based in Western Massachusetts, his company, Abound Design, provides design, consulting, and installation services. As an ongoing student of the landscape, Owen continues to be excited to share his vision and experience with clients seeking carefully designed and built landscapes. 

    This lecture is part of the Grow Native Massachusetts Evenings with Experts series and is free for all to attend.  This program will be offered both in-person and online. To register, visit www.nebg.org

  • Wednesday, September 23, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Native Bees: Our Pollination Powerhouses

    Grow Native Massachusetts is proud to present our 2020 Evenings with Experts lecture series. These talks at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, are free and open to all.

    Join us for this September 23 talk beginning at 7 pm with Heather Holm, the author of Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide. This program was originally scheduled for May but had to be rescheduled due to Covid-19.

    Native bees are the most important and effective pollinators for our flowering plants. Although they play a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity, they are poorly understood and under threat from human activity.

    Heather Holm will teach us how to recognize common bee genera, and enlighten us about their fascinating life cycles, nesting habitat, and foraging needs. Come learn more about the mutualistic relationships that they have with native plants – a powerful reminder that the salvation of one is inextricably linked to the proper stewardship of the other.

    Heather Holm is an expert on pollinators whose first book, Pollinators of Native Plants, brought her national attention. She is a sought-after speaker who is passionate about educating audiences. Her recent book, Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide, won the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award.

    Thank you to our community partners, the Cambridge Public Library, Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, for their support of this series.

  • Grow Native Massachusetts Online Videos

    Grow Native Massachusetts videotapes many of their Evenings with Experts lectures so that they are readily available to you whenever you wish, and to reach a large audience across Massachusetts and beyond. The speakers are some of the best experts in the country. These recordings are professionally video-edited (so you can really see the speakers’ slides). Learn and enjoy! Programs include Nature’s Best Hope with Douglas Tallamy, Climate Change, Conservation, and the Role of Native Plant Horticulture with Jesse Bellemare, and more, dating back to 2015. To watch and access, visit www.grownativemass.org.

  • Wednesday, April 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Designing with Plant Communities – Postponed

    Grow Native Massachusetts is proud to present our 2020 Evenings with Experts lecture series. These talks at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, Cambridge, are free and open to all.

    Join us for this April 1 talk beginning at 7 pm with Dan Jaffe, Horticulturist at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary.

    All too often, during the design process, we think of plants on an individual or species basis. Yet in the landscape, plants are constantly interacting with one another in intricate ways. What happens if we create planting plans focused on complete systems rather than collections of individuals?

    Join us to learn how to create healthy, resilient plant communities that are beautiful and ecologically vibrant. Dan Jaffe will discuss how to select and combine the right species for specific site conditions, and how this community-oriented approach can be applied to plantings of all sizes.

    Dan Jaffe is passionate about ecological horticulture, and enhancing the wildlife value of every landscape. Prior to joining Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, he was the senior plant propagator at Garden in the Woods. He is the co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, which features his captivating photographs.

    Thank you to our community partners, the Cambridge Public Library, Mount Auburn Cemetery and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, for their support of this series.

  • Sunday, October 20, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Going Native: How to Transition Your Garden

    One question frequently arises as gardeners are inspired to transition away from traditional gardens filled with non-native plants and lawn: where do I start? On Sunday, October 20 at 1 pm in Jennison Hall at Bentley University, 175 Forest Street in Waltham, horticulturist Dan Jaffe will help us explore a range of strategies for making a landscape more ecologically beneficial, given the size of the site and the resources available. Dan will delve deeply into plant selection, from choosing species with high value to biodiversity, to finding ones that thrive in challenging spots. He will also discuss key changes to landscaping practices that are just as important as shifting to a native plant palette. Whether you are an experienced gardener looking for a fresh approach, or a novice looking for the best way to begin, this program will give you the tools to create a beautiful and biodiverse landscape. The program is $42 for Grow Native Mass members, $52 for nonmembers. Register at www.grownativemass.org

    Dan Jaffe is the horticulturist and staff photographer at Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary. He served as the plant propagator at Native Plant Trust for nine years, and is passionate about ecological horticulture, and building wildlife value into every landscape. He is the co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, which was published in the spring of 2018.

  • Saturday, October 26, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – Collecting and Sowing Native Seeds

    Heather McCargo, Founder of the Wild Seed Project, will speak on October 26 at 10:30 am at Camp Cedar Hill, 241 Forest Street in Waltham, on Collecting and Sowing Native Seeds, a lecture sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts. $52 for Grow Native members, $62 for nonmembers. Register at www.grownativemass.org.

    Using native plants grown from seed helps us create resilient landscapes that are rich in genetic diversity. This class will focus on essential principles for propagating herbaceous wildflowers, woody plants, and ferns—and give us hands-on practice with techniques to do so successfully. Heather McCargo emphasizes the benefits of using natural processes to do much of the work, such as sowing seed outside in the fall and taking advantage of the seasonal weather patterns that each species needs to germinate. She will discuss ecologically responsible collection practices and timing; proper seed handling and storage; and describe simple methods for setting up an outdoor propagation area. The program will also recommend books and other resources for native plant propagation, and give you practice sowing seeds in pots, which you will take home at the end of the program.

    Heather McCargo is the founder and executive director of Wild Seed Project, a non-profit organization based in Maine. She is an educator with 30 years of expertise in plant propagation, landscape design, and conservation. Heather was the head propagator at Garden in the Woods during the 1990s, and has an M.A. from the Conway School of Landscape Design.

    Heather McCargo, executive director at the Wild Seed Project

  • Saturday, June 15, or Wednesday, June 19, 5:30 pm – 7:45 pm – The Diversity and Ecological Value of Native Shrubs

    Please join Grow Native Massachusetts for this intensive workshop program, taught by Meredith Gallogly. June is the peak time for some of our loveliest flowering shrubs, many of which also have tremendous value as host plants for the larvae of moths and butterflies.

    Join Meredith to learn about the diverse mix of native shrub species found in Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park, the largest green space in the city of Boston and a hidden gem for plant lovers.

    This program will cover the basics of woody plant identification, and highlight underutilized species that have tremendous potential for use in challenging landscape settings.

    Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

    This workshop ($28 for Grow Native members, $38 for nonmembers) will be conducted entirely in the field. Enrollment at each session is limited to 15. There will be a repeat session of this workshop given on Wednesday June 19 from 5:30pm – 7:45pm. Register here.

  • Saturday, June 1, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm – Grow Native Plant Sale

    Grow Native Massachusetts’ sale at the UMass Waltham Field Station, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham om June 1 from 9:00 – 2:30, is now in its fifth year! Native plants are the foundation of our local food webs. Help support birds, pollinators, and other beneficial insects by adding more natives to your landscape.

    • Perennials for sun, shade, part-shade, and all types of soil conditions. 
    • A large selection of ferns, both evergreen and deciduous.
    • Grasses and sedges, for cool season and warm season interest. 
    • Trees and shrubs, at small sizes you can take home in your car. Remember that native trees and shrubs do the most to increase biodiversity and to enhance the wildlife value of your landscapes.
    • This year we will have three previously unavailable species—sweet goldenrod, bluestem goldenrod, and spotted beebalm—custom grown just for our sale.  

    All of our plants are native to the eastern United States, and the majority are indigenous to New England.

    Our friendly native plant and landscaping Experts will be available all day to answer your questions and give advice on plant selection. All sale proceeds support our programs. For complete information, and to download a pdf of the flyer, visit https://www.grownativemass.org/programs/plantsale

  • Thursday, May 23, 5:30 pm – 7:45 pm – Spring Greetings from Woodland Wildflowers

    This Grow Native Massachusetts workshop on May 23 from 5:30 – 7:45 pm will be conducted entirely in the field.

    Every spring in New England, we are greeted by a beautiful bouquet of flowers blooming throughout our woodlands. Many of these plants emerge early to soak up the sun before the forest canopy has fully leafed out, and quite a few species have co-evolved with early-emerging insect pollinators, resulting in unique, interdependent life cycles. Spring wildflowers are often delicate in appearance, belying their amazing toughness and adaptability. Join Meredith in a diverse and beautiful area of the Fells to get to know some of these flowers, and learn the best ways to incorporate them into a designed landscape.

    Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

    https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/8ba7cfca-b5a9-4919-ae68-1ad2db248d21

  • Thursday, May 23, 5:30 pm – 7:45 pm – Spring Greeting from Woodland Wildflowers

    Please join Grow Native Massachusetts on May 23 at 5:30 at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford for this intensive workshop program, taught by Meredith Gallogly.

    Every spring in New England, we are greeted by a beautiful bouquet of flowers blooming throughout our woodlands. Many of these plants emerge early to soak up the sun before the forest canopy has fully leafed out, and quite a few species have co-evolved with early-emerging insect pollinators, resulting in unique, interdependent life cycles. Spring wildflowers are often delicate in appearance, belying their amazing toughness and adaptability.

    Join Meredith in a diverse and beautiful area of the Fells to get to know some of these flowers, and learn the best ways to incorporate them into a designed landscape.

    Meredith Gallogly is the Manager of Programs at Grow Native Massachusetts. She is a skilled botanist, and much of her plant identification knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

    This workshop will be conducted entirely in the field. Enrollment is limited to 15. Continuing education credits will be available. $28 for Grow Native Massachusetts members, $38 for nonmembers. To register call 781-790-8921 or visit www.grownativemass.org.