Boston Flora

Tag: Grow Native Massachusetts

  • 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.

  • Wednesday, May 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – A Grassland Restoration Tale of Weeds, Wildlife, and Renewal

    Restoring weed-dominated habitats comes with many complex challenges and often involves difficult tradeoffs. This process is even more complicated in public landscapes with diverse constituencies. Join landscape designer Jenna Webster, co-curator of the New Directions in the American Landscape conference, and a teacher in the Ecological Gardening Certificate program at the Mt. Cuba Center, on May 1 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library at 449 Broadway in Cambridge to learn how Larry Weaner Landscape Associates negotiated these challenges in their restoration planning for a 100-acre grassland at Croton Point Park in New York. Located atop a capped landfill, this site provides vital habitat for imperiled bird species. The Park’s popularity and complex history led Jenna and her team to seek stakeholder input, synthesize crowd-sourced ecological data, and utilize scientific research— creating a thoughtful restoration plan that is now under construction. This case study gives us valuable lessons for land restoration on sites both large and small, and particularly for protecting specialized habitat used by native wildlife.

    The Grow Native Massachusetts free program is part of its Evenings with Experts 2019 slate.

    Image result for croton point park Larry Weaner

  • Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Grow a Meadow, Large or Small

    Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Grow a Meadow, Large or Small

    A native meadow is an ecologically vibrant landscape, providing food and habitat to native pollinators and other wildlife. The deep, undisturbed roots of mature meadow plants capture and store carbon. Meadows rarely need visits from lawnmowers or leaf-blowers, thus reducing air pollution and neighborhood noise.  But meadows are not simply lawns or perennial beds gone wild. Understanding why meadows are different is critical to success. Designer Kathy Connolly will lead this intensive Grow Native Massachusetts seminar on April 13 from 10 – 4 at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown, covering everything from the definition of a meadow, to site selection and preparation, the relationship of grasses and flowering species, and useful maintenance protocols. Class enrollment includes Kathy’s extensive plant lists and design resources. This is a great course for anyone, from home gardeners to professional landscapers, looking to take a deep dive into the ins and outs of meadow-making. Registration: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/w/Form/e435c942-ec37-4963-a706-b774bfce8d55

    Kathy Connolly is a landscape designer, writer, and teacher, who brings over 20 years of experience in creating and tending meadows. She works with a range of clients, from homeowners to state parks, to develop meadows and other naturalized plantings, and has taught workshops throughout New England. Kathy has a Master’s degree in landscape design from the Conway School.

    Image from Larry Weaner Landscape Associates

  • Wednesday, April 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – More Than Just The Buzz: Finding Real Solutions to Native Pollinator Decline

    For almost two decades, pollinators have been declining in abundance, species richness, and geographic distribution at an unprecedented rate worldwide. While media attention has focused largely on the domesticated European honeybee, the decline of our native species poses a significant threat to global biodiversity due to the keystone role that pollinators play in terrestrial ecosystems. On April 3 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, biologist Robert Gegear, Assistant Professor of Biology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute will explain the beautifully complex interactions between plant species and the insects that pollinate them— intricate ecological systems that we humans are only beginning to understand. Join us to learn how Dr. Gegear’s research on pollination ‘networks’ can help develop truly effective conservation and restoration strategies, and come away with scientifically informed and practical actions you can take to support these vital insects.

    Dr. Robert Gegear is the founder of the Bee-cology Project, an initiative that uses citizen science to collect much-needed ecological data on native pollinator species and pollinator habitat. The Grow Native Massachusetts talk is free and open to the public.

    Image result for robert gegear wpi

  • Wednesday, March 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Sugar, Sex, and Poison: Understanding the Vital Powers of Plants

    Wednesday, March 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Sugar, Sex, and Poison: Understanding the Vital Powers of Plants

    Are we humans masters of our world, or are plants really the ones in charge? What they lack in locomotion, they compensate for in structure and chemistry. Celebrated author and botanist Bill Cullina, Executive Director, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, will explain why plant life is at the center of a carefully balanced natural economy that is critical to the functioning of our ecosystems. Through photosynthesis, plants produce the energy that powers the food chain. And although eaten by others, they are far from helpless prey, having evolved a dizzying arsenal of relationships to create ecologically sound landscapes. The free Grow Native Massachusetts lecture will take place March 6 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library,449 Broadway in Cambridge.

    William Cullina is the author of many celebrated books about native plants, including the well-known trio: Growing and Propagating Wildflowers; Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines; and Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses.

    Image result for Sugar, Sex, and Poison

  • Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Challenge and Promise of Restoring Urban Landscapes

    Human activity has degraded much of our urban landscape, making the rebuilding of native habitat on these lands an important priority. But potential restoration sites are often small and heavily altered, and questions about best strategies abound. Can these landscapes be designed and managed to support native biodiversity? How can we rebuild functioning ecosystems on them? Which target sites are practical ones, especially in this time of rapid climate change? Noted ecologist Steven Handel has been researching these challenges for most of his career and his work illustrates the surprising and significant transformations that are possible. On Wednesday, February 6 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, He will discuss projects that he has worked on, including Freshkills Park (a former landfill on Staten Island), Brooklyn Bridge Park, and other coastal sites. Join us to learn more about urban ecological restoration in a world that desperately needs it.

    Dr. Steven Handel, Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University, is currently a Visiting Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and editor of the journal, Ecological Restoration. This free program is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts.

    Image result for Ecological Restoration journal

  • Wednesday, October 17, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Landscaping for Bird Diversity

    This Landscaping for Bird Diversity workshop, to be held Wednesday, October 17 from 5:30 – 7:30 at Great Hall Lodge at Cedar Hill, 265 Beaver Street in Waltham, is organized by Grow Native Massachusetts, and taught by Claudia Thompson, the founder of Grow Native.

    Do you aspire to create landscapes with genuine ecological value for a wide array of avian species from songbirds, to raptors, owls, woodpeckers, and more? Claudia will lead an in-depth exploration of the principles and practices for achieving this objective, based on understanding the essential habitat requirements for bird survival.

    Our examination starts, of course, with the importance of native plants. Then we will take a deeper look at the value of different canopy layers, preferred planting strategies, techniques for providing water, and the critical role of active ecological systems to avian survival. We finish by considering our human interactions with birds. What are the pros and cons of feeding birds directly, through seed and suet? Do nest boxes really help our native songbirds to breed? And given the threats from both human activity and non-native bird species, how can we tilt the balance in favor of our native songbirds?

    Claudia Thompson founded Grow Native Massachusetts in 2010. She is nationally recognized as a leader in the native plant movement, and was featured as one of the Wild Ones in Garden Design magazine along with Doug Tallamy, Darrel Morrison, and others. She has had an extensive career as an ecologist and environmental educator. Claudia’s happiest moments are spent in her own garden where she has recorded 77 species of birds including woodpeckers, migrating songbirds, and even rare woodcocks, all using the habitat she and her husband have created on their small urban parcel in Cambridge.

    $28 for members of Grow Native Massachusetts, $38 for nonmembers. Sign up at www.grownativemass.org, or email mgallogly@grownativemass.org.

    Image result for Landscaping for bird diversity

  • Wednesday, October 24, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Fall Conference

    Please join President Suzanne McCane, along with the Board of Directors of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc., on Wednesday, October 24 for the Fall Conference at The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Registration and continental breakfast begins at 9 am, the business meeting begins at 9:30, followed by a speech by Claudia Thompson, founder of Grow Native Massachusetts. For complete information and registration visit www.gcfm.org, or contact meetings chairman Lisa Bourgeois at klbprc@comcast.net.

    Image result for claudia thompson grow native

  • Saturday, May 19, 9:00 am – 2:30 pm – Grow Native Plant Sale

    Grow Native Massachusetts will hold its  Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 19 from 9 – 2:30 at the UMass Waltham Field Station, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham. Adding native plants to your garden is the best way to support biodiversity in your neighborhood including bees, butterflies, birds and much more.

    Grow Native will be selling a wide variety of native plants, including:

    Perennials · Ferns · Grasses and Sedges · Shrubs · Trees

    Grow Native sources  plants from more than eight nurseries around New England, to bring together a range of species rarely found in one location. Sale proceeds support educational programs.  Also, enjoy Ask the Experts:  experienced landscape professionals will answer your questions and help you find the plants best suited to your landscape needs and conditions. This is a tremendous resource.  Free admission.  For more information visit http://grownativemass.org/programs/plantsale,  or call 781-790-8921. Jennifer Schamber photograph.