Boston Flora

Tag: Grow Native Massachusetts

  • Wednesday, March 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Lessons Learned When Field Botany Meets Design

    Grow Native Massachusetts presents a free talk on Wednesday, March 7 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, by Uli Lorimer, Curator of the Native Flora Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

    Ecologically attuned designers are increasingly looking to nature for inspiration in the design of managed landscapes. But connecting field botany to horticulture is complex, and insights gained from observations in the wild don’t always translate directly into a cultivated garden.

    Uli will use the recently expanded native flora garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a cultivated pine barrens and coastal plain grassland, as a case study sharing lessons learned along the way as the project evolved from a concept into a dynamic, living landscape. Good design allows for change and succession to occur, and flexibility in design intent is a valuable strategy because things do not always work out as planned.

    Uli Lorimer has been the Curator of Native Flora at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Garden for over a decade. He was instrumental in the expansion of the Garden’s native plant collection, using only material sourced from the wild and grown from seed. As Field Chair at BBG, he coordinates fieldwork with regional botanists and leads botanical expeditions for naturalists and horticulturists. Co-sponsored by Mount Auburn Cemetery. For more information visit http://grownativemass.org.  Image from www.kendruse.com.

  • Thursday, September 21, 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm – The Foundation of Our Landscapes: Understanding Site Analysis and Soil

    Soil is vital. Often geologic history can be seen in soil profiles, and in this lecture by John Swallow, we will be focusing in on the unique conditions present at our site, Great Hall Lodge at Cedar Hill Girl Scout Camp, 265 Beaver Street in Waltham. He will also outline the different types of organic matter that are present in soils, explain why different soils hold varying levels of moisture, and examine the impact of microbes on soil. This workshop will also include a review of proper techniques for collecting soil samples, instruction on how to interpret standard soil analyses, and an examination of the hidden history revealed by the profile of a soil pit dug at our garden. The class will take place on Thursday. September 21 beginning at 1 pm.

    John Swallow is a Principal and co-founder of Pine & Swallow Environmental, a renowned landscape-engineering firm that has created soils for Lusitania Field at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the High Line in NYC, and many other projects around the world. He holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

    Grow Native Massachusetts members $38, nonmembers $48. For more information, visit us at http://grownativemass.org/programs/workshops, or call 781-790-8921.

  • Saturday, September 9, 10:00 am – 12:15 pm – Getting to Know Your Neighbors: A Field Walk through Native Plant Communities in Waltham

    Have you ever opened a nursery catalogue and been overwhelmed by the vast selection of species? Or been frustrated that ‘part-sun, well-drained’ explains so little about where a plant might like to grow? One of the many advantages to working with a native plant palette is that we are surrounded by opportunities to get to know these plants in context, where they grow in “remnant” ecosystems all around us. In Waltham, these remnants are largely secondary growth woodlands and wetlands— habitat that grew back after extensive clearing for agriculture in the 19th century and that was then preserved as part of large estates or institutional properties. These landscapes offer a wealth of botanical knowledge to be gleaned by the keen observer. Meredith Gallogly will lead us on a walk through remnant ecosystems in Waltham on Saturday, September 9, beginning at 10 am, and will identify the local flora (both native and non-native) that we encounter. She will also highlight the growth habits and preferred conditions of certain species, and discuss how these plants might be used in a garden setting. We will finish with a review of available resources and great tips for botanical identification, to empower you to expand your botanical knowledge.

    Meredith Gallogly is the Program Coordinator at Grow Native Massachusetts. Her plant identification skills have inspired the monikers of “staff botanist” and “native plant geek.” Much of this knowledge comes from her explorations of metro-Boston area parks and reservations. She holds a B.A. in Biology from Smith College.

    Grow Native members $28, nonmembers $38. Meeting place will be sent to registrants. For more information, visit http://grownativemass.org/programs/workshops, or call 781-790-8921.

  • Wednesday, May 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Challenge of a Public Native Plant Garden: Maintenance, Interpretation, and Compromise

    The New York Botanical Garden’s new Native Plant Garden opened in 2013. Designed by Oehme van Sweden, it includes a diversity of microclimates on 3.5 acres of varied terrain with a planting plan of almost 100,000 native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, ferns, and grasses. On Wednesday, May 3 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, curator Michael Hagen will explain how this garden is successfully maintained, and their criteria for what constitutes “native” in species selection and the use of cultivars. This very public landscape presents native plants in a contemporary style, with an emphasis on aesthetics over recreating habitat. Michael will share his observations about how the public perceives and responds to the value of this native plant palette, along with ideas for inspiring others to “go native.”

    Michael Hagen is Curator of both the Native Plant Garden and the Rock Garden at NYBG. He previously served as Staff Horticulturist for over 11 years at Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, New York and was Garden Manager at Rocky Hills in Mt. Kisco, a preservation project of the Garden Conservancy.
    This lecture co-sponsored by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and Grow Native Massachusetts.

    Door open at 6:30 for general seating, and the event is free and open to the public.

  • Wednesday, April 5, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – How Native Plant Cultivars Affect Pollinators

    On Wednesday, April 5 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, Grow Native Massachusetts presents a free talk by Annie White, a Landscape Designer and University of Vermont Adjunct Professor.

    Initiatives to address pollinator decline are widespread and native plants are the preferred choice for pollinator habitat restoration. The growing demand for natives, coupled with a longstanding desire of horticulturalists for enhanced bloom, color, or other characteristics, has led to the increased selection and breeding of native cultivars. Although these cultivars are typically marketed for their ecological benefits, until now there have been no scientific studies to support or refute these claims. So are native cultivars as valuable in pollinator habitat gardens as the true native species?

    Annie White will help answer this question by sharing the results of four years of field data. Her research is groundbreaking and remarkable. She is the founder of Nectar Landscape Design Studio and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Vermont. She earned her MS in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her recent PhD in Plant & Soil Science from the University of Vermont was focused on this exceptional new research on native plant cultivars. For more information visit http://grownativemass.org.

  • Wednesday, March 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art and Science of Growing Native Plants from Seed

    Grow Native Massachusetts presents a free talk by Randi Eckel, Founder of Toadshade Wildflower Farm, on Wednesday, March 1 from 7 – 8:30 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, entitled The Art and Science of Growing Native Plants from Seed.

    As we incorporate more native plants into our landscapes, there are so many good reasons to use plants propagated from seed. But wild plants have evolved with a dizzying array of mechanisms, including chemical-induced dormancy and mandatory cold stratification, to ensure that their seeds disperse, persevere, and germinate at just the right time under natural conditions. These mechanisms are not in place to frustrate would-be plant propagators, but must be understood by gardeners to successfully grow native plants from seed.

    Come for a far-reaching discussion of the issues surrounding seed collection, procurement, and propagation, with information that will encourage the novice and challenge the professional alike. Randi Eckel has been studying native plant seed propagation and plant-insect interactions for over thirty years.  Toadshade Wildflower Farm supplies both seeds and plants of species native to eastern North America.

  • Saturday, May 14, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Grow Native Plant Sale

    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 Massachusetts will be selling a wide variety of native plants, including
    Perennials, Ferns, Grasses, Shrubs and Trees, on Saturday, May 14 from 9 – 4 at the UMass Waltham Field Station, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham.

    They source their plants from more than ten nurseries around New England, to bring together a range of species rarely found in one location. Sale proceeds support Grow Native Massachusetts programs.

    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! For more information phone 781-790-8921 or visit www.grownativemass.org.

  • Wednesday, April 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Spring Wildflowers: Ephemeral Beauty with a Purpose

    Carol Gracie, author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast, will speak at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, on Wednesday, April 6 from 7 – 8:30 as part of Grow Native Massachusetts’ public lecture series. Doors open at 6:30 and the lecture is free.

    Our native spring wildflowers evolved in the once contiguous forests that stretched the length of the East Coast and west to the prairies. Their flowering coincides with increased sunlight and warmth before the forest canopy leafs out, and their associations with the early-flying insects of spring are remarkable. Come learn about the life cycles of selected species in detail— and why many populations are in a marked decline due to human activity. By understanding their evolutionary relationships to forest habitat, we can better protect these ephemeral beauties on all lands, and integrate them into our woodland gardens.

    Carol Gracie is a botanist and highly-skilled photographer. In addition to Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History, she has authored several field guides. Her botanizing in South and Central America has led to seven tropical plant species and one genus being named for her.

  • Wednesday, March 2, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Restoring Nature’s Relationships at Home

    If we are to make our residential landscapes truly living ecosystems once again, we need to understand the specialized relationships that make plants and animals interdependent. Who better to take us on an in-depth journey into this fascinating and complex world than Doug Tallamy? On Wednesday, March 2 at 7 pm at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway, he will give us detailed examples of these co-evolutionary relationships, showing us how they determine the stability and complexity of local food webs providing birds with insects and berries, dispersing bloodroot seeds, pollinating goldenrod, and much more. This knowledge equips us to knowingly select plants and to construct landscapes that restore nature’s relationships at home.

    Doug Tallamy is a Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Biology at the University of Delaware. His groundbreaking book, Bringing Nature Home, was published in 2007 and continues to have national impact; it was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers Association. In 2014, he co-authored The Living Landscape with Rick Darke. Doug’s conservation work and science-based advocacy for native plants has earned him numerous awards. Sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts – admission free.

  • Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Native Plant Gardens: Learning By Example

    Landscaping with native plants is becoming the rule rather than the exception, but good examples can be hard to find. Come to the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, on Wednesday, February 3 at 7 pm for a visual tour of some truly instructive native plant gardens, large and small, public and private. A diversity of styles, ranging from formal to naturalistic, will illustrate the usage of native plants in both residential and public landscapes. Our tour will travel from Sara Stein’s garden in Pound Ridge, NY, to the New World Garden designed by Larry Weaner, to the High Line in NYC, and include many others along the way. Accompanied by design and how-to tips, this talk will be valuable for everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned professionals.

    Carolyn Summers is author of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East and an adjunct professor at Go Native U, a joint project of Westchester Community College and The Native Plant Center. She and her husband recently opened their country home, Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve, for public tours and to showcase the importance of native plants to all landscapes. This free program is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts. For more information visit www.grownativemass.org.