Boston Flora

Tag: Grow Native Massachusetts

  • Wednesday, May 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Go Botany! Plant ID for the 21st Century

    Grow Native Massachusetts continues its Evenings with Experts on Wednesday, May 1, from 7 – 8:30 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, with Elizabeth Farnsworth, Senior Research Ecologist for the New England Wild Flower Society. Imagine identifying plants in the field with your iPad or smartphone! Go Botany is the new definitive on-line Flora of New England for just that. Elizabeth Farnsworth will introduce and demonstrate this richly illustrated interactive key to over 3,500 native and naturalized plants of our region. This tool also includes PlantShare for reporting discoveries, exchanging checklists, and more. This evening will equip you to ID and better understand the many plants you encounter. Dr. Farnsworth is one of New England’s great botanists and Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora.

  • Sunday, May 5, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Festival Floralia 2013

    Festival Floralia 2013 will take place Sunday, May 5, from 2 – 4:30 pm at the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, 159 Brattle Street in Cambridge. This is Grow Native – Massachusetts’ Annual Celebration of Spring and Native Plant Sale — With food, wine, music, and a great silent auction!

    This Festival, named in honor of the Goddess Flora of Roman mythology, celebrates the cycle of life, friends, food and flowers.  The native plant sale, staffed with horticultural experts, provides the opportunity to get professional advice on the species most suited to your landscape needs while you shop. All the plants sold are native to New England, and they have assembles a great collection that is typically not available all at one location. These species are guaranteed to add ecological value to your gardens and landscapes.
    New in 2013: Pre-order the native plants you are looking for at http://grownativemass.org/programs/festivalfloralia.

    Offered are a diverse selection of about 50 species native to New England that are sourced from three different nurseries. Grow Native assembles and organizes the orders, getting all these plants delivered and ready for pick up at the event. This option will only be available to those with prepaid tickets. Many additional plants will still be for sale at the event, with no need to pre-order if you prefer shopping “in the moment.”

    http://www.grownativecambridge.org/sites/default/files/images/FF%202012-Plants%20and%20Food_0.jpg

  • Wednesday, April 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Landscape Design with the Climate in Mind

    Grow Native Massachusetts continues its Evenings with Experts on Wednesday, April 3, from 7 – 8:30 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, with Sue Reed, author of Energy-Wise Landscape Design. Learn how to manage your landscape to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint—essential actions in this era of climate change. You can: reduce costs for home heating and cooling; save energy on your gardens and grounds; and choose products with lower embedded energy costs. Your property is full of opportunities to conserve, even if you’re not doing a major renovation or landscape redesign. Come get inspired by new insights and ideas. Sue Reed is a Landscape Architect who specializes in designing beautiful landscapes that are ecologically rich and energy efficient.  Free and open to the public.

  • Wednesday, March 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Meadowscaping in Urban & Suburban Spaces

    Grow Native Massachusetts is sponsoring a public lecture series through June, 2013, from 7 – 8:30 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge. The next in its series of Evenings With Experts will take place Wednesday, March 6, with Catherine Zimmerman, author of Urban & Suburban Meadows, speaking on Meadowscaping in Urban & Suburban Spaces.  Join us to learn why meadow and prairie habitats are so beneficial, both economically and environmentally. Then, consider the benefits of meadowscaping.  Ms. Zimmerman is passionate about getting Americans to forgo their devotion to monocultures of pesticide-ridden lawns. She will give us a step-by-step primer on reducing lawn size and installing a beautiful meadow garden in its stead. No space is too small. Join the movement to bring back native habitat for wildlife and human life! Ms. Zimmerman is a filmmaker, author, and founder of the Meadow Project.  The event is free and open to all.

  • Wednesday, February 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Managing Invasives at Home and Around Town

    Grow Native Massachusetts is sponsoring a public lecture series from February through June, 2013, from 7 – 8:30 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge.  The first of the free series in entitled Managing Invasives at Home and Around Town, with Eric Olson and Josh Ellsworth, lecturers at Brandeis University and citizen stewards. Founder of the Newton Invasive Plant Task Force, Dr. Olson has led substantial volunteer efforts to control invasive species in Newton and Waltham. He will discuss this management challenge, especially the importance of building trust with local Conservation Commissions, and the risks and pleasures of depending entirely upon volunteer labor. Josh Ellsworth will help us understand the ecology of invasives, along with specific techniques for controlling the species we most commonly encounter in Greater Boston. Dr. Eric Olson and Josh Ellsworth both teach at Brandeis University. Lecture Co-sponsored by The Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation.  Photo of knotweed pull site from www.newtonconservators.org.

  • Saturday, October 13, 9:00 am – Meadowscaping: A Recipe for Healthy Urban & Suburban Landscapes

    Catherine Zimmerman will lecture on Saturday, October 13 beginning at 9 am at the Chatham Community Center, 702 Main Street in Chatham, on Meadowscaping: A Recipe for Healthy Urban & Suburban Landscapes.  Ms. Zimmerman is the author of Urban & Suburban Meadows, and a book signing will follow,  The free program is sponsored by the Chatham Conservation Commission, the Chatham Conservation Foundation, Inc., the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and Grow Native Massachusetts. There is limited seating, so registration is encouraged at www.chatham-ma.gov.

  • Wednesday, April 4, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Our Native Pollinators: Intriguing Insects and More

    Scientists now consider our residential landscapes to be a “final frontier” in providing essential habitat for at-risk pollinator species that are vital to environmental health and a functioning food web.

    Come to the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, on Wednesday, April 4, from 7 – 8:30 to learn about the best plants for helping to feed and shelter our native pollinators, including bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. There are many easy ways to support pollinator populations in your garden, utilizing a few important principles in your landscaping practices.

    Speaker Ellen Sousa is a garden coach, habitat naturalist, and author, whose writings appear in numerous journals and blogs. The lecture is free, and is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts. Photo from flatbushgardener.blogspot.com.

  • Wednesday, April 6, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Life on the Wing in an Era of Human Dominance

    Grow Native Massachusetts presents Wayne Petersen, Director of the Mass Audubon Important Bird Areas Program, in a free program on Wednesday, April 6 entitled Life on the Wing in an Era of Human Dominance.  The event will take place at the main branch of the Cambridge Public Library from 7 – 8:30 pm.

    It is easy to take birds for granted. They cheer us with their songs in spring, engage us with the wonders of their flight, and grace our landscapes throughout the year. Yet, these idyllic images belie the serious impact of human activity on many bird populations. Come learn what we must do to help ensure their survival—what might comprise an avian wish list for human behavior. Wayne Petersen is a nationally known ornithologist, and a contributor to numerous field guides and publications. His talk will be the next best thing to birding with him in the field. For more information contact programsmanager@grownativemass.org.