Boston Flora

Tag: Heritage Museums & Gardens

  • Thursday, August 1, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Making More Plants Workshop: Division, Propagation, and Seeding

    This small-group Heritage Museums & Gardens workshop session is geared toward home gardeners who wish to learn practical how-to techniques for making more plants using several techniques, including division, propagation, and seeding. Mal Condon, Heritage’s Curator of Hydrangeas, will lead this program and while hydrangeas will be the main focus of this demonstration, these practices can be applied to many other woody ornamentals you would plant on Cape Cod. During this hands-on experience, participants will prepare and “strike” their own cuttings and take them home to nurture and develop into well-rooted plants. Plenty of time will be allotted for questions and discussion and, in addition to cuttings and rooting mix you’ll take home, following the program you’ll also receive a PDF file including presentation content via email for your reference. Advance registration is required.

    Please note: this program will take place rain or shine. In good weather, it will take place outdoors in the gardens. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held indoors inside the Heald Center at the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery.

    Program fees fund Heritage’s mission to inspire people of all ages to explore, discover, and learn together. Thank you for your support. Program Registration Fee: $30 Members, $40 Non-Members Register at https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/mecevents/making-more-plants/?occurrence=2024-08-01

  • Through October 20, 2024 – Impressionist New England: Four Seasons of Color and Light

    What is it about ‘New England’—as both a setting and a subject—that has captured Impressionist painters’ attention for over a century? Artist colonies popped up in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in the late 19th century, attracting some of America’s best-known painters. Gloucester, Provincetown, Old Lyme, Ogunquit, and others continue to have thriving local art communities today. On display at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich now through October 20 in the Special Exhibitions Gallery, this exhibition celebrates New England–its natural beauty through the seasons, its people, its small towns, and its glorious light–as seen through the eyes of local painters and poets.

    Included artists: Sam Barber, Gerrit Beneker, Sheila Benzer, Matilda Browne, William Chadwick, Oliver Chaffee, Anne Ramsdell Congdon, Joseph DeCamp, Frank Vincent DuMond, Harold Dunbar, Charles Ebert, Joseph Eliot Enneking, Loretta Feeney, Gertrude Fiske, Lillian Hale, Childe Hassam, Charles Webster Hawthorne, Henry Hensche, Aldro T. Hibbard, Felicie Waldo Howell, Wilson Henry Irvine, Louise Kamp, Nellie Augusta Knopf, Susan Ricker Knox, Harriet Lumis, Dodge MacKnight, Elmer MacRae, Willard Metcalf, George L. Noyes, Hillary Osborn, Pauline Palmer, Marguerite Pearson, Jane Peterson, Doug Rugh, Frank Vining Smith, Mary Bradish Titcomb, John Twachtman,  Edward Charles Volkert, Carol Whorf Westcott, John Whorf, Mabel May Woodward, New England-based poets Amanda Davis, Lauren Wolk, and Rich Holschuh were invited to create or share works inspired by Fall, Summer, and Winter, respectively. Also included is a Spring-themed poem by Provincetown poet Mary Oliver. For hours and information visit www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

  • Thursday, August 17, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Gearhead Garage

    Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich invites car enthusiasts to a fundraising event on Thursday, August 17 from 5 – 6:30 pm, to help fund its mission to inspire people of all ages to explore, discover, and learn together. Curious to get a look under the hoods at the engines in its auto collection? Interested in horsepower, bore and stroke, or other technical details? This unique event invites you to get up close and personal with the Museum’s one-of-a-kind antique and classic car collection. Go behind-the-scenes into Heritage’s auto storage area and maintenance garage and get face-to-fender with these fascinating machines. Enjoy private access to the automobile exhibit From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America, and watch and listen as select cars from Heritage’s collection are started up for your enjoyment. Meet expert members of our Auto Committee and learn what it takes to maintain this world-class collection. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet like-minded aficionados and to get all your in-depth classic car questions answered. This month’s program will feature an in-depth look at the 1946 Mercury Woodie Station Wagon and the 1965 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon. $15 Heritage members, $25 nonmembers. Register at www.heritagemuseumandgardens.org

  • Friday, July 7, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm – Hydrangea University 2023

    Heritage Museums & Gardens and the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society CCHS are pleased to again partner and present the eighth edition of our annual Hydrangea University – the premier opening event of the annual Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. During this symposium-style event, expert guest speakers will inspire and entertain while increasing participants’ knowledge of hydrangeas. This year’s speakers include:

    • Mal Condon, Curator of Hydrangeas, Heritage Museums & Gardens
    • Ryan McEnaney, Marketing and Communications Manager, Bailey Innovations
    • David Roberts, Director of Plant Breeding, Bailey Innovations
    • Andi Ross, Garden Speaker

    Admission to all of Heritage Museums & Gardens will also be included with registration, and each participant will receive a goodie bag and a hydrangea plant to take home. After the program, participants will have the opportunity to tour the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society Display Garden and the North American Hydrangea Test Garden. Advance registration is required, as space is limited. Register at www.heritagemuseumandgardens.org

  • Friday, May 19 – Monday, May 29 – Rhododendron Festival

    Thousands of world-famous rhododendrons in over 100 varieties offer an explosion of spectacular blooms throughout Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, May 19 – May 29. Photograph yourself surrounded by walls of flowers, immerse yourself in the story of Heritage’s fascinating rhododendron legacy on a self-guided walking tour and learn proper plant care and pruning techniques at our hands-on Garden Discovery Cart. You can also take home one (or more!) of these gorgeous plants from a special plant sale. There’s even a fun activity highlighting these amazing plants designed just for kids and families. All extra rhododendron-focused activities are free with museum admission or membership. No advance registration required.

    This event is generously sponsored by the Arbella Insurance Foundation.

    General admission tickets are date-specific. Tickets are valid for entry anytime between 10 am-4:30 pm.

    Tickets include admission to:

    • The gardens (All gardens including the Otherworldly exhibit, opening in late May)
    • Hidden Hollow
    • The Special Exhibitions Gallery, featuring the Creating Cape Cod exhibit
    • The J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery, featuring the From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America with highlights from the Creating Cape Cod exhibit
    • The American Art & Carousel Gallery, featuring Heritage Highlights exhibit
    • Wampanoag Wetu & Garden, and Wampanoag Mush8n (coming in late July)
    • Lilly’s Café
    • The Shop at Heritage

    Tickets can be pre-purchased online or upon arrival.

  • Tuesday, August 9, 9:00 am – 10:30 am – Becoming Cape Cod

    Heritage Museums & Gardens Members are invited to join us on August 9 at 9 am for an exclusive and insightful lecture and discussion with James C. O’Connell, author of Becoming Cape Cod: Creating a Seaside Resort (University Press of New England, 2002). Jim was the first to write a comprehensive history of the tourism on Cape Cod and his book inspired and informed the Creating Cape Cod exhibit at Heritage. After the lecture, which will include a slideshow of historic postcards, Jim will be joined by Heritage’s Director of Collections & Exhibitions, Jennifer Y. Madden, for questions and discussion relating to the history tourism on Cape Cod. Attendees can then enjoy coffee and light refreshment following the program.

    This special, members-only, in-person, program will take place in the Creating Cape Cod exhibit, located inside the Special Exhibitions Gallery at Heritage Museums & Gardens. It includes time for questions and discussion at the conclusion of the lecture, as well as exclusive early access to the new special exhibition, Creating Cape Cod. This program is free for Heritage Members. Advance registration is required as seating is limited.

    Jim O’Connell’s talk on “Becoming Cape Cod: The Creation of a Seaside Resort” is based on his book about the history of Cape Cod’s development as a vacation mecca. The presentation, which is illustrated with rare historic postcards, traces Cape Cod’s resort history from its discovery by Henry David Thoreau before the Civil War to the present day. The talk covers three eras: 1870-1920, on the early years of the resort; 1920-1950, on the impact of the automobile on creating a tourist region with common marketing, a plethora of attractions, and a strong heritage appeal; 1950-present, on measures taken to preserve the Cape in the face of over development.

    The decisive moment for the Cape’s development was the coming of the automobile during the 1920s. For the first time, tourists were able to explore the entire region. As a result, a plethora of cottage colonies, restaurants, antique shops, and historical landmarks appeared. After World War II, a boom ensued. Cape Cod’s greatest challenge has been preserving the natural environment, historic buildings, and cultural traditions that have shaped the Cape’s sense of place. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cape’s popularity for second-homeowners and the cost of housing has been growing. While this book is currently out of print, you can find it online at Amazon and AbeBooks.

    This program is FREE for current Heritage Members. Please register in advance, as seating is limited. For questions about your membership, or to join contact the Development Department at membership@heritagemuseums.org or at 508-888-3300 x119 or x159. You may also join by clicking https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/join-and-give/membership/

    For questions about this program, please email programming@heritagemuseums.org.

  • Friday, May 20 – Monday, May 30 – Heritage Museums & Gardens Rhododendron Festival

    Thousands of world-famous rhododendrons in over 100 varieties offer an explosion of spectacular blooms throughout Heritage Museums & Gardens, 67 Grove Street, Sandwich. Photograph yourself surrounded by walls of flowers, immerse yourself in the story of Heritage’s fascinating rhododendron legacy on a self-guided walking tour, learn proper plant care and pruning techniques at our hands-on Garden Discovery Cart, and take home one of these signature plants from the special plant sale. There’s even a fun activity guide highlighting these amazing plants designed just for kids and families. General admission tickets are date-specific. Tickets are valid for entry anytime between 10 am-4:30 pm.

    Along with our Rhododendron-themed activities, visitors are welcome to enjoy the entire grounds including our indoor and outdoor exhibits.

    Tickets include admission to:

    • The gardens (All gardens including the Treasured Trash exhibit)
    • Hidden Hollow
    • The Special Exhibitions Gallery, featuring the Creating Cape Cod exhibit
    • The J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery, featuring the From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America with highlights from the Creating Cape Cod exhibit
    • The American Art & Carousel Gallery, featuring Heritage Highlights exhibit
    • Wampanoag Wetu & Garden
    • Lilly’s Café
    • The Shop at Heritage

    Tickets can be pre-purchased online or on the day of at the ticket window. Heritage members free, nonmembers $21 ($11 Youth)

  • Friday, May 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Hands-On Hydrangeas: Container Growing Workshop

    Of all the hydrangea species, H. macrophyllas are the best suited to container growing. This method is the surest way to obtain reliable blooming – even on Cape Cod!

    The blooming beauty of the H. macrophylla is especially appreciated when located nearby – like on your deck, patio, or porch. In groups, you can move them around to achieve varied flower displays and can adjust for changing sun and or shade conditions as the growing season progresses. Given reliable care, this species can remain in the same pot for several years. Many cultivars even prefer being “root constrained,” often flowering better than when planted in the ground.

    Best of all, container growing provides an effective “mobility factor” – a comparatively easy and efficient way to move and protect these cold-sensitive plants from winter. Curator of Hydrangeas, Mal Condon, and guest expert, Linda Coven (owner of Strictly Hydrangeas) are particularly fond of this growing method and have developed superior ways to enhance the growth and protection attributes through the “Pot-N-Pot” and “Bag-N-Pot” growing techniques that they will share in detail. In the hands-on portion of this workshop, participants will get to create their own container arrangement with provided materials, including a grow bag, hydrangea, companion plants, and soil mix all provided in the class. NOTE:  participants should bring their own decorative pots in which to plant.

    In addition to creating a container planting to take home, this May 13 Heritage Museums & Gardens in-person workshop includes time for questions and a hand-out of information for your reference. Advance registration is required and spots are extremely limited. Don’t miss this important “how-to” workshop – register today!

    Please note:  this program will take place outdoors, and involves hands-on garden work – be sure to dress accordingly (in layers) and bring two pairs of gloves. In the event of severe inclement weather, this course will be rescheduled to the following day, Saturday, May 14, from 10 am-noon.

    Program fees fund Heritage’s mission to inspire people of all ages to explore, discover, and learn together. Thank you for your support. Program Registration Fee: $68 Members, $75 Non-Members Register HERE. Registration for this class will open at 6:45 am on April 27.

  • Saturday, August 14 – Sunday, August 22, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Pollinator Festival

    What’s all the buzz about? Join Heritage Museums & Gardens on August 14 – 22 from 10 – 5 as we celebrate pollinators – some of the hardest working organisms in the animal kingdom!

    Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny sweat bee to the humming bird – and Heritage Museums & Gardens is a great place to see them all! Visitors of all ages will enjoy discovering a variety of pollinators out in nature in our gardens, as well as in art in our Bugs, Birds & Bricks exhibit!

    • Pick up a self-guide to tour several of our gardens and learn how they provide food and habitat for the many varieties of pollinators native to Cape Cod.
    • Visit the Garden Discovery Cart to learn about pollinators with some of our friendly staff.
    • Families will delight in a special activity guide designed just for them, along with pollinator games in Hidden Hollow.
    • Gardening enthusiasts won’t want to miss the special plant sale at The Shop at Heritage, where Director of Horticulture, Les Lutz, has selected some of the best pollinator-attracting plants for your garden!

    All activities are free with museum admission. Pre-purchase of admission tickets (www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org) is recommended.

    • MEMBER: FREE
    • NON-MEMBER: $20 Adult / $10 Youth

  • Friday, July 16, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Hydrangeas: Garden Design Series, Online

    How do you design a fabulous garden around a signature plant? That’s the question that Heritage Museums & Garden’s Director of Horticulture, Les Lutz, will tackle in this second of three virtual webinars centered on garden design. Heritage is known for its amazing display of hydrangeas in July, and now you can learn how to achieve similar results at home!

    In this webinar, Les will cover the basics of how to care for these woody ornamentals – including best practices for pruning, plant siting, watering, and fertilizing – before giving program participants the building blocks for designing their home garden around these lovely perennial shrubs.

    Learn how color, texture, size, and shape influence the aesthetic appeal and health of the plants in your garden, along with which types of plants make the perfect companions for your hydrangeas. Armed with this information, you just might achieve a prize-worthy oasis in your own backyard!

    The live webinar will include time for questions, as well as a PDF of the slides for your reference. All program registrants will receive a link to the video recording, available for 72 hours after the event. Advance registration is required. $17 for Heritage members, $27 for nonmembers. Register HERE.