Explore Historic New England’s Cogswell’s Grant at 60 Spring Street in Essex, Massachusetts on Saturday, September 24 from 11 – 12:30, and discover its history as a working farm. Walk through fields and to the marsh, discover the rich history of the families who lived and farmed here, and learn how coastal farming has evolved over the centuries. Free. For directions or more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 978-768-3632.
Watson Farm managers Don and Heather Minto lead a tour of this seaside working farm, located at 455 North Road in Jamestown, Rhode Island, on Sunday, September 25 from 2 – 5. The evolution of the farm, now a property of Historic New England, is placed in the larger context of the local island community and Rhode Island history. $3 for HNE members, $8 for non-members. For more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 401-423-0005. Image of Watson Farm from www.en.petitchef.com.
Join artist Natalie Pfanstiehl on Saturday, September 10 (rain date Sunday, September 11) at 9:30 am at Watson Farm in Jamestown, Rhode Island, for a watercolor workshop. This is an Historic New England opportunity for painters to capture the buildings, stone walls, and gardens on the grounds. Bring painting materials and a bag lunch. Open to all levels of experience. $25 HNE members, $35 non-members, and reservations are required. Call 401-423-0005, or visit www.historicnewengland.org. “Roses of Sharon” below by Ms. Pfanstiehl, found at www.nkpfanstiehl.blogspot.com.
Historic New England Gardener Ellen Mackey leads a tour through the beautiful Codman Estate Garden in Lincoln, Massachusetts on Saturday, August 6, from 10 – noon. Hear about the ongoing restoration project to bring it back to its appearance in the 1930’s. This program is free and open exclusively to Historic New England members, so if you haven’t joined this wonderful organization, now is the time. For information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 617-994-5934.
It’s a great time to plant and get some deals on plants on Friday, July 29 – Sunday, July 31, from 9:30 – 4. All the hosta, perennial, herb and annual plants at the greenhouses at Historic New England’s Lyman Estate are heavily discounted for this weekend sale. The expert staff will help you choose plants for your garden conditions. For those of you who await the Fall Clearance Sale, please not that this is the Fall Clearance Sale, moved up to July. The Lyman Estate Greenhouses are located at 185 Lyman Street in Waltham, and there is free admission. For more information, call 781-891-1985.
Anthony Mitchell Sammarco, author of Forest Hills Cemetery: 1848 – 2008, discusses the history of the cemetery and explores the rural cemetery movement of the nineteenth century on Thursday, August 4, from 5:30 – 7:30 at Historic New England’s Otis House in Boston. The reception, co-sponsored with The Victorian Society in America, NE Chapter, begins at 5:30, with the talk commencing at 6:30. $10 for HNE and Victorian Society members, $12 non-members. Registration is recommended – call 617-994-5934, or visit www.historicnewengland.org.
Turn unwanted kitchen scraps into a rich fertilizer for your plants when the staff at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham, teaches you how to set up a home composting bin. Topics covered include choosing the right bin, feeding and maintaining your worms, and harvesting your black gold fertilizer. The program will take place Thursday, June 9, from 10 – noon, and costs $20 for Garden and Landscape members, $25 for Historic New England members, and $35 for nonmembers. To register, call 781-891-1985, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org.
On Friday evening, June 17, beginning at 6:30 pm, enjoy refreshments in the horseshoe garden at Beauport, 75 Eastern Point Boulevard in Gloucester, and a presentation by Property Care Team Leaders Ben Haavik and Reed Hilderbrand, and landscape architect Joe James, who discuss the landscape restoration project at Beauport. Beauport gardener Marcia Hart is also on hand to talk about specific plant material and how to implement and maintain the historic garden design. Reservations are required. Free to Garden and Landscape members of Historic New England, $20 for HNE members. For more information, and to register, log on to www.historicnewengland.org.
Historic New England Gardener Ellen Mackey leads a walking tour through the Codman Estate landscape and gardens during the May planting and blooming season on Saturday, May 7, beginning at 10 am, 34 Codman Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts. The landscape is undergoing a significant restoration to bring it back to its appearance in the 1930s. Following the garden walk, enjoy a tour of the Codman House museum. Reservations are required. $10 for Historic New England members, $15 for nonmembers. To register, call 617-994-6690, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org.
This collaborative effort on four successive Saturdays beginning April 23 between Historic New England and the MSPCA shows how to raise chickens in your backyard. Program participants attend workshops to learn about different chicken breeds, how to build a chicken coop and keep the flock healthy, as well as about feed, first aid, and safety. Afterward, attendees are certified to help care for the chickens at the farm throughout the season. When the season ends, the chickens will be offered to the participating families for purchase The series also includes a field trip to Nevins Farm and a lecture by Sarah Corchense, D.V.M., of Tufts Veterinary Hospital. The program will take place at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, 5 Little’s Lane, Newbury, Massachusetts. Registration required. Please call 978-462-2634 for more information. You may also register on line ($40 for HNE members, $95 for nonmembers, which includes a family membership) at www.historicnewengland.org/events.
