Historic New England will hold its annual Hosta and Perennial Sale on the first two weekends in June at the Lyman Estate Greenouses, 185 Lyman Street, Waltham. Plants of all shapes, sizes, and colors are available, including many new and hard-to-find varieties. Our knowledgeable staff can help you choose the right hostas for your garden. Historic New England members save 10% on purchases. For more information visit www.historicnewengland.org.
Historic New England will hold its annual Hosta and Perennial Sale at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses, 185 Lyman Street in Waltham, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 1 – 3, from 9:30 am – 4 pm. Admission is free. For more information visit http://shop.historicnewengland.org/GRE-HOSTASALE-1-10167/
Join plantsman extraordinaire John O’Brien on Thursday, July 9 from 10 – 1:30 for a walking tour of his fabulous specialty nursery, O’Brien Nurserymen, located in Granby, Connecticut. View this exceptional collection of rare and beautifully grown specimens with a focus on dwarf conifers, Japanese maples and hundreds of hostas and other rare woodland perennials. There will be plenty to see in this meticulously maintained small-batch nursery, and John will devote the tour to teaching us the virtues of the many fabulous selections cultivated on his property. Following the tour there will be time to purchase plants. Then the group will head over to nearby Lost Acres Orchard. Lunch is available for purchase and includes a nice selection of homemade sandwiches and salads. Relax on the porch of the wonderful barn or wander through the orchard, sit in the shade and enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch.
John O’Brien is owner of O’Brien Nurserymen, LLC, which has grown into New England’s premier hosta nursery. The extensive display gardens feature over 1,600 hosta varieties, as well as other shady characters, including asarums, pulmonarias, epimediums and arisaemas. The gardens also include a wide variety of unusual dwarf conifers and over 100 varieties of Japanese maples. Participants can choose to carpool or drive separately.Those joining the carpool should meet in the parking lot at Berkshire Botanical Garden for an 8:30 am departure. BBG members $40, nonmembers $50. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.
Thousands of plants are available in creams, golds, blues, and mixes at the Hosta Sale at Lyman Estate Greenhouses, June 15 – 17. Choose from large-specimen and small plants, along with many new and hard-to-find varieties. Our knowledgeable staff is on hand to help you choose the right hostas for your garden. The greenhouses are located at 185 Lyman Street in Waltham. For more information, visit www.historicnewengland.org, or call 781-891-1985. Free admission.
When the American Hosta Association held their national convention in Boston last month, they picked five gardens to show to visitors from around the country. One of those belongs to Mary Arnberg. Mary is not just an expert on the plantain lily, she’s a terrific speaker who combines humor with an encyclopedic knowledge of her subject. You’ll walk away with an appreciation for what may well be the most versatile garden plant around. Come to the Education Building at Elm Bank on Wednesday, August 3 at 7 pm for this continuation of the Wednesday at Elm Bank series. The cost to Massachusetts Horticultural Society members is $10, and non members will be charged $15. Refreshments and beverages are served. For directions, log on to www.masshort.org.
The Patriot Daylily Society Sale features a wide selection of colorful daylilies from members’ gardens, freshly dug and ready to plant in your garden. There will be many modest-priced daylily classics (many not available in garden centers) as well as more recent introductions. Members will be on hand to give instructions on daylily planting and care. Members will also bring a nice selection of perennial companion plants including hostas, phlox, Shasta daisies, monarda, and ferns. The sale is a fundraiser for the non-profit Patriot Daylily Society, which welcomes all New Englanders interested in daylilies. The sale location is at the Waltham Field Station of the University of Massachusetts, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham, on Saturday, June 4, from 9:30 – 3:30, and will be held rain or shine! Below is ‘Leebea Orange Crush.’
The 2011 American Hosta Society National Convention will take place June 22 – June 25 right here in Massachusetts, hosted by the New England Hosta Society. This year’s theme is Hostas and Heritage. There will be optional bus tours to hosta gardens in four states – Wednesday, see the garden of Bernie and Sue Apter and the garden of Carol Brashear and Bill Meyer, in Connecticut, along with O’Brien Nurserymen Display Garden and Nursery and the garden of Kathie Sisson. Friday’s main tour in Massachusetts includes Bob and Diane Adams’ Oakenstone Gardens, Mary Arnberg’s garden with roughly 500 varieties of hosta, the Cochato Nursery and Display Gardens, and Paula Lehtola’s “Deer Buffet”. Saturday will bring you to New Hampshire to the garden of Cheryl and Rick Cravino aptly named HostaAmour, the garden of Roger Kinchen, and Chuck and Sue Andersen’s Mason Hollow Nursery. There are also three gardens on display following the official end of the show – Sunday brings a chance to see the Hanover, Massachusetts garden of Gerry and Rindy Bennet, the garden of Rick Goodenough, and the Plymouth, Massachusetts garden of Rosemary and David Parks. There will be seedling and sport competitions (called “First Look”), lectures and classes, auctions, ice cream socials, a judged hosta show entitled One if by Land and Two if by Sea (show schedule available for download on web site, www.hosta2011.org), the ultimate hosta supermarket, with nationally known hosta vendors, and all this within a short drive of Boston – in beautiful Marlborough, Massachusetts, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel. Fee to attend is $225, and you may register on line. Make reservations at the hotel, if you are not inclined to drive back and forth, no later than May 28 by calling 888-543-9500 and mention “American Hosta Society” to receive the convention room rate.
This is a HANDS-ON WORKSHOP. Join Weston Nurseries’ resident artists Deb Mastrangelo and Diane Lulek in creating stepping stones from hosta leaves and cement. These impressions are realistic, functional and winter hardy. All materials and instructions are included in the price of the workshop. Please wear old clothes and shoes and be prepared to get dirty! Pre-registration by Thursday, Sept. 23 is required. Please RSVP by calling Customer Care at 508-293-8091. Cost: $15 per leaf/ 3 leaf maximum. Log on to www.westonnurseries.com for directions.
Noted horticulturalist and all-around great speaker Laura Eisner offers terrific advice about Gardening in the Shade, tonight at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. According to Yankee Magazine, there are 25 billion trees in New England, and at any given time, some of them are shading your garden. Laura will shed some light, so to speak, on how to achieve great color, texture and form in a shaded environment. Shade gardening isn’t limited to hosta: she’ll discuss specific cultivars and techniques that will allow you to achieve a dazzling multi-season display. $8 for Mass Hort members, $10 for non members, and please bring cash or a check. Refreshments will be offered. For more information log on to www.masshort.org.
It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the first Plant Sale was held on the rough field and lawn in front of the Farmhouse. That sale attracted nearly 400 visitors – pretty astonishing for the first sale at the brand new headquarters of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. At its peak, the sale has attracted as many as 3,100 visitors, expanding to become one of Tower Hill’s largest fundraisers.
Because of the construction at the core of the property, this year’s sale will be held in the grassy overflow parking field adjacent to the paved lots. Some details remain the same: one of the many benefits of Tower Hill’s Plant Sale is the ability to select from the specialty offerings of more than a dozen participating Plant Societies, including Bamboo, Cactus & Succulent, Conifer, Daylily, Epimedium, Fern, Heather, Hosta, Indoor Gardeners, Lilac, Magnolia, Miniature Plants, Orchid, Rhododendron, and Rose. These ardent devotees are wild about their specific plant interests and can offer great tips on care and growing. Please note that a Tower Hill member discount card does not apply to sales in the plant society area, and most of the societies are able to accept only cash or checks.
More than 12,000 plants will be available for sale: unusual perennials, herbs and everlastings, shrubs and trees, including Cary Award Winners, natives, annuals, incredible edibles, and Tower Hill “Best Buy” plants – donated divisions from beautiful plants grown by members. Special Plant Sale T-shirts to commemorate the 25th anniversary will be sold, and there will be Plant Giveaways to our early arriving members. Two silent auctions on the day of the Plant Sale feature a variety of choice, hard to find, specimen plants and garden ornaments. Register first and enjoy the challenge of competing with other plant enthusiasts for the plants that spark your interest. Tower Hill members enjoy the benefit of early admission at 9 a.m. For more information, call 508-869-6111, or log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
