Patrick Hillman, Staff Horticulturist at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will take you on an expert-led look at the Limonaia and Orangerie at Tower Hill, both filled with wonderful plants that can be grown in smaller sizes on your windowsill. Cost is included with admission. Register by calling 508-869-6111 x 124, or email registrar@towerhillbg.org.
This annual sale sponsored by the Somerville Garden Club is a must for gardeners hunting for locally grown plants. An interesting variety of perennials, houseplants, small shrubs and trees will be available, all at very reasonable prices. Horticultural information and a table for children make the day even more enjoyable. The event helps support Somerville’s non profit garden club’s many outreach, education and planting programs.The event takes place Saturday, September 18, from 9 – 1, rain or shine, at Statue Park in Davis Square, on the intersection of Holland St. and College Avenue, across from the Somerville Theatre in Somerville. Free admission. For more information, email swilkins@mit.edu, or log on to www.somervillegardenclub.org.
Not sure your thumb is green enough? Wellesley College Botanic Garden Senior Greenhouse Horticulturist Tony Antonucci helps dispel any black thumb self-images. Tony oversaw the Ferguson Greenhouses “greening” and shares how your houseplants can be grown more safely without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. In the first session, he will show you the basics and special Greenhouse tips for houseplant care: light, water, pruning, and feeding. Trouble shooting and pest control will also be covered. Session two will be a hands-on workshop using the same plants the Greenhouse staff grows for the New Student Plant Give Away. You will get your hands dirty and discover proper techniques for repotting, dividing, and pruning pot bound plants with their masses of tangled roots. Take home your newly potted plants and watch them grow.
As a special topic, Tony will cover Indoor Kitchen Gardens. Apply green methods of growing indoor plants to indoor herbs, lettuce, and other food plants. Tony explains the particular needs of an indoor kitchen garden and discusses the various methods you can use to successfully create one of your own. Course Number HOR 10 040. WCFH members $36, non-members $45. To register, or for more information, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.
If you’ve always yearned to host houseplants, but failed – this lecture will come to the rescue. Selecting low-maintenance houseplants such as succulents that are in synch with a hectic lifestyle is one solution. But another avenue is crystal clear: glass can serve as a solution to bond botany and you. With the aid of a terrarium, you can host nature almost anywhere – in your parched apartment or your dim cubicle. Plus, terrariums introduce beauty, whimsy, sophistication, and sparkle into indoor gardening. From vases to Wardian cases, including cloches and apothecary jars, we’ll demonstrate precisely how to work with glass enclosures of all types to incorporate green into your life, no matter how busy your schedule might be. Tovah Martin is the author of an upcoming book entitled “The New Terrarium.†$9 members, $10 non members. Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA. For more information, and to register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
