Boston Flora

Tag: Hydrangeas

  • Thursday, April 19, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – The Straight Talk on Hydrangeas

    With gorgeous hydrangea cultivars flooding nurseries and garden centers, it can be challenging to choose just one (or a few!). Magnificent blooms in rich colors entice, yet their allure can lead you to purchase hydrangeas that will not thrive in your garden. Don’t let this happen. Instead, join Jen Kettell at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University on April 19 at 6 pm for a lively discussion on the species behind the hot trade names—especially their inherent growth characteristics—and learn how to match appropriate plants to your site conditions. She’ll suggest which species are drought-tolerant or benefit pollinators and demonstrate pruning to maximize flowering and other essential growing tips. Jen will focus on hydrangeas that are hardy in Zones 5-7. Class includes an indoor lecture and walk to a demonstration in the Leventritt Shrub and Vine Garden. Fee $25 Arboretum member, $35 nonmember. Register at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5209.  Image from http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com.

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  • Friday, July 7 – Sunday, July 16 – Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival

    The Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival returns July 7 – 16, celebrating the iconic plant that makes Cape Cod so stunning in July. See the expanded North American Hydrangea Test Garden, participate in workshops and book signings, purchase plants, and tour Heritage Museums & Gardens, 67 Grove Street in Sandwich, which includes over 150 spectacular species and cultivars.

    All programs are free with Museum admission ($18 adults, $8 children 3 – 11). No advance registration required. For complete information visit http://heritagemuseums.org.

  • Thursday, June 22, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Hydrangea Highlights

    Endless Summer®, Sugar Puff, Pinky Winky, Incrediball – there has been an explosion of hydrangea cultivars with cute and quirky names. Hydrangea Highlights helps demystify our most popular blooming shrub.

    Gail Anderson will help attendees identify and care for hydrangeas already in their gardens and will include tips for choosing reliable new hydrangeas. Anderson will share a primer of hydrangea species, new cultivars and breeding trends, how to plant, and how to prune.

    Gail Anderson is a former teacher and magazine journalist. She earned a Certificate in Landscape Design and Maintenance from North Shore Community College and a certified a Massachusetts Master Gardener.

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society session will take place Thursday, June 22 from 7 – 8:30 in the Education Building at the Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, and is $12 for Mass Hort Members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4973. Image from www.healthyhomegardening.com.

  • Tuesday, February 28, 9:30 am – Hydrangea Highlights

    The Needham Garden Club presents Hydrangea Highlights with Gail Anderson on Tuesday, February 28 beginning at 9:30 am at the Needham Congregational Church, 1180 Great Plain Avenue in Needham.  The meeting is free, but donations are always welcome.

  • Saturday, November 5, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Winterizing Hydrangeas

    Hydrangea macrophylla are the least cold-hardy of hydrangea species, and therefore are hard to keep alive during harsh Massachusetts winters. Heritage Museums & Gardens Hydrangea Curator Mal Condon will provide information on protecting hydrangeas from the ravages of winter in this demonstration taking place Saturday, November 5 from 11:30 – 12:30 at 67 Grove Street in Sandwich. $10 for Museum members, $15 for nonmembers. Register by calling 508-888-3300, x 175, or email jraynor@heritagemuseums.org. Image from www.finegardening.com.

  • Sunday, July 10, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Flower Arranging with Hydrangeas

    Join Anna Holmes at Highfield Hall & Gardens, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth on Sunday, July 10 at 1:30 pm in a flower arranging workshop. Create your own centerpiece arrangement using fresh hydrangeas and other seasonal flowers and greenery. All materials will be supplied for the class.

    Register on-line at www.highfieldhallandgardens.org or call, 508-495-1878, ext. 2. $35 for Highfield Hall members, $40 for nonmembers.

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  • Wednesday, September 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Hydrangeas

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay opens its 2015-2016 year on Wednesday, September 16, with an emphasis on Collectors and Collections, at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, at 10:00 am, with speaker Gail Anderson on the topic of Hydrangeas.

    Endless Summer, Snow Queen, Pinky Winky, Incrediball – There has been an explosion of trademarked hydrangea cultivars with cute and quirky names. Gail Anderson will help demystify this immensely popular genus and will include tips for choosing the right hydrangea for your garden. You’ll enjoy an instructional look at the genus brought to popular attention by such disparate personalities as Martha Stewart and renowned plantsman Michael Dirr. Topics covered will include a primer of hydrangea species, cultivars commonly available for sale, flower shape and color, including soil pH, and how to plant and prune.

    Gail Anderson is a former teacher and magazine journalist. She earned a Certificate in Landscape Design and Maintenance from North Shore Community College and was certified as a Massachusetts Master Gardener. Gail worked for six years as a staff horticulturist for The Trustees of Reservations at Long Hill, an estate garden in Beverly, Massachusetts known for its woody plant collection. She has also served as a photography judge and jury member at the Boston Flower & Garden Show and has lectured at the Portland, Maine Flower Show. Gail is a member of the Ipswich Garden Club.

    GCBB members will receive written notification of the meeting.  If you are not a member but wish to attend, please email info@bostonflora.com.  Image of Pinky Winky from naturalmedicinefacts.info.

  • Thursday, July 16, 7:30 pm – Hydrangeas Demystified

    On Thursday, July 16 at 7:30 pm join Tim Wood, the Proven Winners Plant Hunter from Spring Meadows Nursery, as he takes you around the world to look at eight beautiful and diverse species of hydrangea. Find out which are best for your garden, how to grow them and meet the breeders that developed the best new selections. Tim will take the mystery out of growing hydrangeas; you’ll learn how to get the best blooms, how to prune and how to change the flower color. The program will be held at the Polly Hill Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury. $10/$5 for PHA members. For more information visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org or call 508-693-9426.

  • Tuesday, July 14 – Thursday, July 16 – Hydrangeas 2015 International Conference

    HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS, HYDRANGEAS! The species, cultivars, newest introductions, breeding innovations, cultural issues, and tours of significant private Cape Cod gardens will be part of an International Conference to take place July 14 – 16 at Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich. Plus, there will be on-site displays by major hydrangea suppliers, and plant sales stalls by local nurseries featuring hundreds of hydrangeas- all presented and available over three days in the cradle of the genus – Cape Cod.

    Heritage is widely known for rhododendrons, but it also features a growing collection of hydrangeas. In concert with the Cape Cod Hydrangea Society, Heritage is the repository of the Society’s Hydrangea Collection and has continued to expand hydrangea plantings throughout the property.

    Lectures will be held each morning with garden tours in the afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday tours will feature significant private gardens on the Cape. Keynote Speaker for the conference is Dr. Michael Dirr, who will give a talk on The History of Hydrangeas – Earliest Introductions to Current Developments on Tuesday morning. A host of prominent speakers will present on Tuesday and Wednesday – full details may be found on the website noted below. Thursday will be a full Heritage Day dedicated to tours of all garden areas including the Hydrangea Collection. Thursday evening will feature the Conference banquet followed by an Ice Cream Social and a Question & Answer Forum to conclude the event.

    Cape Cod is a historical treasure trove, a place of incomparable natural beauty, with a maritime climate befitting Hydrangea macrophylla – the crown jewel of the genus – at their blooming peak in July.

    Full registration now through March 31 is $550.  One day registration for July 14 or July 15 only is $250.  Register online, and complete information, may be found at http://www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/hydrangeas2015/.

  • Monday, April 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Becoming Hydrangea: The Wild History of a Popular Garden Plant

    Larry Hufford, Ph.D., Plant Systematics and Evolution at Washington State University, will speak in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum on Monday, April 1, beginning at 7 pm, on Becoming Hydrangea: The Wild History of a Popular Garden Plant. Hydrangeas are among our most popular garden plants, but what were they and where were they before hydrangeas entered gardens? Larry Hufford will explore the history of the hydrangea family in the wild. He will look at hydrangea’s desert roots, the origin of its two forms of flowers, including the flag flowers so prominent in garden varieties, and what happens when hydrangeas migrate to tropical forests.  Free for Arboretum members, $10 nonmember.  Register on line at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

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