Boston Flora

Tag: Information Log

  • Saturday, September 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Gardeners’ Emporium

    Saturday, September 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Gardeners’ Emporium

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden presents its annual Gardeners’ Emporium on Saturday, September 10 from 10 – 2. The Emporium will feature nonprofit, regional plant societies, specialty nurseries, and purveyors of distinctive garden ornaments. Societies represented include the Begonia, Cactus & Succulent, Daylily, Gesneriad, Hosta, and Rock Garden. This is the ONLY place this fall where you can find all these Societies, with the diversity of their respective offerings, gathered in one sale. Each of these groups offer expertise on their plant specialties, as well as hard-to-find specimen plants for sale. In addition, niche nurseries and garden accessory companies will offer their unique products for sale. Participating nurseries, as of the time of this posting, include Broken Arrow, DeRosa Orchids, Greystone Gardens, Pope’s Pots, Stonegate Farm, and more. Finally, Tower Hill’s Gift Shop will provide all kinds of unique gardening supplies and books, and Twigs Cafe will offer delightful meals.
    Fall is an excellent time for planting, and the Gardeners’ Emporium is a perfect opportunity to find just the right plant, or garden statue, to fill in an empty spot in the garden. The cooler days of September and October give new plants a chance to establish themselves before the onset of winter. September is also a great time to visit Tower Hill, as many of the annuals and perennials are still putting on a fantastic show. A portion of the proceeds from the sale support the ongoing development and maintenance of the Garden.  Photo from www.theodorepayne.org.  For directions and more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

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  • Saturday, November 15, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Annual African Violet Repotting Clinic

    Each fall, Bay State African Violet Society holds a Re-potting Clinic at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts.  For a nominal fee of $1.00 per plant, they will repot your African violet into a new pot with new soil.  They will also remove suckers and separate multiple crowns so you may go home with more plants than you brought in!.  It is a fun and informative session.  Turn your lopsided, non-blooming, multi-crown African violet into a thing of beauty on Sunday, November 15, from 11 am to 3 pm. For more information, log on to www.baystateafricanviolet.org. Thank you www.realcountryliving.com for the perfect picture.

  • Friday, October 4 – Monday, October 11 – Topsfield Fair

    The colorful and often exciting history of Topsfield Fair began in 1818 when the Essex Agricultural Society, the non-profit organization that owns the Topsfield Fair, was officially granted a charter on June 12th of that year.

    The goal of the fledgling Society, formed by a group of “practical farmers” who first met on February 16, 1818, was “to promote and improve the agricultural interests of farmers and others in Essex County.”

    Now, almost 200 years later, the Society still strives to do this, “to encourage, promote and preserve Essex County agricultural activities and to educate the general public regarding their importance in an atmosphere of fun and excitement through the medium of the Topsfield Fair.”   For more information log on to www.topsfieldfair.org.

    http://www.nobomagazine.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Topsfield-Fair-Logo.jpg

  • Thursday, July 12, 6:00 pm -9:00 pm (rain date Thursday, July 19) – 14th Annual Lantern Festival

    Join The Friends of Forest Hills Educational Trust on Thursday, July 12 from 6 – 9 pm (rain date Thursday, July 19) for a moving memorial ceremony inspired by Buddhist rituals. Inscribe a lantern with a personal message to friends or family and float it across Lake Hibiscus at sunset. Bring a family picnic.  Enjoy Grand Master Tsuji’s Samurai Taiko drummers, gospel music by Ron Murphy, Irish music by guitar/fiddle duo The Whiskey Boys, and traditional Japanese dance by students of Showa Institute. Photo below by JM Lobert at www.flickeflu.com.

    In this breathtaking ceremony of remembrance, visitors to this lush, Victorian landscape make paper lanterns and set them afloat on the peaceful waters of a small lake. This ritual is based on the traditional Japanese Bon Festival, a time when a door opens to the world of the ancestors, allowing us to send messages to the other side. People enjoy picnics on the grass and a multi-cultural program of music and dance. They decorate their lanterns with calligraphy and notes to those who have died. At sunset, a candle is lit in each lantern, and the glimmering lanterns are set afloat. Drifting and flickering with the wind, the lanterns symbolize the soul’s journey when life ends.  Admission is free, with a $10 donation per lantern. Parking is $10, and people are encouraged to take the T.  No lighting after dark, so bring a flashlight to assist your departure.  For more information, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

     

  • Saturday, August 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Build a Stone Trough Planter

    Learn how to make planters that look like old stone troughs out of a mixture called “Hypertufa”. In Europe, plants are often grown in stone troughs-ancient vessels once used for watering livestock. The craggy look of the hewn stone perfectly complements herbs, flowers and most especially rock garden and drought tolerant plants. Planting in troughs also raises the height of plants in the garden and segregates them from their larger neighbors. Learn how to design and produce unique Hypertufa troughs for your garden. Students will be guided through the process and will take home several troughs of their own creation. Debra Pope is an artisan working with Hypertufa medium to construct artistic custom troughs. Her troughs are sold throughout the northeast including Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Berkshire Botanical Garden and Stonecrop. Her popular workshops are offered at botanical gardens and for garden clubs in New England.  The workshop will be held Saturday, August 13, from 10 – noon at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge, and costs $45 for BBG members, $50 non-members, plus a $15 materials fee.  For more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org. Molds for project below from www.delsmolds.com.

  • Saturday, July 16 – Sunday, July 24, 12:00 noon – 10:00 pm – Handwork

    The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc, and the Southeastern District present “Handwork” a standard flower show at the Barnstable County Fair,  Fair hours: July 16 -24 , 12:00 noon – 10:00 pm.  Cost: Fair Admission ($10 adult, $8 Seniors and Military, Children under 12 free).  The Barnstable County Fair has been an annual summer tradition on Cape Cod for 164 years. The Fair is a place where families can spend the day together and share experiences they can only experience at the Barnstable County Fair.There are animal shows, 4-H demonstrations, petting zoos, horticulture displays, rides, games, live music, arts & crafts, food and commercial vendors with various arts and crafts for sale.   For a complete schedule or entry information contact Hila Lyman, Design Division Entries Chairman, at 508-548-0841, or email her at hilajeanne@comcast.net.  For more information on the Fair,  log on to www.barnstablecountyfair.org.

  • Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

    Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week (a detail of one of our wreaths is seen below)  by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 1, from 1 – 3 pm.

    Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, November 20, 10 am – 3 pm – Wrapping Stones Japanese Style

    Participate in a hands on workshop at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts on Saturday, November 20 from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. It is mysterious, but basket makers and gardeners alike love and collect beautiful stones! We keep them in our studios, gardens and touch them often. Now you can learn to “wrap stones” and further that connection between stones and people. Using raffia, waxed line and cane, each participant will weave an open pattern over each stone. Start collecting! Put them on your windowsills, line your garden paths or give them as gifts. Nancy Moore Bess is a master basket maker and exhibits her baskets worldwide. She has championed Japanese basketry in the west and is the author of Bamboo in Japan. Her popular workshops always sell out. Bring a bagged lunch. BBG members $75, non-members $85, plus a $15 materials fee paid directly to the instructor.  For more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, November 6 – Fall Chrysanthemum Show Opening

    Come to the Botanic Garden of Smith College on Saturday, November 6, and see the most glorious display of autumn blooming chrysanthemums.  The show will on view through November 21, and you will see many varieties you’ll want to plant in your own garden next season.  Or, just come and enjoy the fabulous color – this is a terrific fall outing for those gray November New England days.  For hours and more information, log on to www.smith.edu/gardens, or email garden@smith.edu.

  • Friday, November 5, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Saturday & Sunday, November 6-7, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Massachusetts Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale

    ‘Seasoned’ orchid growers and new orchid enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the Massachusetts Orchid Society’s Annual Show and Sales,  Trident’s Treasures: In Memory of Dr. Wilford B. Neptune , at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston on Friday, November 5 through Sunday,  November 7,  is no exception.  This orchid extravaganza, featuring gorgeous displays of blooming orchids with more than 12 commercial growers selling orchid plants and supplies, plus clinics on basic orchid care, tours of the show, and more, will be held  Friday  1 – 5, Saturday and Sunday 10 – 5.  For more information, log on to www.show.massorchid.org, or email MOSOrchidShow@comcast.net.  For directions to Tower Hill, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.