Boston Flora

Tag: Information Log

  • Saturday, October 23, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Stone Walls for the Garden and Stone Steps, Pathways and Flatwork

    Two interesting hands on workshops will be held at Berkshire Botanical Garden in  Stockbridge on Saturday, October 23.  Each session may be taken separately, or both may be taken – there is a 10% discount if a student takes both classes.

    The first, Stone Walls for the Garden, begins at 9 am.  This hands-on program will cover the basics of wall building, including: planning and layout, learning to look at stone and demonstrations on cutting and fitting. Various applications for the garden will be considered, with special attention to building a freestanding wall. All questions will be answered. Participants should bring: work gloves and safety glasses; dress for outdoor work.

    Mark Mendel (below) is the master mason of Monterey Masonry. He apprenticed with Maine stonemasons in the 1960’s and taught at the Haystack School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. He has built scores of walls, arches, terraces and walks in addition to many fireplaces in both brick and stone. Locally, his work includes the kitchen at Hancock Shaker Village, and Guido’s Marketplace. BBG members $50, non-members $55.

    The second, Stone Steps, Pathways and Flatwork, will begin at 2 pm. Flatwork will be the focus of this workshop: paving with stone and brick for terraces, walkways, paths and garden edging. Watch a demonstration and participate in construction of a stone walkway using a variety of materials including stone and brick. Learn how to evaluate a project and choose the best material. All questions will be answered in this popular workshop. BBG members $50, non-members $55.

    To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org. Rain date for both sessions is Sunday, October 24.

  • Saturday, October 9 – Monday, October 11, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – Shades of Autumn Harvest Arts and Crafts Market

    Entertainment, apples, and children’s crafts will highlight Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s Shades of Autumn, an annual celebration of the harvest season, taking place Friday, October 9 – Monday, October 11, from 10 – 5.  Arts and Crafts Vendors feature stained glass, trellises, quilting, plants, edibles, photography, pottery, jewelry, and garden accessories.  Taste testing tours of the Preservation Apple Orchard will take place at 2 pm each day.  Enjoy a hayride (weather permitting) through the trails.

    Free admission for residents of Boylston and Clinton, courtesy of the event sponsors, the Boylston and Clinton Public Libraries. For directions and more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org, or E-mail: thbg@towerhillbg.org . Phone: 508-869-6111

  • Saturday, September 25 – Sunday, September 26, 10 – 5 – 12th Annual Hancock Shaker Village Country Fair

    The Country Fair at Hancock Shaker Village on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 – 26 from 10 – 5 celebrates the bounty of the harvest with agricultural demonstrations, wagon rides, a fabulous Farmers Market, and huge tents full of the work of the best local and regional crafters and artisans. Come out to the farm and see all the Country Fair has to offer. At the Country Fair, vendors fill the Village with delightful fresh produce, finished farm products, and crafts of all sorts. The Farmers Market tents boast vegetables, flowers, maple sugar treats and hand-made cheeses. Artisans have furniture, Shaker style oval boxes, original paintings, candles and hand-woven textiles available for purchase. Plan plenty of browsing time for this amazing marketplace! Don’t miss the Food Tent with area restaurants and brews! Try your hand as a Shaker Baker in our Country Fair Pie Contest – in 2009, thirteen pies were entered, and this year’s judges include New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, Berkshire Living editor Lesley Ann Beck, Berkshire Eagle executive editor Tim Farkas, and RuralIntelligence.com co-founder Marilyn Bethany.  A display of quilts in the Round Stone Barn ell has become an integral part of the Country Fair each year.  Over 60 antique and newly made quilts are displayed in this juried show, fine examples of craftsmanship and tradition. You can submit a quilt for exhibition.   Adults – $17, Children 13 – 17 – $8, Children under 12 and Hancock Shaker Village Members Free.  For directions and more information, log on to www.hancockshakervillage.org.

    http://mariannehaffey.com/photos/orange_salsa.white.500.jpg


  • Saturday, August 7, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Massachusetts Marketplace Festival

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the Annual Massachusetts Marketplace Festival on Saturday, August 7, from 10 to 4, at Elm Bank Horticulture Center.  The event will feature the finest products from the region’s fields, farms, gardens and kitchens, with over 60 vendors offering new and locally produced food products, crafts, garden ornaments and gifts.  There will also be a plant sale and garden tours.  Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for MassHort members, and $2 for children under 12.  Tickets are available on site the day of the event.  Massachusetts Marketplace Festival is produced by MassHort with in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Specialty Food Association.  For more information, log on to www.masshort.org, or call  617-933-4981.

    http://www.fisherbrookfarm.com/files/fbf-jam-photo.jpg

  • Fridays, June 18, July 16, and August 20, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Cocktails in Great Gardens of the Berkshires

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden has arranged for a series of Friday evening visits to spectacular private gardens featured in the Rich Pomerantz’s beautiful book, Great Gardens of The Berkshires. Enjoy this rare opportunity to roam these private spaces with the gardeners themselves while enjoying wine and hors d’oeuvre in the beautiful waning light of the summer day. The book’s creators will be in attendance. For advance reservations contact call the Garden: 413-298-3926. The parties will all take place from 5 – 7 p.m.    Admission is limited. Berkshire Botanical Garden Members $20, non-members $25; all three for $50/65.

    The dates and locations are: June 18, Molly’s Folly in Richmond, MA; July 16, Richard Brown Garden in Stockbridge, MA ; and August 20,  Three Hills Farm in Richmond, MA.   For additional information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Photo below by Rich Pomerantz.

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  • Wednesday, June 16, 10:00 am – Trade Secrets of a Master Designer

    The Ruth Wallack Floral Design Program will take place this year on Wednesday, June 16, and will feature Rene Van Rems, internationally renowned floral designer, educator, lecturer and author, presenting “Trade Secrets of a Master Designer.”  The presentation will begin at 10:00 am at Regis College, 235 Wellesley Street in Weston. For more information, and to register, log on to www.gcfm.org.

    http://renevanrems.com/store/images/rene_bookcover.jpg

  • Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and May 23, 10 – 5 – Bonsai Weekend

    Come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts on Saturday or Sunday, May 22 and 23, from 10 – 5, and enjoy Bonsai Weekend, The Art of the Potted Plant.  The exhibit will be in the Stoddard Education and Visitors Center, and is sponsored by The New England Bonsai Society.  Gorgeous displays of specimen bonsai plants, with guided tours, lectures, and programs on bonsai culture will be part of the celebration.  Discover the world of bonsai – the art of growing trees in miniature.  Have you bought or received a bonsai and it died? Come out and learn how to keep your bonsai alive and thriving.  If you can raise a houseplant, you can grow a bonsai. Vendors will sell plant material, pots, and accessories.   For more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org, email thgb@towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, ext 146.

    http://www.davea.us/images/bonbks/aliang1.jpg

  • Saturday, July 17 – Saturday, July 24 – A Garden Tour

    The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. and the Southeastern District presents “A Garden Tour”, a standard flower show at the Barnstable County Fair,  Fair hours: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm every day.  Entries are open to all members of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. and any members of National Garden Clubs, Inc.  New entry days are Saturday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 21.  An exhibitors’ meeting will take place Friday, June 11, at 9:30 am.  For more information on entering, contact Flower Show Chairman Robin Murphy at 508-295-9076, or email heroncreekdesign@msn.com.  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.

    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 more information on the fair, log on to www.barnstablecountyfair.org.

    http://www.flowergarden.com.au/images/roses/arrangements/arrangements.jpg

  • Tuesday, April 27, 9:30 am – Ichiyo Ikebana Demonstration

    Elaine Jo, Executive Master of the Ichiyo School, will conduct a demonstration of Ichiyo Ikebana on Tuesday, April 27, beginning at 9:30 am, at the University of Massachusetts Waltham Center, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham.  There are numerous schools of ikebana, each with its own set of rules and techniques.  One such is the Ichiyo School.  Ichiyo, pronounced ee-chee-yo, means “one leaf” in Japanese and refers to the logo of the school.  It was founded in Japan in 1937 by a brother and sister, Meikof and Ichiyo Kasuya.  Since its beginnings, the two masters sought to create original ikebana that would be suitable for modern lifestyles and environments.  For information, log on to www.ikebanaboston.org.

    http://www.ichiyo-ikebana-school.com/ichiyoe001001.jpg

  • Saturday, April 24 – Sunday, April 25, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 51st Annual Spring African Violet Show and Plant Sale

    This Spring marks the Baystate African Violet Society’s 50th Anniversary. They will sponsor an AVSA-approved African violet show and plant sale at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25, from 10 am – 5 pm each day.  The show gives people an opportunity to enter their plants and floral designs for judging to win ribbons and prizes.  You can also attend workshops on AV care. At the sale, commercially grown plants and supplies are sold, along with plants grown by Society members. There is an $10 entrance fee to Tower Hill. For more information, log on to www.baystateafricanviolet.org.

    http://www.gardening123.com/images/articles/20061115/LjsAfViolet250.jpg