Boston Flora

Tag: invasives

  • Tuesday, January 22, 7:00 pm – Taking on Invasives: Battles Won and Lost

    As part of the Walden Woods Project Stewardship Lecture Series, MassWildlife Restoration Ecologist Tim Simmons will talk about how invasives threaten habitat, the history of invasives, how invasive management projects are selected and explore success and failures and the lessons learned from them. The program is free and will be held at the Thoreau Institute, 44 Baker Farm Rd in Lincoln on Tuesday, January 22. Doors open at 7PM for a wine and cheese reception and the presentation begins promptly at 7:30PM. Seating is limited–reserve a seat by calling (781)259-4707.

  • Invasive Plant Photography Contest

    Photographs are an important tool for the Sudbury Weed Education and Eradication Team (SWEET) to bring attention to the harm invasive plants do to our private, historic and conservation properties.  SWEET is seeking photographs which are either (1) scenic shots showing a site in the Sudbury, Assabet or Concord River watershed being affected by invasive species, (2) detailed close ups which could be used for education, or (3) photo collage highlighting your creative skill using photographs of invasive plants and digital software.  All photographs must be framed or core foam boarded and should measure at least 8 x 10 and no more than 16 x 20.  Judging categories are: professional, amateur adult, 12 – teen, and Kindergarten – grade 5.  To learn about the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord Watershed areas, visit www.Sudbury_Assabet_Concord.org.  The website covers the wild and scenic rivers and activities which highlight the wonders and concerns of these important river watersheds in which we live.

    Images must show one or more of the species as listed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.  Find the Massachusetts Prohibited Plant List, images and identification information at www.mass.gov/agr/farmproducts/prohibitedplantlist.htm.  Photographs will be previewed on Saturday, September 15 from 10:30 – 12 noon, or Sunday, September 23, from 2 – 4, at Ames Hall, 26 Concord Road, Sudbury.  Works meeting conditions of the contest will be installed and judged at Goodnow Public Library on November 1 and displayed through the end of the month.  There will be a people’s choice award voting box set up in the library – please stop by to cast a vote for your favorites!  Winning photograph will be used for educational and public outreach projects.  For more information, email SWEETinvasives@gmail.com.  Photo of water chestnuts below from New England Wild Flower Society.

  • Sunday, April 17, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Invasives: ID, Ecology, and Control

    Get a head start on invasive control this year by learning to identify invasives in the early season. This New England Wild Flower Society course, co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, provides an introduction to about 40 of the most common invasive non-native plants in our local landscapes. Through lecture, discussion, power-point presentation, herbarium specimens, and a walk outside at Garden in the Woods in Framinham, become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants that are so disruptive of natural ecosystems. Discuss management techniques for many of these species, on both a home and a landscape scale. The “Invaders” issue of the Society’s magazine as well as the Field Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts will be available for purchase at a discount.  The session will take place Sunday, April 17 from 12:30 – 4:30, and will cost $48 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $58 for non-members.  Register online at www.newfs.org.

  • Saturday, September 25, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Renovate and Replant: Native Substitutes for Common Landscape Invasives

    The New England Wild Flower Society and the Trustees of Reservations team up on Saturday, September 25, from 9:30 – noon, for an instructive class and walk at Long Hill in Beverly, Massachusetts. Our plant choices now extend beyond color and form. We seek plants that won’t escape into the natural community and, at the same time, provide valuable nourishment and habitat for birds, mammals, and insects. Learn about ecologically sound substitutes for invasives such as burning bush, Norway maple (below), and yellow flag iris. Following the lecture, Andrew Keys and the Trustees Horticultural Staff will lead a walk through the 6-acre Sedgwick Gardens, identifying native trees and shrubs thriving within the ornamental gardens and along the woodland edge.$22 for members of NEWFS or the Trustees, and $26 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Saturday, September 4, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Invasive Plant Control for Homeowners

    Invasive plants are an increasing threat to the environment as bittersweet, Japanese barberry, garlic mustard, and multiflora rose (below)  sweep rampant through the landscape. This discussion centers on what homeowners can do to eliminate or control these pest plants. Learn to identify these rogue plants, and the mechanical, chemical, and biological techniques available for controlling and eliminating them. Consider how to evaluate potential invasive plant problems and how and when to effectively control their spread in this Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop, to be held Saturday, September 4, from 10 – 12, at the Garden at 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge.

    Jack Sprano is a Western Massachusetts Master Gardener and long-time garden enthusiast. He has cleared a six-acre property full of invasives and has developed multiple strategies for controlling these plants. He is currently a board member of the Berkshire Botanical Garden.  $18 for members of BBG, $24 for non members.  Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Wednesday, May 26 – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Annual Meeting

    Please join President Linda Jean Smith at the 83nd Annual Meeting, “The Green Fields of Summer,” Wednesday, May 26 at The Holiday Inn, 31 Hampshire Street in Mansfield, Massachusetts.  Registration begins at 8:30 am, followed by your choice of one of three workshops:  “Awards, Flower Shows & More”, “The Meeting Will Come to Order, Please” and a Victorian Tussie Mussie Workshop.  Following the 10:00 am Call to Order, there will be the presentation of awards, a Judges Council Flower Show Viewing, a Social Hour and Boutique Shopping, the Awards Luncheon, and a Floral Design Program at 2:15 pm with Gloria Freitas-Steidinger, Master Flower Show Judge and White House and International Designer (See one of her designs pictured below).  The meeting will adjourn at 3:15 pm.  For full registration forms and material, check the most recent Mayflower, or log on to www.gcfm.org.

    Royalty

  • Wednesdays, September 30 – November 4, 6:00 – 9:00 pm – Invasive Plant Species ID and Eradication

    This six session course will begin with a segment on the identification of the most common invasive plant species encountered in woodlots, fields, gardens, and similar sites. Appropriate management and control techniques will be discussed, as will commercially available herbicides. The understanding of invasive plant species dynamics and proper control techniques gained in this course will enable gardeners and landscapers to safely, effectively, and economically keep unwanted plants to a minimum. The course will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, each Wednesday evening beginning September 30 through November 4, from 6 – 9 pm, and will be taught by Mike Nelson, Norfolk County Agricultural High School.  Tuition is $400 for Tower Hill members, and $445 for non-members.  The non-member fee includes a one year individual Tower Hill Botanic Garden membership, since if you’re forking out the big bucks you should at least be a member, which will entitle you to many other great discounts and opportunities.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org before September 23.

    http://petalpicker.com/flower_images/Bittersweet.jpg

  • Friday, June 19, 5:30 pm – Invasive Plants Primer

    The Trustees of Reservations (www.thetrustees.org) will sponsor “Invasive Plants Primer for Homeowners and Volunteers” on Friday, June 19 beginning at 5:30 pm at Horsemunn Farm in Monson, Massachusetts.  Why is there such concern over these (often quite beautiful) plants? How can you get rid of them once they have gained a foothold in your yard? We will review some common local “invasives” and discuss some techniques for their control. There will be a walking tour of the farm to see the culprits up-close and, in honor of the solstice, the farm’s meditation labyrinth will be open for a pleasant meander. We will order takeout pizza or the like if there is enough interest.  Free to Trustees members, $5 suggested donation for nonmembers. To pre-register, and for directions, call 413-532-1631, x 13, or email pvregion@ttor.org.

  • Wednesday, June 3 – Thursday, June 4 – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Annual Meeting

    Please join President Celeste Wilson at the 82nd Annual Meeting Wednesday, June 3rd through Thursday, June 4 at The Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center, 219 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886.  Registration begins Wednesday at 2:30 pm, followed by a design workshop “Summer Elegance” with Thelma Shoneman.  At the 5:30 Cocktail Reception and 6:30 dinner meet honored guest Renee Blaschke, President of the National Garden Clubs.  Thursday’s activities begin with coffee and boutique shopping at 8 a.m., a speech by Peter Alden entitled “Changes in Flora and Fauna, Understanding Invasives”, and Julie Lapham with a design presentation “Hats Off to Our Presidents.”  Following the Awards Luncheon, Presentation of Awards and Installation of Officers and President’s Message, the meeting will adjourn at 3:15.  For full registration forms and material, check the most recent Mayflower, or log on to www.gcfm.org.