Boston Flora

Tag: Jim Gorman

  • Sunday, September 13, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – The Dead Botanists Society (Rain Date September 21)

    For New England Botanical Society’s 130th anniversary, we’ll be celebrating with the ‘Dead Botanists Society’ of Mount Auburn Cemetery. The cemetery, established in 1831, is a National Historic Landmark and considered the first “garden cemetery” in the United States. The collection features more than 2,500 taxa (in over 20,000 plantings) throughout 175-acres. It is also the final resting place for several notable botanists in NEBS’s history. The event begins at 9:30 am on September 13 (rain date September 21).

    Jim Gorman of Mount Auburn Visitor Services will provide a list of plants in flower and talk about the cemetery and eminent botanists prior to the founding of New England Botanical Club in 1896. This includes Asa Gray and the garden named in his honor that was recently renovated and Jacob Bigelow, the architect of the cemetery. Samantha Richardson, Mount Auburn Manager of Horticulture Records, will provide a customized tour map and describe the Flora of Mount Auburn online plant records database of trees, shrubs, and ground covers. Nancy Eyster-Smith, NEBS Corresponding Secretary, will provide biographical highlights of members of the “Dead Botanists Society,” at the burial sites. This includes founding members of NEBC who served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Curators of herbaria, and Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora, as well as the well-known Merritt Lyndon Fernald. Additional highlights of the tour will include trees recorded as Massachusetts or New England champions for their species and the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha), now extinct in the wild, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.

    Location: Mount Auburn Cemetery. Meet at the Story Chapel, 580 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA, for an introduction before we head out on the tour. The walk is about 1 mile. Bring water and wear comfortable shoes. Picnicking is not permitted on the cemetery grounds.

    FREE and open to members and nonmembers. For more information visit https://rhodora.org/meetings/

  • Sunday, September 22, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – The Hurricane That Changed Mount Auburn

    The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 (aka the Yankee Clipper or Long Island Express) was the deadliest and most damaging hurricane to ever strike New York and New England. Making landfall on September 21, the Category 3 storm caused nearly 700 fatalities, left 63,000 people without homes, and toppled 275 million trees. In Massachusetts, storm surges measured between 18-25 feet and the hurricane’s greatest wave height of 50-feet was recorded in Gloucester.   

    Mount Auburn Cemetery lost more than 800 trees in a single day and over 1,000 more suffered significant damage. Despite all the damage, the Cemetery saw an opportunity to replant and replace what was lost while expanding and diversifying its collection. From 1939-1940 alone, over 1,500 new trees and shrubs were introduced to the Cemetery, many of which are still standing today. 

    Join Jim Gorman, arborist and MAC staff member, on September 22 at 1 pm for a curated tour of several of the now-mature trees planted after the hurricane.  Check in at Story Chapel. Registration required at https://www.mountauburn.org/event/the-hurricane-that-changed-mount-auburn/

  • Sunday, November 6, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Awash in Color: Fall Foliage at Mt. Auburn

    Experience the beauty of autumn at Mount Auburn during this fall walking tour led by Visitors Services Assistant, Jim Gorman. We will visit some of the more colorful trees in our landscape in addition to looking for plant and shrubs putting out their fall fruits and nuts.

    Free, but registration required HERE. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact friends@mountauburn.org or 617-607-1980.

    Experience a deeper connection to Mount Auburn Cemetery with free access to all our public programs and discounts on special events by joining the Friends of Mount Auburn. Our robust roster of programs each year is made possible through your generous support. Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

  • Saturday, July 18, 10:00 am – Tough Plants for Tough Times

    Long days of hot, intense summer heat can stress many garden selections. Join Mount Auburn Cemetery Visitor Services Assistant Jim Gorman on Saturday, July 18 at 10 am for this walk to look at low-maintenance, tough perennials. Take home some garden planting ideas. $7 for Friends of Mt. Auburn, $12 for nonmembers. Register at http://mountauburn.org/2015/tough-plants-for-tough-times/ Funding for programs has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Photo of the Willow Pond at Mount Auburn from www.kbgardendesign.com.

  • Wednesdays, July 8 and 22, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Exploring the Conifer Collection

    The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is dense in diversity and rich in history. Jim Gorman will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features, natural history, medicinal and economic uses, and horticultural firsts. He will focus on members of the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae that populate the Northern Hemisphere, including firs, hemlocks, pines, cedars, junipers, cypress, calocedrus, and more. Bring a clipboard for this information-rich class and comfortable walking shoes.
    Fee $50 Arboretum member, $65 nonmember.  Meet at the Bussey Street Gate. Register on line at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1#July. Image of Calocedrus decurrens Aureovariegata from www.eggert-baumschulen.de

  • Wednesdays, July 9 & 23, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Exploring the Conifer Collection

    The conifer collection at the Arnold Arboretum is dense in diversity and rich in history. Jim Gorman will lead participants through this collection explaining key identification features, natural history, medicinal and economic uses, and horticultural firsts. He will focus on members of the Pinaceae and Cupressaceae that populate the Northern Hemisphere, including firs, hemlocks, pines, cedars, junipers, cypress, calocedrus, and more. The class will take place July 9 and 23 from 6 – 8. Meet at the Bussey Street Gate. Fee: $40 member, $50 nonmember. Register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Wednesday, June 18, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Colossal Cousins: Oaks and Beeches

    Wander among the mighty oaks and beeches at the Arnold Arboretum on Wednesday, June 18, at 6 pm, to learn about the Fagaceae, a cosmopolitan family of plants found around the world. Jim Gorman will present identification features, natural history, ecological contributions and economic uses, and horticultural firsts, introducing participants to North American natives, old guard species from Europe, and newer horticultural introductions from Asia. Fee $40 Arboretum member, $50 nonmember. Meet at the Bussey Street Gate.  Register online at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.

  • Sunday, July 7, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Seeds of a Nation

    Celebrate our Nation’s birthday with a botanical tribute at Mount Auburn Cemetery, 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, on Sunday, July 7, from 10 – 11:30 am.  Meet at the Entrance Gate for a walk with Visitors Services Assistant Jim Gorman, who will visit landscape plants used in the 18th century, many of which have proved the test of time, remaining garden favorites today.  Fee $7 for Mt. Auburn Friends,  $12 for the general public.  For more information call 617-607-1980. Funding has been provided in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

    http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2008/03/indigofera.jpg

  • Monday, July 18, 5:30 pm – Groundcovers: Ubiquitous to Unique

    Low growing plants that cover the ground without resorting to continued weeding and mowing are important to Mount Auburn’s ecologically sustainable horticultural practices. Join Frances Doyle and Jim Gorman for a walk on Monday, July 18, beginning at 5:30 pm, featuring this sometimes overlooked group of plants. Fee: $5 members; $10 non-members. To register, or for more information, call 617-607-1952, or log on to www.mountauburn.org.

  • Sunday, June 26, 1:00 pm – Perennials for Your Garden: A Walking Tour

    Perennials play an important role in accenting many areas of Mount Auburn Cemetery: borders, beds and woodland. Join Frances Doyle and Jim Gorman for a look at some of the perennial stars and understudies to be found there, on Sunday, June 26 beginning at 1 pm. This is a limited walking program. You will car-pool between several area stops.  Fee: $5 members; $10 non-members.  To register, call 617-607-1952, or email Michelle Pizzillo at MPizzillo@mountauburn.org.