Boston Flora

Tag: Karen Bussolini

  • Tuesday, May 14, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Herb Liberation, Online

    Herbs are such beautiful plants, useful in the garden as well as the kitchen, so why sequester them in the herb garden? Use herbs throughout the landscape, in flower gardens, in vegetable gardens (to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects), as ground covers, specimens, and in containers. Liberate them from their traditional roles, use your imagination – and bring them into your daily life. Learn about plants we already grow that we don’t know are edible and easy ways to use herbs in food and drink. This online Massachusetts Horticultural Society class with Karen Bussolini will be held on May 14 at 6:30 Eastern, and is $23 for Mass Hort members, $32 for nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org

    Karen Bussolini is a nationally known garden photographer with 6 books to her credit, a writer and speaker, and an eco-friendly garden coach. Her art background and focus on environmental topics – ecological landscaping, native plants, biodiversity, xeriscaping, organic gardening, planting for wildlife, pollinators, and other beneficial insects – inform every aspect of her work. Her slide talks combine beautiful original images, recent scientific findings, personal observations, hands-on experience, and a touch of humor. She is a NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and an active member of GardenComm (formerly GWA), The Association of Garden Communicators. Karen is currently the Senior Horticultural Advisor at White Flower Farm in Connecticut.

  • Tuesday, March 12, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Planning The Year-Round Pollinator Garden, Online

    There is a growing awareness that pollinators are important, and that they’re in trouble. We know that pollinators need flowers and that they are responsible for much of the food we eat, but we’re maybe a little vague on the details. Pollinators, particularly insect pollinators, do need flowers – lots of flowers, and the right kinds of flowers – so diversity and quantity are big factors. But let’s back up a bit. Why are there flowers in the first place? And for that matter, why are there fruits and berries? Surely they didn’t evolve just for human pleasure and sustenance. There’s more to it, and it’s a fascinating story of interrelationships.

    This March 12 online presentation by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is not an i.d. presentation, it’s about best plants and practices. Gardeners are uniquely able to support the entire life cycle of beneficial insects and other pollinators. Good plant choices and land care, coupled with simple awareness of the living world buzzing all around us make all the difference. After all, we’re not just cultivating flowers, we’re cultivating habitat.

    Instrucctor Karen Bussolini is a nationally known garden photographer with 6 books to her credit, a writer and speaker, and an eco-friendly garden coach. Her art background and focus on environmental topics – ecological landscaping, native plants, biodiversity, xeriscaping, organic gardening, planting for wildlife, pollinators, and other beneficial insects – inform every aspect of her work. Her slide talks combine beautiful original images, recent scientific findings, personal observations, hands-on experience, and a touch of humor. She is a NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and an active member of GardenComm (formerly GWA), The Association of Garden Communicators. Karen is currently the Senior Horticultural Advisor at White Flower Farm in Connecticut.

    $23 Mass Hort members, $32 nonmembers. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Thursday, February 24 – Sunday, February 27 – 40th Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show: Rhythm & Blooms

    Spring 2022 will arrive early in Southern New England when the “40th Annual Connecticut Flower & Garden Show” blossoms from Thursday, February 24 through Sunday, February 27 to the Connecticut Convention Center, 100 Columbus Blvd. in Hartford, Conn. Hours: Thursday, Feb. 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    The prestigious yearly event will be New England’s only 2022 major flower exhibition and show, covering almost two acres, offering ideas for house, apartment, and condo dwellers. “Rhythm & Blooms” is the theme of this year’s show that features expansive live gardens, a nonstop schedule of seminars and demonstrations, the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s annual Standard Flower Show, and hundreds of vendors displaying and selling all types of items.

    As soon as attendees step into the Exhibition Hall, they are welcomed by more than a dozen live gardens in full bloom by professional landscape designers and nonprofit organizations, including naturalistic, low maintenance, native, containers, vegetables, organic, herb, and pollinator gardens.

    Over 70 hours of seminars and demonstrations will be presented by horticulturalists, landscapers, and industry professionals, and are free with admission. Every day, Mar Jennings, America’s Top Lifestyle Expert and a 10-time Emmy-nominated and Telly Award-winning TV host and best-selling author, tells How to Best Increase Your Home’s Value. An impressive roster of expert speakers includes Bob Buettner, Karen Bussolini, Pamm Cooper, Jeffrey Eleveld, Len Giddix, Dr. Nick Goltz, Trish Manfredi, Laurie Masciandaro, Thomas Mickey, Charlie Nardozzi, Dawn Pettinelli, Jen Plasky of Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses in Greenwich; Paul Split, Rob Townsend ;George Trecina, and Steve Walowski. [Full list and schedule of events at www.CTFlowerShow.com]

    The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s annual Standard Flower Show features over 12,000 square feet of beautiful design, horticulture, botanical arts, and photography competition with entries from members across the state – all themed “Rhythm & Blooms”.

    Always popular are the hundreds of booths of displays, activities, shopping: artisans, handcrafted gifts, fresh flowers, plants, garden ornaments, metalwork sculptures, herbs, bulbs, seeds, fertilizers, soils, gardening books, patio furniture, lawn and garden tools, equipment and more. Bring 1/2 cup of soil for free testing at the UConn Co-op booth.

    Discounted online tickets are $16 for Adults and Seniors are on sale now at www.CTFlowerShow.com.

    General admission at the door: $20 Adults & Seniors; $5 Children 5-12; Free for Children Under Age 5.

  • Thursday, November 7, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm – ELA Season’s End Summit 2019


    The Ecological Landscape Alliance will hold it’s 2019 Season’s End Summit on November 7 from 8:30 – 4:30 at the Community Harvest Project Barn, 37 Wheeler Road in North Grafton. The topic is Taking Landscapes to the Next Level: Stepping Back and Thinking Big. Tickets are $139 and may be purchased at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/conference-ela-seasons-end-summit-2019/

    Regenerative landscapes consider the ecology of a site, draw upon the wisdom of natural systems, and enhance the surrounding environment for the benefit of humans and all other life in the ecosystem.

    With guidance from natural systems, designers can create thriving landscapes that protect our waters and soil, conserve resources, and provide healthy habitat. The resulting landscapes can be resilient, whole, and beautiful.

    As we reflect on the past landscape season and look for inspiration for our next designs, ELA’s Season’s End Summit invites you to take a fresh look at some design fundamentals that may surprise you – and inspire your next designs. Talks include Designing with Plant Communities: The Synergy of Plants in Partnership with Dan Jaffe, Thinking Ahead: Master Plans That Matter with Toby Wolf, Plant Partners: Reliable and Rewarding Plants for Challenging Sites with Heather McCargo, and Sculpting Plant Communities: Designing with Elegant and Edible Elements with Karen Bussolini.

    copyright Thomas Berger

  • Tuesday, May 24, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Jazzing Up the Garden with Color, Contrast and Movement

    Savoring sizzling plant combinations in other peoples’ gardens, Karen Bussolini took a closer look at what made certain combinations work – or not. On Tuesday, May 24 from 1:30 – 3 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, allow Bussolini, garden writer and consultant, to show you how to create a truly satisfying garden… more than just a bunch of nice plants. She will show you how to make them interact, to carry on a conversation, and to have dynamic contrasts. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society program is $12 for Mass Hort members, $20 for nonmembers. Register online at www.masshort.org/education-classes.  Photo by Karen Bussolini.

  • Sunday, April 10, 1:00 pm – Landscaping with Native Plants: Healing Our Home Turf

    Karen Bussolini is a lifelong organic gardener and lover of nature. Her Sunday, April 10 Cape Cod Museum of Natural History presentation is as much about ecological thinking and the importance of recognizing that our yards are part of an ecosystem, as it is about plants. She believes that everything we do on our home turf can heal and support that ecosystem or unknowingly cause damage.

    Karen will show a variety of attractive home landscapes based on natural systems and using native plants, especially shrubs and trees. She will also highlight specific native plants that commonly grow in the Eastern United States and make fine landscape plants, but are often overlooked or cleared to make way for exotic specimens. Readily available native plants that thrive in this region will be highlighted, including plants that are adapted to difficult conditions, such as rocky slopes, poor soil, shade and damp areas.

    Karen has a long career as a garden photographer, speaker and writer, and is a frequent contributor to The American Gardener, the magazine of The American Horticultural Society and Wildflower, published by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She has six books to her credit, including The Naturescaping Workbook, The Homeowner’s Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook, and Elegant Silvers, which she also co-authored. She is a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional with an eco-friendly garden coaching practice devoted to teaching homeowners to garden more sustainably. Her focus is on creating healthy yards that are resilient, full of life, diversity and delight.  Book signing and Q&A to follow the presentation, which begins at 1.  Lecture Admission is $10 per person APCC Members $5.  Tickets available online at www.ccmnh.org.