Following the rhythm of the seasons, celebrated landscape designer Kim Smith presents a stunning slide show and lecture demonstrating how to create a welcoming haven for bees, birds, butterflies, and other wildlife with Kim Smith, author and filmmaker. The program will take place in Room 204 of Acton Town Hall, 472 Main Street, Acton, on Tuesday, February 4 beginning at 10:30 am, and is free, sponsored by the Acton Garden Club. Photo below by Kim Smith.
Kim Smith, photographer and filmmaker, will give a class at the Arnold Arboretum on Sunday, September 30 from 9 – noon on Nature in Focus: Taking Great Close Ups. Learn tips for taking great close-up photographs from celebrated butterfly and garden photographer Kim Smith. Through slides and hands on demonstrations, Kim will guide you in capturing the beauty of the flora and fauna found in nature. Bring your camera and questions, and a tripod if you have one. You will gain more from the class if first you familiarize yourself with your camera’s manual. (Note: This is not a macro-photography class.) Fee is $40 for Arboretum members, $55 for non-members. The class will take place at the Hunnewell Building, and you may see examples of Kim’s work on her blog http://kimsmithdesigns.wordpress.com/.  Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
 
Our gardening friend Kim Smith sent an interesting link to us, which we now share with you, a new resource—the Butterflies of Massachusetts website, www.butterfliesofmassachusetts.net. Created by Sharon Stichter, Butterflies of Massachusetts “offers a comprehensive review of the current status of butterflies in the state. It is designed as a resource for all those interested in these charismatic insects, including butterfly enthusiasts, conservationists, biologists, land managers, and wildlife professionals.â€Â Ecologically speaking, the Appalachian Mountains and Atlantic coastal plain are largely self-contained, allowing unrestricted north-south movement of individual butterflies and migratory populations. The information found on the new Butterflies of Massachusetts website represents many years of data compiled by Sharon Stichter and the Massachusetts Butterfly Club. Below is a common checkered-skipper.
Join the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts for a Morning of Horticulture on Monday, February 28 from 10 – 12 at the Espousal Center in Waltham, Massachusetts. Kim Smith, author of Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities, will speak on The Pollinator Garden: Make your Gardens Inviting and Sustainable to Birds, Bees and Butterflies. The cost of the program is $5, and you may pay at the door. For directions and more information, log on to www.gcfm.org.
Gloucester designer Kim Smith will present the necessary elements for making your garden welcoming to birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. She will help you assess your existing garden to create a more life-sustaining ecosystem. Students should research a specific habitat that is of interest and bring photos and sketches of an outdoor space to class, for comment and discussion. You will gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected world that we human beings share with plants and wildlife, and learn how to translate that information to your own garden. Copies of Kim’s book, Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!, will be available for sale. The dates are Tuesdays, May 11, 18, 25, and June 1, from 6:30 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum. Arboretum members $85, non-members $100. To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.
Enjoy a unique exhibit combining photography, text, and video celebrating the life story of the Monarch butterfly, now through September 30. The exhibit shares with visitors the poetry and beauty of the Monarch butterfly and expands the viewers understanding of the extraordinary life story of the Monarch. A wealth of information is provided for the visitor interested in creating a garden designed to support adult butterflies and their caterpillars.
Location: Matz Gallery at the Sawyer Free Library 2 Dale Avenue Gloucester, MA
Admission: Free
Gallery Hours: Monday-Thursday 8:30-8:00, Friday-Saturday 8:30-5:00
For more information, log on to www.kimsmithdesigns.com.
Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Â Â Beauport Reception and Talk $20/$15 members
Enjoy an evening reception with wine, beer, and appetizers in the garden overlooking Gloucester Harbor and hear about the newly uncovered garden staircase that is part of the stunning new garden renovation at Beauport, The Sleeper-McCann House, a property of Historic New England.
Saturday, June 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Â Â Garden Tour $35
Tour glorious gardens with magnificent plantings and stunning vistas. This year new stops on the tour feature sculpture gardens, water views, private quarries and fabulous perennial and herb gardens. In addition several of the homes will be open for visitors’ viewing.
Sunday, June 21, Â Â Â Workshops, Lecture and Exhibition Tour
10 a.m.-11 a.m. Planning a Garden for People and Pollinators, Kim Smith $15
Author of Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! and an inspired designer and illustrator, Kim will talk about the ways to make a garden both beautiful for people and attractive to birds and butterflies. Join us for a lecture and booksigning.
11:30 a.m. -1:00 p.m. The Herb Garden in 18th Century New England, Judy Hallberg $20
Herbs provide interesting foliage and are also the basis for lotions and salves with healing properties. Learn about herbs and the ways in which they were gardened and used in the 1700s. Judy Hallberg works with the 17th and 18th century gardens of the Ipswich Historical Society and recently completed restoration of the society’s 17th century Housewife’s Herb Garden.
1:30 p.m. -2:30 p.m. Cape Ann Museum, Docent-led tour of the exhibit “A View from the Terrace†Free
Free to Garden Festival ticket holders. The Museum is located at 27 Pleasant St., Gloucester. Call Jeanette Smith at 978-283-0455, extension 11 for reservations.
3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Growing and Propagating Antique Roses, Peggy J. Flanagan $20, materials incl.
Old Garden Roses are rewarding and easy to grow using organic methods. You’ll learn how to plant, prune and care for these beautiful roses. Each person will take home a potted rose cutting. Bring gloves and a pair of pruners. Peggy J. Flanagan is a landscape designer and an adjunct instructor in the landscape design program at North Shore Community College. She specializes in the history of New England gardening.
For more information, and to purchase tickets on-line, log on to www.sargenthouse.org. Tickets are also available at the Weathervane, 153 Main Street, Gloucester, and at the Sargent House Museum, 49 Middle Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
