Boston Flora

Tag: Longwood Graduate Program

  • James Hearsum Joins Massachusetts Horticultural Society as President and Executive Director

    Effective January 14, James Hearsum became President and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Mr. Hearsum has been Executive Director of St. Andrews Botanic Garden in Scotland since May 2014. In the heart of St. Andrews, the St. Andrews Botanic Garden is widely regarded as a national treasure. Hearsum succeeds Suzanne Maas, who has been the interim head of Massachusetts Horticultural Society since the fall of 2018.   

    As Executive Director of St. Andrews Botanic Garden, Hearsum has been responsible for renewal in all aspects of the organization’s guest experience, outreach, and educational programs, particularly by welcoming previously unreached communities. Notable developments include establishment of a sustainable Urban Farm, Butterfly House and Community Hub, in addition to a core focus on horticultural excellence. Prior to St. Andrews, Hearsum was Curator at the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan.

    A member of the Charted Institute of Horticulturists, Hearsum began his career in the UK as a working gardener and nursery manager before attending Writtle College for his undergraduate degree in Horticulture and the University of Cambridge for Practical Horticulture and Plantsmanship. He also was a participant in the Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 

     

  • Saturday, April 7, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Native Plants for New England Gardens

    Mark Richardson continues to make the rounds with his new book Native Plants for New England Gardens, co-authored with Dan Jaffe, and on April 7 you will have the chance to hear him and to acquire a signed copy of his book at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a handy guide to more than 100 great native perennials, trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, and vines. The book features practical information accompanied by beautiful color photography.

    Join co-author Mark Richardson for this informative discussion about native plants and all their garden uses – from plants to use in place of mulch to those that attract and support pollinators. $5 for THBG members, $15 for nonmembers.

    New England Wild Flower Society Director of the Botanic Garden Mark Richardson studied ornamental horticulture at the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a product of his passion for public horticulture.

    Image result for Mark Richardson Native Plants for New England Gardens

  • Tuesday, September 12, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Kill Your Lawn – And Opt for More Biodiversity Webinar

    Lawns are a soul-crushing time suck. Just read the headline of a recent article on washingtonpost.com. According to NASA, in the United States more surface area is covered by lawn than by any other single irrigated crop. Lawns are resource-heavy, requiring irrigation, fertilizer, and pesticides to thrive in our climate and most of us would be better off reducing or eliminating them altogether. Learn how to replace your lawn with native plant alternatives that functional, beautiful, and environmentally friendly. This webinar is sponsored by the Ecological Landscape Alliance on Tuesday, September 12 at 12:30 pm, and is led by Mark Richardson of the New England Wild Flower Society. Mark Richardson oversees the New England Wildflower Society’s botanic garden, Garden in the Woods, and its native plant nursery operation, Nasami Farm in Whately, Massachusetts. He studied ornamental horticulture at University of Rhode Island and helped run a mid-sized ornamental plant nursery before finding his true passion in public horticulture. He led undergraduate programs at Longwood Gardens, overhauled the curriculum of the Professional Gardener Program, and oversaw adult education at Brookside Gardens. In 2013, Mr. Richardson assisted with the development of the first comprehensive master plan for Garden in the Woods. He holds a MS from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-kill-lawn-opt-biodiversity/

  • Tower Hill Botanic Garden Announces Appointment of Grace Elton as CEO

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is pleased to announce that Grace Elton will become CEO of the Boylston-based nonprofit this spring.

    Elton has been the director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va., since 2011, where she has established herself as a forward-thinking leader of one of the nation’s premier gardens.  Among Elton’s achievements at Lewis Ginter are a new apiary with demonstration beehives, partnerships to grow hops for a local brewery and expansion of a vegetable garden which contributes produce for an area food bank, and the planting of Lewis Ginter’s first native plant garden.

    A Florida native, Elton was first turned on to the importance of plants as a child living in Everglades National Park, where her parents worked. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in public garden management from the University of Florida and a Masters in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Graduate Program of the University of Delaware. After experiences interning at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Elton returned to the UK to work with five separate gardens as a recipient of the Garden Club of America’s prestigious Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholarship.

    Prior to joining Lewis Ginter, Elton served as adjunct professor and arboretum supervisor at the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University.  Currently, she serves on the Board of the American Public Gardens Association, the leading association for professionals in public horticulture.

    Elton will succeed interim CEO Suzanne Maas. Maas has led Tower Hill since the departure of Kathy Abbott, who in May 2016 returned to her roots in Boston to work on waterfront and harbor issues.

    Elton will join Tower Hill during a period of tremendous growth for the organization, which welcomed 137,000 visitors and celebrated its 30th year at its Boylston location in 2016. This year is the 175th anniversary of Tower Hill’s parent organization, the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Tower Hill is also offering more programs and welcoming more members than ever before. Elton will take the reins as the organization moves closer to implementing the first phases of its new Master Plan, which calls for more gardens and programs for visitors to enjoy.

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting plants and people. Its mission is to inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world. The Tower Hill property includes 15 gardens, an historic apple orchard, a restaurant, gift shop, conservatories, library, and art galleries, as well as year-round programs for all ages.

  • Wednesday, November 16, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Webinar: Soil Amendments: What Works, What Should Be Avoided

    Soils are the base of the landscape. Their complexity can be overwhelming without proper tools to analyze and make best practice recommendations for clients and job sites. This free Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar on Wednesday, November 16 at 1 pm will discuss how to assess soil conditions and make a plan of action to preserve, protect, and promote soil health. Native soils, soil amendments, and engineered soils will be discussed. Image from www.rodaleorganiclife.com.

    Presenter Mark Highland recalls that “It was on a beautiful piece of Illinois farmland that I pushed his first shovel into garden soil.” After he “grew up,” Mark focused his M.S. degree studies in the Longwood Graduate Program on compost and potting soil. After the Longwood Graduate Program, Mark started The Organic Mechanic Soil Company, LLC in 2006. Mark has served as a consultant for the EPA and Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and recently received the Young Professional Award from the Perennial Plant Association. Mark currently resides in Chester County PA, with his wife, Amy and their two children.
    – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-soil-amendments-what-works-what-should-be-avoided/#sthash.ti2Km6da.dpuf