Boston Flora

Tag: Margaret Pokorny

  • Saturday, July 29, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Monadnock Garden Club Jaffrey Center Garden Tour

    Saturday, July 29, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Monadnock Garden Club Jaffrey Center Garden Tour

    The Monadnock Garden Club will sponsor a tour of six private gardens in Jaffrey Center, New Hampshire on Saturday, July 29 from 10 – 4. Proceeds of the tour support the efforts of the MGC to maintain The Spalding Nature Trail at Monadnock and The Wyman Tavern Garden in Keene. MGC supports The Monadnock Conservancy, Student Conservation Association, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and the Audubon Camper Program. Tickets ($20) may be purchased via mail. Please send checks, payable to The Monadnock Garden Club, to PO Box 343, Jaffrey, NH 03452. On the day of the Tour, tickets will be sold at the Monadnock Inn, Jaffrey, and at all the gardens.

    Of special interest to friends of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, one of the featured gardens is owned by our past President Margaret Pokorny and her husband Gene. The 14 acre garden, a vignette of which is pictured below,  might almost be called a Hidden Garden. When they purchased the property in 1989, apart from a few mature trees along the frontage, some tree lilacs, and a vast lawn, they were presented with a tabula rasa. Now, stone walls, pathways, and planting beds accompany unusual trees, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Two vegetable growing areas and a small orchard are also part of the design.

  • Paint Your Tree Fence!

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay has installed over 100 tree fences throughout the neighborhood.  The last couple of winters have been tough on our fences, some of which were first installed in 2009, and while we did not initially intend to maintain the fences, we now have an excellent painting contractor who is willing, for a short time, to paint the old fences for the amazing price of $150 per fence.  He has a minimum order threshold of 30 fences.  He will scrape, clean the rust, prime and paint with a very tough enamel paint.  The company repainted the cross fences on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall and that excellent job has held up quite well.  The deadline for ordering is May 1.  You may send a check made out to The Garden Club of the Back Bay in the amount of $150 per fence to Margaret Pokorny, 384 Marlborough Street, Boston, MA 02115.  Please include the address of the fence – use the nearest house number address for each fence.  Or you may pay online at https://bostonflora.com/product/garden-club-tree-fence-painting/  We will contact you for the fence address, or you may email the information to info@bostonflora.com.  If you identify any repair work which needs to be done, let us know in your correspondence.

    We regret we are unable to offer this service for fences not installed by The Garden Club of the Back Bay.

  • Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 pm – Digging In: Beyond the Roots of Urban Tree Care

    Join The Friends of the Public Garden for a behind-the-scenes exploration into their 45-year efforts to help the trees of the Boston Common, Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall persevere in the stressful environment of an urban park. Attendees will learn how these trees show us when they are in trouble and what methods are being used to care for them. Find out what a dramatic difference your support makes to the health of our park trees.

    Moderator: Council co-chair & Swan Boats owner Lyn Paget

    Panelists: Friends Board member, Garden Club of the Back Bay past president, & greenspace advocate Margaret Pokorny and Friends Project Manager Bob Mulcahy

    Wednesday, October 7, 2015 6:30 p.m.
    Four Seasons Hotel, 200 Boylston Street

    Visit the online art auction page, https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?auctionId=243712734, to view objects made from Boston Common elm wood.

    Event is free for FOPG members. Please RSVP by Friday, October 1 at info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org or call 617-723-8144.
    Your membership can be renewed at this event.  Reception to follow program. Thank you to the Motor Mart Garage, generous Lead Sponsor for this reception.

  • Thursday, May 29, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – A Green Colonnade: The Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    Conceived as the centerpiece of a grand boulevard meant to rival those of Second Empire Paris, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was an integral feature of the original Back Bay plan of 1858.  Extending ten blocks, from Arlington Street to Kenmore Square, this linear park is today both the verdant heart of the neighborhood and a vital link in the Emerald Necklace, connecting the Public Garden and Common to the east with the Fens and Franklin Park to the west.  One hundred feet wide and studded with distinguished memorial statuary beneath a canopy of ornamental trees, the Mall we know and cherish may, in fact, owe as much to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as to the nineteenth.  Continuously evolving to reflect the changing city around it, the Mall has been prudently husbanded to absorb the addition of new monuments, the introduction of accessibility and the incorporation of lighting, to say nothing of the vigilant management of its plant materials.  As a result of such tireless efforts, this much-loved place seems only to grow in beauty and meaning from year to year.  Explore the many ways in which the Mall has become not a facsimile of itself but the ongoing fulfillment of a farsighted vision.

    The May 29 tour, beginning at 5 pm, will be led by William Young, Assistant Director for Historic Districts, who has staffed the Back Bay Architectural Commission since 1991, and Margaret Pokorny, Chair of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee of The Friends of the Public Garden, and past President of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc.

    Meeting place will be confirmed at time of reservation.  Free and open to the public, but as no more than 30 participants may be accommodated, pre-registration is required.  Co-sponsored by the Back Bay Architectural Commission, The Friends of the Public Garden, The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc., and The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.  Contact info@nabbonline.org to reserve a place before May 22.

    http://fopg.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/commonwealth_avenue_malll_hamilton_cleaning1_web3.jpg

  • Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – History of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall and its Unique Role as the Green Axis of the Back Bay

    Join Garden Club of the Back Bay Past President Margaret Pokorny, who is also, incidentally, the Chair of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, on Wednesday, May 22, beginning at 6:30 pm, for a lecture and discussion about the replanting, preservation, and maintenance of “The Grandest Boulevard.”  The event will take place at the French Cultural Center, 53 Marlborough Street, and is free and open to the public.  Contact 617-247-3961 or email info@nabbonline.com for more information.  The evening is presented by NABB.

    http://patricetodisco.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/img181.jpg?w=774

  • Tuesday, March 13 – Margaret Pokorny to Receive Park Partners Award

    Tuesday, March 13 – Margaret Pokorny to Receive Park Partners Award

    Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department will present the first annual Park Partners Award to Margaret Pokorny of the Back Bay during the Boston Flower & Garden Show Preview Party at the Seaport World Trade Center on Tuesday, March 13. The Park Partners Award recognizes Boston citizens who make a significant contribution to beautification and the city’s parks.

    A longtime advocate for protecting the natural resources in her neighborhood, Margaret Pokorny has worked closely with residents and city officials to beautify Commonwealth Avenue Mall since she first moved to Back Bay in 1980. She was instrumental in efforts to revive the turf along the Mall, supported the creation of the Women’s Memorial, and has been active in fundraising and caring for trees along the Commonwealth Avenue.

    “Margaret has gone above and beyond in order to preserve the quality of life in the neighborhood by advocating for policies which protect trees and encourage use of Commonwealth Avenue Mall by residents and visitors,” Mayor Menino said. “She is vigilant about engaging her neighbors to help water, replace, and protect trees, especially the Dutch elm population. She is always gracious, honest, and direct. The city is lucky to have such an advocate for our green space.”

    A hands-on booster for Boston’s parks, Pokorny’s personal slogan is “Born to Prune.” Her in-depth knowledge of her neighborhood parks was evident in her final thesis in the Radcliffe Seminars program in Landscape Design in 1992: a history and master plan for Commonwealth Avenue Mall. She was mentored in the project by her friend and neighbor, the late Stella Trafford, known as the Grande Dame of Boston parks for her own involvement with Commonwealth Avenue Mall, the Public Garden, and Boston Common.

    Pokorny worked with Trafford on issues related to the Mall, and became an active member of the Board of the Friends of Copley Square, the Friends of the Public Garden, and the Board of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay. She also served as Co-President of the Garden Club of the Back Bay and joined the Board of The Esplanade Association when it was founded in 2000. Margaret has also received the Boston Bowl from the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America.

    Tickets are still available for the March 13 Boston Flower & Garden Show Preview Party taking place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the eve of the 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show which opens to the public on March 14. In addition to the award presentation, Dr. Gustavo Romero will speak about the Glass Flowers Collection at the Harvard Museum of Natural History and gardening expert Patti “Garden Girl” Moreno will give a talk on Urban Sustainable Living and the five things everyone can do to live more sustainably in the city.

    For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Parks Department at (617) 635-4032 or visit www.cityofboston.gov/parks/ttd/flowershow.asp.

  • Wreath of the Day 2011 – A Thank You to All Our Volunteers

    Wreath of the Day 2011 – A Thank You to All Our Volunteers

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual Wreath Week has wrapped up, and Co-Presidents Jackie Blombach and Jolinda Taylor, along with Wreath Project Co-Chairs Margaret Pokorny, Francine Crawford, Catherine Bordon, and Elisabeth Lay thank all the volunteers who made this project such a success.  From now through January 1, we will post a picture of the Wreath of the Day, along with a brief description of the wreath and the process, from initial ordering to the last sweeping of the floor.  Since Hanukkah is beginning, we’ll start off with a wreath specially designed to celebrate the season, designed by a first time decorator and new club member.  The sophistication of the wreath proves that a multi-year design apprenticeship is not necessarily a prerequisite.

     

     

     

     

  • Holiday Wreaths 2011 – How We Determine Price

    Holiday Wreaths 2011 – How We Determine Price

    You have many wreath buying options during the holidays, and may wonder why you should spend, say, $30 for a standard wreath with a bow when you can buy a wreath with a bow at the supermarket for less.  Our good friends Penny and Ed Cherubino, who among their many talents maintain www.BostonZest.com, created a video of our Wreath Co-Chair, Margaret Pokorny, who demonstrates how to make a bow.  We must point out a few important facts.  First, the fabric ribbon we use, a minimum of 2 1/2″ wide, is of the highest quality and is wired on the edges.  You really cannot create our bows with paper ribbon, and if the ribbon isn’t wired, you’ll have something very floppy in hand.  Second, while Margaret makes this look easy, a certain amount of hand strength is needed to twist the loops together tightly.  It may take Margaret five minutes to make a bow – it takes most of us a bit longer.  Ribbon costs vary widely, but we assure you, we’re not making a big profit from the sale of bows.  As you can see from our wonderful wreath pictures, however, the bows are a major design statement, and we won’t send out any wreath with a substandard bow.  That’s why you pay what you pay.  To order, click here.  To view the terrific video, click below to visit this YouTube address:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Od4RWBu6sw

     

  • Margaret Pokorny’s Prize Winning Flower Arrangement

    The Monadnock Garden Club members participated in a Garden Club of America Standard Flower Show in July, 2011, and our own Past President Margaret Pokorny submitted an arrangement in two related containers which won Best in Show and The President’s Award.  Congratulations!

  • Wreath of the Day

    Our 2010 Holiday Wreath Sale is now over.  Club members spent four and a half days setting up, decorating, delivering, and cleaning up, creating over 400 wreaths (246 of them fully decorated) and raising money for our beloved street trees. Know that every last dime of proceeds will go to betterment projects in our neighborhood, in our City, and even a bit beyond.  Wreath Chairs Francine Crawford, Margaret Pokorny, and Elisabeth Lay, and Co-Presidents Jackie Blombach and Jolinda Taylor wish to thank all the Garden Club of the Back Bay volunteers, neighborhood guest volunteers, and most of all our loyal customers, for everything they have done this week.

    Last year we featured a “Wreath of the Day” each day in December following the end of Wreath Week through New Year’s Day, and the postings were a big success.  Every wreath has a story, and we think these stories should be shared.  Hanukkah is now over, but our first showcased wreath pays tribute to the eight day holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC.