Boston Flora

Tag: Martha Stewart Living

  • Saturday, October 1, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Combining Perennials

    The whole can be more than the sum of the parts when you garden skillfully. A flowering perennial that is pretty by itself may be spectacular when contrasted with the right neighbor. And one plant can make up for the deficiencies of another when properly paired; a compact partner can hide the stems of a leggy beauty, another pairing can share their glory simultaneously or hold their own in two different seasons when artfully chosen. Garden writer and horticulturist Thomas Christopher, who recently authored Essential Perennials with Ruth Rogers Clausen, will share some of his favorite combinations and pass along tips that will set you on the road to creating many more of your own. The lecture will take place Saturday, October 1 beginning at 10 am at Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. BBG members $20, nonmembers $25. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/lectures-and-workshops/

    A graduate of the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture, Thomas Christopher has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times and Better Homes and Gardens, and has served as a contributing editor to Martha Stewart Living. He is the co-author with Ruth Rogers Clausen of Essential Perennials, a complete reference to 2,700 perennials for the home garden.

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  • Saturday, October 1, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The Art and Science of Pickling

    Food preservation can be a challenge, and before refrigeration, pickling was an essential strategy for safe food storage. In this Berkshire Botanical Garden illustrated talk and demonstration on Saturday, October 1 from 1 – 4, participants will investigate the origins of vinegar, the alchemy of fermentation, and the anti-microbial properties of herbs and spices that are at the center of the art of pickling. Noted ethnobotanist and historian Judith Sumner will share modern pickling recipes and methods (and the science behind them), ranging from fresh pack dill pickles in crocks to bread and butter pickles processed in a hot water bath, and enjoy a tasting of pickle recipes and analysis of recipes from various historic sources. The workshop will also include making some quick pickled onions to be taken home by participants.

    Judith Sumner is a botanist who specializes in ethnobotany, flowering plants, plant adaptations, and garden history. She has taught extensively both at the college level and at botanical gardens, including the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Garden in the Woods. She has been a guest on the Martha Stewart Living television show, the PBS program Cultivating Life, the Annenberg Channel, and various other PBS and educational programs.  BBG members $30, nonmembers $35. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/lectures-and-workshops/

  • Thursday, October 15, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art and Practice of Saving Seeds

    The time-honored tradition of saving seeds merges botany, history, observation, and experience. On Thursday, October 15, from 7 – 8:30 in the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum, Lee Buttala, editor of The Seed Garden, by the Seed Savers Exchange, will provide an overview of plant reproduction and pollination, how to preserve varietal traits, and the many reasons for saving seeds from your favorite heirloom and open-pollinated plants. Even if you don’t have seeds to save, Lee will help you understand the origin of that heirloom tomato that you picked up at the farmers market and share knowledge that has been passed down through generations by farmers and home gardeners for preserving the plants that sustain us. Lee Buttala is an Emmy Award–winning television producer of Martha Stewart Living and was the creator, producer, and director of Cultivating Life, a PBS series on outdoor living and gardening. He has written for The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, New York, and Metropolitan Home. He also served as the preservation program manager for the Garden Conservancy and has studied garden design at the Kyoto University of Art and Design, the Chelsea Physic Garden, and the New York Botanical Garden. Free for Arboretum members, $5 nonmembers. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

  • Saturday, May 2, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – A Day with Ellen Ecker Ogden

    Ellen Ecker Ogden, author of The Complete Kitchen Garden, is a co-founder of The Cook’s Garden seed catalog.  Ellen writes about food and gardens for The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and The Boston Globe.  Make the ordinary garden extraordinary by hearing her at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, May 2.  The day begins with her lecture The Art of Growing Food from 10 – 11:30 am.  ($15 for THBG members, $25 for nonmembers.) Then, join her for a brown bag lunch from 11:30 – 12:30, limited to afternoon workshop participants only.  Pre-registration is necessary.  From 1:00 – 4:00, she will lead a Hands-on Workshop in Garden Design (THBG members $35, nonmembers $50.)  Starting with an overview of your yard, Ellen will help you develop a five-year plant.  Pre-requisite is the 10 – 11:30 lecture The Art of Growing Food.  Register online at http://www.towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111.

  • Through October 26 – An Autumn Fable: The Art of Don Carney & John Ross of PATCH NYC

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, presents An Autumn Fable: The Art of Don Carney & John Ross of PATCH NYC, which will be on view October 4 – October 26.

    The internationally known artists and designers will debut their latest collection, inspired by Tower Hill Botanic Garden and installed throughout the galleries.  Their work has been featured in The New York Times and Martha Stewart Living.  PATCH NYC has also produced special collections for Barnes & Noble, West Elm, and Target.

    For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Friday, April 4, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm, and Saturday, April 5, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium

    The 11th Annual Great Gardens and Landscaping Symposium, April 4 & 5, 2014 at The Equinox Resort in Manchester, Vermont , will be sponsored by: The American Horticultural Society, Corona Tools, Equinox Valley Nursery, Espoma, Gardener’s Supply Company, Liquid Fence, Neptune’s Harvest and Proven Winners.

    This premier symposium takes place April 4 & 5, 2014 and will be held at the world-class Equinox Resort (www.equinoxresort.com) in Manchester, VT. The symposium features six dynamic lectures, a Gardener’s Marketplace, great food, door prizes, and gifts. Over 200 gardeners from around the Northeast annually attend this popular event. NEW for 2014 is a special Garden Design Workshop on Friday from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. This workshop is in addition to the symposium. Featured speakers, horticultural experts and notable authors are: David L. Culp: owner of award-winning gardens that have been featured on HGTV and in Martha Stewart Living, VP of Sunny Border Nurseries, instructor at Longwood Gardens (PA), former contributing editor to Horticulture magazine, and author of the top selling book The Layered Garden; Thomas Christopher: a highly respected expert on sustainable gardening practices with articles in The New York Times and Martha Stewart Living; owner of a sustainable lawn consulting business, Greener Grasses/Sustainable Lawns, graduate of the New York Botanical Garden’s school of professional horticulture and editor of a best seller – The New American Landscape: Leading Voices on the Future of Sustainable Gardening, which contains his own chapter on water-wise gardening; Deborah Trickett: a highly applauded container designer who works with clients throughout New England, owner of The Captured Garden, instructor at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, and her work has been featured in The Boston Globe, Garden Gate and New England Home magazines as well as on the TV show New England Dream Home; Adam R. Wheeler: a plant fanatic who is the propagation and new plant development manager for Broken Arrow Nursery – a destination garden center in CT, and adjunct instructor on plant propagation and woody plant identification at Naugatuck Valley Community College; and Kerry Ann Mendez: owner of Perennially Yours, garden designer and consultant, guest on HGTV, former TV garden series host, her gardens have been featured in Garden Gate, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Better Homes and Gardens SIP, and author of The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens.

    How-to, informative lectures include: 50 Perennials I Could Not Live Without; The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year Round Beauty; A Back Yard Revolution – alternative grasses and compatible perennials that provide all the benefits of a conventional lawn; Celebrity Pots, an entertaining presentation on creating flashy containers that portray celebrities like Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and Grace Kelly; Fun with Color: Variegated Foliage in the Garden; and Flashy New or Underused Perennials for 2014. Overnight packages and day only rates are available. Symposium Day Only rates: $98 per person by March 1, $108 after March 1; special rates for groups and Master Gardeners. Overnight packages including symposium programming, accommodations, meals and all taxes & gratuities start at $300.29 for a single or $430.09 for a double ($215.05 per person). For more information and registration details, visit www.pyours.com/symposium.

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  • Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20 – Trade Secrets Garden Tour

    The Northeast’s most talked about annual garden event, Trade Secrets, a benefit for Women’s Support Services, a domestic violence program, is celebrating its 12th annual garden weekend in May. Trade Secrets begins on Saturday, May 19th at LionRock Farm in Sharon, CT with the antique and rare plant sale from 10am to 3pm, and, of course, for the early birds there are the early-buying tickets available that include admittance at 8am with an early-buyers breakfast available. On Sunday, May 20th you can tour four gardens including the tours signature garden of Trade Secrets’ founder Bunny Williams.

    From young to old, famous to not-so-famous, Trade Secrets is certainly the place where you find those rare garden plants and antiques for your home. For the past 12 years, Trade Secrets has brought garden-lovers from around the world to the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut to discover new plants, topiary, and antiques for their gardens. 2012 will be no exception with nearly 60 vendors and garden antiques dealers from around the northeast region readying their wares for the trip to the picturesque LionRock Farm (pictured below)  for this annual event.

    With their truckloads of rare garden plants and unusual accessories – those kind of unique treasures that you might search a lifetime for – vendors will descend upon LionRock to offer garden lovers a day of pure treasure hunting! Shoppers can find rare plant specimens from specialized growers and from some of the nation’s best known small nurseries, as well as furniture, antiques, cloches and garden statuary from the choicest purveyors of garden antiques, wrought-iron fencing, textiles from select antiques dealers, and so much more.

    A special treat this year will be a presentation by renowned owner, Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey. Featured in Martha Stewart Living, this boutique honey bee farm is changing the way consumers taste and use honey! Committed to a sustainable lifestyle, Red Bee Honey boasts a spectacular edible garden, chickens and honeybees!

    Sunday’s garden tour will feature an opportunity to eavesdrop on Bunny Williams’ and John Rosselli’s affair with their house, as their garden is back for the 12th year by popular demand. Also back for a second time on the tour is Jack Hyland’s and Larry Wente’s eco-friendly, forty-one acre futuristic estate that is both outward-looking and inwardly conscientious. Two new gardens added this year are the Linden Hill Farm owned by Richard deBart and Debra Blair, owner of Debra Blair Associates in New York City, and Hawk Hill Farm owned by Robert & Jane Keiter.

    Tickets for the rare plant and garden antique sale on Saturday are $35 for regular admission from 10am to 3pm and $100 for “early buying” tickets. Ticekts for Sunday’s garden tours are $70 ($60 in advance). Tickets may be purchased on line at www.tradesecretsct.com.

  • Sunday, September 20 – Monday, September 21 – Third Annual Garden Party at Basin Harbor Club

    Dreamy. Refreshing. Unparalleled. Basin Harbor Club (www.basinharbor.com) in Vergennes, VT (just south of Burlington, VT) is a majestic, 700-acre resort on Lake Champlain. It has charming cottages, a statuesque Main Lodge, great dining facilities, beautiful gardens, tennis courts, nature trails, heated outdoor pool, an 18-hole golf course, and more. The program kicks off Sunday afternoon, September 20th at 3:00 p.m. with a garden talk by the infamous garden designer, Sydney Eddison. This will be followed by a wine and cheese boat cruise. The garden program continues on Monday, September 21 until 3:00 p.m. Overnight and day-only rates are available.

    This year’s program will be hosted by Sydney Eddison, Anita Dafonte, and Kerry Ann Mendez. Sydney has written six award-winning gardening books and is currently writing her seventh masterpiece to be out in 2010. Based in Newtown, CT, Sydney travels around the country giving her infamous talks. Her gardens have been featured in Martha Stewart Living and on The Victory Garden. She has received the Connecticut Horticultural Society’s Gustav A.L. Melquist Award in 2002; the New England Wild Flower Society Kathryn S. Taylor Award in 2005 and 2006, and The Federated Garden Club of Connecticut’s Bronze Medal. Anita is the associate editor of People, Places & Plants magazine and has worked in national gardening sales for years. She’s an avid gardener and cook and was also the manager of a vintage-car race team!

    Sydney will present two dynamic talks. Her first on Sunday afternoon is titled The Rainbow Contained. This talk explores connections between color in art, nature and the garden and how you can create contrast and harmony to create beautiful compositions. On Monday Sydney will have
    you thinking outside the box with her presentation The Unsung Season, Gardens in
    Winter    . Kerry will lead two interactive garden talks. Putting Your Gardens to Bed for the
    Winter     will cover shortcuts and proven techniques for wintering over gardens including care
    for shrubs, roses, and vines. She’ll also cover tips for getting the best deals at fall garden
    center sales. Her second talk, Give New Life to Tired Gardens will feature a pro’s secrets for beautifying and revitalizing lackluster gardens, including some of her favorite, top performing plants. Anita will delight you with her popular talk Eggplants on Parade. The presentation will feature a slide show from her own gardens and how to make a vegetable garden both productive and beautiful.

    The one night package includes Sunday afternoon’s lecture by Sydney; the wine and cheese boat cruise; one night’s accommodations; breakfast and lunch buffets on Monday; four garden talks on Monday; handouts, colorful garden catalogs, and a garden gift. Package rates are $220 for a single and $335 for a double ($167.50 per person). Taxes and gratuity are additional. The Sunday and Monday day-only rate (includes all of the above except overnight accommodations) is $160 per person. The Monday only day rate is $110 and includes the garden program, handouts, morning coffee, lunch, and a garden gift. To see how incredible these resort rates are, check out the video tour on the Club’s web site. Please call Basin Harbor Club at (800) 622-4000 to reserve overnight packages. Day only reservations go through Perennially Yours. Please visit www.pyours.com/gardenclasses.html or call  (518) 885-3471.