Boston Flora

Tag: Mass Hort

  • Saturday, October 21, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, and 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – Designing the Cottage Garden

    Creating a romantic and ethereal English cottage garden is all about embracing a natural, slightly wild aesthetic while maintaining a sense of structure and charm. Join Kelly Orzel as she leads a morning Massachusetts Horticultural Society lecture on the essentials of cottage—aka English—garden design. From how to choose plants, colors, and textures to create romantic, ethereal spaces. The importance of structure and how to achieve that intangible, whimsical sentimentality the cottage garden is known for. Whether looking for a formal space to entertain or an intimate, informal place for your own enjoyment, you’ll learn how to achieve both while keeping that charming, nostalgic quality of a cottage garden.

    In addition to the morning lecture, Kelly will be leading an afternoon design workshop for those looking to layout their space. From 12 pm to 1:30/2 pm, students will look at layouts, structural elements, how to balance formal with informal spaces, and more. Working with Kelly participants will map out their current garden/project, those taking the afternoon workshop are asked to bring basic measurements of their current gardens, and any current photos they have. Graph Paper and sketching materials will be provided. The afternoon session has a limited class size. 

    Kelly Orzel is a small-scale, organic herb farmer, author, and speaker growing in coastal Maine. As a lover of green things from an early age, she worked at a local farm—before she even had her license— and with serious growers throughout college. As an undergrad at Rutgers she won a USDA research grant in Plant Biotechnology. Several years after a stint as an actuarial analyst and high school math teacher, Kelly graduated with her Master of Science in Horticulture from Texas Tech University. Since then, Kelly’s been living the dream of growing organic herbs on her small-scale farm in Cape Elizabeth, Maine for 8 years. She’s done it all: from farmer’s markets and mail-order, to florists, brides, and wholesale. Kelly’s first book, The Backyard Gardener, was published by Lyons Press in 2017 and her freelance work has appeared in national garden magazines, including Hobby Farms as well as local newspapers. $75 – $95. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Tuesday, October 10, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Where Bulbs Shine … On and On, Online

    Integrate bulbs that last – and increase – into the designed landscape – there’s always room for more. Why do some bulbs persist in the garden, while others disappear?

    It’s so easy to fall for those seductive photos in the bulb catalogs, to optimistically plant every pretty thing that catches our eye only to be disappointed in spring. Some disappear without a trace. Others we expectantly watch as they emerge from the cold ground, elongate, and develop fat, promising buds that become deer candy before they have a chance to open. Some are great in the first season, O.K. the next, and totally wimp out after that. Others are so enthusiastic we wish they would wimp out. A lot depends on breeding, site conditions, origin, and palatability to critters.

    With a commitment to sustainability and a preference for conserving time and money, come to depend on an array of bulbs that come up every spring with no effort on my part, bloom their heads off, disappear without much fuss to make room for successive plantings and increase year by year. Seductive photos of long-lasting bulbs in real gardens and landscapes around the country will be accompanied by advice on selection, siting, bulbs for difficult conditions, naturalizing, perennializing and artfully combining with perennials for a long season of bloom. This Massachusetts Horticultural Society webinar will take place October 10 from 6:30 – 7:30 Eastern. $23 – $32. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Tuesday, October 3, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Full-Day Immersive Art Workshop: Creating Art in Dialogue with Nature

    Immersing ourselves in the inner and outer process of creating can take us deeper into our own space of creative flow, reflection, and mindfulness. Finding inspiration through connecting with elements of the natural world that might also be in ourselves, connects us with our own belonging and interbeing.

    Nadine Mazzola will guide participants in weaving these themes together, encouraging each person’s own unique expression using a simple variety of artistic media. Through time wandering alone, playful experimenting, and time reflecting together, we will explore and celebrate these qualities in the natural world and ourselves. Participants are asked to bring a sack lunch as we will take a break in the afternoon. 

    What to Expect: A leisurely walk with stops along the way where we will gather and sit. Please check the weather forecast so you are prepared and see the suggestions below for different types of weather. Students will need weather-appropriate clothing and accessories (sunglasses, sunscreen, extra warm layers or rain jacket or umbrella, etc.) for outdoor experiential learning activities.

    Instructed by Nadine Mazzola, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Award-Winning Author. The class will be held on October 3 from 10 – 4 at The Gardens at Elm Bank. Register with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society ($135 – $185) at www.masshort.org

  • Tuesdays, September 26 – October 31, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Eastern – Techniques of Botanical Drawing and Painting, Virtual or Hybrid

    Celebrate the vivid and vibrant palette of fall fruits and wildflowers through exercises and projects, and work on your drawing and watercolor techniques in this class with Sarah Roche designed for the more accomplished botanical artist. Focus on the many aspects of achieving the accurate representations of botanical subjects through demonstrations, individual instruction, and close scrutiny of plant structure. Artists enrolling in Techniques should have successfully completed at least two Foundations courses and have the permission of the instructor. Classes meet on 6 Tuesdays, September 26 – October 31, from 10 – 1. Member price $315, nonmembers $365. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Saturday, September 16, 11:00 am – Floral Design: Essentials for Arranging

    Join Lorraine Walsh and Mary Lou Ashur from Artistry Floral at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society Gardens at Elm Bank on September 16 at 11 am to create your own floral display to take home or give away.

    Do you want to see your rooms featured in Elle Décor or House Beautiful magazines? The “essentials for arranging” is for you. Together we will look at some of the characteristics of American Tradition Design and explore how the Elements of Design dictate patterns and shapes.  This class is good for beginners with no flower experience necessary but will also allow the experienced arranger a deeper exploration into naturalistic forms and patterns.

    In 2016, Lorraine Walsh and Mary Lou Ashur met as floral associates at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston. There, studying fundamentals of floristry and working in teams, they designed and executed a variety of art-inspired floral arrangements for certain museum locations as well as restaurants, special events, and holiday installations. Now in the marketplace, they are committed to producing artistic floral creations, using only the highest quality flowers and plants, from local growers and flower producers around the world.

    They are also focused on sustainable floral design and eco-friendly floral purchases from wearables to table arrangements, bouquets, and large installations They are inspired to produce arrangements that are unique and designed to honor their clients’ significant events respecting their individual styles while sourcing seasonal flowers and respecting the environment. 

    Please bring floral scissors and a bucket or box to carry home your arrangement. $75. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Thursday, August 24, 8:15 am – 3:30 pm – Northeast Regional Perennial Plant Symposium

    The Northeast Regional Perennial Plant Symposium will take place at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, on August 24. The Symposium is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Perennial Plant Association. An all-star cast of speakers will be featured. Andrew Brand will talk about Spectacular Native Plants: Beauty and Biodiversity of the Northeast. Marie Chieppo’s topic is Let Your Landscape Work for You: Designing for Resilience and Sustainability. Uli Lorimer takes on Spoiled for Choice: Becoming an Informed Consumer of Native Plants. John Magee’s talk is, appropriately, Let’s Talk About This. Complete biographies of all speakers and registration information may be found at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday & Friday, August 17 & 18, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Colored Pencil Techniques for Botanical Subjects on Toned Paper

    There is something magical about colored pencils on toned paper, but achieving the colors you want to match is difficult. 

    In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society class, co-sponsored with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, learn how to control the values and forms of colored botanical subjects using toned paper. Through class demonstrations, Carol Ann Morley will show you how to make colored palettes for different colored subjects, maintain true tonal values and color, and explore how colors change their appearance on different colored backgrounds. This class is useful to help problem-solve color choices, especially white and light subjects on darker backgrounds

    2 days: Thurs. & Fri., Aug. 17 & 18      
    9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    WCBG Friends & MHS Members: $225 / Non-Members: $275. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Tuesday, June 13, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – Naturescape Your Yard, Online

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society presents a virtual presentation on June 13 at 6:30 pm Eastern time, with Karen Bussolini. Naturescaping is landscaping with nature – attracting and sustaining wildlife, using native and well-adapted plants, using resources wisely, and avoiding environmental pollution. $25 for Mass Hort members, $33 for nonmembers. Register HERE.

    But it also means landscaping like nature. Nobody plants, waters, or fertilizes the forest or the prairie, yet they survive – beautifully – on their own. Naturescaping – also called Ecological Landscaping – creates self-sustaining (i.e. low-maintenance) landscapes that function like nature. Naturescape Your Yard is informed both by the work of notable ecologists and ecological designers and my own understanding that everything comes from somewhere, everything goes somewhere and it’s all connected. I present big-picture ecological thinking, nitty-gritty how-to tips, and images of sustainable yards and gardens that serve the needs of the people who use them, look attractive, and function as small ecosystems.

    Instructor:
    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, June 20, 1:30 pm – Mass Hort Book Club – We Are the Ark

    Join other enthusiasts in great conversation while immersed in the beauty of the Garden at Elm Bank. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society Book Club meets monthly at 1:30 in the Putnam Building, 900 Washington Street. On June 20, the book to be discussed is We Are the Ark by Mary Reynolds. To join the list, visit www.masshort.org.

  • Tuesday, May 16, 1:30 pm – Mass Hort Book Club – Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History

    Join other enthusiasts in great conversation while immersed in the beauty of the Garden at Elm Bank. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society Book Club meets monthly at 1:30 in the Putnam Building, 900 Washington Street. On May 16, the book to be discussed is Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws. To join the list, visit www.masshort.org.