Boston Flora

Tag: Massachusetts Horticultural Society

  • Saturday, September 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Create Your Own Tropical Terrarium

    A fun, hands-on workshop, led by Art Scarpa of the Cactus and Succulent Society, will take place Saturday, September 27 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Create a tropical terrarium using a heavy glass jar with lid and an assortment of miniature plants suitable for an east or north window or for growing under artificial light. Participants will learn how to care for the plants, how to choose soil mix ingredients, and how to landscape with decorative stones. All materials are provided.

    Art was awarded Mass Hort’s Gold Medal in 2013 and has spoken at and led workshops at garden clubs and flower shows all over the Northeast.
    He is a founder and past president of the Cactus & Succulent Society of Massachusetts, and is certified as a judge by the Cactus & Succulent Society of America. Art has won multiple Best in Show awards for his entries at the Boston Flower & Garden Show, the Newport Flower Show and regional cactus and succulent shows.

    PLEASE REGISTER BY AUGUST 29

    Workshop Fee: Mass Hort Members $45, Non-Members $50.  Register on line at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/31/422|427|430|433/create-your-own-tropical-terrarium?filter_reset=1.

  • Sunday, September 14 – Get Into the Spirit!

    Join Boston’s top chefs and mixologists to enjoy irresistible cocktails and hors d’oeuvre and admire designer vignettes, inspired by the bounty of an organic veggie garden! To be held at the beautiful Gardens at Elm Bank, this celebration will support the Massachusetts  Horticultural Society’s Garden to Table program, which provides organic produce to families in need through local food pantries. Please save the date (time to be announced) and watch the Mass Hort website, www.masshort.org, for more details, or call Lisa Kamer at 617-933-4943. Photo from www.browneyedbaker.com.

  • Thursday, August 21, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Tea Blending Basics

    Move beyond commercial tea, and learn how to blend your own unique herbal tea blends, at a Tea Blending Basics workshop to be held Thursday, August 21 from 11:30 – 1 at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.

    Community herbalist and educator Steph Zabel will demonstrate how to create delicious, cooling teas for summertime as well as cold and hot water infusions. She’ll discuss the art of choosing roots, leaves, flowers, and berries to make harmonious blends and also discuss the medicinal uses of the herbs we use.

    Steph Zabel is a community herbalist and educator based in Somerville MA. She teaches about practical herbalism and topics and offers individual holistic health consultations.

    Steph is also the founder and organizer of Herbstalk, a community conference that teaches people about herbalism. Learn more about her work at: www.flowerfolkherbs.com. The workshop fee is $15 for Mass Hort members, $18 for non-members. Register by calling 617-933-4943, or visit www.masshort.org.

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  • Friday, August 15, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Cocktails in Great Gardens: Daniel and Sherry Kasper

    Prior to moving to the Berkshires in 2010, Dan & Sherry Kasper gardened in Wellesley, MA where their award winning garden was featured on garden tours sponsored by Massachusetts Horticultural Society and Tower Hill, among others. They now garden in West Stockbridge where they are turning the acreage surrounding their home into a multi-level garden featuring a wide variety of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs, perennials, meadows, plus kitchen and cutting gardens and a blueberry patch. From their deck, take in lovely vistas of mountains, meadows and banks covered with blooming ornamental grasses. The event takes place Friday, August 15 from 5 – 7.

    Hors d’oeuvre, a cold refreshment, and the warm summer light of late afternoon are the perfect companions to take in some of the area’s most spectacular private gardens through Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Cocktails in Great Gardens series. It’s a rare opportunity to roam these private spaces with the gardeners themselves that you will not want to miss. Tickets are limited and reservations are required. Call 413.298.3926 for more information, or sign up on line (BBG members $35, nonmembers $50) at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Thursday, August 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Garden Herbs and Spices for Home Brewing

    Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society on Thursday, August 7, from 7 – 8:30 for a lecture on the description and history of hops, and the decades of the Northeast’s leadership in US hop production. Discover how you can grow hops at home, the structures you can use for the vines. Roger Savoy will also describe each individual ingredient in beer: malt, hops, yeast and water. Learn how we use those to make beer, supplimenting the four ingredients with adjuncts and specialty herbs, spices, fruits and such.

    Roger Savoy is President of Homebrew Emporium, which sells equipment and supplies to make beer, wine, cheese and other home prepared foods. He taught at and worked as a consultant and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Incubator, helping small businesses develop locally and internationally. He, wife Anita, and friend Bruce Lucier purchased a small 500 sq ft homebrew store in Rensselaer, NY in 1997. Since then, the company has become the largest in the Northeast and one fo the largest in the country. He has been a regular on NPR, and frequently speaks at brewing related events.

    Roger is also an avid cook and gardener. His garden has many herbs including those used brewing, such as hops, coriander and lemon balm.  Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15.  The lecture takes place in The Parkman Room at the Education Building, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.  Register online at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e9hk0rw5b3814e98&llr=kzaorjcab, or call Katie Folts at 617-933-4973.

  • Thursday, July 17, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Flowers that Fly: Habitat Gardening for Butterflies

    On Thursday, July 17, beginning at 7 pm in the Parkman Room at the Education Building, Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Sharon Stichter will share images and distinguish between larval host plants, giving examples for garden-friendly species, and nectar sources which appeal to a wide range of butterfly species. An annotated plant list for New England Gardens will be provided.

    Sharon Stichter has co-taught a course on pollinator gardening for the New England Wildflower Society, and presents to many garden clubs on the topic. She draws on her personal experience of creating a butterfly garden at her home in Newbury, Massachusetts. She was past Editor of the Mass Butterfly Club journal, author of the website The Butterflies of Massachusetts: A New Look at their History and Status, and a participant in several scientific studies on butterflies and climate change, with associated publications.  Mass Hort members $10, non-members $15.  Register by calling 617-933-4973, or visiting www.masshort.org. Photo by Lisa Daley-Bromberg courtesy of Massachusetts Audubon Society.

  • Wednesdays, July 9 – July 30, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Perennial & Shrub Planting Design for Seasonal Color

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society four session workshop with Maria Von Brincken of The Boston Architectural College examines planting design, color combinations and effective bed layout. In this workshop students will learn to combine the user’s experience and circulation systems, with massing and form to create stunning plant combinations.

    Students will practice design applications based on color theory, texture, and form to create seasonal planting combinations, winter form, and backdrops to highlight waves of color. Students will design a front and back garden focusing on impact through planting design and form, students may select their own sites.

    Learn personalized color palettes and planting layouts to create combinations for ongoing colorful displays. The role of planted containers will be discussed and included in design. The class format includes lecture, discussion of reading, design support and review of weekly design exercises.

    This workshop, taking place Wednesdays, July 9 – 30 from 9:30 – 12:30, is best suited for individuals who have working knowledge of some garden plants and a strong interest in horticulture.

    Cost: $240 for members of Mass Hort, $265 for non-members. Register on line at www.masshort.org. The class will take place in The Parkman Room at the Education Building at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley.

  • Tuesday and Wednesday, July 8 – 9, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Capturing the Landscape and Architecture in Watercolor

    On July 8 – 9, spend a couple of warm summer days in the bucolic gardens of Elm Bank exploring and capturing the landscape en plein air in watercolor with Paul McMahan of the New England Watercolor Society.  This location will afford the participants the opportunity to paint both alluring landscapes filled with flowers as well as beautiful architecture.  If you have always wanted to just get out and paint in the garden then this workshop will be the impetus to do so.  Demonstrations as well as painting right along side of the students will help foster confidence and learning.  Paul will also allow enough time for individual instruction as well as group critique.  Attendees must provide their own lunch and materials – list provided upon registration.  $160 Mass Hort members, $180 non-members.  Register at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday, June 19, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Biology and Control of Common Invasive Species

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society class, to be held on Thursday, June 19, from 7 – 8:30 in the Parkman Room, Education Building, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, will introduce you to the biology and control of common invasive plants.  Learn how to time organic and chemical controls to manage your landscape. The class will be conducted by Bruce Wenning, Ecological Landscaping Alliance.  $10 Mass Hort members, $15 non-members.  More information may be found at www.masshort.org.

  • Thursday, June 12, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Ecological Landscape Design: A Gardener’s Primer

    Beautiful and environmentally sustainable residential landscapes integrate the gardener’s aesthetic vision with the dynamics of a site’s natural systems.  Landscape architect Ann Kearsley will explain how to assess your property’s ecological condition and develop more sustainable garden layouts and planting strategies on Thursday, June 12, from 7 – 8:30 in the Parkman Room in the Education Building, Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley.  Using case studies of projects from her own practice, Ann will illustrate some of the basic principles of ecological landscape design, including site analysis, developing planting plans based on plant communities, supporting healthy soils, integrating stormwater management, and increasing bio-diversity in your own corner of the planet.  $10 Mass Hort members, $15 non-members.  More information may be found at www.masshort.org.