Join The Boston Harbor Association for its 2009 Annual Meeting. Reception begins at 5 p.m., followed by short business meeting and program at 6 p.m. Free, registration required at mail@tbha.org (note: priority to TBHA members, but the public is invited). The event will take place at North Coast Seafoods, 5 Drydock Avenue in Boston (picture below).
With careful planning, home orcharding can be a low-maintenance means to grow lots of nutritious food in small and challenging spaces. This class would be useful to anyone who has a little space and wants to grow fruit, including pomes, stone fruits, berries and nuts. The class covers the process of planning, planting, and caring for a home orchard. The beginner home orchardist will receive a step-by-step guide to evaluating your space, selecting the right plant and nursery, developing a maintenance plan, and an introduction to reference materials. The class will take place on two successive Wednesdays, October 7 and 14, from 6 pm to 9 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts, and will be taught by Benjamin Crouch, proprietor of Land of Plenty Organic Landscaping. Cost is $45 for Tower Hill members, $50 for non-members. To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org. Last day of registration is September 30.
Sogetsu Ikebana is an internationally recognized school of Japanese flower arranging. In these classes, to be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts, you will learn the essentials of this venerable art from Garden Club of the Back Bay member Kaye Vosburgh. Kaye has, for many years, exhibited and taught Sogetsu Ikebana in Massachusetts, New York, several other states, and three foreign countries. Kaye provides flowers for each class and will have supplies and equipment for purchase by students who wish them. Sign up for any or all of these sessions, most of which cover two lessons in the course’s inexpensive text, which is available from the instructor for $20. Each session costs $27.50 (Tower Hill members) or $30 (non-members). Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
The Blue Hills Reservation is the largest preserved natural area in eastern Massachusetts. It has quite a few spots that are rich in ferns. Join the New England Wild Flower Society and instructors Don Lubin and Raymond Abair on Saturday, September 26 at 11 am. They plan to travel a new route and see more than a dozen fern species, including dramatic large displays of Virginia chain fern, ostrich fern (below), and Christmas ferns. Wear long pants for poison ivy and bring a lunch and hand lens. Participants limited to 15, fee $32 for members of NEWFS, $36 for nonmembers. To register, call 508-877-7630, or log on to www.newfs.org.
This summer’s Ecological Landscaping Association Roundtable will take place Wednesday, August 12, from 2 – 4:30 pm, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts. Panalists M.L. Altobelli, Roger Sturgis, and Michael Talbot, who together bring more than 80 years of accumulated experience to ELA’s Roundtable, will discuss Fertilizers and Soil Amendments – What Are Your Favorite Recipes? Learn how to make ecological landscaping work for you. Understanding fertilizers and soil amendments is fundamental to landscaping and is essential to successful ecological, sustainable, and organic practice. Please join the discussion. Email ELA.INFO@COMCAST.NET to pregister. Walk-ins are welcome. $20 members of ELA, $25 non-members, includes general admission to Tower Hill Botanic Gardens. For more information on the Ecological Landscaping Association, now in its 18th year focusing on the education of green industry professionals, concerned citizens, and homeowners, log on to www.ecolandscaping.org.
Join the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the 13th Annual Massachusetts Marketplace Festival on Saturday, August 8, from 10 to 4, at Elm Bank Horticulture Center. The event will feature the finest products from the region’s fields, farms, gardens and kitchens, with over 60 vendors offering new and locally produced food products, crafts, garden ornaments and gifts. There will also be a plant sale and garden tours. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for MassHort members, and $2 for children under 12. Tickets are available onsite the day of the event. Massachusetts Marketplace Festival is produced by MassHort with in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Massachusetts Specialty Food Association. For more information, log on to www.masshort.org, or call Kathy Thomas at 617-933-4981.
See gorgeous displays of lilies and arrangements featuring lilies, with botanical art of lilies by members of the New England Society of Botanical Artists, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. On Saturday at 3 pm, hear a lecture by lily expert David Chase on “Beetle Resistant Lilies”, and on Sunday at 2 pm Master Gardener Melissa Pace will speak on “Amending Soil for Success – Soil Preparation for Planting,” Saturday hours are 1:30 – 5, Sunday hours are 10 – 5. For directions, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
The Trustees of Reservations (www.thetrustees.org) will sponsor “Invasive Plants Primer for Homeowners and Volunteers” on Friday, June 19 beginning at 5:30 pm at Horsemunn Farm in Monson, Massachusetts. Why is there such concern over these (often quite beautiful) plants? How can you get rid of them once they have gained a foothold in your yard? We will review some common local “invasives†and discuss some techniques for their control. There will be a walking tour of the farm to see the culprits up-close and, in honor of the solstice, the farm’s meditation labyrinth will be open for a pleasant meander. We will order takeout pizza or the like if there is enough interest. Free to Trustees members, $5 suggested donation for nonmembers. To pre-register, and for directions, call 413-532-1631, x 13, or email pvregion@ttor.org.
