Boston Flora

Tag: Michigan State University

  • Wednesday, July 16, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – Asylum to Asylum: The Story of The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park with Matthew Ross

    The Polly Hill Arboretum, 795 State Road in West Tisbury, presents Matthew Ross on July 16, speaking on Asylum to Asylum: The Story of The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park, as part of the Annual Lisina and Frank W. Hoch Memorial Lecture. Matthew Ross, Executive Director of The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park will share insight into the role of horticulture in our well being through the story of the Northern Michigan Asylum. Over the past ten years, the historic farm has transformed from abandoned buildings and fields of invasive plants into an emerging botanical garden with over 12 feature gardens. The garden is reviving the philosophy that “Beauty is therapy” first practiced at the Asylum in the 1880s and has developed therapeutic programs for cancer patients, installed an Anishinabek Medicine Wheel and Foraging Meadow, and a 10,000 brick Labyrinth. He will also discuss how the garden has evolved from a design perspective and highlight particular plants of interest within its living collection.

    Matthew Ross oversees the 26-acre Botanical Garden which was founded by visionaries Kurt and Karen Schmidt and a team of volunteers on the site of the Northern Michigan Asylum Farm which was operational 1885 – 1957. Prior to coming home to Michigan, Matthew was the Director of Continuing Education at Longwood Gardens, a college instructor at Owens Community College, and chief Horticulturist at Toledo Botanic Garden. He is a proud graduate of Michigan State University where he received a B.S and M.S. in Horticultural Science with an emphasis on Landscape Design Construction Management and Urban Forestry respectively. He is a well-respected public garden professional that spends his spare time kayaking, hiking, and exploring botanical gardens around the world.

    Please pre-register, Sign Up Here. $10 for PHA members, $15 for nonmembers.

  • Thursday, November 7, 6:00 pm – Food in the American Gilded Age

    Food was incredibly diverse in post-Civil War America. The era was one of gross income inequality, and differences in diet reflected the deep disparities between upper and lower classes, as well as the expansion of a flourishing middle class, at a time when technology and industrialization were transforming how and what people ate. Dr. Helen Zoe Veit, Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University, will speak on November 7 at Rosecliff in Newport. The lecture begins at 6 pm, and a book signing follows at 7 pm. $10 for members of The Preservation Society of Newport County, $15 for the General Public. Register at http://newportmansions.org/learn.

  • Through Monday, October 26 – American Horticultural Society 2015 Online Auction

    The not for profit American Horticultural Society offers one of a kind garden experiences all over the United States on its online auction site, and proceeds support AHS educational programs.  For the next few days we will highlight one auction item a day selected from many delightful options.  For the full list visit http://www.ahs.org/online-auction.

    Today’s offering is a visit to Portland and Cape Elizabeth, Maine, hosted by Jane L. and Lee Taylor. Your visit will include:

    A personal horticultural highlights tour, including visits to some of Jane’s favorite gardens and historical sites in the Cape Elizabeth area, a Maine lobster lunch, cooked and served in Jane and Lee Taylor’s backyard garden, and lots of fun for the eco-minded!

    Portland is Maine’s business, financial, retail, and “foodie” capital, and the largest city in the state. Seascapes and cityscapes blend harmoniously in Portland, perched on a peninsula, jutting out into island-studded Casco Bay. The metropolitan hub of Maine’s south coast region, Portland is a progressive, lively city incorporating the character of yesteryear into a modern, urban environment. A short four-mile drive south from Portland takes you to Cape Elizabeth, home of Fort Williams Park and the Portland Headlight, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.

    Jane Taylor is founding curator of the renowned Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The first of its kind – and a hit since its inception – the 4-H Children’s Garden has served as inspiration for children’s gardens across the country. In recognition of her pioneering contributions to the field of youth gardening, Jane was honored in 2000 by the American Horticultural Society as the namesake of the Society’s Great American Gardeners Award recognizing excellence in youth gardening. Jane and Lee retired to the Portland area in 2007, and Jane delights in sharing her pride in her new hometown with visitors.

    Best time to visit: June through September (some blackout dates apply). Image from www.lighthousegetaway.com.

  • Wednesday, February 12, 6:00 pm – Time Travel in Experimental Evolution

    Richard Lenski, Hannah Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University, will speak at the Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, as part of the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Evolution Matters Lecture Series on Wednesday, February 12, beginning at 6 pm. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common form of intestinal bacteria that reproduces and mutates with incredible speed. This trait, along with scientists’ ability to freeze and revive organisms, makes E. coli an ideal organism for studying the evolutionary process (a form of “time travel”). Microbiologist Richard Lenski has carried out a 25-year study of E. coli, propagating over 50,000 generations, and has discovered new insights into natural selection, adaptation, and genetic evolution.

    The Evolution Matters Lecture Series is supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit.  Free and open to the public.  Free event parking is available in the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

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  • Tuesday, August 14, 8:00 pm – American Beekeeping Federation Webinar: Beekeeping 101: To Be or Not to Bee

    Hey, I don’t make up the titles.  The American Beekeeping Association’s Conversation with a Beekeeper Webinar Series begins Tuesday, August 14 at 8 pm Eastern Time with Beekeeping 101: To Be or Not to Bee. The ABF Education Committee has been hard at work developing new ways to keep its members engaged and informed in between ABF annual conferences each year. To this end, the ABF is pleased to announce a special nine-part series within the “Conversation with a Beekeeper” Webinar series. This series will be titled “Beekeeping 101” and will feature Dr. Roger Hoopingarner (pictured below), professor emeritus at Michigan State University. Whether you are brand new to the world of beekeeping or you just need to have a refresher course, this “Beekeeping 101” series will be a great educational experience with many topics focused on the biology and management of honey bees.  Learn more, and register, at www.abfnet.org.

  • Thursday, July 21 – Saturday, July 23 – National Children & Youth Garden Symposium

    The American Horticultural Society’s 19th Annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Digging into the Art and Science of Gardening, will take place July 21 – July 23 in East Lansing and Grand Rapids, Michigan, hosted by 4-H Children’s Garden at Michigan State University and the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. For more information, or to be added to the mailing list, visit www.ahs.org, email youthprograms@ahs.org, or call 703-768-8700, ext. 132.

  • Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 – 8:30 pm – Improving The Older Garden

    One of the country’s top gardening professionals, Janet Macunovich, is coming to Wellesley this month.  If you’re looking for inspiration and practical, how-to advice on improving the look of your garden or landscape, you’ll want to come hear what Ms. Macunovich has to say.

    On Tuesday, October 27, the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association will present Ms. Macunovich’s talk on ‘Improving the Older Garden’.  It will be held at Elm Bank, the headquarters of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in Wellesley.

    Ms. Macunovich is a noted professional gardener, author and educator recognized for her engaging how-to presentations, innovative hands-on workshops and down-to-earth writing and speaking style.  Her goal is to help people get more out of gardening and to better enjoy their landscapes.  To that end, she takes the mystery out of gardening and garden design. She replaces it with practicality and fun.

    Since 1990, Ms. Macunovich has written nine books and hundreds of how-to articles.  She uses experiences from her own gardens, clients’ gardens and a 5,000 square foot garden she designed and maintains at the Detroit Zoo where she is a 21-year veteran of that park’s Adopt-A-Garden program.  She has taught at Cranbrook House and Garden Auxiliary, Detroit Garden Center, Perennial Plant Association, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens.  Through sage observation and a deep well of experience, Ms. Macunovich offers gardening and landscaping advice that represents a specific, realistic approach for anyone who enjoys tending a garden.

    Her education in horticulture includes extensive coursework through botanical gardens, professional associations and universities. She is an Advanced Master Gardener through Michigan State University, and owner-operator since 1981 of the garden design and maintenance company Perennial Favorites. In Michigan, where she lives, she is known as “the lady with the flower house, the one with no lawn.”

    The entrance to Elm Bank is located at 900 Washington Street (Route 16), Wellesley, one mile west of Wellesley College.  Ms. Macunovich’s talk will begin at 7 p.m.  Admission is $25 and advanced registration is requested.  You can email your request to sonjajohanson@comcast.net.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to share knowledge and experience with the public through outreach programs in education, horticulture and gardening; to provide the Master Gardening Training Program to interested members of the public; and to provide graduates of the Master Gardener Training Program with educational and practical opportunities to extend their knowledge and interests in gardening and related topics. For more information, please contact Betty Sanders at 508-359-9453.

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