Boston Flora

Tag: Native Plants

  • Sundays, March 5 – April 9, 1:00 pm – Gardening For Life

    The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street in Brewster, will sponsor a five part series of classes on Sundays, March 5 – April 9, on Gardening for Life.  Register online ($45 for the series, $12 for individual talks) at http://www.ccmnh.org/Gardening-for-life

    On March 5, Trevor Smith will discuss Waterwise Landscape Designs.  On March 12, Claudia Thompson speaks on Lessons from the Garden: What Native Plants Have Taught Me.  Mark Richardson of NEWFS follows on March 26 with his well received lecture Kill Your Lawn!  Nanette Masi, on April 2, covers Bird-Friendly Gardens, and the final lecture on April 9 by Michael Talbot is entitled Attractive Native Plants for the Cape Cod Garden.  For reservations, call 508-896-3867.

  • Monday, November 14 – Sunday, April 2 – Designing With Native Plants

    This entirely self-paced New England Wild Flower Society online course with Dr. Elizabeth Farnsworth will teach you the basics of designing with native plants and show you how to incorporate native plants into your garden and landscape. Discover the variety of native plants found throughout New England and learn how to design a visually interesting landscape that also supports biodiversity. Students complete the course at their own pace.

    Open enrollment begins Monday, November 14 and ends Sunday, April 2. $64 for NEWFS members, $80 for nonmembers. Register at http://newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/designing-with-native-plants

  • Sundays, June 5 and 12, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Herbaceous Native Plants for Professionals

    Join Dan Jaffe and the Ecological Landscape Alliance for this two session class (June 5 and June 12, 10 – 3) to learn about the best native plant materials available today for use in the design and landscape trades. Covering everything from plants for tough spots to specialty plants for specific habitats, this class will add a host of less familiar native herbaceous species to your plant palette.  Cost is $162 for ELA members, $190 for nonmembers, and will be held at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Street in Framingham.  Register at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/herbaceous-native-plants-for-professionals-2/#sthash.mwsUTONP.dpuf

  • Saturday, May 14, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Grow Native Plant Sale

    Adding native plants to your garden is the best way to support biodiversity in your neighborhood, including bees, butterflies, birds, and much more. Grow Native Massachusetts will be selling a wide variety of native plants, including
    Perennials, Ferns, Grasses, Shrubs and Trees, on Saturday, May 14 from 9 – 4 at the UMass Waltham Field Station, 240 Beaver Street in Waltham.

    They source their plants from more than ten nurseries around New England, to bring together a range of species rarely found in one location. Sale proceeds support Grow Native Massachusetts programs.

    Ask the Experts: Experienced landscape professionals will answer your questions and help you find the plants best suited to your landscape needs and conditions. This is a tremendous resource! For more information phone 781-790-8921 or visit www.grownativemass.org.

  • Thursday, March 31, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm – Spring Kickoff for Landscapers

    More and more people are getting interested in sustainable landscapes. This March 31st program will address topics that will appeal to landscapers and anyone interested in sustainable landscape management. Come join us to learn ways to make your landscape business greener and sustainable. Topics will include: green infrastructure for storm water management in the landscape, establishing a flower meadow in the landscape, disease management for low input landscapes, landscaping with native plants and managing weeds sustainably in the landscape. The event, sponsored by UMass Extension, will be held at the Town Place Suites, 50 Rosebrook Place in Wareham.

    The registration rate is $85 per person, or $76 for per person for groups of 3 or more from the same company (10% discount). Lunch is included with registration. Online registrations will be charged a nominal processing fee.
    – See more at: http://ag.umass.edu/events/spring-kickoff-for-landscapers-umass-extension-landscape-education-day-0#sthash.TVzUjdn9.dpuf

  • Sunday, March 20, 1:00 pm – Where the Wild Things Are: Native Plants for Pollinators

    From meadows to mountain tops, our natural areas are often touted as the best places for pollinators and wildlife but what about our gardens?  Join Dan Jaffe on Sunday, March 20 at 1 pm at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History  in Brewster for a crash course on all things alive in the garden.  Ecological gardening techniques, strategies for attracting new pollinators to your landscape, and the best native plants for each site will be discussed.

    Dan Jaffe is Propagator and Stock Bed Grower at New England Wildflower Society’s Garden in the Woods. Dan Jaffe began his career as an intern at NEWFS, and then served as Plant Sales Coordinator before assuming his current responsibilities. Prior joining the Society, he worked for four years in the nursery business where he held management positions. Dan earned a degree in Botany from the University of Maine.

    Lecture Admission is $10 per person APCC Members $5 / Tickets available online at https://www.showclix.com/event/wherethewildthingsare/listing

    The Gardening for Life Speaker Series is sponsored in part by the Friends of CCMNH and APCC (The Association to Preserve Cape Cod).  For more information please call: 508-896-3867, ext. 133.

  • Wednesday, February 3, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Native Plant Gardens: Learning By Example

    Landscaping with native plants is becoming the rule rather than the exception, but good examples can be hard to find. Come to the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, on Wednesday, February 3 at 7 pm for a visual tour of some truly instructive native plant gardens, large and small, public and private. A diversity of styles, ranging from formal to naturalistic, will illustrate the usage of native plants in both residential and public landscapes. Our tour will travel from Sara Stein’s garden in Pound Ridge, NY, to the New World Garden designed by Larry Weaner, to the High Line in NYC, and include many others along the way. Accompanied by design and how-to tips, this talk will be valuable for everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned professionals.

    Carolyn Summers is author of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East and an adjunct professor at Go Native U, a joint project of Westchester Community College and The Native Plant Center. She and her husband recently opened their country home, Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve, for public tours and to showcase the importance of native plants to all landscapes. This free program is sponsored by Grow Native Massachusetts. For more information visit www.grownativemass.org.

  • Saturday, June 13, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Choosing the Right Plant

    Learn essential gardening skills this summer at Garden in the Woods. Join the New England Wild Flower Society in the Garden to learn about Choosing the Right Plant. In this instructor-led demonstration, our horticultural professionals will show you how to get beautiful results in your garden using native plants. This session will take place Saturday, June 13, from 2 – 3, and is $16 for NEWFS members, $20 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/weekend-gardening-series-choosing-the-right-plant. Rosa rugosa image from www.gobotany.newenglandwild.org.

  • Tuesday, February 24, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Native Alternatives to Problem Plants

    Why grow invasive burning bush for its one season of interest when you could grow native blueberry, a multi-season star? Isn’t it time to replace boring, weedy vinca with something more dynamic, like ‘Grow Low’ sumac (below?) Andrew Keys, author of Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?, discusses native alternatives that are sexier and more sustainable than everyday problem plants. Book signing at the end of class. The New England Wild Flower Society class will take place Tuesday, February 24, from 2 – 3:30 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. $26 for NEWFS members, $32 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/native-alternatives-to-problem-plants.

  • Tuesday, January 27, 5:30 pm – Native Plants for Four-Season Gardening

    By carefully choosing trees, shrubs and perennials, we can have something of interest even in the coldest winter months! Wandflower, Galax urceolata, with its glossy foliage and rich green American holly, Ilex opaca, are just a couple of the plants that brighten the garden throughout the year. Don’t underestimate the charms of decorative bark, evergreen foliage, fruits, and dried leaves and flower stalks with a dusting of snow. Learn about some of the best native species, with an emphasis on fall and winter interest, and discuss design to ensure that your garden framework works well in the “off-season” as well as at the peak of bloom. This Cambridge Center for Adult Education class will be held Tuesday, January 27 beginning at 5:30 pm, and the fee to attend is $86.00. Register online at http://learn.ccae.org/modules/shop/index.html?action=courseBrowse&TagID=254.  Image from www.gardenguides.com.