Boston Flora

Tag: Native Plants

  • Monday, January 25, 10:00 am – Eat Your View: Native Edible Plants for Your Gardens

    Expand your palate as well as your concept of food’s place in the garden with native edibles planted in blended garden displays.  In this illustrated lecture New England Wild Flower Society’s Botanic Garden Director Scott LaFleur takes us behind the design and installation of the Garden in the Wood’s new edible plant garden – designed to help change the way we look at the food production system here in the U.S., where most of our daily foods are non-native and produced in mass quantity using fertilizers and pesticides.  Using all native plants, Scott weaves together design approaches, horticultural techniques, and culinary uses that you can translate to your own home.  Scott discusses the concept of a blended landscape, using ornamental plants and edible plants in a design that blurs the lines between a beautiful and a functional garden.  Blended landscapes truly allow you to Eat Your View.  The program will take place at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Monday, January 25, beginning at 10:00 a.m., and is co-sponsored with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and the Junior League of Boston Garden Club.  WCFH, Arnold Arboretum, and NEWFS  members $15, non-members $18.  The course number is HOR 10 060, and you may register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or by emailing horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    Persimmons by Henna Lion.

  • Thursday, November 12, 10:00 am – Garden Design Luncheon at Blithewold Mansion

    Join Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum for their annual Garden Design Luncheon at the Rhode Island Country Club with Guest speaker William Cullina, Plant and Garden Curator for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  A well known author (Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses,  Understanding Orchids) and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures to gardens and professional groups.  The lecture price of $75 for Blithewold members, $80  for non-members includes a delicious lunch, and be sure to enter the raffle for exciting prizes, including a Boston get-away.  The date is Thursday, November 12, beginning at 10 am, at the Rhode Island Country Club, 150 Nayatt Road, Barrington, Rhode Island.  For more information, or to register, log on to www.blithewold.org, or email jmurphyedu@blithewold.org.

    http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/25430000/25430201.JPG

  • Tuesday, November 17, 10 am – 12 noon – Pollinator-Friendly Landscaping

    As New England’s landscape becomes increasingly developed, backyards are becoming a “final frontier” in providing essential habitat for at-risk pollinator species that play an integral role in the health of our environment. On Tuesday, November 17, beginning at 10 am, Garden Coach and Habitat Naturalist Ellen Sousa will explain how to help sustain and restore pollinator populations in your own back yard, regardless of its size or location. Learn to choose the best plants to help feed and shelter pollinators, and some best practices for encouraging biodiversity in your backyard.

    Ellen Sousa is a writer, educator and garden coach living in Massachusetts’ Worcester Hills on Turkey Hill Brook Farm, a small farm registered with the NWF as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. She has a certificate in Native Plant Horticulture & Design from New England Wild Flower Society, a BA in English from Clark University, and is certified as a Master Habitat Naturalist from Windstar Wildlife Institute. She writes regularly about habitat gardening for magazines such as Massachusetts Wildlife, BackHome, Mother Earth News and Birds & Blooms Extra. Visit her web site and New England habitat landscaping blog at THBFarm.com. The lecture will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts on Tuesday, November 17, from 10 am – noon.  Fee is $15 for Tower Hill members, $18 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

    http://www.greendiary.com/images/pollination.jpg

  • Monday, November 16, 10:00 am – Maintaining Your Landscape – Naturally

    The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts presents a Horticulture Morning on Monday, November 16, beginning at 10 a.m. at The Espousal Center, 554 Lexington Street, North Waltham, Massachusetts (off Route I-95/128, Exit 27A Totten Pond Road).  Cathy Felton, Current Native Plants Chairman and organic garden expert, will speak on Maintaining Your Landscape – Naturally, using native and dry condition plants in the garden.  A donation of $5, payable at the door, is suggested.  To call for information on cancellations due to snow or storm, call 781-391-0261.  You may also contact Betsy Williams (betsy@betsywilliams.com) or Rita DeLollis (rdelollis@aol.com) for more information on Horticulture Mornings.

    http://www.kbstonescapes.com/images/image1a.jpg

  • Wednesday, November 11, 10:00 am – Low Impact Landscaping

    The November meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay will take place Wednesday, November 11, beginning at 10:00 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.  We welcome  Paul Marquis, who will speak on  Low Impact Landscaping.  Paul Marquis, of Green Home Solutions in Arlington, MA and former “Green House Doctor” for The Green Roundtable, will be our guest speaker for the November meeting.

    The objective of this talk is to introduce concepts of resource-conserving and environmentally-friendly landscape design and maintenance practices. Conventional residential landscapes are often resource-intensive, and some of the maintenance products and practices typically employed have been associated with adverse long-term health consequences and environmental impact. Topics covered will include low-water landscaping or xeriscaping, rainwater collection and use, advantages of using native plants, more-effective storm water management, and organic turf and landscape management practices. The talk will include a brief discussion of Low Impact Development, green roofs, and “hardscaping” options.

    The Green Roundtable, Inc. (GRT) is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to mainstream green building and sustainable design and become obsolete.  It works toward this goal by promoting and supporting healthy and environmentally integrated building projects through strategic outreach, education, policy advocacy and technical assistance.  The Green Roundtable envisions a world in which green building is business as usual. For more information on The Green Roundtable, log on to www.greenroundtable.org.

    Reservations are required for this meeting, which will be followed by an optional luncheon with our speaker ($20) at The College Club.  The public is invited.  For more information, and to register, email info@bostonflora.com. Club members will receive written notice of this meeting with a response slip.

    http://www.greenroundtable.org/contact.attachment/colorcroppedflat-notitle/ColorCroppedFLAT-notitle.jpg

  • Sunday, October 18, 10 am – 2 pm – Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology and Control

    Ted Elliman, Vegetation Manager of the New England Wild Flower Society, in collaboration with the Arnold Arboretum, will present this one day class on Sunday, October 18, from 10 am – 2 pm at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  This course will provide an introduction to about 40 of the most common invasive non-native plants in our local landscapes (see Japanese knotweed below). Through lecture, discussion, power point presentation, herbarium specimens, and a walk outside, you will become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants which are so disruptive of natural ecosytems. Ted will discuss management techniques for many of these species, on both a home and a larger landscape scale. Homeowners and property managers who wish to get a head start on invasive control this year will appreciate the timing of this course, which will allow them to learn to identify young invasive plants before they become camouflaged by other vegetation. The New England Wild Flower Society’s Invader’s Magazine, as well as the Massachusetts Field Guide to Invasives, will be available for purchase at a discount. Fee $44 for members of the Arboretum or NEWFS, $52 nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/wfs_images/fallopia_japonica_japanese_knotweed.jpg

  • Sunday, October 18, 1 – 3 pm – Autumn Beauties: Native Plants in the Collections

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s grounds contain many beautiful native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that are at their most vivacious in the fall. Blueberries and chokeberries around the Wildlife Pond will be in vivid fall dress, and winterberries will be ripening for winter migrating birds. Fine native grasses will be at their ripest on Sunday, October 18, beginning at 1 pm, in the Systematic Garden. Witch hazels will be glowing yellow around the Wildlife Garden. Garden Designer Dori Smith, M. Ed, of Gardens for Life in Acton, Massachusetts,  will seek out the best specimens in the garden’s collections to show you. She will discuss the special characteristics of native plants that make them good choices for your gardens, and how to create a palette of plants that will please you and the wildlife, year round. Fee $20 for Tower Hill members, $25 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, October 3, 9:30 – 12 noon – Autumn Beauties: Habitat Gardens in Acton

    Fall can be one of the most beautiful seasons in the garden. On Saturday, October 3, from 9:30 – noon, Dori Smith, landscape designer of Gardens for Life in Acton, leads this tour of several gardens designed primarily with native plants to please birds and butterflies, as well as her clients. Native shrubs such as fothergilla and cranberry viburnum glow with autumn color. Winterberries are ripening, and twigs of dogwood are turning crimson. Many of the fall flowers are still blooming. The designer shows you “before” photos of these landscapes, as well as photos taken in different seasons. She discusses the unique challenges, goals and methods of each project. Learn ways to use stone and water to enhance the effects of the plantings. You are welcome to tour the Acton Arboretum  before or after the garden tour. The tour is sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society, and costs $25 if a NEWFS member, and $30 if a nonmember.  Limited to 20 participants.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/fothergilla_major.jpg

  • Sunday, October 4, 1:30 – 3:30 pm – Growing Green: Producing Natives with the Environment in Mind

    Join the New England Wild Flower Society on Sunday, October 4 from 1:30 – 3:30 at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham for a behind-the-scenes look at Nasami Farm, the New England Wild Flower Society’s native plant nursery in Whately, MA. How are they producing beautiful native plants for homeowners, land managers, garden designers and municipalities throughout New England while using sustainable propagation and production practices? Nursery Business Director Ron Wik shares the latest from Nasami, including everything from bio-degradable plant labels to a bicycle-powered plant cart for transporting trays of plants around the Farm. Find out how they share the land with a varietyof animal species including bluebirds, bobolinks, turtles, insects and more, all happy to enjoy the Nasami habitat. Ron is currently focused on increasing production efficiencies, expanding the selection of species of known provenance, improving the sustainability of production practices, and seeking out new and exciting plants to grow for the Society.  This program enhances The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s year long exploration of The Ethical Gardner, and you are encouraged to attend.  The program is free. For directions, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.commonweeder.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nasami-4-25.jpg

  • Sunday, October 4, 10 – 5 – NRT Harvest & Crafts Fair

    The Natural Resources Trust of Easton (NRT) is a member-supported, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate about significant natural and cultural resources and to acquire and preserve land of special character for the benefit of the public. The NRT promotes a land ethic in the community through educational programming. The NRT provides leadership, cooperation and networking to others with a similar mission.  The Easton Garden Club (www.eastongardenclub.org) participates each year in the Annual NRT Harvest & Crafts Fair.  The Fair draws thousands of people from around New England who come to shop the many juried crafts booths.

    The Easton Garden Club’s civic role in the Harvest Fair is one of education, providing informational handouts on topics such as composting, attracting butterflies to your garden, and tips on native plants and trees.  There are many club members, knowledgeable about gardening, at its booth available to answer questions from the public throughout the day.  Club members harvest flowers from their gardens and pick (non-endangered!) native flowers, grasses, and vines growing along the roadsides.  They start in the late spring and continue through the fall.  The flowers are dried and stored until the week before the fair when many of the club members gather together to make wreaths, dried arrangements, and bouquets of flowers to sell. On Fair day they have ongoing demonstrations on subjects such as grapevine wreath making and flower arranging.  For directions to the Fair, log on to www.nrtofeaston.org.