Boston Flora

Tag: Ned Friedman

  • Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am – 10:45 am – Tree Mob: The Oldest Tree in the Arboretum

    Long before anyone dreamed of this landscape becoming the Arnold Arboretum, a white oak grew quietly on the slope of today’s Peters Hill. Years passed and Arboretum staff eventually incorporated this very old tree into the collections, making it possibly the oldest accessioned tree in the landscape. Join Assistant Curator Miles Sax for a Tree Mob on November 15 at 10 am to learn about this oak, what the landscape looked like before it was an Arboretum, the science of tree age, and how the Arboretum manages those trees that we never chose to plant but which are a treasured part of our collections nonetheless. This is a members-only event, so sign up now at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/support/

  • Saturday, June 8, 10:00 am – Memory Loss Tour

    As a free urban park and naturalized landscape in the heart of Boston, the Arnold Arboretum plays an important role in supporting health and wellness in our community. Connecting Boston’s neighborhoods to trees and wildlife, our landscape offers an exceptional environment for enhancing our relationship with plants and tapping into the physical and mental benefits of immersion in nature. For individuals and families of people challenged by memory loss, a guided walk through the Arboretum landscape can be an enriching experience and sensory feast for all. On Saturday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m., Arboretum Director William (Ned) Friedman will lead a free guided tour developed to engage individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Register for this special opportunity to meet some marvels of the botanical world, enjoy seasonal highlights, and take in the wonderful sights and scents of late spring at the Arnold Arboretum.
    Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu

  • Wednesday, May 8, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Members-Only Tour of Spruce Cones at Arnold Arboretum with Ned Friedman

    If you haven’t joined the Arnold Arboretum yet, now is the time. In early May when crowds head to the lilac collection to see the beautiful spring flowers, something incredible is taking place below the radar, deep in the conifer collection. Spruce cones are just starting to emerge from their buds and they are not the shades of brown and grey that we know well: these young cones are vibrantly yellow, red, lime green, and pink. Join Arboretum Director Ned Friedman for a tour of the spruce collection to see this rainbow of young cones at their peak. There is even an opportunity to join virtually! Meet at the Walker Street Gate. Register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu

  • Tuesday, October 25, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Director’s Series – Obsessions: Fellow Organisms in the Arnold Arboretum, In Person and Live Streamed

    Join the Arnold Arboretum’s Director William (Ned) Friedman for the annual Director’s Series. To celebrate the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial, this year’s series will explore the Magic and Meaning of a Garden of Trees. Over the course of four sessions, we will trace the Arnold’s significance in the landscape architecture movement, value for the people of Boston, and leadership in creating global connections between plants and people. This final session will feature a talk from Director Friedman on fellow organisms in the Arboretum. The program is free and is offered both in person and livestreamed. 

    Parking is available on-site at the Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street in Boston. Find directions here. All attendees must be masked while indoors. Register HERE for live event.

    This event will also be livestreamed to YouTube. To sign up for the virtual live stream instead, click here.

  • Tuesday, September 13, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Director’s Series – Journeys: The Arnold Arboretum Meets the World’s Plants and Peoples, Online

    Join Moderator Dr. William (Ned) Friedman, Director, Arnold Arboretum, and Panelists Dr. Yota Batsaki, Executive Director of Dumbarton Oaks, Dr. Michael Dosmann, Keeper of the Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and Andrew Gapinski, Director of Horticulture, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, for the annual Director’s Series. To celebrate the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial, this year’s series will explore the Magic and Meaning of a Garden of Trees. Over the course of four sessions, we will trace the Arnold’s significance in the landscape architecture movement, value for the people of Boston, and leadership in creating global connections between plants and people. This session will include brief presentations and a moderated panel. The program is free and is offered both in person and livestreamed.  This event will also be presented in-person at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research Building at 1300 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131. To sign up for the in-person event, click here. To register for the online stream, click here.

  • Monday, May 16, 7:00 pm – Director’s Series – Life: The Arnold Arboretum as an Institution of Public Health

    Join the Arnold Arboretum’s Director William (Ned) Friedman for the annual Director’s Series! To celebrate the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial, this year’s series will explore the Magic and Meaning of a Garden of Trees. Over the course of four sessions, we will trace the Arnold’s significance in the landscape architecture movement, value for the people of Boston, and leadership in creating global connections between plants and people. This session will include brief presentations and a moderated panel. The program is free and is offered both in person and livestreamed. 

    Panelists:

    • Dr. Michelle Kondo, Research Social Scientist, UDSA-Forest Service
    • Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, City of Boston
    • Laurence Cotton, Consulting Producer, “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America,” PBS

    Moderator: Dr. William (Ned) Friedman, Director, Arnold Arboretum

    To sign up for the virtual event, click HERE. This event will also be presented in-person at the Arboretum’s Weld Hill Research Building at 1300 Centre Street, Boston, MA 02131. To sign up for the in-person event, click here.

  • Monday, April 11, 7:00 pm – Arnold Arboretum Director’s Series: Birth- The Early History and Meaning of the Arnold Arboretum, Live and Online

    Join the Arnold Arboretum’s Director William (Ned) Friedman for the annual Director’s Series! To celebrate the Arboretum’s sesquicentennial, this year’s series will explore the Magic and Meaning of a Garden of Trees. Over the course of four sessions, we will trace the Arnold’s significance in the landscape architecture movement, value for the people of Boston, and leadership in creating global connections between plants and people. This session will include brief presentations and a moderated panel. The program is free and is offered both in person and livestreamed.

    Panelists:

    • Dr. Ethan Carr, Director of the Master’s of Landscape Architecture Program, University of Massachusetts
    • Dr. Rosetta Elkin, Academic Director of the Master’s of Landscape Architecture Program, Pratt Institute
    • Lisa Pearson, Head of the Library and Archives, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

    To sign up for the virtual presentation, click HERE. To sign up for the in-person event at the Weld Hill Research Building, 1300 Centre Street in Boston, click here.

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  • Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s 119th Honorary Medals Announced

    The Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (MHS) has announced its 2020-21 Honorary Medals recipients.

    They were celebrated for “their contributions to excellence in horticulture for the public good” at the Honorary Medals Dinner at The Gardens at Elm Bank on November 4.

    Robert A. Bartlett Jr., Chairman and CEO of Bartlett Tree Experts, will be receiving the George Robert White Medal of Honor. The George Robert White Medal of Honor was established in 1909 and is among the most distinguished horticultural awards in the United States. The first honoree was Charles Sprague Sargent, Director of the Arnold Arboretum. Other recipients include Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, The Royal Horticultural Society, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Tasha Tudor. Joining these distinguished honorees, Bartlett represents the third generation of the F.A. Bartlett Tree Expert Company, the world’s leading scientific tree and shrub care company. Since its founding in 1907, the company has protected the health, beauty, and value of trees—one of Earth’s most important natural resources.

    Steve Castorani and Mark Sellew, co-owners of American Beauties Native Plants, will be jointly awarded the Thomas Roland Medal for their leadership in developing, selecting, propagating, and marketing numerous superior cultivars and establishing nationally recognized brands. The Thomas Roland Medal is awarded for exceptional skill in horticulture and lectures.

    Thomas G. Ranney, JC Raulston Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University, in recognition of his research programs, will receive the Jackson Dawson Memorial Medal which recognizes exceptional skill in the science or practice of hybridization or propagation of ornamental plants.

    Gold Medals for eminent horticultural accomplishments or for outstanding service to MHS will be awarded to William (Ned) Friedman, Director of Arnold Arboretum; Katherine K. Macdonald, former President and Executive Director, MHS; and John Cronin, Penni Jenkins, and Heidi Kost-Gross, Volunteers, MHS.

    Michael Dosmann, Arnold Arboretum, Keeper of the Living Collections, will receive a Silver Medal for his noteworthy service in horticulture. MHS Volunteers Sarah Cummer, Kathi Gariepy, and Rosalind Hunnewell will also receive silver medals.

  • The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University’s New Website

    The Arnold Arboretum has just released an entirely new website, a fresh portal to the institution that has been two years in the making! Ned Friedman says: “We set out to create an online identity as evocative, welcoming, and revelatory as the collections and landscape themselves.  Over the next few weeks, we will introduce you to newly curated stories from the Arboretum including plant biographies, tales of plant exploration, scientific discoveries, and the institution’s multifaceted roles in promoting social and environmental justice. We will pull back the curtain to reveal some of the magic that lies behind our roughly 16,000 woody plants and 281 acres of Olmsted-designed landscape. Today I’m excited to share a new feature with you. “Walks” offer virtual tours of the Living Collections, curated and designed by our staff, including me. The Director’s Tour illuminates just a few of the thousands of plants I’ve photographed and been captivated by over the past decade. Join me to find out why I love snakebark maples (and why you should too), why inhaling putrid ginkgo seeds is vivifying, and why I worship the acorns of the Oriental oak. And when you next visit, make your way to these very plants to experience their charms through the seasons in person. ” Very exciting news indeed.

  • Arnold Arboretum Tree Mobs Go Virtual

    Tree Mobs have gone virtual! Join the Arnold Arboretum online for interactions with scientists or other specialists at the Arboretum via Zoom, and enjoy diverse perspectives on our plants and landscape. Visit http:/arboretum.harvard.edu and create a profile to receive Tree Mob notifications, and look for a new program nearly every week. Also view past Mobs in their entirety on our YouTube Channel, like a discussion of colorful spruce cones with Director William (Ned) Friedman, seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujqW9j-aT60