Boston Flora

Tag: NEUHSA

  • Thursday, November 4, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm – The Heirloom Gardener with John Forti, Online

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden November 4 online talk beginning at noon is offered in partnership with the Herb Society of America, New England Unit. You can find additional information at the NEUHSA website. These days, we all need some good news and a way to participate in meaningful change.

    The Heirloom Gardener is a book for gardeners who want to deepen their knowledge and improve life for families, pollinators and wildlife in their own backyards. It’s a love poem to the earth; a map to the art of living intentionally and a guidepost for environmental gardeners and artisans. It unearths old-ways, storied plants and artisanal life-skills; like seed-saving, herbalism, foraging, distillation, ethnobotany and organics which contribute to a new 21st century arts and crafts movement. With woodcuts from Caldecott Medal artist Mary Azarian, The Heirloom Garden offers a dose of wild hope for a weary nation.

    Signed copies of the book are available through Tower Hill’s Garden Shop. You can shop online or stop into the garden and grab it in person.

    John Forti (www.jforti.com) is a garden historian and ethnobotanist who has directed gardens for Plimoth Plantation Museum, Strawbery Banke Museum, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and Bedrock Gardens. As a Slow Food USA Governor and biodiversity specialist, his preservation work has helped to restore countless native and heirloom plants and has brought traditional artisanal practices to modern thinking. He has won numerous awards for historic garden preservation, children’s garden design, herbal and historical education and the 2021 Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs, the largest volunteer gardening organization in the world. This book was inspired by his posts as ‘The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti‘ which go out regularly to millions on Facebook that value his uniquely curated blend of history, horticulture, environmentalism, poetry, art, kitchen and garden craft. He gardens and lives along the banks of the Piscataqua River in Maine.

    $10 THBG Member Adult; $15 Adult 

  • Tuesday, April 26, 10:00 am – Herb, Knot, and Cottage Gardens

    Growing herbs is a right of passage for most gardeners. Many already know how to grow and harvest these essential plants for our kitchens and homes. In this April 26 lecture in the Putnam Building at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley, Kelly Orzel of Bowery Beach Farm will discuss various herb garden designs ranging from traditional plans to more unique and specialized arrangements, including knot gardens. Planting suggestions and instructions on how to achieve these geometric patterns will be explained.

    Then we’ll talk about how to grow and use a few of her favorite rare and uncommon herbs including lovage, salad burnet and pelargoniums. And finally we’ll examine various styles, plants and design tips for a cottage garden that integrates herbs.

    Scented pelargoniums and unusual herbs for sale. RSVP to Anne.Stoma@gmail.com by April 19th. Free for NEUHSA members, $5 for HSA and Master Gardeners, $10 for everyone else. Image from www.nittygrittydirtman.com.

  • Saturday, June 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Herb Gardening

    Karen O’Brien will guide participants through Elm Bank’s Teaching Herb Garden, and show how easy it is to propagate herbs, either by sowing, layering, dividing or through cuttings, in this Massachusetts Horticultural Society class on Saturday, June 27, from 10 – 12. Participants will take away an herb or two for their own gardens or pots, and a greater understanding of how herbs can enhance their lives.

    Karen O’Brien is a member of the New England Unit of The Herb Society of America (NEUHSA) and maintains their Teaching Herb Garden at Elm Bank. The NEUHSA installed the Teaching Herb Garden on the grounds of the Gardens at Elm Bank in 2001. The garden was designed by Marie Stella, a noted landscape historian and designer, and a former member of the New England Unit of The Herb Society of America.

    Please attend dressed to get your hands a little dirty in the garden. Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $5, Non-Members $8. Register online at www.masshort.org.