Boston Flora

Tag: New England Wild Flower Society

  • Saturday, October 9, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East

    For gardeners of all levels, this program, taking place Saturday, October 9 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regionally native plants.  Carolyn Summers will present topics including wildlife benefits, sustainable design and maintenance, and strategies for “safe sex in the garden” to reduce the spread of non-native invasive plants.  Participants will learn how to apply basic ecological and design principles in all their gardening endeavors.

    Carolyn Summers is the author of the recently published Designing Gardens with the Flora of the American East and is an adjunct professor for continuing education at Westchester Community College.  She provides technical assistance to the Native Plant Center, an affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Please bring your own lunch.  A book sale and author signing will follow the class.  This program is offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture.  $60 for members of one of the affiliated sponsors, or $70 for non-members.  You may register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Saturday, September 25, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Fungi in the Field

    Can you distinguish a bolete from a gilled mushroom? And what technically is a mushroom anyway? Fall is fungi season in the Northeast, the best time to discover and identify what’s out in the field. Learn about the crucial and sometimes astonishing roles these fascinating life forms have in the ecosystem and some methods for identifying mushrooms and other fungi all around us. New England Wild Flower Society is the sponsor of this event at the Drumlin Farm Nature Center in Lincoln on Saturday, September 25 from 1 – 3:30, led by instructor Jef (that’s Jef with only one “f”) Taylor. To register, log on to www.newfs.org. $20 for NEWFS members, $24 for nonmembers.

  • Wednesday, September 22, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Autumn Splendor in Two Gardens

    Find inspiration with the New England Wild Flower Society on Wednesday, September 22, from 10 – 1, at Ellen McFarland’s four-season garden in Westwood, Massachusetts, beautifully designed by Gary L. Koller with a series of garden rooms surrounding the converted carriage house/ barn. Mature plantings of trees and shrubs provide a backdrop for the interplay of color and texture from masses of perennials. A landscaped swimming pool with cascading waterfall adds a soothing note midway through the garden. This garden combines the best in design, plantings, and hardscape, seasoned with works of art. Then travel to Dover where you are invited to “enter and forget from where you’ve come.” This is the intention of designer Kevin Doyle for his garden visitors. Set on a rocky rise in Dover, “Cairn Croft,” unfurls down a slope, infused with beauty, plant texture, and moments of surprise and fun. Explore a woodland path, pond, wetland, formal parterre and driveway courtyard enhanced by elements of sculpture and garden art. The fee is $32 if you are a member of NEWFS, and $38 if you are not a member. To register, and for more information, log on to www.newfs.org.  Painting below by Leif Nilsson.

  • Saturday, September 25, 9:30 am – 12:00 noon – Renovate and Replant: Native Substitutes for Common Landscape Invasives

    The New England Wild Flower Society and the Trustees of Reservations team up on Saturday, September 25, from 9:30 – noon, for an instructive class and walk at Long Hill in Beverly, Massachusetts. Our plant choices now extend beyond color and form. We seek plants that won’t escape into the natural community and, at the same time, provide valuable nourishment and habitat for birds, mammals, and insects. Learn about ecologically sound substitutes for invasives such as burning bush, Norway maple (below), and yellow flag iris. Following the lecture, Andrew Keys and the Trustees Horticultural Staff will lead a walk through the 6-acre Sedgwick Gardens, identifying native trees and shrubs thriving within the ornamental gardens and along the woodland edge.$22 for members of NEWFS or the Trustees, and $26 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Sunday, September 19, 9:30 am – 2:00 pm – Plum Island Flora

    Explore the different habitats of Plum Island with the New England Wild Flower Society and Instructor Frances Marsh on Sunday, September 19, from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm, and learn what grows where and why. We will investigate the salt marsh, dune, and beach communities, concentrating on forty to fifty distinctive (to the botanist’s eye) plant species. And if we see a bird or two, we will look at them as well. Bring a 10x hand lens, Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, lunch, water, and if you have them, binoculars.  $36 for NEWFS members, $41 for non members.  Register at www.newfs.org – class limited to 15.

    http://bestboatbuzz.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/300px-sand_dunes_plum_island_ma1.jpg

  • Tuesday, September 21, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Wild Flowers in Fall

    As a follow up to The New England Wild Flower Society’s spring course, “Wildflowers of New England,” this class highlights flora in the last stages of the growing season.

    What fruits have been produced by spring wildflowers and how are they dispersed? What flowers are blooming in the fall and why? Which pollinators are active? The program includes a walk in the Garden, a power-point presentation to further illustrate the key points, and samples for dissection and close observation. References for fruits and winter ID provided. Bring Newcomb’s Wild Flower Guide and a 10x hand lens. $36 NEWFS member/$42 nonmember.  For more information, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Friday, September 17, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Suburban Surprises in Lexington

    Two diverse Lexington properties offer a wonderful contrast in garden content and gardening styles. Jim Jones, past president of the Rock Garden Society, began gardening with something of a “one of each” mindset. “Reality set in after a while, but not before I had accumulated quite a collection of oddball plants.” Recently, his focus has shifted to a week-by-week distribution of bloom across the seasons, with the fall portion dominated by native species. Carolyn Plourde’s garden was designed as a place of beauty for herself and her family with hardscape, a waterfall area, and large plantings. Over time, it has been reworked and expanded in many ways. Learn about “gutter” gardening between sidewalk and road, and how a flock of chickens can add delight to the garden and eggs to your basket. This tour, to be held Friday, September 17 between 10 am and 1 pm, is sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, and costs $32 if you are a NEWFS member and $38 if you are not. Register at www.newfs.org and you will receive directions to the gardens.

  • May 14 – May 29, 2011 – Secrets of Sichuan: A Journey to Jiuzhaigou

    The New England Wild Flower Society, with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, announce the upcoming tour The Secrets of Sichuan, to take place May 14 – 29, 2011.  This unique expedition to explore the flora, fauna, and culture of Sichuan will be led by Ted Elliman, leader of NEWFS botanical forays to China for many years.

    The rhododendron will be in flower during this visit.  This is good news because China, a global center of diversity for many plant groups, supports more than 400 endemic species of rhododendron. Most of these grow in the Hengduan Mountain region, where the tour will be based.  You may not see them all, but if this is your first trip to southwest China, you will probably see more than you ever have before.  Wild mountain nature reserves are the focus of the journey.  Natural areas on the itinerary include Emei Shan, a revered and sacred 10,000 foot mountain with spectacular flora, Tanghiahe Nature Reserve, with dense broadleaved forests and a rich bird fauna, and Wanglang Nature Reserve, where subalpine conifer forests of spruce, larch and juniper grow up through understories of tall rhododendron and a sparkling array of forest wildflowers.  In Wanglang, at 11,000 feet elevation, the high elevation wildflowers will be blooming at and above timberline.  Tangjiahe and Wanglang are also home to wild populations of giant panda.

    A major highlight will be a two day visit to Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of incomparable beauty, that is another great place to view and photograph spring wildflowers.  Jiuzhaigou is a valley complex of crystalline lakes and streams, connected by a superbly designed network of boardwalk trails.  Accessible parts range in elevation from 7,000 to 11,000 feet, and it is an ideal place to explore on foot.  Frequent shuttle buses provide ready access to the boardwalk trails.  Other stops will be Leshan, where a seated Buddha image 200 feet tall, carved from red sandstone, overlooks an auspicious river confluence, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and Sanxingdui Museum.  For a complete itinerary, log on to  http://www.wellesley.edu/WCFH/Courses/Sichuan%20Brochure.pdf.  Trip fee is $3,945 per person, double occupancy, plus air fair of $1,195 from New York, round trip, through Betchart Expeditions, Inc.  Call Renee Apostolou at 800-252-4910 for additional information.

  • Sunday, September 26, 11:00 am – 3:00 pm – Harold Parker Pteridophytes

    The Harold Parker State Forest is a large conservation area near Andover,  Massachusetts. This New England Wild Flower Society class, led by Don Lubin and Raymond Abair, will visit a southern section near a large pond, hills, and swamps, and see more than two dozen ferns and club-mosses. We anticipate the hybrid Ground Cedar club-moss, Ebony spleenwort (below), perhaps Fragile fern and a Woodsia, and a few hybrid Dryopteris. Wear long pants, and bring a lens if you have one. The date is Sunday, September 26 from 11 – 3, and the fee is $32 for NEWFS members and $36 for nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.newfs.org.

  • Through September 7 – Water Whimsy

    New England Wild Flower Society has partnered with New England Garden Ornaments of Sudbury, MA, to present Water Whimsy, a small show of large and small fountains. In addition to the permanent Michael Mazur fountain at the entrance (below) and the Nate McCullin bird baths in the Wildlife Garden, Water Whimsy features nine bubbling, flowing, and standing water installations located at the entrance to the Curtis Path and in the Idea, Edible, Rain, and Patio gardens. Composed of chiseled stones, millstones, staddle stones, stone balls, molded balustrades and caps, granite bowls, and bamboo, these hand-carved and one-of-a-kind fountains bring a special ambiance to their garden settings. Water Whimsy continues in the Garden through September 7. For more information, log on to www.newfs.org.