Boston Flora

Tag: New England

  • Sunday, November 15, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – American Rhododendron Society Massachusetts Branch Founder’s Day Brunch

    The American Rhododendron Society Massachusetts Branch will hold its Annual Founder’s Day Brunch and Seed Exchange on Sunday, November 15, from 10 – 2, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts.   The American Rhododendron Society Massachusetts Chapter is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to encourage interest in and to disseminate information about the genus Rhododendron focusing on Rhododendrons compatible with the climate in New England. Members’ experience ranges from novice to expert. Society activities include chapter meetings, flower and foliage shows, plant sales, garden tours, seed and cutting exchanges, and communication through printed and online publications.For information and registration, log on to www.rosebay.org.

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  • Saturday, November 14, 12:30 – 2:30 pm – Taking Cuttings: Propagating Your Own Woody Plants

    Back at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts by popular demand! Join woody plant specialist Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery on Saturday, November 14, from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm,  for a workshop focused on hardwood and evergreen propagation. This workshop will cover how to collect, prepare and propagate evergreens and other woody plants by cuttings. Set at the best time of the year for collecting, participants will learn techniques needed for insuring successful rooting. Cultivation requirements, timing and care of easily propagated varieties will be covered. Take home a selection of unusual deciduous and evergreen plant material in a simple propagator to grow on. Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, Ct. a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants. He teaches wood plant propagation workshops throughout New England. This workshop is limited to 20 participants, and costs $40 for BBG members and $45 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

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  • Thursday, November 19, 6:00 – 9:00 pm – The Taste of Sustainable Food

    EcoLogic will hold its Annual Benefit on Thursday, November 19, from 6 – 9 pm, at the Boston Center for the Arts, Carol Dean Rehearsal Hall, 539 Tremont Street in Boston.  Come discover how EcoLogic is promoting environmentally-friendly agriculture and making a positive difference for rural farmers in Central America. Plus, experience the taste of New England as local chefs present delectable dishes made with sustainably-grown ingredients.  You will be joined by Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet, as well as one of EcoLogic’s field staff, who will speak about how our work with agroforestry is helping both the environment and poor farmers.  Admission: $50 ($40 for non-profit staff) www.ecologic.org/greenag.

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  • Friday, November 6, 10 a.m. – Beginning Orchid Growing Clinic

    Historic New England is sponsoring a Beginning Orchid Growing Clinic at the Lyman Estate Greenhouses in Waltham, Massachusetts on Friday, November 6, beginning at 10 a.m.  Learn the essentials of growing orchids, including requirements of growing media, light, water, temperature, and fertilization. With their long-lasting and showy blooms, orchids are one of the most beautiful and dramatic of all flowering plants. This popular course is taught by Lyman Estate horticulturist Lynn Ackerman, an accomplished orchid grower and member of the Orchid Society.  Admission fee is $35.  Contact Susanna Crampton at scrampton@historicnewengland.org, or call her at 781-891-4882 to register.  For more information, log on to www.historicnewengland.org.

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  • Saturday, October 24, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Greater Boston Food Bank Open House Celebration

    Do you know the  Food Bank feeds 83,000 people each week? Come to the open house on Saturday, October 24, from 10 – 2, and learn, get involved, and get inspired.  The event will take place at the Yawkey Distribution Center of the Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 South Bay Avenue in Boston.

    To achieve its mission, The Food Bank feeds more than 320,000 people annually in nine counties in eastern Massachusetts. They’re poor to middle-class people who can’t make ends meet. They’re our friends, neighbors, and colleagues. The Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. It distributes more than 30 million pounds of food and grocery products annually to a network of nearly 600 member hunger-relief agencies. It is a trusted and efficient resource for these local food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless and residential shelters, youth programs, senior centers, and day-care centers, providing the food they need to feed the hungry.

    Bring a non-perishable item to participate in their food drive.  There will be limited complimentary parking on site.  For directions, and to let the good folks who work there know you’re coming, log on to www.gbfb.org/openhouse/.

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  • Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 pm – Neighbors & Networks: The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, 1880 – 1936

    Professor Keith Morgan of Boston University will present an illustrated lecture on The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, 1880 – 1936, at the Wheelock College Auditorium, 43 Hawes Street in Brookline, on Wednesday, October 28.  A reception at 6:00 pm will be followed by the lecture at 7:00 pm.  Seating is limited.  Please rsvp to friendsoffairsted@gmail.com, or telephone 617-566-1689 x 235.  Cohosted by the Friends of Fairsted; Brookline Greenspace Alliance; Brookline Historical Society; Emerald Necklace Conservancy; Fenway Alliance; High Street Hill Association; Historic New England; Mount Auburn Cemetery; Muddy River Restoration Project Maintenance and Management Oversight Committee; NPS, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site; Society of Architectural Historians, New England Chapter; and the Friends of Stonehurst.

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  • Saturday, November 14, 10 – 2 – Lichen Identification Workshop

    This will be an intermediate workshop on lichens. Participants are expected to know basic lichen information. Participants should have the book MicroLichens of New England by Hinds and Hinds or photocopied keys from this book. We will use this lichen key and a few chemicals necessary for identification. Please register by contacting the leader in advance (limit 10). Bring a 15x hand lens or low power microscope. Bring lunch and a beverage (microwave and refrigerator are available). Bring the macrolichens that you wish to work with in the class. We will briefly key several lichens that I will bring, but this is a workshop to learn to key any lichens you find in the field, and especially problematic lichens.

    Field trips are a long standing tradition of the Connecticut Botanical Society.  They provide an opportunity to learn about plants and habitats from some the area’s most knowledgeable botanists, and an opportunity to share your own knowledge with others.  The trips also add to the bank of knowledge of New England flora.  On each field trip. a list is made of all plant species identified, and this list becomes part of the Society’s records.  The Connecticut Botanical Society encourages the gardening public to participate in this Lichen Identification Workshop in Hamden, Connecticut, led by Carol Lemmon, President of CBS.    For field trips, wear sturdy footwear and bring a lunch.  Sunscreen and insect repellant are also recommended.  For plant identification, you may wish to bring a field guide(s), a hand lens, and a small notebook.  Familiarity with plant taxonomy is helpful, but not required.    Free to CBS members.  Non-members must pay a $15 fee, which includes a one-year membership in CBS, and entitles you to join future trips this season at no additional cost.  For more information and directions, or to register, call 203-488-7813, or log on to www.ct-botanical-society.org.

  • Wednesday, October 21, 5:00 – 7:00 pm – Night Lights

    Say goodbye to the season at Garden in the Woods in Framingham with a candlelit stroll through parts of the garden on Wednesday, October 21, from 5 – 7 pm.  This is a New England Wild Flower Society members only event, but annual membership levels begin at $50, and entitle you to a host of benefits, which can be found on the web site, www.newfs.org.  Make your reservation for this lovely evening by calling 508-877-7630, ext. 3001, or email information@newenglandwild.org.  The Cabot Creamery Cooperative has donated cheese for this event.  If you are interested in gardens at nightfall, we recommend Linda Rutenberg’s beautifully photographed book The Garden at Night.

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  • Sunday, October 25, 1 – 2 pm – The Native Plant Center: It’s Easy Being Green

    Learn about the energy saving and other ‘green’ technologies used in the design and construction of the New England Wild Flower Society’s new Native Plant Center at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Sunday, October 25, beginning at 1 pm.  This walking tour of the new facility with Ron Wik addresses all ‘green’ attributes of the building, such as roof and wall insulation, use of local materials, radiant heating and other energy saving technologies. Find out how the Society is working towards LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at the gold level for our newest, greenest structure. LEED Certification involves meeting a demanding suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction, and Garden Club of the Back Bay members will hear more about this at our March meeting with Marie Stella.  The program is free, but registration is required.  Call 508-877-7630, or log on to www.newfs.org.

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  • Sunday, October 19, 11:00 am – Groton Foliage Hike

    Join the Appalachian Mountain Club for a hike in the rural woods in Groton, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 18, beginning at 11:00 am.  Come see New England autumn splendor in a quiet rural setting. The hike will be 2-3 hours at a moderate pace and will feature eskers, scenic ponds, beaver dams, and of course lots of colorful leaves. From I-495 in Littleton take 119 west towards Groton. In 6.5 miles turn right onto Route 40. In 4.0 miles turn left onto Cow Pond Brook Road. Take this road about 1.6 miles until it ends and park. 42.6250N, 71.5027W.  Sponsored by the Boston Chapter of the AMC, registration is not required for this trip, but contact Leader Olin Lathrop at olin@embedinc.com with any questions.  For more information about upcoming activities of the Boston Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, log on to www.outdoors.org.

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