Boston Flora

Tag: NEWFS

  • Thursday, September 15, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Survey of Late Season Grasses of the Northeast

    This New England Wild Flower Society workshop, to be given by Dennis Magee at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Thursday, September 15 from 9 – 3, focuses on the grasses which are in identifiable condition in late summer and early fall. Key identification characteristics are given for 10 tribes and 60 or so genera of common grasses using dried specimens and microscope displays. Following a morning session of lecture and observation of the plant materials, there is an afternoon field trip to observe as many grasses as can be found in the time available. Students are expected to have a good understanding of basic botanical nomenclature and concepts. A good 10x to 15x hand lens is essential.  NEWFS member fee is $72, nonmembers $86.  Register at www.newfs.org.

  • Thursday, August 18, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Late Season Container Gardening

    Get past the potted chrysanthemum and a pumpkin for your front porch this fall. With summer winding down, it’s time to jazz up those tired container plantings you’ve been watering since June. Discover native plants that carry color, texture and form into the fall and learn tips on design, maintenance and over-wintering. Then assemble and plant your own container under the instructor’s guidance. BYOC–bring your own container. Containers and plants available at a discount for New England Wild Flower Society class participants that day, Thursday, August 18 from 10 – 12 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Class fee includes potting mix, fertilizer and mulch. The instructor is Dan Jaffe, and the fee for NEWFS members is $30, $36 for nonmembers. Visit www.newfs.org to register.  The “instant autumn garden” photo below, by Jennifer Martiné,  is taken from Sunset Magazine, a terrific source for garden articles of interest.

  • Saturday, August 27, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Introduction to Seed Saving

    Learn the basics of harvesting, processing, cleaning, and storing a wide spectrum of native plant seeds in this hands-on workshop, to be held at Nasami Farm in Whately, Massachusetts on Saturday, August 27, from 9 – 1, sponsored by The New England Wild Flower Society. Instructor Kate Pawling starts with a discussion about the timing of collection, plant identification, determining ripeness, harvesting methods, processing techniques, and proper storage to maintain seed viability. Then venture out into the Nasami Farm Sanctuary for some botanizing and seed collection. Return indoors where we try our hands at cleaning and processing various types of seeds. Bring home the seeds that you clean, and learn first hand the tremendous benefits that seed-saving brings to the willing gardener. Fee: $54 (Member) / $65 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

  • Saturday, June 4, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm – Graceful Gardens of New Hampshire

    Three enticing gardens open their gates to the New England Wild Flower Society for a late spring visit in the Sunapee Valley region of New Hampshire. Glenn Irick, landscape designer, leads a tour of “Happy Landings” a magnificent bucolic property surrounding an 1830s colonial style house, with sweeping pastoral views of wetlands, woodlands and Mt. Kearsarge. Eclectic gardens include foundation plantings, pool, and outer gardens with rhododendrons, mountain laurels, viburnums, dogwoods, spirea, clethra, and blueberry, to name a few. Large magnolias, an old craggy apple near the pool, and mature sugar maples at the original front door are all noteworthy specimens. Varietal diversity and spectacular views are strong factors on this lovely site.

    The abundance of showy native woodland species naturally occurring at the Hewitt property in New London are the inspiration for this award-winning garden with its winding stone-lined paths and distinctive alpine habitats. At least 20 species listed as threatened, endangered or of special concern may be seen. A northeast-facing slope is home to a rockery with dwarf and miniature conifers, dwarf northern mountain rhododendron, 5 species of low-growing willows and other rock garden plants. All garden and field work is done exclusively by the owners. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the property.

    At the last garden, extensive native plantings along the long wooded driveway connect to a cutting garden of 6 raised beds and a large shade garden with Actaea, Anemone nemorosa ‘Vindiflora’ (pictured below,) Anemonella, Thalictroides, Dicentra, Disporum, Dodecatheon meadia, Jeffersonia, Polygonatum ‘Variegatum’, Tiarella, and Trillium. This leads to a small shade garden of dwarf perennials near the terrace before you encounter more native plants along the lakeshore. Each area is interspersed with several large, whimsical frog sculptures.  This event, taking place Saturday, June 4 from 10:30 – 3:30, will be led by Thelma Hewett and will cost $55 for NEWFS members, and $62 for non-members.  Sign up at www.newfs.org.

  • Friday, May 6, 5:30 pm – Invertebrates on Plants: Identifying Galls, Mines, Leaf-ties, and Other Signs in a New Field Guide

    Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney, authors of Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates, will conduct a special session for the New England Botanical Club on Friday, May 6, beginning at 5:30 pm at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts, on the topic Invertebrates on Plants: Identifying Galls, Mines, Leaf-ties, and Other Signs in a New Field Guide. For more information, log on to www.rhodora.org.

  • Sunday, April 17, 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Invasives: ID, Ecology, and Control

    Get a head start on invasive control this year by learning to identify invasives in the early season. This New England Wild Flower Society course, co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, provides an introduction to about 40 of the most common invasive non-native plants in our local landscapes. Through lecture, discussion, power-point presentation, herbarium specimens, and a walk outside at Garden in the Woods in Framinham, become familiar with identification clues as well as the habits of a number of these plants that are so disruptive of natural ecosystems. Discuss management techniques for many of these species, on both a home and a landscape scale. The “Invaders” issue of the Society’s magazine as well as the Field Guide to Invasive Plants in Massachusetts will be available for purchase at a discount.  The session will take place Sunday, April 17 from 12:30 – 4:30, and will cost $48 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $58 for non-members.  Register online at www.newfs.org.

  • Saturday, April 16, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Vernal Pool Ecology

    During the end of the last ice age, retreating glaciers carved some of New England’s most unique habitats, vernal pools. These ephemeral bodies of water harbor an array of plants, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife. Mark D. Cooperman begins this Saturday, April 16 New England Wild Flower Society workshop with an introduction to the geology and ecology of these pools. He will discuss the natural history of the organisms inhabiting them, devoting particular attention to those that rely upon vernal pools for successful reproduction. The afternoon session at Garden in the Woods in Framingham brings us into the field where we take a first hand look at the Garden’s Lost Pond, a classic woodland vernal pool. Bring a lunch and rubber boots. $60 for NEWFS members, $72 for non-members. Register on line at www.newfs.org. Photo of the Lost Pond by Andrew Watson.

  • Tuesday, April 5, 10:00 am – Rain Gardens: Beautiful Water-Saving, Wildlife-Friendly Gardens

    The April meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay will be held Tuesday, April 5, beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, and will feature Dori Smith of Gardens for Life speaking on Water Gardens: Beautiful Water-Saving, Wildlife-Friendly Gardens. Would you like to help protect our precious water resources, while at the same time creating lush, beautiful gardens that attract birds and butterflies?  Rain gardens take advantage of our natural abundance of rainfall rather than wasting it as runoff – using water flowing from your roof, driveway, or lawn.  These gardens are easy care, and can often solve problems such as erosion, icy walkways, or wet basements.  Using inspirational PowerPoint slides, we will review design options, construction details, and appropriate native plants.  Attendees are welcome to bring photos or descriptions of their own landscapes to use as case studies.

    Trained in design and horticulture, with a certificate from Tower Hill Botanic Garden “New England School of Gardening” and an advanced certificate in native plants from New England Wildflower Society, Dori is a member of the NEWFS Educational Committee, and is accredited as an Organic Land Care Professional by Northeast Organic Farming Association.  She has installed over 15 rain gardens in Boston’s western suburbs, and has published in the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Sanctuary Magazine.

    An optional lunch will follow the presentation.  The lecture is free and open to the public, but reservations are essential.  Lunch will cost an additional $20 for Garden Club  members, $25 for guests, and reservations may be made by emailing info@bostonflora.com before Tuesday, March 29.  Garden Club members will receive written notice of this meeting.

    http://www.goodnaturepublishing.com/images/Raingarden.jpg

  • Thursday, April 14, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Wild Foods, Nutrition, and Land Conservation

    Land conservation has many obvious benefits — protecting habitats and watersheds, preventing erosion, offering places of beauty and respite. Few of us consider the additional benefit to our health and well-being that derives from the wild, nutrient-dense foods these natural areas can provide. Take a provocative look at agriculture (particularly small-scale) and its effects on the environment and human health in this Thursday, April 14 lecture by Arthur Haines at Garden in the Woods, Framingham, co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and the Massachusetts Audubon Society, Drumlin Farm. How does clearing the canopy and understory of a natural area affect wild food sources? Do changes in our diet over the past century have a physiological and genetic impact? Appreciating the critical need humans have for wild food provides another powerful argument for the protection of land from uses that drastically alter its ecological function. $20 for members of the sponsoring organizations, $24 for non-members.  Register at www.newfs.org.

  • Thursday, February 17, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Winter Garden Design

    Winter in cold climates drives most gardeners indoors, but with winter garden design tips, the view out the window can be spectacular. Winter interest can be achieved through a wide palate of architectural plants that persist through winter. The New England Wildflower Society staff will expand our considerations beyond evergreens to include the form of many deciduous trees and shrubs, grasses, and a few perennials that remain attractive throughout winter. Co-sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association and NEWFS, the February 17 event, which will take place from 1:30 – 4 at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, will cost $20 for ELA and NEWFS members, $25 for non members. To register, log on to www.ecolandscaping.com.  Image below from www.theartistichouse.com.