Boston Flora

Tag: NEWFS

  • Wednesdays, May 27 – June 10, 6:30 pm – 8:45 pm, and Saturdays, May 30 – June 6, 9:00 am – 1:30 pm – Native New England Shrubs

    Shrubs vary widely in size, shape, color, bark, flower, and fruit. This New England Wild Flower Society course taught by Roland “Boot” Boutwell at Garden in the Woods will introduce you to almost fifty species of native New England shrubs, emphasizing plant identification, family characteristics, and historical plant uses. Bring a hand lens to each session. Weekend sessions are held in off-site locations; directions will be provided during the first class. Dates and times: Wednesdays, May 27, June 3, 10, 6:30-8:45 p.m.; Saturdays, May 30, June 6, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. There is another Native New England Shrubs course which begins September 10. Fee is $200 for NEWFS members, $250 for nonmembers. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/native-new-england-shrubs-1. Image of elderberry bush from www.nativeplantwildlifegarden.com.

  • Tuesday, May 19, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Eco-Gardening Tour in Sudbury

    Learn eco-friendly gardening techniques that will help your garden to thrive. On Tuesday, May 19 from 6 – 7:30 in the evening, join The New England Wild Flower Society and Alicia Coleman on a tour of the gardens of Wolbach Farm, a beautiful 54-acre greenspace along the Sudbury River. We’ll see rain, butterfly, and bird gardens and discuss the use of rain barrels and composting as well as ways to incorporate native plants into your own property. $12 for NEWFS members, $20 for nonmembers. Please note that registration is through Sudbury Valley Trustees, http://www.sudburyvalleytrustees.org/events-calendar/eco-gardening.

  • Sunday, May 17, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Wachusett Mountain Spring Hike

    Join Amanda Weise and the New England Wild Flower Society on Sunday, May 17 from 10 – 2 on a spring hike to the summit of Mount Wachusett. The mountain rises more than 2,000 feet above the surrounding forest, and on a clear day, visitors to the summit can see Mount Monadnock to the north, the Berkshires to the west, and the Boston skyline to the east. We’ll explore the old-growth forest along the Semuhenna Trail ravine, a perched bog just south of the mountain’s summit, and rich mesic slopes along the Jack Frost Trail. The trails are fairly steep. Bring a bag lunch, water, and your favorite field guides. Register online at http://www.newfs.org/learn/our-programs/wachusett-mountain-state-reservation. $36 for NEWFS members, $44 for nonmembers.  Picture from www.newenglandtrailreview.com.

  • Thursday, March 19, Saturday, March 21, and Monday, March 23 – New England Wild Flower Society Volunteer Training Days

    The New England Wild Flower Society is looking for volunteers for the 2015 spring/summer season. Volunteering is an opportunity to enjoy nature, develop new skills, and make new friends.

    Volunteer opportunities range from guiding to gardening to office work and plant conservation. Currently, NEWFS is seeking dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to join the Garden Guide program, touring children and adults through Garden in the Woods. The Society is looking for friendly and outgoing volunteers who want to educate others on the beauty and importance of native plants.

    Garden Guides lead both scheduled and informal drop-in tours during the Garden’s open season, from April 12 to October 31. Adult Guides may lead just weekday tours or just weekend tours, or they may sign-up to do both. Children’s Guides lead tours only during the week. Guide Training is provided, and begins on March 19 for Children’s Garden Guides, on March 21 for Weekend Adult Garden Guides, and on March 23 for Weekday Adult Guides.

    Guides enjoy opportunities to learn, to grow as individuals, to share with others who have similar interests, to enjoy a beautiful setting, and to contribute to the cause of native plant conservation. Special programs are offered free to volunteers such as garden tours, lectures, workshops, and brown-bag lunches.

    If you are interested in becoming a Garden Guide, or have an interest in our other volunteer opportunities, please contact the Director of Public Programs, education@newenglandwild.org, 508-877-7630 ext. 3302.

  • Friday, October 3, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Native Plants, Native Brews, Native Talent

    Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham, is the 45-acre botanical garden of New England Wild Flower Society, America’s oldest plant conservation organization, and boasts over 1,000 native plant species on display including 150 rare and endangered species.

    Native plants are a riot of color in autumn and there is no better place to see them in a mature garden setting than at Garden in the Woods.

    Join the Ecological Landscaping Alliance on Friday, October 3, from 5:30 – 8 for this unique opportunity to enjoy the fall foliage of native plants while reconnecting with native talent (colleagues) and sharing your favorite native brew. Bring a couple of your favorite native brews to this BYO & S (Bring Your Own and Swap) gathering for a twilight tour that is sure to sell out.  $25 for NEWFS and ELA members, $30 for nonmembers.

    Native brew soft-drinks will be provided.  Image from www.nourishedkitchen.com.

    Mark Richardson is the Horticulture Director at New England Wild Flower Society and oversees the Society’s botanic garden, Garden in the Woods, and its native plant nursery operation, Nasami Farm. Mark studied ornamental horticulture at University of Rhode Island while helping to run a mid-sized ornamental plant nursery before finding his true passion in public horticulture. He led undergraduate programs at Longwood Gardens, where he overhauled the curriculum of the Professional Gardener Program, and oversaw adult education at Brookside Gardens. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program.
    – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/native-plants-native-brews-native-talent/#sthash.hmZp64LC.dpuf.

  • Sunday, September 28, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Wild Edibles Talk and Walk

    From the woods to the meadows to our gardens, wild edibles are all around us. Join Dan Jaffe at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, September 28 from 1 – 3 for a comprehensive look at the wild plants that can fill your belly. With a focus on tasty species, this course will cover finding edibles in the wild as well as growing them in your own garden. Questions on sustainability and conservation of rare edible species will also be addressed. Co-sponsored with the New England Wild Flower Society.  $20 for members of one of the sponsoring organizations, $30 for nonmembers.  Photo from www.nativeplantwildlifegarden.com. Register on line at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Wednesday, September 17, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Go Botany!

    Elizabeth Farnsworth, Senior Research Ecologist for the New England Wild Flower Society, demonstrates exciting new tools for plant identification. Go Botany is the NEWFS’s new website that teaches botany and plant identification. This resource serves as a field guide to help you identify and learn about 1,200 of the most common native and naturalized plants of New England. Imagine identifying plants in the field with your iPad or smartphone!

    This flexible and user-friendly tool helps you identify species based on whichever portions of the plant (leaves, flowers, winter buds, bark, etc.) you are able to observe at any given time of year. Once you identify the plant, you can see a wealth of information about it, including gorgeous color photographs, maps of its geographic range, diagnostic characteristics, and memorable facts. Go Botany is optimized for both desktop and tablet computers, so you can use it anywhere you have a web connection. Dr. Farnsworth is one of New England’s great botanists and Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora.

    This talk kicks off The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2014-2015 meeting schedule, centered around Technology and the Garden.  The event will take place Wednesday, September 17 beginning at 10 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston.  Club members will receive written notification of the meeting.  Guests are welcome – if you are not a GCBB member, please email info@bostonflora.com to register.  A suggested $5 contribution is requested for non-members.

  • Sunday, April 6, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Tick-borne Disease: Awareness, Prevention and Treatment

    The Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wild Flower Society will co-sponsor Tick-borne Disease: Awareness, Prevention, and Treatment, on Sunday, April 6, from 1 – 3:30 pm at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.

    Lyme and other tick-born diseases are increasing each year and expanding northward. People who work in and enjoy gardens and wild areas are at high risk for exposure, as are their families and pets.  This panel discusses the latest research on changes in climate, habitat, and predators that affect the distribution of ticks and diseases; tick life cycles and disease hosts; and infection-prevention methods such as improved landscape practices and personal protection.

    The panel will also cover what to do if bitten, including tick removal, disease symptoms, accurate diagnosis, and treatment options.  It will explain the scope of the public health emergency: epidemiology, legal issues, and available resources.  Attendees will come away empowered with preventative strategies and knowledge of treatment options.  Please bring questions.

    Instructor Jeanne Hubbuch, MD, is a family practice physician in Newton, with experience in acute and chronic Lyme and other tick infections.  She will focus on treatment of Lyme disease, including the latest research results, and will discuss lifestyle and stress reduction for treatment and recovery.  Alan Geise, Professor of Biology at Lyndon State College, Vermont, and researcher into the rise of tick populations and disease, will highlight the environmental issues involved.  Dori Smith, M.Ed., owner of Gardens for Life in Acton, is a writer and educator in recovery from Lyme disease.  She will discuss landscape management and personal prevention, as well as the public health issues.

    $20 for ELA or NEWFS members, $25 for nonmembers.  Refreshments will be served.  Register by calling 617-436-5838 or visit https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010933.

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  • Saturday, April 19, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Northern Gardening Symposium

    Three dynamic speakers will explore natural gardening practices, landscaping with native plants, and the use of native plants to promote healthy living for generations to come, at the Northern Gardening Symposium to be held Saturday, April 19, from 9 – 3 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont.

    You will hear Miriam Goldberger, founder and co-owner of Wildflower Farm, speak on Taming Wildflowers: From Seed to Vase, A Celebration, Guide, and Users’ Manual. The book Taming Wildflowers: Bringing the Beauty and Splendor of Nature’s Blooms into Your Own Backyard is a seductive celebration of wildflowers featuring lush photos from the author’s one-hundred-acre flower farm. Both practical and inspirational, this lively workshop teaches attendees how to grow hardy perennial wildflowers from seed, identify wildflower seedlings, incorporate wildflowers into gardens, garden to support pollinators, and harvest flowers.

    Dan Jaffe, Propagator and Stock Bed Grower for New England Wild Flower Society, will present Design-less Gardening: A Naturalistic Approach. Disregard traditional design rules and adopt a new approach to garden design. Look to nature for your inspiration. What clues can you take from your landscape to help you provide the right plant for the right place? Learn to evaluate sunlight, moisture, soil, and other factors to create a successful garden that does not require many inputs in the way of watering, fertilizing, or extra coddling on your part. Learn to create a low-maintenance garden that actively supports the environment and provides beauty for both people and pollinators.

    Finally, Uli Lorimer, Curator of the Native Flora Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, explains how the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Expands its Native Plant Collection. Uli Lorimer explains how Brooklyn Botanic Garden has expanded its century-old native plant collection to serve important conservation and educational goals. The expansion sets a new benchmark for native plant displays. As the tree canopy has matured over the last one hundred years, sun-loving communities such as grasslands, serpentine and pine barren plants have suffered. The expansion reintroduces these plant communities with strict parameters. 150 new species have been added to the collection with nearly 30 species of conservation concern.

    The event fee is $47 for New England Wild Flower Society members, $53 for nonmembers. Cosponsors: The Fells, Hardy Plant Club, Friends of the Hort Farm, Vermont Master Gardeners. To register, call 508-877-7630 x 3303 or email lreed@newenglandwild.org.

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  • Thursday, February 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – New England Wild Flower Society Volunteer Fair

    The New England Wild Flower Society will host a Volunteer Fair on Thursday, February 20, from 10 – noon at Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham.  At the Fair, NEWFS staff will describe opportunities to work with the program staff,  the conservation department, and the philanthropy department.  Volunteers may choose from a wide variety of options, and will receive valuable training.  Enjoy the company of like-minded people and work with one of the nation’s premier botanic gardens.  Free, and refreshments will be served.  If you have questions, call 508-877-7630.

    http://www.newfs.org/images/volunteers/Volunteerpotting_Lisa_Mattei.JPG/image_preview