Boston Flora

Tag: NEWFS

  • Tuesday, January 7, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – Irrigation Tips for Landscape Designers

    The Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wild Flower Society will co-sponsor Irrigation Tips for Landscape Designers on Tuesday, January 7, from 9 – 11 (snow date Wednesday January 8), a panel discussion lead by Theresa Sprague and Trevor Smith, at Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  $20 for ELA and NEWFS members, $25 for nonmembers.

    The goal of most irrigation systems is to produce healthy landscapes while conserving water.  For landscape designers to achieve this goal, irrigation systems need to be well designed.  This panel discussion will held you understand the basics of irrigation systems in order to improve communication with irrigation contractors.  For more information email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.  Theresa Sprague is the owner of BlueFlax Design in Mattapoisett, where she focuses on merging science with the fine art of landscape design.  She holds a Masters Degree from the Conway School of Landscape Design and is currently ELA’s Vice President.  Trevor Smith is owner of Land Escapes, a full service ecological landscaping company in the Boston area. He is currently ELA’s President.

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  • Saturday, September 21, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Wildflowers in the Fall

    A follow-up to 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 the spring wildflowers produced, and how are they dispersed? Which 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 illustrate key points, and samples for dissection and close observation. References for fruits and winter identification will be provided. Bring Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide and a 10x hand lens to Garden in the Woods in Framingham.  The course will be held Saturday, September 21, from 9:30 – 12:30, led by Dr. Neela De Zoysa, botanist and author of A Field Guide to the Common Trees and Shrubs of Sri Lanka, and costs $40 for NEWFS members, and $48 for nonmembers.  Register online at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/bot3009.

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  • Thursday, September 12, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Survey of Late Season Grasses of the Northeast

    This New England Wild Flower Society workshop on Thursday, September 12 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 about 60 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 for this higher level class. Bring a bag lunch and a good 10x to 15x hand lens. The instructor is Dennis Magee, author and environmental consultant. $77 for NEWFS members, $91 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.newfs.org/learn/catalog/bot3517.

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  • Wednesday, September 11, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Go Botany: Plant ID Tools at Your Fingertips

    Join the Ecological Landscaping Association and the New England Wild Flower Society on Wednesday, September 11, from 1 – 3 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham for a morning stroll to enjoy the fall foliage as your host Elizabeth Farnsworth 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 filed guide to help you identify and learn about 1,200 of the most common native and naturalized plants of New England.

    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.  $20 for ELA and NEWFS members, $25 for nommembers.  For more information email ela.info@comcast.net, or call 617-436-5838.  You may also register online at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010613.

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  • Sunday, August 18, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Ponkapoag Marsh

    In a boggy corner of the Blue Hills is a lovely diversity of ferns.  It is the site where Massachusetts Fern was discovered, and an excellent location for netted chain fern.  On Sunday, August 18, from 1 – 4, discover two different wood fern hybrids as well, and see how they compare with their parent species.  The New England Wild Flower Society sponsored walk will be led by Don Lubin and Ray Abair, and the fee is $28 for NEWFS members, $35 for nonmembers.  Register at www.newfs.org.  Wear long pants and bring insect repellent and a hand lens.

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  • Saturday, August 17, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm – Turkey Hill Brook Farm

    On Saturday, August 17, visit this four-acre central Massachusetts horse farm, Turkey Hill Brook Farm, landscaped as a sanctuary for farm animals, people, and wildlife. Homeowners Ellen and Robert Sousa have rehabbed their farm’s landscaping using sustainable gardening methods, removing invasive plants, and encouraging native plants to grow as food and housing for birds, pollinators, amphibians and other wildlife. The bird and butterfly borders and pond side gardens should be in full bloom. Please wear comfortable shoes – some terrain is hilly. The farm is located in Spencer, Massachusetts, and the program, sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, costs $24 for NEWFS members and $28 for nonmembers. Register at www.newfs.org.

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  • Tuesday, August 6, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Bellevue Pond

    Enjoy a summer stroll to study a wide range of wildflowers in bloom along the edge of Bellevue Pond, a beautiful site within the 2,500 acre rocky woodland known as Middlesex Fells in Medford, on Tuesday, August 6, from 10 – 2, with Roland “Boot” Boutwell, naturalist.  Then hike up Pine Hill, one of the many rocky outcrops of “fells” in the area for a panoramic view of downtown Boston.  After lunch, if there is time, hike to a small meadow area to study one more very different type of habitat.  The walk focuses on plant ID as well as fun and interesting natural history about the plants you see.  Bring lunch, a field guide or two, and a hand lens if you have one.  Sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society, the fee is $38 for NEWFS members, $46 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.newfs.org.

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  • Tuesday, June 18, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Ericaceae Family Focus

    Many different members of the Ericaceae, or heath family, thrive in New England’s acidic soils. This Arnold Arboretum class, offered with the New England Wild Flower Society and taking place at Garden in the Woods in Framingham on Tuesday, June 18, 9:30 – 12:30, begins with images and a description of the attributes of this family, including a demonstration of Go Botany to see the various genera. Along with botanist instructor Carol Govan, you will then walk outdoors to visit Garden in the Wood’s collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, cranberries, leatherleaf, dog hobble, and more, also looking for evidence of nectar thieves and buzz pollination. Fee is $40 for Arboretum and NEWFS members, $48 for nonmembers. Register on line at www.my.arboretum.harvard.edu. Crowberries below courtesy of www.digitalnaturalhistory.com.

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  • Sunday, June 2, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Spring in(to) the Garden

    Visit a diverse and abundant garden in Lincoln, Massachusetts as it comes to life in the spring. Be introduced to a variety of established native shrubs that provided cover and forage for birds in the winter. Discuss planting techniques, spring chores, and methods to divide perennials and propagate shrubs. This combination garden walk and gardening workshop sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society is set in a beautiful two-acre garden that includes a native plant woodland, a large vegetable garden and orchard, an herb garden and diverse perennial beds. No one goes home without a plant in hand! The date is Sunday, June 2, from 2 – 4, cost is $24 for NEWFS members, $28 for nonmembers, and you may sign up at www.newfs.org.  Once registered, you will be sent all pertinent address information.

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  • Thursday, June 6, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Bonsai for All

    The New England Wild Flower Society will present Dan Jaffe in a program entitled Bonsai for All on Thursday, June 6, from 10 – 1 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Create a living work of art using native plants and easy bonsai techniques. Join Dan Jaffe for a beginner’s bonsai workshop to create low maintenance, beautiful bonsai with methods that anybody can approach, regardless of past bonsai experience. While traditional bonsai gardening with high-maintenance non-native species can be very intensive, we focus on techniques that allow this practice to be available to everyone. Plants and pots are available at the Garden Shop at a discount; all other materials are included. Bring your favorite hand pruners if you have them. $46 for NEWFS members, $56 for nonmembers. Sign up at www.newfs.org. Image from www.thegiftofgivinglife.blogspot.com.

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