Boston Flora

Tag: North American Rock Garden Society

  • Thursday, December 4, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – The History of Holiday Plants, Online

    The history of holiday plants and flowers is as surprising as it is delightful—filled with curious facts, ancient traditions, and a fair share of horticultural myths. Ever wonder why holly and ivy, poinsettias, or mistletoe became staples of seasonal décor and song? This lively online American Horticultural Society talk on December 4 at 7 pm Eastern explores the legends and origins behind the plants we associate with winter celebrations, tracing their roots from pagan rituals and Victorian customs to mid-century greeting cards and modern commercial trends. With humor and insight, Matt Mattus unpacks the often-overlooked stories behind everything from seaweed garlands to seashell ornaments, revealing how superstition, vintage imagery, and even the craft aisle at Michaels have influenced our festive traditions. You’ll leave not only entertained and informed, but also inspired with fresh ideas for reimagining your own holiday decorating this season. $15 for AHS members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://ahsgardening.org/ahs-live-the-history-of-holiday-plants/

    Matt Mattus is the Senior Director of Horticulture at the American Horticultural Society and a leading voice in the world of gardening. He previously served as Vice President of the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and as President of the North American Rock Garden Society. A widely published author and contributor, his writing appears in top gardening magazines, and he is the author of two acclaimed books: Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening and Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening.

  • Saturday, September 24, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Plant Breeding in the Home Garden

    It’s the holy grail of gardening: a plant that perfectly matches your tastes and the conditions in your garden. The hitch? You’re not likely to find it at your local garden center. You’re going to have to create it yourself. But don’t worry—it isn’t hard. After all, gardeners have been doing it for centuries, simply by saving seeds of the varieties that tasted or performed best. This Berkshire Botanical Garden talk on Saturday, September 24, co-sponsored with the Berkshire Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, will get you started with the basics of how to produce a new variety of hosta, a tomato perfect for your palette (or climate), a pepper with just the right amount of heat, or a more fragrant rose!

    Part of a new generation of gardeners, Joseph Tchonievich earned his B.S. in horticulture from Ohio State University, went on to work for Shibamichi Honten Nursery in Saitama, Japan, and wrote a book, Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener, spent two years working at the famed rare plants nursery, Arrowhead Alpines, and was named by Organic Gardening magazine as one of “six young horticulturists who are helping to shape how America gardens.” BBG members $20, nonmembers $25. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, August 6, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Epimediums: Not Just a Ground Cover

    Known by many as the ultimate groundcover for dry shade, the increased availability of the useful genus epimedium is expanding its role in the garden. The delicate beauty that these plants and their flowers possess belies their surprisingly tough, long-lasting nature and their ability to perform in the ornamental shade border. As Karen Perkins shares the history and culture of this up-and-coming genus, from its growth habit and propagation to management of pests and diseases and possible planting combinations, attendees will be inspired to experiment with the ever increasing selection of these shade-loving plants. Plants will also be available for sale after the talk. The event, co-sponsored by the Berkshire Botanical Garden and the Berkshire Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, will take place Saturday, August 6 at the BBG. Sponsor members $15, nonmembers $20. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    Karen Perkins is owner of Garden Vision Epimediums, a mail-order nursery offering 160 species and varieties of epimedium along with other choice shade perennials. She lectures frequently at botanic gardens throughout New England.

  • Sunday, October 4, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Learning from the Wild and The Rock Garden

    The secret to growing challenging plants in the garden is to understand and to accommodate their adaptations to conditions in the wild. In this talk, Peter Korn discusses in what ways plants are adapted to specific natural environments: deserts, steppes, forests, mountains and more, and shows how these adaptations can be accommodated in the garden, using a mix of photos from nature and from his own garden. The program takes place at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on Sunday, October 4, from 11 – 12:30. Free with admission to the Garden.

    Then, from 1:30 – 3:00, Peter returns with a talk about the design and construction of rock gardens, and the cultivation of rock-garden plants. Rock gardens can be successful in almost any environment; the secret to success lies in choosing appropriate plants for your conditions as well as, to the degree possible, tailoring your conditions to the plants you want to grow. Depending on your skills and circumstances, these may range from desert plants through small temperate-zone plants to the most demanding alpines. Illustrated primarily with photos from Peter’s extensive and amazing gardens.

    Presented by the New England chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society, www.nargs.org.

  • Tuesdays, January 6 – 27, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Botany for Gardeners

    This is a Berkshire Botanical Garden beginning course in plant anatomy and physiology that covers a wide range of topics. The relationship between structure and function of seeds, roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits will be addressed. An understanding of how plants grow and respond to their environment is fundamental to the successful planting and cultivation of this enormous class of organisms. The series of classes, to be held Tuesdays, January 6 – 27 at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, can be taken as a core requirement for the Horticulture Certificate Level I program, or each session may be taken as an individual class.

    Instructor – Joyce Hemingson, Ph.D. earned her degree in Botany from the University of Connecticut on the pollination biology of Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush). She worked for many years as Director of Publications for White Flower Farm, located in Litchfield, CT. She is an active gardener and a longtime member of the North American Rock Garden Society. $165.  To register, call Berkshire Community College at 413-236-2127, or BBG at 413-298-3926.  Image from www.kulabotanicalgarden.com.

  • Saturday, September 28, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Fall & Winter Bloom in the Solar Greenhouse, Unheated Glassed-In Porch, or Spare Bedroom

    Do you want the sights and smells of flowers in winter, but rising fuel costs seem to put a greenhouse out of reach? The solution—the subject of this Berkshire Botanical Garden class—is to go solar! You will learn the basic elements of a solar greenhouse, how to optimize greenhouse performance, how to operate month by month in response to the weather and how to choose plants that are growable and rewarding. The class will take place Saturday, September 28, from 1 – 3 in the Education Center of BBG in Stockbridge. BBG members $22, nonmembers $27. Call 413-298-3926 to register, or sign up online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    James Jones is a lifelong gardener and a member of many horticultural societies, with a particular interest in the North American Rock Garden Society, where he has been national president and chapter chair, as well as director of the Seed Exchange. He has recently published a book on his experiences using solar energy, Fall and Winter Bloom in the Solar Greenhouse. He often judges at the Boston Flower Show.  Image from www.houzz.com.

    http://st.houzz.com/simgs/9ff1fe890f076f88_4-2656/traditional-porch.jpg

  • Friday, February 25 – Sunday, February 27 – Along the Silk Road: Plants from Far and Near

    Plan now for The North American Rock Garden Society’s Western Winter Study Weekend, Friday, February 25 – Sunday, February 27, at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Avenue, Sidney, British Columbia (approximately 20 minutes north of Victoria.)  This weekend seminar, hosted by the Vancouver Island Rock & Alpine Society, will include workshops, plant sales, seed sales, displays and open gardens. The focus will be on interesting plants and  other things occurring in  and around the ancient and modern silk routes.  This is a vast area of the northern hemisphere and so should make for some very interesting presentations and discussions.   Speakers will include Stephanie Ferguson, an expert rock and crevice gardener from Calgary, Vojtech Holubec from the Czech Republic and co-author of The Caucasus and Its Flowers, John Massey, owner of Ashwood Nurseries, UK, Bill Terry, meconopsis expert and author of Blue Heaven – Encounters with the Blue Poppy, and Dr. Bobby J. Ward, botanist and author of The Plant Hunter’s Garden. For more information, visit www.virags.ca/winterstudyweekend.htm, or contact Registrar Kathy Lalli at kathylalli@hotmail.com.  You may also telephone Yvonne Rorison at 250-519-0269.