Boston Flora

Tag: Pacific Horticulture

  • Friday, June 2 – Saturday, June 10 – Southern France: Artists and Their Eden

    You’re invited to join Pacific Horticulture as we experience the remarkable beauty, gardens, and culture of Provence June 2 – 10 2017. We’ll visit scenic villages and local markets, and of course, savor the region’s cuisine. In addition to the magnificent natural beauty of this region, our tour offers a look at the work of renowned landscape artists and explores gardens, views and vistas that inspired the artwork of Renoir, Cezanne, van Gogh, Matisse, Chagall, Bonnard, Gauguin, and Picasso.

    Amy Larue, an American expat who lives in Paris and is married to a Frenchman, will be our guide for this tour. Amy has a deep understanding and enthusiasm for the French culture. She is an experienced guide, florist extraordininaire, and a judge for the prestigious Bagatelle rose garden trials. Space is limited to 24 guests and our tour will be escorted by Linda McKendry, experienced traveler, garden designer, and PHS board member. Image from www.roamingtravelers.wordpress.com.

    Registration for this tour is now open. For complete itinerary details and information about booking this trip click http://www.sterlingtoursltd.com/France2017.html 

  • Sunday, May 21 – Friday, May 26 – Gardens of Portland and Salem

    Join Pacific Horticulture Society in the Rose City of Portland, Oregon. Mike Darcy, host of Portland’s longest-running radio show, “In the Garden with Mike Darcy,” has arranged for exclusive access to some of the best private gardens in Portland and Salem. We will also visit the world-famous Portland Japanese Garden as well as the Lan Su Chinese Garden. Our headquarters is the Inn at Northrup Station, a charming all-suite boutique hotel conveniently located on the Portland Streetcar line, surrounded by the eclectic restaurants, cafes and boutiques of Northwest Portland. For complete itinerary details visit http://www.sterlingtoursltd.com/Portland2017.html. The tour is currently sold out but WAITING LIST is available.

  • Friday, October 28 – Thursday, November 3 – San Miguel de Allende

    Join Pacific Horticulture on October 28 – November 3 as they tour the artistic, cultural, and horticultural riches of San Miguel de Allende timed to include Dia de Muertos celebrations and street festivals. Past tours, which include visits to local public and private gardens, historical points of interest, and venturing out to surrounding villages and towns as well, have sold out quickly.

    San Miguel is located in the far eastern part of the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico and has long been a destination for artistic and creative people from all over the world. Famous for its well-preserved historic center filled with buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, both San Miguel and the nearby Sanctuary of Atotonilco are designated World Heritage Sites. Discover the historic beauty and modern flair for the dramatic that is the hallmark of this charming city. Come with us and experience this one-of-a-kind location filled with color and a vibrant, artistic lifestyle. For complete itinerary, pricing, and registration visit: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/tours/san-miguel-de-allende/#sthash.6hAkiOov.dpuf

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  • Monday, January 11, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Webinar: Garden Allies – The Art and Science of Conservation Biological Control

    Conservation biological control is the practice of designing and managing habitat that supports beneficial insects that regulate pests, while reducing or even eliminating the need for pesticides in landscapes. While many of the same flowering plants that attract pollinating bees also attract insects that attack common pests, effective conservation biological control requires a holistic approach to design that includes far more than simply growing the right flowers. Learn how to merge the principles of garden design and basic ecology to successfully influence the community of beneficial insects that keep pest insects at bay. As schools, parks, and other public areas increasingly ban the use of pesticides, conservation biological control is gaining visibility as an ideal tool for insect management. Geared to landscape professionals, this webinar, to be given Monday, January 11 from 1 – 2 EST introduces tools for design and maintenance, and provides resources for further study.

    Frederique Lavoipierre serves as the Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, where the focus is on California native plants. She holds a Master’s degree in Biology from Sonoma State University, with an emphasis on sustainable landscape practices and conservation biological control. Frederique Lavoipierre was the founding director of the professional certificate program in sustainable landscaping at Sonoma State University, and founded and operated one of the first certified organic nurseries in California. She is the author of Garden Allies, a series for Pacific Horticulture magazine, completing its 9th year of publication, and has published in Public Gardens, Bay Nature, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others. Frederique has extensive teaching experience in wilderness, garden and classroom settings. – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-garden-allies-the-art-and-science-of-conservation-biological-control/#sthash.5AWAJV7c.dpuf. Free for Ecological Landscape Alliance members, $10 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, July 2 – Monday, July 11 – The Gardens of Iceland

    Nature lovers grab your binoculars and cameras and come explore Iceland with the Pacific Horticulture Society July 2 – 11, 2016! This trip is an introduction to the magical island country of Iceland with its astonishing natural phenomena, Viking history, arctic plants, wildlife, and creative ecologically conscious populace.

    Iceland has captured people’s imagination since Jules Verne first wrote Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1871 and today more visitors than ever travel there. Its second largest city, Akureyri, was just named the #1 European destination by Lonely Planet travel guides.

    Icelanders pride themselves on their geography and you’ll learn why as you experience dramatic waterfalls and fjords, high sky countryside, glaciers and geysers, and birds of all types. You’ll visit a cliffside puffin rookery that extends almost 7 miles with birds so tame you can almost pick them up with your bare hands.

    You’ll learn about the native plant collection at the botanical garden in Akureyri just 30 miles from the Arctic Circle. This outstanding garden also boasts a large collection of introduced plants that are carefully watched to see how they handle Iceland’s long-day summers and dark winters. And you’ll see examples of sod-thatched homes dating back to early European roots.

    With more landscape architects per capita than any other European nation, Iceland’s buildings and landscape reflect both aesthetic ingenuity and a strong sense of sustainability—water tanks in one Reykjavik building hold a million gallons of geothermally heated water.

    Join us with Icelandic naturalist Siggi Tomasson to experience this country’s majesty and beauty first hand. Visit www.pacifichorticulture.org for complete details.

  • Monday, April 4 – Monday, April 11 – The Gardens of Charleston/Savannah

    Visit lovely Charleston with the Pacific Horticulture Society April 4 – 11, 2016, and step back in time to a world of colonial mansions, antebellum homes, and peaceful public squares shaded by ancient live oaks.

    You’ll also explore Savannah, which has our country’s largest historic district. The city is built around gorgeous squares of live oaks dripping with Spanish moss and azaleas, ringed by Southern mansions. Your Savannah walking tour features the homes and gardens found in the popular book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

    Your visit is timed for peak bloom of magnolia, daffodil, iris, camellia, early azalea and rose, flowering fruit tree, and so much more.

    You will have exclusive access to private gardens not open to the public in both Charleston and Savannah and enjoy a private lunch in lovely Beaufort, hosted by the white-gloved ladies of the Beaufort Historical Society. For complete information visit www.pacifichorticulture.org.

  • Wednesday, March 23 – Thursday, March 31 – Costa Rica

    Join Pacific Horticulture March 23 – 31, 2016 as we explore this jewel of the neotropics. Situated at the southern end of Central America, Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity is a concentration of the plants, birds, and animals from both Central and South America.

    You’ll encounter a variety of microclimates including cloud forest, sub-tropical montane forest, dense riparian jungle, and lush rain forest habitats all the while learning about the remarkable flora and fauna of each region including orchids, heliconias, bromeliads, and ferns.

    You’ll visit well-recognized destinations such as such as the Nectandra Cloud Forest (pictured) and the Las Cruces Biological Station with its 800 butterfly species and 400 native and migratory bird species.

    Our tour includes major public gardens that you’d expect to enjoy on a trip to Costa Rica as well as private reserves and gardens not found on most. These include spectacular orchid collections, tropical plants thriving along the humid Caribbean coast, and a butterfly “farm.”

    Many different species of trees can be seen in the high altitude forests of Cerro de la Muerte mountain, which is also considered a bird watcher’s paradise with fairly common sightings of the iconic Resplendent Quetzal, Emerald Toucanettes, and hummingbirds.

    You’ll stay in metropolitan San Jose for a short portion of your trip, in cabins at the Las Cruces Reserve and the Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve and Spa the balance, letting you experience this progressive country at its finest. For more information visit www.pacifichorticulture.org.

  • Saturday, April 18 – Saturday, May 2 – The Sikkim & Darjeeling Himalayas: Landscapes and Flora

    Travel with Pacific Horticulture Society April 18 – May 2, 2015 to the far north of India where the spectacular scenery and cooler climate of the hill country first beckoned early British travelers. At 6,000 feet Darjeeling and Changtok cling to hilltops with views of the Himalayan Mountains beckoning around every turn of the road. Sikkim, an Indian state, is bordered by Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. – See more at: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/tours/the-sikkim-darjeeling-himalayas/#sthash.Ra9Wjnr9.dpuf.

    Itinerary includes:

    Makaibari Tea Estates where tea is produced within an integrated forest management system.
    Lloyd Botanic Garden in Darjeeling featuring indigenous Himalayan plants, alpine plants and ferns, and plants and trees from China, Japan, and beyond as well as traditional British style glass conservatories housing many of the garden’s extensive orchid collections.
    A trip on the nearly hundred-year old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway providing a breathtaking view of neighboring cities from the narrow-gauge tracks that cling to the hillsides and a chance to experience life as it’s been since the 1800s.
    Yumthang, the “valley of flowers,” and the site of the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary.

    Other stops on this 15-day tour provide insight into the people of this high country who call this area of the world their home and include visits to cultural, historic, and craft centers in Darjeeling, Changtok, and Kalimpong. PHS Board member Paul Graves will accompany the trip.

  • Monday, June 15 – Friday, June 26 – France

    Join Pacific Horticulture for an adventure through beautiful countryside, stunning chateaus, and sumptuous gardens of France, June 15 – 26, 2015. You’ll explore Normandy, Picardy, and the Loire Valley taking in botanical and historical treasures along with fine food and wine.

    Linda McKendry, PHS board member, will escort this tour.  Visit Rouen for four nights, visiting the Arboretum d’Harcourt, Giverny, the Jardins d’Angelique, Princess Sturdza’s iconic Vasterival Garden, and the Gardens Agapanthe.  In Tours, you will spend time over four days at the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire, the Chateau Chenonceau, Le Jardin du Plessis-Sasnieres, Chateau du Rivau’s Rose Gardens (pictured) and Fairytale Gardens, the Chateau de la Bourdaisiere park, and Villandry. On to Chantilly, to the Chateau de Courances organic fruit and vegetable garden and park, the Chantilly Castle and Park, the Conde Museum and Museum of the Horse.  A complete, mouthwatering itinerary may be found at http://www.sterlingtoursltd.com/France2015.html. The cost is approximately $5,000 per person.

  • December 4 – 15, 2014, or February 5 – 16, 2015 – Discover Cuba!

    WAITING LIST ONLY for the December trip, reservations available for the February trip. Pacific Horticulture Society has just renewed its People-to-People US travel license to Cuba granting permission to take friends and members on what promises to be a rich cultural journey with a botanical slant. Our itinerary includes Havana, Zapata National Park— the finest wetland in the Caribbean with over 900 indigenous plant species and 175 unique birds, the city of Cienfuegos—”pearl of the south” and home of the former Harvard Botanic Garden, the Sierra del Escambray Mountains, and the World Heritage City of Trinidad.

    Throughout our journey, there will be a special emphasis on meeting the people of Cuba: botanists, environmentalists, teachers, scientists, students, and national park personnel.

    Steve Gerischer, PHS board member, will escort the December tour, and Josh Schechtel will escort the February tour. See more at: http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/tours/discover-cuba-3/#sthash.PzQGZOEJ.dpuf.