Boston Flora

Tag: Plant Material

  • Wednesday, December 1, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

    Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week (a detail of one of our wreaths is seen below)  by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 1, from 1 – 3 pm.

    Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, January 30, 9 am – 4 pm – Grafting Techniques for Ornamental Trees

    Join Plant Propagator Jack Alexander at the Dana Greenhouses at the Arnold Arboretum on Saturday, January 30 at 9 am for this day long workshop sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum. Grafting is the technique of joining parts of plants in such a manner that they unite and continue their growth as one plant. It is sometimes the most practical propagation method for the hobbyist, since it does not require special conditions or equipment. This workshop will teach methods of grafting and offer practice in making graft unions from actual plant material. You will graft both deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The plants may include two- or five-needled pines and crabapples. (Simple aftercare will be required until planting out in late spring.) If you own pruning shears or a grafting knife, please bring them to class. You must sign an assumption-of-risk-and-release form in order to practice the techniques taught in class (yes, you can cut yourself if you’re not careful!)
    Fee $90  Arboretum member, $110 nonmember.  To register, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/images/bud-grafting.jpg

  • Wednesday, December 2, 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Designing an Ecological Home and Landscape

    Join Marie Stella and Aran Byrnes to explore the process of creating an ecological and sustainable home and landscape that features environmental awareness, reduced energy consumption, sustainability, and innovative uses of plant material.
    Marie and Aran will introduce us to Beaver Lodge, Marie’s LEED platinum certified home and teaching facility, and invite us to explore the process of building an energy efficient, sustainable home and integrating it with a responsibly managed landscape.
    They will highlight the ecological elements of Beaver Lodge such as rain gardens, buffer zones, a vegetated roof, and green architecture. This presentation will motivate and encourage us to blend landscape, art, and technology for a more sustainable future.  Sponsored by the Ecological Landscaping Association, www.ecolandscaping.org, the program will take place in Nordic Hall (below) at the Scandinavian Living Center, 206 Waltham Street, West Newton, Massachusetts.  Cost is $20 for ELA Members, $25 for non-members.

    Use This Link to Register Online Now

    Walk-ins Also Welcome!

    http://www.scandinaviancharitable.com/aimages/slc-entrance_1146568747.jpg

  • Wednesday, December 2, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Wreaths from the Wild

    Get ready for the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s annual wreath making week by trekking out to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge for this hands on workshop on Wednesday, December 2, from 1 – 3 pm.

    Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations. Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss. Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath. Take it home and the knowledge to create wreaths for holidays to come. Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. The cost of this workshop is $40 for BBG members, $45 for non members, and the materials are included in the cost of the class.  Bring pruners and gloves.  To register, or for more information, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.
    http://www.anthonyschristmastrees.com/images/lg_traditional_22.jpg

  • Saturday, November 14, 12:30 – 2:30 pm – Taking Cuttings: Propagating Your Own Woody Plants

    Back at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts by popular demand! Join woody plant specialist Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery on Saturday, November 14, from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm,  for a workshop focused on hardwood and evergreen propagation. This workshop will cover how to collect, prepare and propagate evergreens and other woody plants by cuttings. Set at the best time of the year for collecting, participants will learn techniques needed for insuring successful rooting. Cultivation requirements, timing and care of easily propagated varieties will be covered. Take home a selection of unusual deciduous and evergreen plant material in a simple propagator to grow on. Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, Ct. a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants. He teaches wood plant propagation workshops throughout New England. This workshop is limited to 20 participants, and costs $40 for BBG members and $45 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/images/dj_yard.jpg

  • Thursday, October 1, 1:30 – 3:00 pm – Glorious Autumn Pot

    Betsy Williams of The Proper Season in Andover will help you plant a pot that captures the glory of autumn in New England during this workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA.  Summer may be over but there are at least two, sometimes three, months of growing season left.  Fill a 12″ pot with brilliant mums, richly colored kales, a miniature evergreen tree, English ivy, and other hardy plant material.  With proper care, your pot will brighten your doorway or patio through November and your evergreen tree will live for many years.  Be sure to bring an apron and floral or garden scissors to class.  Register on-line ($50 for Tower Hill members, $55 for non-members) at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Wednesday, September 9, 1:00 pm – Gardening For Wildlife

    Now in its third year, the American Horticultural Society’s “webinar” program , offered exclusively to members, is a great way to learn from and interact with leading horticultural experts without having to leave home.  Past presenters include Julie Moir Messervy, Norm Lownds, and Scott Calhoun.  On Wednesday, September 9, beginning at 1 pm, Douglas Tallamy, author of the highly aclaimed Bringing Nature Home, will present “Gardening for Wildlife.”  The seminar will consist of an online slide show with the presenter’s voice streamed through your computer’s speakers, or delivered by telephone.

    Tallamy takes an obvious observation—wildlife is threatened when suburban development encroaches on once wild lands—and weds it to a novel one: that beneficial insects are being deprived of essential food resources when suburban gardeners exclusively utilize nonnative plant material. Such an imbalance, Tallamy declares, can lead to a weakened food chain that will no longer be able to support birds and other animal life. Once embraced only by members of the counterculture, the idea of gardening with native plants has been landscape design’s poor stepchild, thought to involve weeds and other plants too unattractive for pristine suburban enclaves. Not so, says Tallamy, who presents compelling arguments for aesthetically pleasing, ecologically healthy gardening. With nothing less than the future of North American biodiversity at stake, Tallamy imparts an encouraging message: it’s not too late to save the ecosystem-sustaining matrix of insects and animals, and the solution is as easy as replacing alien plants with natives. After the presentation, which lasts about an hour, the speaker will take questions from participants via a chat box.  Space is limited so registration prior to the event is required.  A high-speed Internet connection is strongly recommended for an optimum viewing experience.  For more information on registering and joining the American Horticultural Society, log on to www.ahs.org.

    Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens