Boston Flora

Tag: Polly Hill Arboretum

  • Tuesday, August 9, 9:00 am – 11:00 am – Invasive Plant Mitigation Workshop

    An Invasive Plant Mitigation Workshop will take place on August 9 at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, co sponsored by the Arboretum and by The Nature Conservancy.

    Join Grounds Manager Ian Jochems to learn strategies for invasive plant and weed management at PHA that you can use in your own garden. We will cover trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants such as black locust, autumn olive, bittersweet, and garlic mustard. Attendees will be able to try out the different methods of management and each participant will leave with a management tool gift. $20 for PHA members, $35 for nonmembers.

    Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/Invasive-Plant-Mitigation

  • Wednesday, July 20, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – What’s So Special About Columbus Botanical Garden?

    The Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury will host its annual Lisina & Frank W. Hoch Memorial Lecture on July 20 at 5:30 pm. Like most public gardens across the U.S., the global pandemic drastically altered how the Columbus Botanical Garden relates to its diverse community. Adriana Quiñones, Executive Director of Columbus Botanical Garden, will share how one public garden made it through the turmoil to actually build a new garden when the world was shut down, and explore how a public garden responds to the needs of its community.

    Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/Adriana-Quiñones-Lecture

  • Wednesday, July 13, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – A Tale of Ecosystem Resilience: Cranberry Bog Restoration

    The Massachusetts cranberry industry currently faces challenges caused by overproduction and competition. Almost all Massachusetts cranberry bogs were created from former wetlands. Restoration of former bogs has the potential to expand stream and adjoining habitats, improve water quality, and provide climate resilience by removing water control structures and restoring hydrological connections. Chris Neill, Ecologist and Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, will present results from a detailed before-and-after study of a restoration project on the Coonamessett River and Childs River Bogs in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The lecture will take place at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, and is $5 for PHA members, $10 for non members.

    Registration is required. Sign up here: bit.ly/Chris-Neill-Lecture

  • Thursday, April 28, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Urban Trees: Overcoming Adversity with Tree Diversity, Online

    The lifespan of a tree planted in a typical US municipality is less than 15 years! Over the past 30 years, a ramped-up effort to plant street trees across the country has brought about a renewed effort towards the right tree, right place. The founder of Arbor Day, Joy Morton, set out to plan and plant for a more verdant, beautiful world. Polly Hill Arboretum Executive Director Tim Boland will share his story and describe how towns on-island can plan and plant in the face of climate change.

    This April 28 presentation at 5 pm Eastern time is virtual. A Zoom link will be provided after registering. $10; FREE for PHA members. Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum. Register here: https://bit.ly/Street-Trees-Webinar

  • Wednesday, February 19, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Winter Tree ID Workshop

    Learn how to confidently identify trees native to Martha’s Vineyard by their bark, twigs, needles, and fruit. Join Polly Hill Arboretum Grounds Manager and Arborist Ian Jochems for a hands-on introductory Winter Tree ID workshop on February 19 from 10 – 12. We will start in the classroom, then head into the field to look at live specimens in PHA’s native woodland behind the main campus.

    Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and bring gloves and a hat for the outside portion. All other supplies will be provided by the Arboretum. Space is limited and registration is required. $20 for Polly Hill members, $35 for nonmembres. Register here:

    bit.ly/Winter-Tree-ID

    To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, we respectfully require that you bring proof of vaccination and wear a mask for the indoor portion of the class.

  • Wednesday, June 16, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – From Nursery to Nurse Log: 30 Years of Growing and Caring for Trees in the Northeast, Online

    Chris Roddick, certified arborist and Foreman of Grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, became a lifelong learner of everything arboreal after a Scott Arboretum workshop given by a “weird old plant guy,” renowned plantsman Michael Dirr. Pulling from his 30 plus years of experience in arboriculture — shopping at nurseries, planting, pruning, and caring for veteran trees — Chris will share what he has learned by looking in-depth at a dozen tree species and discussing his successes and failures, while telling a few stories along the way. This Zoom presentation will take place June 16 at 5:30, and is sponsored by The Polly Hill Arboretum, Bartlett Tree Experts and the Dukes Conservation District. $10; FREE for PHA members. Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum and help make it possible for us to hold future affordable and free educational programs for our community. Thank you for your support! Register here: bit.ly/Chris-Roddick-Webinar

  • Tuesday, June 15, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Garden Bed Maintenance

    Need a little help with your garden beds? Join Polly Hill Arboretum Grounds Manager/Arborist Ian Jochems to learn how we maintain our garden beds at different times of the year. Ian will demonstrate how we cut bed edges, different weeding strategies, and how we make and use a variety of mulches. We will also cover some basic tool uses and plant maintenance. There will be a chance to try out tools and ask questions.

    This class will be held in person on June 15 at 1 pm at the Arboretum, 795 State Road in West Tisbury. Class sizes are limited to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, and allow for social distancing. Registration is required. $15 for PHA members, $30 for nonmembers.

    Sign up here: bit.ly/Garden-Bed-Maintenance

  • Wednesday, February 3, 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – The American Oaks: Diversity, Ecology, and Identification Webinar

    Join Tim Boland and the Ecological Landscape Alliance online on February 3 at 12:30 to understand the great diversity of oaks found throughout North America and locally in New England. Tim will paint a picture of the genus Quercus, including its fascinating evolutionary history and challenges posed by climate change.

    He will illuminate the deep connection oaks have to humanity across the world, and explain why they are widely considered to be the ecological glue that holds plant communities together. Familiarity with oaks is vital for anyone looking to garden for biodiversity. Tim will show us how to identify most of the twelve species native to New England and offer guidance on species selection, installation, and maintenance for establishing oak trees in our managed landscapes. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/webinar-the-american-oaks-diversity-ecology-and-identification/

    Tim Boland has been the Executive Director at The Polly Hill Arboretum on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard since 2004. He previously held positions as Curator at Polly Hill Arboretum and The Morton Arboretum. Tim is a plantsman with varied interests which include oaks, magnolias and the genus Stewartia. His work at the Arboretum includes developing a modern working flora of Martha’s Vineyard and the adjacent Islands. Tim also travels widely to collect seed for the Arboretum’s collections with nearly a dozen trips around North America over the last decade focused on native Stewartia and endangered oaks. The goal of these trips is to develop a scientific collection of woody plants as well as to introduce new plants into American horticulture. Tim’s initial work with oaks began in 1995 when he traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to study oak diversity as part of his graduate studies at Michigan State University (MSU). In 2018, Tim was appointed to the board of the International Oak Society where he is chair of the oak research and conservation committee. Tim has a Bachelor of Science and in Ornamental Horticulture from MSU and his Masters of Science in Plant Systematics from The Botany and Plant Pathology Department at MSU.

  • Holiday Gift Idea: The Henry Whiting Map of 1850

    For those of you with ties to Martha’s Vineyard, the Polly Hill Arboretum is offering a reproduction of the Henry Whiting Map of 1850, suitable for framing.

    In 1850 Henry Whiting, a distinguished topographer and co-founder of the MV Agricultural Society, created a detailed map of the Vineyard. A new version of this historic map was developed by Dr. David Foster and associates at Harvard Forest and is available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Polly Hill Arboretum research fund. Informative brochure included. (22 x 32 unframed). For more information about the map, visit https://mvlandandsea.com/maps

    $50 (+$5.99 shipping and handling if mailed from PHA). Sales tax applies. Call to order: 508-693-9426. 

  • Wednesday, August 26, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm – The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, Online

    Rodney Eason is CEO of the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve, a collection of three gardens (Asticou, Thuya, and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller) and over 1,200 acres of natural lands adjacent to Acadia National Park. In his August 26 Polly Hill Arboretum presentation, Rodney will review the history of these gardens, the majestic natural landscapes, and how the staff and volunteers are working together to preserve these areas for current and future generations. Enjoy a virtual tour of the gardens in full flower!

    After nearly a decade in Pennsylvania working at famed Longwood Gardens, Rodney and his family headed ever further north to Maine, where they have called home since 2012. He holds a bachelor of landscape architecture from NC State (with a minor in horticulture) and a master of science in public horticulture from the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens. Along with being passionate about the Preserve and Maine, Rodney enjoys going to their kids’ sporting events, starting home improvement projects, and riding his bike to avoid finishing these projects.

    This webinar is the Annual Lisina & Frank W. Hoch Lecture, and is free for PHA members, $10 for nonmembers. Proceeds benefit Polly Hill Arboretum and help make it possible for us to hold future affordable and free educational programs for our community. Thank you for support! Register here: bit.ly/Mount-Desert-Webinar-2020