Boston Flora

Tag: Rita Christensen

  • Wreath of the Day – Gratitude to The Lenox Hotel

    For years our Club has been active with The Friends of Copley Square, and one of our premier decorators, Rita Christensen, has worked on that Board of Directors with Dan Donahue, General Manager of The Lenox Hotel. She and Luz Anthony have created lovely wreaths for Dan personally, as well as contributing mightily to the decoration of the Square. The Lenox has been a stalwart supporter of The Garden Club of the Back Bay for many years, and while this wasn’t the first time they have sent treats to our volunteers during Wreath Week, all agreed this was the most elaborate set up ever. Of course the prosecco didn’t flow until the end of the work day. We wanted to be sure the wreath bows went on straight! Thank you Dan, thank you Lenox for your fiscal and tangible contributions, and happy holidays to all. Below is one of his wreaths along with a shot of volunteers enjoying the spread.

  • Wreath of the Day, From the Archives – Judicious Editing

    We have our secrets, even, sometimes, from our own volunteers. In the early years of our Holiday Wreath Project, we had no formal training procedure set up for decorators. Now, potential designers work at first next to an experienced member, assisting and watching, then do a wreath under supervision, before getting individual assignments. Back then, members grabbed a card and started decorating. We exercise quality control, and make suggestions, but sometimes, no matter how hard we try to gently lead, the finished product just isn’t up to snuff. We are a volunteer organization and treasure every volunteer hour given to us. But after the decorator left for the day, we would snatch the wreath back for a bit of repair and restoration. Sometimes it was a matter of balance, sometimes a mechanical issue (the pine cones are falling off!), but we needed to send out a finished product in line with the prices charged. This type of subterfuge is now rarely needed, thankfully, and certainly wasn’t needed on the wreath shown below, created by one of our star decorators, Rita Christensen.

    Thank you Past President Stephanie Fletcher for sponsorship of today’s Wreath of the Day post.

  • Thursday, November 16, 12:00 noon – Holiday Decor Workshop

    The College Club of Boston is hosting a Holiday Decor Workshop Luncheon on Thursday, November 16 at 12 noon at 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Please join them for a pre-holiday luncheon with special guest Rita Christensen of The Garden Club of the Back Bay. Rita will provide a demonstration of easy holiday decorating tips for every home. Due to space limitations, this program is only open to members of The College Club of Boston and to The Garden Club of the Back Bay, and their guests. Cost (lunch, glass of Prosecco, demonstration) is $30 plus tax and house charge. To rsvp, please email (before November 10)  office@thecollegeclubofboston.com.

  • Self-Guided Walking Tours of the South End, Back Bay, and Prudential Center Gardens/Christian Science Gardens

    Three Garden Club of the Back Bay members, Rita Christensen, Susan Juretschke, and Maureen O’Brien, are part of the New England Landscape Design & History Association (NELDHA) committee creating self guided walking tours of Boston neighborhoods.  All the information may be found at www.neldha.org/walking-tours.   The project was launched in 2010, so people could enjoy Boston’s neighborhood green spaces at their own pace and on their own schedule.  The maps and narratives may be downloaded and printed.

    The first to be completed is Boston’s South End Green Spaces. Originally the South End of Boston was a narrow strip of land called the “Neck”, which connected the Shawmut Peninsula of Boston to the Roxbury mainland. In the mid-nineteenth century the City of Boston filled in the South End to remedy a housing shortage. Street layouts included garden squares reminiscent of London’s garden squares. Individual buildings were designed and constructed by developers who often relied on pattern books for designs, hence the similar designs in groups of buildings.

    Today the 19th century garden squares continue to contribute to the quality of life and vibrancy of the South End. In addition, the South End is one of the largest urban Victorian neighborhoods in the United States. This self-guided walking tour includes a sampling of the historic garden squares along with newer parks, gardens and green spaces.

    The route is approximately 2 miles in length and can be covered at a leisurely pace in 2 hours time.  Back Bay and the Prudential Center Gardens & Christian Science Plaza itineraries are coming soon.

  • Setting the Scene for the Twilight Garden Party

    Setting the Scene for the Twilight Garden Party

    This year’s successful Twilight Garden Party took place in June at the American Meteorological Society at 45 Beacon Street. The building has a lovely garden which was in need of seasonal sprucing after our long, cold winter, and the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s crack decorating team of Rita Christensen, Jackie Blombach, and Catherine Bordon, assisted by Jolinda Taylor, spent a day pruning, raking and planting.  Below are some pictures of their efforts:

    Bordon JackieRita Rita Meteorological

  • A New Year’s Resolution for Friends of Copley Square

    Garden Club of the Back Bay representative to The Friends of Copley Square, Bev Christians, has reminded us to remind all our readers of the tree situation at Copley Square.  She and fellow Club member and representative Rita Christensen have been working hard with the Friends group to find a solution to the dead and dying trees.  Bev writes:

    A number of Garden Club members who are concerned about the diseased trees in Copley Square have asked about joining the Friends of Copley Square at this time of year when charitable contributions are made.  Please note that the Friends have set up a designated account to receive monies for tree care and replacement.  When you join, mark the check memo “Tree Fund.” Thus far, Garden Club memberships in FOCS have paid for fertilizer and biotic stress treatment to fortify blighted trees.Your memberships truly count, especially right now.  Mail your check for $50 for individual membership or $500 Singleton Society (special events) to Friends of Copley Square,  P.O Box 170124, Boston, MA 02117-0084.  

    Visit www.friendsofcopleysquare.org to join or donate on line with PayPal, if you prefer.  Copley Square has, in the past, been a site for First Night ice sculptures, and in the dead of winter, the tree damage goes unnoticed.  When spring arrives, however, the extent of the problem will be readily apparent.  Please give generously.