Boston Flora

Tag: Seeds

  • Wednesday, March 1, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – The Art and Science of Growing Native Plants from Seed

    Grow Native Massachusetts presents a free talk by Randi Eckel, Founder of Toadshade Wildflower Farm, on Wednesday, March 1 from 7 – 8:30 at the Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway in Cambridge, entitled The Art and Science of Growing Native Plants from Seed.

    As we incorporate more native plants into our landscapes, there are so many good reasons to use plants propagated from seed. But wild plants have evolved with a dizzying array of mechanisms, including chemical-induced dormancy and mandatory cold stratification, to ensure that their seeds disperse, persevere, and germinate at just the right time under natural conditions. These mechanisms are not in place to frustrate would-be plant propagators, but must be understood by gardeners to successfully grow native plants from seed.

    Come for a far-reaching discussion of the issues surrounding seed collection, procurement, and propagation, with information that will encourage the novice and challenge the professional alike. Randi Eckel has been studying native plant seed propagation and plant-insect interactions for over thirty years.  Toadshade Wildflower Farm supplies both seeds and plants of species native to eastern North America.

  • Saturday, January 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Art of Seed

    Ken Greene shares stories of regionally appropriate vegetable, flower, and herb varieties that have been saved by the Hudson Valley Seed Library, and passes along his experiences saving seeds, and demonstrates a simple way to test old packages of seeds to see if they’re still viable for planting in the coming year. The program takes place at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, on Saturday, January 16 from 10 – 12. BBG member price $10, nonmembers $15. Phone 413-298-3926 or visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Thursday, February 12, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Understanding Seeds

    Hybrid or heirloom, organic or conventional, days to maturity, different varieties–
    with so many options, selecting the right seeds for your garden can be a challenge.
    Join Michelle de Lima and The Trustees of Reservations as Michelle explains these terms and demystifies the process of choosing and starting seeds. Registration required: http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/greater-boston/event-1835.html The program takes place Thursday, February 12 from 6 – 7:30 at 62 Summer Street in Boston.
    Questions? Contact Michelle at mdelima@ttor.org or call 617-542-7696. Free. Image from www.offroaduruguay.org.

  • Saturday, January 24, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Starting Seeds Indoors

    Get your gardens off to a good start this spring by starting vegetable, flower and herb seeds indoors. This Saturday, January 24 Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop will help you decide which plants will benefit most from a head start. You will learn the tools and supplies needed, the best sowing and nurturing techniques, and when and how to transition your seedlings into the garden. Participants will sow two flats to take home. Class meets from 1 – 4 at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive in Boylston.

    Christie Higginbottom has worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village since 1981. From 1984 to 2004 she coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re-created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum’s historic households. She also supervised the Village’s Herb Garden collection, a garden exhibiting over 300 varieties of historic herbs. From 2004 to 2006 she researched and developed a series of self-guided walking trails interpreting people and the environment in the early 1800s. She researched and designed the 2007-2009 exhibit Taking Root: Gardening in Pots in the early 1800s. Now retired from full-time work at OSV, she continues to work in costume part-time and to present garden programs for the Village. Christie writes and consults on historic gardens and their interpretation, antique plants, and herb use; and she lectures at museums and historic sites, garden clubs, historical societies, and libraries. She teaches home gardening classes at the Adult Education program at Bay Path Regional Vocational High School, the Worcester Regional Environmental Council and other venues. THBG members $35, nonmembers $45. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Thursday, March 14, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Seeds of Change: Reclaim the Legacy of Seed Saving

    On Thursday, March 14, Thoreau Farm, The Concord Seed Lending Library (Fowler Branch), Gardening for Life, and ConcordCAN will present Seeds Of Change: Reclaim the Legacy of Seed Saving, at Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road in Concord, beginning at 7:30 pm.  Speaker Bryan Connolly, noted field botanist, homestead farmer, FEDCO seed saver, and author of The Wisdom of Plant Heritage, will address the history and utility of seed saving within the context of climate change, plus give practical advice for most common garden products.  If Concord Schools are closed due to bad weather, the program will be canceled.  Free, but donations are always welcomed.  For more information, visit www.concordfood.ning.com.

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  • Saturday, March 9, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Seed Starting Workshop

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society workshop on Saturday, March 9 from 10 – noon will give you hands-on experience in starting your own seedlings. Each participant will take home a flat of planted seeds—flowers, vegetables, herbs, or a combination. Instructors David Fiske and Gretel Anspach will also cover the next step in the process, which is “potting seedlings on”, so some seedlings will be available to take home too. All materials will be provided. $25 for Mass Hort members, $30 for non members. Register on line at www.masshort.org.

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  • Thursday, March 7, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Starting Seeds Indoors

    Gretel Anspach, Lifetime Master Gardener, will lead a session of Thursdays at the Hort on Thursday, March 7, from 7 – 8:30 at Elm Bank in Wellesley.  Get a jump on the season by starting your plants from seeds—it’s cheaper than buying transplants, offers a much broader variety of plants, and can be quite addictive. Whether you are interested in annuals, perennials, edibles, or even shrubs and trees, this lecture will give you the information you need to go from starting a seed to planting in the ground. $10 for Mass Hort members, $15 for non-members.  Reserve your space at www.masshort.org.  Image from www.motherearthnews.com.

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  • Tuesdays, August 7 and September 4, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – From Seed to Tree

    Did you know that almost all of the new plants in the Arnold Arboretum begin their lives in the Dana Greenhouses? Get a behind-the-scenes look of the greenhouse growing process, from seed to sprout to seedling to tree, on either Tuesday, August 7 or Tuesday, September 4 at 1 pm. Meet at the Bonsai Collection. There is a 15 person maximum. In case of inclement weather, contact 617.384.5209. This activity is free, but please register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=10.  Image from www.bostonbirdwatching.com.

  • Monday, February 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Seeds Up Close: Amazing!

    Enjoy the beauty of seeds and learn about plant conservation projects from Julie McIntosh Shapiro at a Horticulture Morning sponsored by the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts on Monday, February 13, from 10 – noon at the Espousal Center in Waltham.   The Seed Herbarium Image Project, or SHIP, is an initiative of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University to create a web-based repository of high-resolution digital images documenting the morphology of woody plant seeds and selected fruit structures.  SHIP is headquartered at the Arboretum’s Dana Greenhouse facility and is coordinated and photographed by curatorial assistant Julie McIntosh Shapiro. The Seed Herbarium Image Project supports the work of educators and professionals in horticulture and the botanical sciences, particularly in conservation research and management of rare and endangered species. The digitized images of seeds offer an important new aid for teaching seed identification—a fundamental skill in plant propagation, hybridization, and distribution—and serve as a resource for nurserymen, horticulturists, botanical curators, taxonomists, ecologists, and the general public. SHIP also provides an online resource for botanical institutions and nurseries to verify their collections and inventories. SHIP is made possible through the generous support of the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, Cabot Family Charitable Trust, and the J. Frank Schmidt Family Charitable Foundation.  A $5 donation is requested.

  • August 15 Deadline – NOFA Bulk Order Program

    Don’t miss the opportunity to save money on your fall mineral amendments and fertilizers, cover crop seeds, Vermont compost and potting soils, Nutrient Density Supply drenches and foliar sprays, seed starting supplies, pest controls and BPA-free small and wide mouth canning lids. Just one week left to participate in the biannual NOFA/Mass bulk order.

    Here’s how it works:

    You need stuff for your farm or garden or backyard.  You take a look at the Northeast Organic Farming Association online Bulk Order form and find what you need from all the brand-name suppliers.  You order from NOFA. Whatever you need. One thing – or ten things.  A whole bunch of us do the same thing, and the nice suppliers give us a discount. That’s why it’s called “BULK.” You send in your order and payment.  The stuff is delivered to designated locations across the state. You can check out our website to find a delivery site near you.  You help support NOFA in the process.

    Download an order form at http://www.nofamass.org/programs/bulkorder/index.php or drop off/pick-up an order form at the at the NOFA Summer Conference in Amherst. ORDERS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY AUGUST 15th. All sized growers, from the farm to the backyard, are welcome to participate. Questions? Contact Cathleen O’Keefe, Bulk Order Coordinator, bulkorder@nofamass.org, (413) 584-6786 with any questions.