Boston Flora

Tag: Shrubs

  • Wednesday, February 5, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm Eastern – The Botany of Design, Online

    Using his book Understanding Perennials as a starting point, Bill Cullina tackles the thorny subject of garden design in an innovative way. In this fun and informative Mt. Cuba Center talk, he explores such things as the reasons for big leaves, variegation, red foliage and flowers and ways to create more satisfying designs without breaking the budget. He looks at life beyond the color wheel, and the importance of healthy soil and reveals some of his best horticultural secrets while weaving together aesthetics, psychology, botany, and ecology. Both beginning gardeners and seasoned pros will be able to learn from and enjoy this talk. Bill Cullina is the F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum. He is a well-known author, lecturer, and authority on North American native plants. His books include Wildflowers; Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines; Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses; and Understanding Perennials.

    This program takes place online on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/botany-of-design-online/

    Looking into the rear garden at 3 Bush Road, Kew. Plants included Fatsia japonica, Dicksonia antarctica, Phyllostachys nigra, Musa bajoo and Eriobotrya japonica.

  • Thursday, September 12, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Shrubs & Infusions

    The Trustees presents Shrubs & Infusions at the Paul Gore & Beecher Garden. Join us for an interactive workshop to learn how to make herbal infusions and shrubs. Shrubs have become a popular cocktail ingredient and add a fresh zing to mixed drinks and mocktails alike. Herbal infusions are also an exciting way to use herbs for their delicious taste and medicinal benefits. Learn how to craft your own shrub or infusion with garden fresh ingredients. No knowledge required, and all materials will be provided.

    Please pre-register for materials. If price is a barrier, email cbowes@thetrustees.org. $4 for Trustees members, $8 for nonmembers. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/419652/

    Paul Gore & Beecher Community Garden is located at 105 Paul Gore St in Jamaica Plain, a five minute walk from the Stony Brook Orange Line station.

  • Saturday, March 9, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon Eastern – Time-Saving, Mighty-Mite Shrubs that Outshine Perennials, Online

    This eye-opening March 9 virtual lecture focuses on remarkable shrubs for front to mid-border gardens, as well as their pruning requirements. These stunning beauties also are ideal for over-wintering in containers. With an outlook on flower gardening that has evolved over the decades. In addition to practicing the latest earth-friendly practices and incorporating more natives, let’s shift our focus from perennials to shrubs that provide months of radiant color but are far less maintenance. 

    Lecture will be recorded & CEU’s available.  $13.95. Registration information is available at www.masshort.org

    Kerry Ann Mendez is an award-winning garden educator, author, and design consultant based in southern Maine. In recent years she has presented over 500 lectures to more than 40,000 gardeners in 23 states and Canada. As a popular educator and communicator, she has received over 450 five-star reviews from her lecture audiences, which are available for review on the independent national website GreatGardenSpeakers.com. In 2014 she received the Gold Medal award from Massachusetts Horticultural Society for “Exceptional teaching and writing that increases public enjoyment and appreciation of horticulture.” Her gardens have been featured in numerous magazines including Better Homes and Gardens, Fine Gardening, Country Gardens, Garden Gate, and Horticulture.

  • Monday, December 7 – Thursday, December 17 – Pruning Trees & Shrubs: From Malicious to Magnificent On Demand Webinar

    Rehabilitating poorly pruned plants back into pleasant landscape contributors is a science and an art. It takes both understanding clients and firm hands on the loppers and pruning saw. It also requires a little risk taking and an understanding of the principles of plant physiology and growth. Join Erik Draper, Assistant Professor, Ohio State University Extension, and the Massachusetts Arborists Association as they review limitations of corrective pruning practices, as well as basic principles of plant physiology that determine how plants grow. Learn how and where to begin correcting poorly pruned plants. $24 for MAA members, $44 for nonmembers. The online webinar will be available for viewing from December 7 – December 17, at your convenience. Register at https://massarbor.org/meetinginfo.php?id=61&ts=1601401949

  • Saturday, December 7, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Shrubs in Winter

    Even without leaves, most shrubs are easily recognizable in winter. On December 7 from 10 – 2 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, learn to identify 20 native New England shrubs through such characteristics as branching patterns, bark, persistent flowers and fruits, growth forms, galls, and habitats. We begin indoors looking at twig samples and slides, then head out into the Garden for a close look at our subjects. We will also consider the natural history of these shrubs, and finish indoors with a twig quiz. Bring lunch and a hand lens. The class will be led by Roland “
    Boot” Boutwell, and is $60 for NPT members, $72 for nonmembers. It is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Association on Conservation Commissions. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/shrubs-winter/

  • Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Transplanting Shrubs and Planting Small Ornamental Trees

    Learn by doing in this April 27 Berkshire Botanical Garden hands-on shrub and tree planting/transplanting workshop led by arborist Ken Gooch. All aspects of successful planting will be demonstrated, and participants will assist in transplanting a multi-stem shrub and planting a small tree. Learn how to successfully transplant shrubs through correct timing,placement, and techniques designed to create minimal disturbance and ensure smooth transition to a new site. Consider the differences between bare-root, container-grown, or balled-and-burlapped trees, and understand the importance of siting.

    Participants should dress warmly and bring pruners and work gloves; dress for the weather.  $15 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/transplanting-shrubs-and-planting-small-ornamental-trees-0

    Ken Gooch is the Forest Health Program Director for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and a Massachusetts Certified Arborist. He is a long-time instructor for the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

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  • Friday, October 23, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – Let’s Drink to That! A Symposium on the History of Herbal Libations

    Learn about shrubs, bitters, herbal cordials, infused wines, and more on Friday, October 23 from 8 – 3:30 at the Hunnewell Carriage House, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. The use of herbs in intoxicants and distilled beverages is part of an ancient and traditional rite of celebration. Enjoy a day of exploration of these amazing beverages featuring five lectures or demonstrations, an herbal lunch, taste samplings of herbal beverages, and a silent auction.

    Speakers include Dr. Judith Sumner, John Forti and Susan Belsinger. Lunch catered by Stockbridge Herbs. The program is sponsored by The New England Unit of The Herb Society of America. Cost is $90 if you register before October 5, $105 thereafter. Register at www.neuhsa.org or call 508-869-0545.

  • Saturday, March 22, 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Identifying Shrubs and Other Signs of Spring

    It’s easier to learn shrub recognition and identification in the spring, when leaves are lacking and the diverse, dense structure of these important components of wildlife habitat are most obvious. In late winter and early spring our native shrub buds are enlarging and opening, with bright colors and textures of twigs more evident. Shrubs are essential ecological components of open, forested and wetland habitats, providing food, structure for nesting, and cover for birds and mammals. Joe Choiniere and Wendy Howes of the Hubbardston Nature Club will take you with them to explore state forest and other conservation properties in Hubbardston, studying our native shrubs. We may even find hazelnut and alder in bloom, their wind-dependent flowers aided by early spring breezes. We’ll also be watching and listening for early migrant bird species—sparrows, blackbirds, and phoebes–as well as other species expected in this transitional period, and watching for other indications that spring is on the way.

    Easy walking is planned, but trail conditions will be uncertain, so participants should wear sturdy foot gear.  Meet on Saturday, March 22 at 12:30 pm at Hubbardston Town Offices parking lot on Route 68 to car-pool. Foul weather date is March 29.  No need to pre-register, but we’d like to know if you’re planning to join us.  Contact hubbardstonnatureclub@yahoo.com. Image from www.blogher.com.

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  • Sunday, September 29, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Shrubs Across the Seasons: September

    Walk the Arnold Arboretum landscape with Michael Dosmann, Curator of Living Collections, to learn about shrubs, both common and lesser-known species. Michael will focus on those that display outstanding characteristics in early autumn. You’ll learn cultural requirements and see full-size specimens so you can determine which shrubs might suit your needs. Fee $20 Arboretum member, $27 nonmember. Register at https://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/SelectDate.aspx.

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  • Thursday, July 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bug Hill Farm: Edible Landscape with Permaculture Roots

    Bug Hill Farm is a small, USDA certified organic farm and apiary in Ashfield, MA that demonstrates the success of permaculture techniques.  At Bug Hill Farm, Kate Kerivan cultivates a wide variety of crops, including raspberries, gooseberries, currants, wild and cultivated high-bush blueberries, alpine strawberries, native elderberry and elderflower, native Aronia, and honeyberries.  From the berry crops, wild harvested flowers, and locally produced raw honey and maple syrup, Kate crafts non-alcoholic cordials, shrubs (drinking vinegars.) sauces, and spreads.  Growing fields and an additional 38 acres of forest are managed for the health and well-being of native wildlife and plant communities, with particular emphasis on providing habitat for native pollinator insects.

    This season, Bug Hill Farm is embarking on a research project that will employ techniques of agroforestry and permaculture to expand berry production into marginal, forested areas of the property, while managing these areas for the overall health of local forest ecosystems.  The research will include small, experimental plantings of perennial woody berry plants that are common in transitional ecosystems into early-successional forest land in order to determine which cultivation methods will produce the best balance between environmental sustainability and cost of production.  The project’s main research objective is to examine changes in soil quality as a direct effect of experimental land management and cultivation techniques, namely maintaining land in an essentially arrested state of early-successional woodland and utilizing the high-carbon wast produced by such management practices in the construction of Hugelkultur beds.  Join Kate to learn more about this highly productive edible landscape.  $20 for Ecological Landscaping Association members, $25 for non-members.  Register by calling 617-436-5838 or register on line at https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1010470.

    http://www.bughillfarm.org/images/Kate.jpg