Boston Flora

Tag: Sunset Magazine

  • Wednesday, August 9, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Harvest: Unexpected Projects Using Extraordinary Garden Plants

    In their beautifully photographed guide to growing, harvesting, and utilizing 47 unexpected plants, Harvest, Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis encourage gardeners to discover the surprising usefulness of petals and leaves, roots, seeds, and fruit. Turn turmeric root into a natural dye and calamintha into lip balm. Make anise hyssop into a refreshing iced tea and turn apricots into a facial mask. Crabapple branches can be used to create stunning floral arrangements, oregano flowers to infuse vinegar, and edible chrysanthemum to liven up a salad. With the remarkable, multi-purpose plants in Harvest, there is always something for gardeners to harvest from one growing season to the next. Stefani will appear at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Wednesday, August 9 for a talk beginning at 7 pm, followed by a book signing. Free with admission to the gardens.

    Stefani Bittner and Alethea Harampolis are the co-founders of Homestead Design Collective, a San Francisco Bay Area landscape design firm focused on creating beautiful gardens that provide harvest. Stefani is the co-author of The Beautiful Edible Garden (Ten Speed Press, 2013) and Alethea is the co-author of the best selling books, The Flower Recipe Book and The Wreath Recipe Book (Artisan 2013 and 2014). Stefani and Alethea’s latest collaboration, Harvest, was released by Ten Speed Press in February 2017. Stefani and Alethea’s work has been featured in San Francisco Chronicle, Sunset Magazine, C Magazine, Los Angeles Times, NY Times, Martha Stewart Living, Better Homes & Gardens, Vogue, Food and Wine, and Gardenista.com.

  • Saturday, June 6 – Sunday, June 7 – Sunset Celebration Weekend

    If you are planning a trip to California soon, consider attending the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend at the Sunset headquarters on 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park.  Featured presenters are Martin Yan, television host of Yan Can Cook and chef-owner of M.Y. China, and Chris Cosentino, Executive Chef and co-owner of Cockscomb Restaurant and Boccalone Salumeria.  The 2015 Sunset Travel Awards will be presented, there are wine and beer tastings, but most of all, there will be garden tips and tours of Sunset’s gardens, part of a lab for Western living. The garden was originally designed by Thomas Church, the dean of Western landscape architects. A 2000 renovation by Chris Jacobson and Beverly Sarjeant added a fresh new look but kept much of the original border, with distinct areas representing the major climate zones of the West. For more information visit www.sunset.com.

  • Thursday, August 18, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Late Season Container Gardening

    Get past the potted chrysanthemum and a pumpkin for your front porch this fall. With summer winding down, it’s time to jazz up those tired container plantings you’ve been watering since June. Discover native plants that carry color, texture and form into the fall and learn tips on design, maintenance and over-wintering. Then assemble and plant your own container under the instructor’s guidance. BYOC–bring your own container. Containers and plants available at a discount for New England Wild Flower Society class participants that day, Thursday, August 18 from 10 – 12 at Garden in the Woods in Framingham. Class fee includes potting mix, fertilizer and mulch. The instructor is Dan Jaffe, and the fee for NEWFS members is $30, $36 for nonmembers. Visit www.newfs.org to register.  The “instant autumn garden” photo below, by Jennifer Martiné,  is taken from Sunset Magazine, a terrific source for garden articles of interest.