Boston Flora

Tag: The Fells

  • Wednesday, August 10, 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm – John Hay Estate Summer Speaker Series: Climate Change and How to Fix it

    Join Erich Osterberg, Associate Professor of Earth Science at Dartmouth College, at the John Hay Estate at The Fells, 456 Rt. 103A in Newbury, New Hampshire on August 10 beginning at 4:30 pm for a talk about the impacts of climate change on our New England communities. Erich’s research seeks to understand recent changes in extreme storms and flooding, melting glaciers and sea level rise, warming and wildfires, and climate drivers of Lyme Disease. 

    In this presentation, he’ll clearly summarize the latest scientific understanding of climate change impacts and what they mean for you and your family now and into the future. We’ll also discuss recent progress on slowing climate change and making communities more resilient to its effects, and why he’s still optimistic about his kids’ (and their kids’) future.  Erich has a BA from Middlebury and a PhD from the University of Maine.  Please consider joining us for this timely and engaging presentation with Erich.  

    Meets at the Pavilion.  Members: $10 a person; nonmembers: $15.  Advance registration is required. CLICK HERE to register, or call 603-763-4789 x3 for more information. The John Hay Estate at the Fells sits on 83.5 acres near Lake Sunapee and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a preservation project of The Garden Conservancy.

    Rose Terrace Fountain at the John Hay Estate at The Fells

  • Saturday, May 12, 9:30 am – Heather Pruning

    Learn about gardening with hardy and beautiful heather as you join members of the Northeast Heather Society while tending The Fells Heather Bed on Saturday, May 12 at 9:30 am. Bring lightweight hedge trimmers (if you have them), dress in layers and wear gloves. Free to all. Advance registration requested. Meets at the Heather Bed, beyond the Rock Garden. The Fells is located on the eastern shore of Lake Sunapee at 456 Route 103A in Newbury, NH.

    Image result for heather pruning

  • Saturday, July 11, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Mount Kearsarge Plant Hike

    Mount Kearsarge, a monadnock in central west New Hampshire, is approximately 890 meters tall and offers impressive views due to its isolation from other peaks. This day in the field, Saturday, July 11 from 10 – 3, examines the mountain’s natural history with a focus on plant life. Arthur Haines, research botanist, New England Wild Flower Society and author of Flora Novae Angliae, leads this excursion and discusses topics including ecology, edible plants, birding, and geology. Bring a bag lunch, water, a hand lens, and binoculars. Wear proper footwear and clothing. Meet at site to be announced in Warner, New Hampshire. The Fells and NEWFS Members $47, nonmembers $58. Advance registration required. To register, call 603-763-4789 x3. Co-sponsored by the New England Wild Flower Society and The Fells Historic Estate & Gardens.  Photo of bog laurel from 10000birds.com.

     

  • Wednesday, June 24, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – The Lost Farms of Sunset Hill

    US Secretary of State John Milton Hay (pictured below) acquired seven tracts of farmlands to assemble his summer home on Lake Sunapee. Today, several historic cellar holes remain from the 19th century family farms which predated establishment of The Fells. The Fells Historic Estate & Gardens is one of New England’s finest examples of an early 20th-century summer estate. Come and discover 83.5 conserved acres of beauty and tranquility. During this 2.5-mile hike, Forest Society naturalist Dave Anderson shares some of the acquisition history; local family names; and NH agricultural census farm production statistics for the hill farms of Sunset Hill. Includes some off-trail exploring. Members$5, nonmembers $10. Advance registration required. To register, call 603-763-4789 x3. Meet at The Fells Gatehouse. Co-sponsored by the Society for the Protection of NH Forests. (Rain or shine unless you receive an early morning call or email from staff.)

  • Saturday, April 19, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Northern Gardening Symposium

    Three dynamic speakers will explore natural gardening practices, landscaping with native plants, and the use of native plants to promote healthy living for generations to come, at the Northern Gardening Symposium to be held Saturday, April 19, from 9 – 3 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont.

    You will hear Miriam Goldberger, founder and co-owner of Wildflower Farm, speak on Taming Wildflowers: From Seed to Vase, A Celebration, Guide, and Users’ Manual. The book Taming Wildflowers: Bringing the Beauty and Splendor of Nature’s Blooms into Your Own Backyard is a seductive celebration of wildflowers featuring lush photos from the author’s one-hundred-acre flower farm. Both practical and inspirational, this lively workshop teaches attendees how to grow hardy perennial wildflowers from seed, identify wildflower seedlings, incorporate wildflowers into gardens, garden to support pollinators, and harvest flowers.

    Dan Jaffe, Propagator and Stock Bed Grower for New England Wild Flower Society, will present Design-less Gardening: A Naturalistic Approach. Disregard traditional design rules and adopt a new approach to garden design. Look to nature for your inspiration. What clues can you take from your landscape to help you provide the right plant for the right place? Learn to evaluate sunlight, moisture, soil, and other factors to create a successful garden that does not require many inputs in the way of watering, fertilizing, or extra coddling on your part. Learn to create a low-maintenance garden that actively supports the environment and provides beauty for both people and pollinators.

    Finally, Uli Lorimer, Curator of the Native Flora Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, explains how the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Expands its Native Plant Collection. Uli Lorimer explains how Brooklyn Botanic Garden has expanded its century-old native plant collection to serve important conservation and educational goals. The expansion sets a new benchmark for native plant displays. As the tree canopy has matured over the last one hundred years, sun-loving communities such as grasslands, serpentine and pine barren plants have suffered. The expansion reintroduces these plant communities with strict parameters. 150 new species have been added to the collection with nearly 30 species of conservation concern.

    The event fee is $47 for New England Wild Flower Society members, $53 for nonmembers. Cosponsors: The Fells, Hardy Plant Club, Friends of the Hort Farm, Vermont Master Gardeners. To register, call 508-877-7630 x 3303 or email lreed@newenglandwild.org.

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  • Saturday, April 14, 9:00 am – 2:00 pm – Northern Gardening Symposium

    The New England Wild Flower Society will sponsor the Northern Gardening Symposium on Saturday, April 14, from 9 – 2 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center, Vermont, cosponsored by The Fells, Hardy Plant Club, Friends of the Hort Farm, and Master Gardeners. The morning session features landscape designer Judith Irven speaking on “A Sense of Place: Gardens that Celebrate the Natural Landscape.”  New England’s spectacular rural landscape — with its mountains, farms and canopied forest – can inspire gardens that echo this wider world. Landscape architect Ann Milovsoroff then presents “Gardens around the World,” an exploration of contemporary garden design trends gathered from public, private, and exhibition gardens around the world. See images that delight, entice and provide ideas for northern New England gardens. After lunch, there will be a presentation by nationally recognized taxonomist and botanist Arthur Haines on the reasons for and stories behind his newly published Flora Novae Angliae.  Fee is $40 for members of the sponsoring organizations, or $47 for non-members.  To register, visit www.newfs.org, or telephone 508-877-7630.

  • Saturday, August 14, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Hay Day Family Festival

    Enjoy a fun filled day for families of all ages in Newbury, New Hampshire on Saturday, August 14, from 10 – 3 at The Fells. Take an historic guided tour of the Main House and gardens, enjoy live animals, children’s games, demonstrations and food concessions. Free with admission. The Fells Main House.For information and directions to this historic garden on Lake Sunapee, log on to www.thefells.org, or call 603-763-4789.

    http://www.lake-sunapee-living.com/image-files/walking-trails-the-fells.jpg

  • Saturday, July 17, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – Village and Hillside: Unique Gardens of Warner

    A selection of ten choice private gardens in Warner, NH, are included on the 2010 Fells Garden Tour, to be held Saturday, July 17, from 9 – 3. . The town of Warner, a pleasant and picturesque village with neatness and thrift evident in all the surroundings is situated in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region of New Hampshire, a quick 30 minutes northwest of Concord and 40 minutes southeast of Lebanon. You will be treated to a variety of unique gardens and styles–including an organic vegetable garden, charming historic gardens in the Waterloo District, sweeping views from gardens on prestigious Pumpkin Hill, an artist’s garden and shop, “a garden among the rocks,” and a lovely compact garden and private patio in the town village.

    While in Waterloo stroll past beautiful historic homes, cross a covered bridge to the Warner River and railroad station and continue along a picturesque walking trail. Waterloo resident and historian Paul Proulx will speak at 10:30am and at 1:30pm on the history of the people and politics of Waterloo. Refreshments will be served at the tavern at 1:30pm. Tour headquarters is the Telephone Museum located at 22 East Main Street, Warner. Tickets: $25 day of tour; $20 in advance. Purchase tickets on line at www.thefells.org, or call 603-763-4789.

    http://www.quiltersmuse.com/images/Cilleyville.jpg

  • Saturday, June 19, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – The Fells 19th Annual Plant Sale

    The Fells in Newbury, New Hampshire, is one of New England’s finest examples of an early 20th-century summer estate. Stroll the length of the 100-foot Perennial Border, discover the Old Garden, hidden behind masses of rhododendron, and admire the view of Lake Sunapee from the formal Rose Terrace and renowned hillside Rock Garden where a brook trickles to a Japanese water lily pool. The Fells is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a restoration project of The Garden Conservancy.

    On Saturday, June 19, from 9 – 12, The Fells nursery staff offers an outstanding selection of quality perennials and shrubs from regional nurseries as well as those propagated and field dug from The Fells very own gardens. Get friendly advice from expert Fells gardeners! Open to members 8-9am and to the general public at 9am. Members, bring your membership cards and save 20%! Rain or shine. Held in The Fells Gatehouse Courtyard.  For directions, log on to www.thefells.org, or call 603-763-4789.

    http://www.newburynh.org/Public_Documents/NewburyNH_Photos/FellsGarden.jpg

  • Wednesday, June 23, 7:30 am – 7:00 pm – Gardens of Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire

    Go on the road with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture on Wednesday, June 23, leaving the Gray Lot with a car pool at 7:30 am, returning at approximately 7:00 pm.  Rain or shine you will drive to Newbury, New Hampshire, to begin the day in the Lake Sunapee region with a visit to the grounds of The Fells, one of New England’s finest examples of an early 20th century summer estate (see picture below).  At The Fells your guide is Thelma Hewitt, horticulturist with a specialty in native plants and wildflowers.  The estate grounds feature a 100 foot perennial border, the Old Garden hidden behind masses of rhododendrons, a formal Rose Terrace, and a world class Rock Garden.

    From the Fells, drive just up the road to the Hewitt’s for a garden tour and lunch.  The next stop is the Community Garden at Tracy Library in the center of New London.  Working with the Olmsted Brothers firm’s 1926 original plans and plant lists, the garden was recreated and replanted in 2002 by local volunteers, one of whom will be your next hostess, Carolyn Hager.  Traveling to her garden near Pleasant Lake, you will find an unexpected surprise in a woodland setting.

    You’ll end the day with a visit to the garden of Ann Loeffler in Elkins, at the far end of Pleasant Lake.  Ann is a volunteer at The Fells, who says perennials are her ongoing great love, and her current craze is dwarf conifers.  WCFH members $48, non members $60, includes lunch and snacks and garden admissions.  To register, call 781-283-3094, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    http://www.gardenvisit.com/assets/madge/the_fells_newbury/600x/the_fells_newbury_600x.jpg