Boston Flora

Tag: The Guardian

  • Tuesday, May 20, 12:00 noon Eastern – Babylon, Albion, Online

    Whoever said nature is still has not borne witness to the migration of the seasons. Join The Garden Museum and debut author Dalia Al-Dujaili in conversation on May 20 to celebrate the launch of her debut book, Babylon, Albion. In this striking exploration of identity and place, Dalia Al-Dujaili considers what it means to belong in your land. Tracing the rich heritage of both the oak and the date palm, Iraqi marshes and Loch Ness monsters, Al-Dujaili marries Arab and Islamic mythology with the English and Christian pastoral. She draws from a rich array of sources to consider in a new light the communal lush, wild – and, at times, dark – places we share.

    Dalia Al-Dujaili is an Iraqi-British writer, editor and producer based in London. She is the online editor of The British Journal of Photography. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Dazed, GQ, WePresent, Aperture, Atmos, It’s Nice That, Elephant Art and more. She is the founder of The Road to Nowhere Magazine and in 2023 she was the Producer of Refugee Week. Dalia holds an MA Hons in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.

    A love song to Britain, Iraq and the body of earth we hold in common, Babylon, Albion is an urgent reimaging of what it means to be native. £10 Livestream. Register at gardenmuseum.org.uk

  • The Walking Forest

    In the Dutch city of Leeuwarden, 1,000 trees are on the move through the city, pulled by volunteers, helping residents envision a greener future. In a fascinating article in The Guardian this month – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/04/walking-forest-of-1000-trees-transforms-dutch-city-aoe – the project is described, and is designed to lower ambient temperatures in a rapidly heating world. We highly recommend this essay. “The 1,000 trees are made up of 60-70 native species, including alder, ash, elm, maple, oak and willow, planted in 800 wooden containers. Each has a QR code providing details such as species, average lifespan and preferred soil type. A soil sensor alerts the city’s gardening team when the trees need water.” This could be an interesting solution for parts of Boston. At the end of 100 days, the trees will be planted in low income neighborhoods where tree cover is scarce.

  • Saturday, March 18, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Wild About Perennials

    Noel Kingsbury, the author of Planting: A New Perspective shares his understanding of the naturalistic approach to planting design of landscape designers such as Piet Oudolf, Cassian Schmidt, Thomas Rainer, and Sarah Price. This Saturday, March 18 introduction to the naturalistic style explains the basic philosophy behind the practice of selecting plants for the ecology of the site and gives us lessons on how to create a landscape that looks natural and responsive to site, while also having the long season of interest that gardeners desire. Using his own extraordinary photographs, Kingsbury will illustrate the techniques used in creating these planting designs, with examples of his own work and that of the renowned Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf.

    Noel Kingsbury is an internationally known writer about plants, gardens, and the environment. Best-known for his promotion of what is broadly called an ecological or naturalistic approach to planting design, he has written some 20 books on various aspects of plants and gardens, 3 of them in collaboration with Dutch designer and plantsman Piet Oudolf. Over the years he has written for Gardens Illustrated, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Garden, Hortus, The New York Times, and many other publications. He also teaches and is a garden/planting designer and horticultural consultant.

    Advance registration is highly recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome, space permitting. BBG members $30, nonmembers $35. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org. The lecture takes place at Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Massachusetts from 1 – 2:30 pm.