Boston Flora

Tag: The Heirloom Gardener

  • Tuesday, September 19, 1:00 pm – Heirloom Gardening

    Heirloom Gardening is John Forti’s newest presentation.  This PowerPoint program shares inspiration from our long history of heirloom preservation, garden craft and homestead lifeways. Artisanal lifestyles that are helping us to rebuild vibrant local agricultural economies and celebrate sustainable cottage industries that are contributing to our new, homegrown American arts & crafts movement and backyard environmentalism.  This Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club program on September 19 at 1 pm at The Old Mill in West Tisbury allows for a look at how you can make a difference in your own backyard and community.  The presentation draws from his book of traditional plants and skills for the modern world. Illustrated with period images and contemporary woodcuts.

    BIO: John Forti is an award-winning heirloom specialist, garden historian, ethnobotanist, garden writer, and local foods advocate.  He is executive director of Bedrock Gardens, an artist-inspired public sculpture garden and landscape in Lee, New Hampshire, and the recipient of a national 2020 Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs.  John was formerly the Director of Horticulture for Plimoth Plantation and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and is involved with Slow Food USA, the national chapter of Slow Food, a global organization and international grassroots movement connecting food producers and consumers to champion local agriculture, farmers markets, and traditional, regional cuisine.
    http://www.jforti.com/
    The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti on Facebook
    John Forti- The Heirloom Gard​e​ner Book- Amazon
    FREE to GC Members / Open to non-members – cost TBD at a later date
    West Tisbury members and VP to provide snacks & refreshments

  • Tuesday, November 17, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Heirloom and Native Plants: A Living History

    On Tuesday, November 17 from 7 – 8:30 at the Dover Town Library on Dedham Street in Dover, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society welcomes its Director John Forti for a lecture entitled Heirloom and Native Plants: A Living History. For those interested in gardens that inspire a sense of time and place…this talk will foster a better understanding of the most tried and true plants and our role in preservation. This illustrated talk brings to life the unique and living history of plants that have a defining presence in our region. It explores the significance of heirloom/open-pollinated plants and gives voice to the history they keep alive.

    John Forti is a nationally recognized lecturer, garden historian, ethnobotanist and garden writer. He is the Director of Horticulture for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the oldest horticultural society in the nation. Before taking on this new position, he was the Curator/Director of Historic Landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. He previously served as the Director of Horticulture at Plimoth Plantation Museum where the gardens and seed program he created brought international attention to the preservation of Pilgrim and Wampanoag heirloom crops. Thousands on Facebook follow his posts where he blogs as The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti.

    Lecture Fee: Mass Hort Members $10, Non-Members $15.  Register online at http://www.masshort.org/eventdetail/211/422|427|433/heirloom-and-native-plants-a-living-history?filter_reset=1