Boston Flora

Tag: The New Garden Society

  • Wednesday, March 18, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The New Garden Society

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s March program for members only will take place Wednesday, March 18 at 2 pm at The Chilton Club, 152 Commonwealth Avenue. If you are interested in attending this or any other Garden Club of the Back Bay event, visit https://bostonflora.com/join.

    The New Garden Society is run by horticulturists, landscapers and farmers who seek to expand green industry opportunities for incarcerated women, giving them an opportunity to get outside, plant what they love, and learn skills that might help them get jobs after incarceration is over. The organization was a GCBB grant recipient in 2025. Co-founder and director, Renée Portanova, will share how their members can transform their lives as they transform the landscape. With a B.A. from Manhattan College, a Certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, and an M.S. in Education from Lesley University, she brings practical expertise and a passion for learning to every teaching environment. Renée is a horticulturist at Mount Auburn Cemetery and was the former Horticulture Manager for the Esplanade Association.

  • Saturday, November 16, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – The New Garden Party

    Join The New Garden Society, Saturday, November 16th, for a sunset celebration at the Boston Nature Center, complete with a silent auction, food and drinks. Hear from members of our organization about the past decade of work, and join us in envisioning the decades to come.

    Since 2013, TNGS has been teaching and planting behind the walls of Greater Boston prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers. We transform these landscapes into productive gardens that provide a therapeutic space, access to fresh food, and educational resources for our incarcerated neighbors. Through our programs, incarcerated individuals practice job skills and connect with their peers and their environment.  We’ve trained nearly 1000 individuals in the art and science of plants. We don’t do it alone. Donations from friends, family, and businesses have sustained this transformative work.

    As well as being a celebration, this is a fundraiser to support our ongoing work. We are offering a limited slate of tickets at no cost. We hope that those who can afford to do so will donate generously. If free tickets run out, and cost is a barrier to you, reach out to info@thenewgardensociety.org to attend. To purchase sponsor tickets, visit https://www.thenewgardensociety.org/decade

  • Virtual Tour of Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Greenhouses

    Director of Horticulture Erika Rumbley takes you on a tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum’s South Shore greenhouses and nursery, and discusses the process by which the iconic Hanging Nasturtiums are grown each year. The three minute video may be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtSqEROD5pY

    Erika is also the co-founder and director of The New Garden Society, run by farmers, landscapers, and horticulturists. Each year the Society trains over 100 incarcerated students in Greater Boston in the art and science of plants.