Bask in hundreds of blooming African violets in a variety of displays, including many unusual African violets available for sale, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on April 28 and 29. Presented by the Bay State African Violet Society. Enjoy demonstrations on Saturday, April 28 and Sunday, April 29, 1–2pm. Free with admission to the garden.
Join botanical artist Helen Byers in this two-day workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24 and 25 from 10 – 4, to draw and/or paint anemones, daffodils, early tulips, or another spring blossom of your choice. Helen’s demos and personalized instruction will cover step-by-step processes of detailed botanical art techniques using graphite in combination with watercolor. (Returning students may substitute colored pencil for graphite, if they wish.) To see examples of Helen’s work and slideshows from her courses, go to http://helenbyers.com
A supplies list will be sent to registrants. THBG members $150, nonmembers $165. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—spring-blooms-in-graphite-and-watercolor
Helen Byers is an award-winning artist and educator whose botanical drawings and paintings have been internationally exhibited, published, and held in private collections. In recent years she has taught often at Tower Hill, as well as at Concord Center for the Visual Arts, Fruitlands Museums, Tin Mountain Conservation Center (NH), and Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center (NM).
The flavor and fragrance of fresh herbs dress up even the simplest meals. Herb plants are beautiful and useful additions to the home landscape. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Sunday, April 22 from 1 – 4 will focus on ten common culinary herbs: basil, dill, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, savory, mint, garlic and rosemary. Skills taught will include growing herbs from seeds, transplants, division and cuttings; overwintering rosemary indoors, and tips for preserving herbs. Participants will take home a seed flat of assorted basil varieties.
Instructor Christie Higginbottom has worked as a costumed interpreter at Old Sturbridge Village since 1981. From 1984 to 2004 she coordinated the historic horticulture program researching, planning and planting the re-created kitchen and flower gardens at the museum’s historic households. She also supervised the Village’s Herb Garden collection, a garden exhibiting over 300 varieties of historic herbs. From 2004 to 2006 she researched and developed a series of self-guided walking trails interpreting people and the environment in the early 1800s. She researched and designed the 2007-2009 exhibit “Taking Root: Gardening in Pots in the early 1800s.” Now retired from full-time work at OSV, she continues to work in costume part-time and to present garden programs for the Village.
$35 for THBG members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—herbs-for-the-home-garden
Tower Hill’s field of over 25,000 daffodils is a must see for anyone eager to bridge the gap from winter to summer. Discover the inspiration these flowers provide by sketching, writing poetry, or taking photos for our contest. Children will love the daffodil parade, sing-along, and story walk. Enjoy fun activities throughout the day and learn about the enormous diversity of daffodil types and the best ways to grow them at home. Daffodil Day takes place this year on Saturday, April 21 from 10 – 4, and is free with admission to the Garden, located at 11 French Drive in Boylston. We hope the cold spring doesn’t delay the bloom, but the day will happen rain or shine. For more information visit http://towerhillbg.org.
Mary O’Malley’s work begins with a fascination with nature, combined with a love of pattern, decoration, and ornamentation. In this series, she explores pollinating species, from hummingbirds to moths, bees to beetles, as well as other beneficial insects and the plants they pollinate. Many pollinator species are threatened with extinction, which will have deep and troubling consequences to biodiversity and our own sustainability. O’Malley depicts the pollinators and plants enshrined in golden grids that recall religious altars, expressing a reverence for these essential creatures that are so vital to our ecosystem, and ultimately, our survival.
Mary O’Malley’s primary medium is drawing. Inspired by forms and patterns in nature, her work is characterized by intricate detail and a labor-intensive process that becomes a meditative experience for both artist and viewer. O’Malley graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1997. In 2005, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has an extensive exhibition history, including shows at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA, the Fitchburg Art Museum in Fitchburg, MA, as well as at galleries in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Her work has been included twice in the juried publication, New American Paintings. She is the recipient of multiple grants, including two Massachusetts Cultural Council grants and the St. Botolph Club Grant-in-Aid Award. In 2010, her work was acquired by the United States Embassy in Dubai, as part of the Art in Embassies program. Currently, her work can be found at Walker Contemporary in Vermont and 13 Forest Gallery in Arlington, MA. She lives and works on the Seacoast of New Hampshire, not far from the ocean.
Visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s Alice Milton Gallery now through May 13 to view Mary O’Malley’s exhibit, free with admission. For more information visit http://towerhillbg.org
Molly Hatch’s exhibition Bouquet at Tower Hill Botanic Garden through May 20 puts on display over 40 of the original gouache illustrations from her new book series Bouquet in a Book published by Abrams Books in February of 2018. The illustrations on exhibit offer a fresh take on the Victorian notion of expressing oneself with the symbolic language of flowers. Hatch’s illustrations feature page spreads that include a flower that “flips up” from the page, a brief description of the flower’s symbolism, and its special message for the recipient. When all of the blossoms in each of Hatch’s books are popped up, the books can be displayed on a desk just like a vase of flowers. Hatch created hundreds of original watercolors based on historic botanic and illuminated manuscripts to generate the illustrations for her books. Hatch reveals the process behind illustrating her books in sharing these gouache paintings that started it all.
Born the daughter of a painter and an organic dairy farmer, Molly was raised to be creatively industrious. Using her imagination and love of drawing to make everything from her well known idiosyncratic ceramics to quirky pen-and-ink drawings. Molly’s craft is finely honed, her designs whimsically literal and pop-culturally on-point.
Working from her home studio, Molly began making her living as a full-time studio potter in 2008. Her formal education in ceramics and drawing resulted in the development of her signature style. Making contemporary ceramics inspired by history, Molly’s career as a studio potter quickly garnered a loyal following. Molly’s designs have expanded beyond tableware to a wide range of lifestyle products and Molly is actively growing collections of home goods to bring her modern yet traditional designs to the contemporary home. Exhibit is free with admission. For more information visit http://towerhillbg.org.
Love gardening? Looking to upgrade your skills? Committed to giving back to the community in the form of gardening advice and hands-on support? Then join the network of over 600 certified Massachusetts Master Gardener Association (MMGA) volunteers in Central and Eastern Massachusetts.
The 2018 Master Gardener Training course (MGT) begins April 10th/12th in two locations: Wellesley and Boylston. The course consists of 14 weeks of classroom education as well as 60 hours of approved volunteering.
Topics include soil science, botany, plant selection and care, pest/disease/weed management, pruning, propagation, and more all taught by university professors, Extension Department specialists, industry-leading horticulturists, and landscape management professionals. Upon graduation and as an active MMGA member, you will enjoy a number of ongoing benefits including opportunities to…
~ Network with other members of the like-minded MMGA community who are always willing to share their knowledge and experience
~ Participate annually in dozens of MMGA-sponsored Continuing Education classes, workshops, field trips and visits to members gardens
~ Audit future Master Gardener Training classes, to refresh your knowledge of specific topics
~ Support your community by nominating public or non-profit organizations to host an official MMGA Gardening Site, where Master Gardeners volunteer to provide free hands-on support
~ Recommend community fairs, plant sales and other events for a free Ask-a-Master-Gardener or Soil pH Testing table staffed by MGs
~ Learn how to be a compelling and informative speaker by joining our Speakers Bureau and presenting lectures on favorite topics to garden clubs and other organizations
Space is filling up fast. Register today at http://massmastergardeners.org/become-a-master-gardener/
Get prepared for a productive and creative gardening season. Join Cheryl Monroe at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Friday, April 6 at 11 am. Topics covered include: what to prune now and why, tool sharpening (demonstration and bring yours, too!), flower bed cleanup and evaluation, transplanting, lawn care, pest control (voles, winter moth, and scale), houseplant basics, bulb care and bare root plants. Get through this busy season informed, prepared, and ready for whatever Mother Nature throws your way.
Cheryl Monroe is a licensed adult educator who follows the science, reading constantly and taking classes to stay current with the latest in plant research, new plant introductions and design trends. Cheryl is a gardener who follows the motto “Pretty it up!” and strives to have beautiful pest free gardens on her 1 acre plot in central Massachusetts where she grows close to 100 clematis species and hybrids, dozens upon dozens of ornamental vines, hundreds upon hundreds of perennials , and a large variety of both deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs. $10 for THBG members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—get-ready-the-spring-garden
Mark Richardson continues to make the rounds with his new book Native Plants for New England Gardens, co-authored with Dan Jaffe, and on April 7 you will have the chance to hear him and to acquire a signed copy of his book at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a handy guide to more than 100 great native perennials, trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, and vines. The book features practical information accompanied by beautiful color photography.
Join co-author Mark Richardson for this informative discussion about native plants and all their garden uses – from plants to use in place of mulch to those that attract and support pollinators. $5 for THBG members, $15 for nonmembers.
New England Wild Flower Society Director of the Botanic Garden Mark Richardson studied ornamental horticulture at the University of Rhode Island and holds a master’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Longwood Graduate Program. Native Plants for New England Gardens is a product of his passion for public horticulture.
Dawn Davies, Staff Horticulturist at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will teach you the basics of pruning small trees and shrubs in the dormant season, in this Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture on Wednesday, March 28 from 2 – 3. Please dress for the weather since this will take place outdoors. Free with admission. For more information visit http://towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, x 124.
