Boston Flora

Tag: Tower Hill

  • Saturday, July 10, 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm – Hidden Healers in Your Garden, Online

    n this workshop you will learn about the healing properties of herbs commonly grown in the home garden, such as Lavender, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, and more. Many of these herbs have been utilized since antiquity and have been written about in ancient herbals such as Dioscorides “De Materia Medica,” Ibn Sina’s “The Canon of Medicine” and Hildegard Von Bingen’s “Physica.” Modern herbalists today still work with these herbs and in this class Jade will share some of their healing properties, discuss harvest and storage, and share recipes. We’ll explore medicine-making together and students will all receive instruction on making their own herbal honey, which Jade will demo, and participants are encouraged to follow along and make their own at home! Material list is below and an in-depth handout will be provided as well.

    Material List for Herbal Honey (Supply Your Own)
    1. One cup honey (preferably raw, need to be liquified, not crystallized)
    2. One handful culinary herb such as Lavender, Mint, Thyme, Sage, Fennel, Rosemary, Lemon Balm, Basil, Oregano, or Garden Sage. 
    3. Cutting board, knife, & one cup-sized glass jar + lid

    Jade Alicandro Mace weaves a love of bioregionally abundant herbs and kitchen medicine into her work as a community and clinical herbalist. She started studying herbs formally in 2005- coming from a background in botany- and has been intertwined with them ever since. Jade has completed a 2 year training in Clinical Herbalism at Clearpath School of Herbal Studies, and is also a graduate of Blazing Star Herbal School, The Gaia School of Healing & Earth Education, the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, FEAST Permaculture Design Certification, and the Goldthread Apothecary Clinical Herbalism 200 hr Training.  She has also completed advanced clinical training and a clinical mentorship at the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism.  Her work as an herbalist revolves around self and community empowerment, equal access, community resilience, promoting local and plant-based healthcare, and the sharing and spreading of herbal knowledge. She draws on the wisdom and traditions of her Sud Italian (Campania, Lazio, Sicily) and Greek ancestral lineages. Learn more about her work at www.milkandhoneyherbs.com or follow her on social media at @milkandhoneyherbs.

    $50 Tower Hill Member Adult; $65 Adult Register HERE

    Materials are not provided for this workshop. You are not required to get the materials to take the workshop. You can choose to either follow along the demo making it at home or just watch. Once you register you will receive a zoom link in the confirmation email. This online workshop will be LIVE only. 

  • Sunday, June 20, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Caring for Rhododendrons and Azaleas

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden live course on June 20 at 10:30 am will teach you how to select, site, plant and care for rhododendrons and azaleas so that they perform well, are a pleasure to view and add 3 season interest to your landscape. The course will begin with an illustrated presentation on the huge diversity of hardy plants in this genus, of which people are mostly unaware. Tips will be given on how to select plants that will perform well for you. You will learn where and how they should be planted, and how to care for them after planting. The relatively few problems they are subject to, and how to address them, will be covered. Live plant material will be provided for hands-on viewing of some of the diversity discussed. Each person will leave with a potted native azalea.

    Joseph Bruso is a hybridizer, propagator and grower of rhododendron species and unusual hybrids, with a focus on attractive foliage as well as flowers. Joe maintains a 3 acre woodland display garden in Hopkinton, MA containing all the hardy species, including the natives, and many hybrids of own creation. Joe is the current President of the Mass Chapter American Rhododendron Society.

    $40 Member Adult; $55 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

    1. All participants will be given a plant to take home.
    2. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill, which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, or parking spaces, in addition to some noise.

  • Thursday, May 27, 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Pressed Flower & Framed Herbarium Workshop

    Students will construct their own flower press in the Tower Hill Botanic Garden classroom on May 27 at 1 pm, then go outside to pick some wildflowers to put the press to use. Students will come back inside to create a pressed flower, glass framed herbarium of their own design using pre-pressed leaves and flowers. All materials will be provided. This program will be held indoors in one of our well-ventilated classrooms. Group size will not exceed current state restrictions. Please note, there is currently construction happening at Tower Hill which may result in altered or obstructed walkways, parking lots, and parking spaces, in addition to some noise. $40 for THBG members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org


    Suzanne Hauerstein is a professional teaching artist and the Coordinator of Volunteer & Intern Services at Tower Hill. She has over 25 years of experience designing and facilitating art-based programs for informal learning environments. Suzanne is committed to creating programs that are accessible, positive, and enjoyable learning experiences for students of all ages and abilities.

  • Tuesday, May 18, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Gardens as Agents of Change, Online

    This virtual Author Talk is presented in collaboration with Berkshire Botanical Garden and Timber Press, an imprint of Workman Publishing. All books will be available for purchase through Tower Hill’s Garden Shop. A link to the Zoom webinar will be sent after registration in the confirmation email. This Author Talk will only be available live. It will not be recorded. Tuesday, May 18, 2021 6-7 PM. Webinar only: $10 members, $12 nonmembers. With signed book, $60 members, $62 nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

    In her presentation, Jennifer Jewell will explore the philosophy of her Cultivating Place podcast that gardeners and gardens are potentially powerful agents and spaces for positive change in our world, helping to address challenges as wide ranging as climate change, habitat loss, cultural polarization and individual and communal health and well-being. She will go on to explore how this power of gardens and gardeners is exemplified in the beautiful and innovative place-based gardens that celebrate western landscapes in the her book, Under Western Skies; Visionary Gardens from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast (Timber Press, May 11, 2021) – with striking photography by Caitlin Atkinson.

    Jennifer Jewell is the host of the national award-winning weekly public radio program and podcast Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden. She is the author of The Earth in Her Hands, 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants (Timber Press in 2020), and Under Western Skies, Visionary Gardens from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast (Timber Press, May 2021). Her greatest passion is elevating the way we think and talk about gardening, the empowerment of gardeners and the possibility inherent in the intersection between culture and gardens.



  • Wednesday, May 12, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Climate Talk: What Alpine Plants in New England are Telling Us about Climate Change, Online

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is dedicated to understanding the ways climate change impacts our world and exploring methods we can use to combat its effects and improve our climate outlook. “Climate Talks” are an opportunity to connect with experts in the field to learn and understand the current effects of climate change and explore ways we can make a difference.

    This May 12 climate talk beginning at 6:30 pm will explore the current global biodiversity crisis caused by environmental change. The effects of this change make it critical for our communities to determine what our conservation priorities will be, especially when we understand which plants are the most vulnerable to extinction. This talk will discuss one study of alpine plants of the mountains of the Northeast (rare alpine rattlesnake-root plants -Nabalus spp., Syn: Prenanthes spp.-) to understand how they will respond to ongoing environmental change. Through this study we can develop and use a framework for understanding the climate change vulnerability of certain plant species and develop plans for managing those species during climate change.

    Kristen Haynes, PHD is an ecologist and plant biologist whose work focuses on climate change conservation. Kristen’s interest in environmental issues began with early experiences in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York State, and grew through involvement with her high school’s Envirothon team. Kristen studied Natural Resources at Cornell University and then pursued a PhD at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Currently, as the Assistant Director of SUNY Oswego’s Rice Creek Field Station, Kristen is co-leading a project aiming to restore native tree species to New York State’s canal region for ecosystem, climate, and cultural benefits.

    This program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 Tower Hill members, $15 nonmembers. Register at www,towerhillbg.org


  • Wednesday, May 5, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Soil Testing for the Home Gardener, Online

    Getting the desired results in your gardens and landscapes all starts with having healthy soil to meet your needs. Things like PH, organic matter, and nutrient levels all play a role in the quality of the soil you have. You cannot always just guess if the soil you have is healthy though. That is where soil testing comes in. However, soil testing results can be a lot of information to absorb. During this online live Tower Hill Botanic Garden presentation on May 5 with Philip Bourele, you will learn how to take a good composite soil test and then interpret the test results.

    Philip studied Biology at the College of Wooster (Ohio, not Mass.). Philip became a Penn State Master Gardener in 2012 and then Master Gardener Coordinator in 2013. After 5 years with the Master Gardeners Philip went to private industry as a plant health care technician. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Tuesdays, May 4 – May 25, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Online, and Sunday, June 6, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Live – Foundations of Vegetable Gardening

    The Tower Hill Botanic Garden immersive Foundations of Vegetable Gardening will give you all the needed information to get your vegetable garden off to a good start this spring. Four virtual workshop sessions will provide information for planning and preparing garden beds, sowing seeds, transplanting seedlings, and raising healthy vegetable plants. The fifth session will be a guided visit to the Tower Hill vegetable garden. The goal of this multi-week workshop is the help you have a successful vegetable garden this year!

    Session I. May 4, Planning the Garden
    A. Choosing a site and selecting crops.
    B. Rotation, succession sowing and inter-planting.
    C. Design options: beds, rows, blocks.
    D. Garden Calendar: When to sow and transplant. Days to maturity

    Session II. May 11, Groundwork
    A. Bed preparation
    B. Fertilizer, lime and compost
    C. Crop spacing and support

    Session III. May 18, Planting
    A. Sowing and transplanting
    B. Row covers
    C. Irrigation
    D. Mulch

    Session IV. May 25, Culture
    A. Summer crop maintenance
    B. Nutrition
    C. Insect and disease control

    Session V. June 6, A Visit to the Tower Hill Vegetable Garden
    A. An opportunity to see a vegetable garden in progress
    B. Follow-up questions and in-person discussion

    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.

    Tower Hill members – $150, nonmembers – $175. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Thursday, April 15, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Native Spring Ephemerals Webinar

    Spring is a magical time of year when the forest floor comes to life with colorful and complex wildflowers. Join Amy Mawby and Tower Hill Botanic Garden online on April 15 at 6:30 pm for an ecological exploration of the season with a focus on its harbingers, our native spring ephemerals. Go on a photographic journey of our most fleeting flowers while discovering cultural information and fun facts. Combat ‘plant blindness’ by learning identification tips to help you get outside and enjoy the spring ephemerals in your home garden, neighborhood and local natural areas.

    Amy Mawby is a garden educator and photographer. Her roots are buried deep in horticulture and she has spent 12+ years leading education and visitor experience teams at public gardens. She has most recently worked at Tyler Arboretum and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve (BHWP). Amy nurtured her passion for native plants during her time at BHWP and fell head over heels for the spring ephemerals on-site. She is also a visual storyteller and nature shutterbug. Amy holds a M.S. in Public Horticulture from the University of Delaware and a B.S. in Plant Science from Cornell University. This program will be held virtually. Once you register you will receive a zoom link in the confirmation.

    This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Saturday, April 10, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Sketching Spring First Flowers, Online

    Snowdrops, crocus, pansies, chionodoxa (Luciles Glory of the Snow); sketching these beautiful flowers are an introduction to more spring blooms to come. Enjoy drawing one or more flower shapes and learning inking techniques that will visually describe their textures and values. This virtual workshop will begin with an inking technique demo, then try your skills drawing spring’s first flowers with the instructor. Carol Schwartz.

    Materials (Supply your own–not included with registration)
    1. Mixed media paper pad, 9? x 12?, such as Canson XL or Strathmore
    2. Higgins Black Magic waterproof ink and Speedball pen set, either Cartooning Pen and Nib Project Set or Number 20 General Purpose Set or a #01 or 02 Micron pen
    3. No. 2 pencil and an eraser

    Carol Schwartz graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

    The Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on April 10 at 9:30 am is $30 for Tower Hill members, $40 for nonmembers. This program will be held virtually. Once you register HERE you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will only be available LIVE.

  • Sunday, April 11, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Beginning Bonsai: Juniper

    Junipers are one of the most common species used in traditional bonsai. In this April 11 Tower Hill class you’ll learn all of the basic skills needed to grow and maintain a juniper bonsai. We will transform a piece of nursery material into a piece of living art for you to go home with. These plants are cold hardy and will need to be kept in a location that is below 42 degrees and protected from wind during the winter. Proper winter care will be covered in the class as well as repotting, pruning, and design. All material will be provided.

    Instructor Joel Mullen is the President of the Kaikou Bonsai Study Group. He has been growing bonsai trees for over 10 years and has trained with artists all over New England. Joel is the Lead Tropical Grower and the Education Coordinator at New England Bonsai Gardens in Bellingham, MA.

    $80 for Tower Hill members, $95 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org