Boston Flora

Tag: Tower Hill

  • Thursday, March 11, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Seed Starting at Home, Online

    Get your gardens off to a good start this spring by starting vegetable, flower and herb seeds indoors. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden live webinar on March 11 from 6:30 – 7:30 will help you decide which plants will benefit most from a head start. You will learn the tools and supplies needed, the best sowing and nurturing techniques, and when and how to transition your seedlings into the garden.

    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.

    $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org Photo courtesy of Worcester Telegram.

  • Friday, March 12, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Book Making: Winter Nature Journal

    Sew your own softcover nature journal with pockets for holding outdoor finds. Learn to hone your observational skills to record winter nature sights and sounds. This Tower Hill class will be held indoors in a well ventilated classroom on March 12 from 1 – 3. Weather permitting we will go outside and test out our journals. All material is included.

    Instructor 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. $40 for Tower Hill members, $55 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Wednesdays, March 3 -March 31, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Digital Photo II, Online

    If you are comfortable with the basics of your camera but you want more – then this online Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop is for you! Come explore the use of intermediate camera controls such as metering (spot, matrix, center weight), exposure and exposure compensation, ISO, aperture and shutter priority. Take an in-depth look at manual focus and its use, fill flash and flash modes, as well as controlling motion, composition, and many other intermediate and advanced techniques.

    Class 1: Metering, Exposure Compensation, ISO
    Class 2: Landscape Photography
    Class 3: Macro Photography
    Class 4: Special Effects with your camera, Like Burst mode Zoom Effect, Staring the Sun and Panoramic
    Class 5 Photoshop and using JPEG and RAW Images

    Steve McGrath is a professional freelance photographer and photography teacher who has been creating images for 20 years. Steve first began by shooting sports photography for local high schools, then weddings, and stock agencies. Then his love of the outdoors led him to focusing more on his true passion, “nature photography”. Steve was an active member of the Gateway Camera Club for many years, and has won many ribbons and awards at fairs and competitions through the group and on his own. Several of his images have been published in school textbooks. His favorite places to shoot are Acadia National Park in Maine, the Green Mountains of Vermont, and the Cape Cod National Seashore. Classes scheduled every week on Wednesday starting 3/3/2021 and ending 3/31/2021 at 6:00PM. $150 for Tower Hill members, $175 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Wednesday, February 10, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Botany for Gardeners: Flowering Plant Life Cycle, Online

    In this February 10 Tower Hill Botanic Garden webinar beginning at 6:30 pm with Daphne Minner, we will explore the flowering plant life cycle, from seed germination to fruit. The focus will be on sexual reproduction and the intricate interplay between native plants and pollinators. You will learn about common pollinators to native New England and learn how various gardening practices can impact pollinators and climate change.

    A lifelong gardener, Daphne has merged her love of plants and science education into botanical education curricula for both children and adults seeking enrichment from nonformal organizations like Native Plant Trust, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and Penn State’s Shaver’s Creek. For more than 25 years, Daphne has worked to improve science and ecology education in both formal K-12 and informal settings. She has developed a certified wildlife habitat in her small urban yard that supports a wide diversity of plant and animal species. Through her careful observation and research, the fascinating relationship between plants and animals are illuminated in her own yard. She holds a certificate in field botany from the Native Plant Trust and a doctorate in Human Development.

    $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Thursday, December 17, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – The World of Maple Sugaring Webinar

    As winter approaches the world of maple sugaring comes alive. Lines and buckets are prepared, sugar maples are examined, bottles and caps are ordered, and the dreams of nights in the sugar shack begin.

    During this December 17 Tower Hill Botanic Garden webinar, beginning at 6:30 pm, instructor Kyle Jacoby will walk you through the history of maple sugaring, how syrup is made today, the differences in syrup types, and tips for starting to make it at home. This webinar is perfect for both those who want to learn about this special treat or begin their own maple sugaring journey.

    Kyle Jacoby is the Manager of Adult Education at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Kyle has taught and managed environmental programs for 13 years. Notably in the world of maple sugaring, Kyle managed the maple syrup production and education at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, MA and works with local sugaring farms during the season.

    This program will be held virtually. $10 for Tower Hill members, $17 for nonmembers. Once you register at the website https://www.towerhillbg.org/ (required), you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be recorded and available for 2 months to all registrants.

  • Thursday, October 22, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Uprooted With Page Dickey, Online

    Enjoy a virtual lecture and Q&A session on October 22 at 6:30 with author Page Dickey about her new book, Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again. Page Dickey knew the transitions she faced walking away from her celebrated garden at Duck Hill after thirty-four years. What surprised her were the happy opportunities that came with starting over. Uprooted follows Dickey’s evolution from old to new, cultivated to wild, and from one type of gardener to another. It is a story for anyone who has had to begin anew—in gardening or in life. This virtual Author Talk is presented by Tower Hill Botanic Garden in collaboration with Berkshire Botanical Garden and Timber Press, an imprint of Workman Publishing. All books available for purchase through Tower Hill’s online Garden Shop. A link to the Zoom webinar will be sent after registration in the confirmation email. Author Talks will only be available live. They will not be recorded. $10 for sponsor members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org or at www.berkshirebotanical.org

    Page Dickey has been gardening passionately since her early twenties and writing about gardening, as well as designing gardens for others, for three decades. She has written eight books and edited another, most of which concentrate on aspects of garden design such as creating gardens that reflect their settings. Page was the editor of Outstanding American Gardens, celebrating 25 years of the Garden Conservancy with photographs by Marion Brenner. Her new book, Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again, describes leaving a beloved garden of thirty-four years, finding a home in the northwest corner of Connecticut and falling in love with its land. Page lectures around the country about plants and garden design and has written for House and Garden, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, Horticulture, Elle Décor, Garden Design and The New York Times. She serves on the boards of the Garden Conservancy; Stonecrop Garden in Cold Spring, NY; Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT and The Little Guild in Cornwall, CT and is a member of the Friends of Horticulture at Wave Hill. Page was recently elected an Honorary Member of The Garden Club of America.

  • Wednesday, October 21, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Growing Strawberries in New England Webinar

    Strawberries are one of the most loved fruits to grow in a home garden, especially for families with small children. On Wednesday, October 21 at 6:30 pm, we’ll go over some of the important elements of how to be successful in pursuit of the perfect strawberry harvest; site, soil, nutrition requirements, innovative planting ideas and pest/disease management. This program will be held virtually. Once you register for this Tower Hill Botanic Garden webinar you will receive a Zoom link in the confirmation. This webinar will also be RECORDED and available for 2 months to all registrants. Tower Hill members $10, nonmembers $15. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Sonia Schloemann trained in Plant and Soil Sciences at UMass with both Bachelors and Masters degrees. She worked for UMass Extension for over 30 years as a Small Fruit Specialist, delivering educational programming to commercial growers and conducting research on sustainable practices for commercial fruit production. She has conducted Master Gardener trainings for over 20 years. She lives and garden in Amherst, MA.

  • Tuesday, October 13, 10:30 am – 1:00 pm – Print to Collage

    Learn a hand printing technique to create prints of leaves, flowers, and botanical designs. Then cut and compose your prints into a collage that is ready to hang on your wall. All materials will be included. This Tuesday, October 13, 2020 from 10:30 am-1:00 pm program will be held under Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s open sided outdoor canopy tent. Group size will not exceed current state restrictions. $46 for Tower Hill members, $60 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.


    Instructor 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.

  • Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock Webinar

    Wednesday, September 23, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice from Colonization to Standing Rock Webinar

    Through treaty violations, struggles for food and water security and protection of sacred sites, Native people have resisted environmental injustice and land incursions for hundreds of years. Join Indigenous researcher and activist Dina Gilio-Whitaker online on September 23 at 6:30 pm to explore this history and discuss how modern environmentalists can look to Indigenous resistance for new approaches. Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Colville Confederated Tribes) is the policy director and a senior research associate at the Center for World Indigenous Studies and teaches American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos. She is the coauthor, with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, of All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths About Native Americans. She lives in San Clemente, California.

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture and Q & A will be held virtually. The book is available for purchase through Tower Hill’s online Garden Shop. A link to the Zoom webinar will be sent after registration in the confirmation email. Author Talks will only be available live. They will not be recorded. $10 for Tower Hill members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Sunday, September 20, 10:30 am – Magnificent Mushrooms Botanical Illustration

    Sunday, September 20, 10:30 am – Magnificent Mushrooms Botanical Illustration

    Explore the multitude of mushrooms popping up in the woods at Tower Hill on September 20 at 10:30 am. This program will be held under our open sided outdoor canopy tent. Group size will not exceed current state restrictions. Sketch as you see them, then snap a photo with your phone and add color with colored pencils while sitting at a table under the activities tent. Learn about showing texture and shading.

    Instructor 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.

    $30 for Tower Hill members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—magnificent-mushrooms