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.
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/
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.
On Saturday, March 17 from 1 – 2:30, Tower Hill Botanic Garden will sponsor a lecture on Urban Gardening in the education building at 11 French Drive in Boylston.
Urban gardening is about growing food and ornamentals in small spaces. Whether you have a huge yard without the time or desire to tend it all, or an apartment with no outdoor space at all, this comprehensive talk will give you tips and techniques to start and maintain a garden you can call your own.
Gretel Anspach is a Lifetime Master Gardener with the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, a Trustee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and a recently-retired systems engineer for Raytheon. Gretel helped to establish and maintain two food production gardens that have provided fresh produce to the Marlboro Food Pantry for the last eight years.
Tower Hill members – $10, nonmembers – $20. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
This one day Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Saturday, March 17 from 10 – 4 will focus on Barry Van Dusen’s recent residency with the Massachusetts Audubon Society. For the past two years, Barry has been traveling around Massachusetts, creating paintings and drawings at Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. Barry will show a selection of the more 130 watercolors he has produced for the project and share his residency sketchbooks. You’ll learn about how the artist uses optics in the field, and how he organizes his art materials for efficient fieldwork. He’ll discuss the approaches he uses to create artwork on location and in his studio. Barry will lead students through basic drawing, tone and color exercises to help them get started with creating their own record of outdoor observations.
PLEASE NOTE: A MATERIALS LIST WILL BE SENT UPON REGISTRATION. $95 for Tower Hill members, $110 for nonmembers. Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.
Barry W. Van Dusen is an internationally recognized and award-winning wildlife artist living in central Massachusetts. Barry’s illustrations and paintings have appeared in many publications and books. In recent years Barry has been Artist-in-Residence at Fruitlands Museums, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and Mass Audubon. See more of the artist’s work at www.barryvandusen.com
Have you ever wondered what plants grew outside the door of your old house-and why? Spend the morning of March 1 (11 – 12:30) at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, delving into plant and garden history, and learn the best resources to research and find those plants today. The free with admission program will be led by sleuths Betsy Williams and Tower Hill Librarian Kathy Bell. For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org.
Erin Doolittle, Staff Gardener at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will demonstrate how to make floral arrangements in winter using berries, branches, evergreens and more, on Wednesday, February 28 from 2 – 3. The demonstration is free with admission to the Garden, located at 11 French Drive in Boylston. For more information visit http://towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, x 124.
