Tower Hill Botanic Garden is the setting for this examination of the rose on Sunday, June 27, from 12 noon until 5 pm. See extraordinary specimens of fragrant and lush roses at this popular annual exhibition, sponsored by the Massachusetts Rose Society. Vendors will be on hand selling rose bushes and miniature roses. Admission is free for City Spaces/Country Places ticket holders, or free with admission to Tower Hill. To learn more, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
Dori Smith, M.Ed., Gardens for Life, will present an illustrated lecture on Sunday, June 6, from 1 – 3 pm, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts. Would you like to help protect our precious water resources, while at the same time create a lush, beautiful garden that attracts birds and butterflies? Rain gardens take advantage our our natural abundance of rainfall, rather than wasting it as runoff. Rain gardens use water flowing from your roof, driveway, or lawn. These gardens are easy care, and can often solve problems such as erosion, icy walkways, or wet basements.  Dori will review design options, construction details, and appropriate native plants. The class will then take a walk around the Wildlife Pond to see some of the outstanding plants recommended for rain gardens. Tower Hill members: $18, non-members, $20. To register, or for more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org. Dori will be a featured speaker for The Garden Club of the Back Bay next April, but if you have limited weekday availability, this Tower Hill lecture is the session to attend.
It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since the first Plant Sale was held on the rough field and lawn in front of the Farmhouse. That sale attracted nearly 400 visitors – pretty astonishing for the first sale at the brand new headquarters of the Worcester County Horticultural Society. At its peak, the sale has attracted as many as 3,100 visitors, expanding to become one of Tower Hill’s largest fundraisers.
Because of the construction at the core of the property, this year’s sale will be held in the grassy overflow parking field adjacent to the paved lots. Some details remain the same: one of the many benefits of Tower Hill’s Plant Sale is the ability to select from the specialty offerings of more than a dozen participating Plant Societies, including Bamboo, Cactus & Succulent, Conifer, Daylily, Epimedium, Fern, Heather, Hosta, Indoor Gardeners, Lilac, Magnolia, Miniature Plants, Orchid, Rhododendron, and Rose. These ardent devotees are wild about their specific plant interests and can offer great tips on care and growing. Please note that a Tower Hill member discount card does not apply to sales in the plant society area, and most of the societies are able to accept only cash or checks.
More than 12,000 plants will be available for sale: unusual perennials, herbs and everlastings, shrubs and trees, including Cary Award Winners, natives, annuals, incredible edibles, and Tower Hill “Best Buy” plants – donated divisions from beautiful plants grown by members. Special Plant Sale T-shirts to commemorate the 25th anniversary will be sold, and there will be Plant Giveaways to our early arriving members. Two silent auctions on the day of the Plant Sale feature a variety of choice, hard to find, specimen plants and garden ornaments. Register first and enjoy the challenge of competing with other plant enthusiasts for the plants that spark your interest. Tower Hill members enjoy the benefit of early admission at 9 a.m. For more information, call 508-869-6111, or log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
Massachusetts Horticultural Society is pleased to offer a one-day workshop featuring the talented garden photographer and instructor (and April Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker) Rich Pomerantz. This workshop, on Tuesday, June 15 from noon – 5, will help participants use cameras to see gardens in new ways and bring their garden photography to a higher level. Instruction will cover basic camera functions and digital basics in easy-to-understand concepts and then apply them to the unique challenges of photographing a garden
Participants will spend time outdoor photographing the beautiful gardens at Elm Bank. Following the shooting session, reviews and critiques will be made.
Camera: Any camera is suitable, even a fully automatic point-and-shoot, but you should be familiar with it’s use, and you absolutely should bring the manual to class with the camera. However, the better your tools, the more you will be able to accomplish, so here is the recommended equipment:
A 35mm SLR (single lens reflex) camera (this is the type of camera that allows you to change lenses). Please be familiar with its operation.
Lenses: The best lens will have a macro feature, but a regular short telephoto lens (in the 85 to 135mm range) will do fine. Other good lenses (though optional) are a wide angle (24 or 35mm) or a longer telephoto lens.
A sturdy tripod. This can be a lifesaver. Rich will explain the reasons for using a tripod early in the workshop. If the tripod has a detachable head upon which to mount your camera, you will find it much easier to work, especially if it is a type known as a ball head.
Optional equipment:
cable release
reflectors
warming and polarizing filters
closeup attachments
Rich has conducted garden and flower photography classes at the NY Botanical Gardens, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Tower Hill and Berkshire Botanical Gardens. Rich’s first book, Wild Horses of the Dunes, about the wild horses of Assateague Island, was published in 2004 by Running Press and is in its second printing. Rich’s second book, Great Gardens of the Berkshires, was published in October, 2008 by Down East Books. His third book, Hudson River Valley Farms, about organic and sustainable agriculture in the Hudson Valley, was published by Globe Pequot in September, 2009. Rich’s images have appeared in periodicals including Garden Design, Traditional Home, Horticulture and Fine Gardening.
The cost of this workshop is $95 for members and $125 for non-members. There is also an option for a $10 lunch. To register, log on to www.masshort.org, or call 617-933-4995. This workshop is limited to twenty participants, so please register before June 10 to guarantee a spot. In case of severe rain, the workshop will be held on June 17.
Kick off the 25th Annual Tower Hill plant sale with Tower Hill’s Preview Party Sale and Silent Auction, where you’ll have first pick from the outstanding collection of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs, “incredible edibles,” and Tower Hill grown plants, to name a few. Sumptuous hors d’oeuvre by Peppers Catering, music and a silent auction of items with particular interest to gardening enthusiasts are a major part of the evening.  See www.towerhillbg.org for details. Sponsor tickets, $125 per person, and Patron tickets, $75 per person. To reserve, call 508-869-6111 x 136, or you may buy tickets securely online at www.towerhillbg.org with your credit card.
Come to Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts on Saturday or Sunday, May 22 and 23, from 10 – 5, and enjoy Bonsai Weekend, The Art of the Potted Plant. The exhibit will be in the Stoddard Education and Visitors Center, and is sponsored by The New England Bonsai Society. Gorgeous displays of specimen bonsai plants, with guided tours, lectures, and programs on bonsai culture will be part of the celebration. Discover the world of bonsai – the art of growing trees in miniature. Have you bought or received a bonsai and it died? Come out and learn how to keep your bonsai alive and thriving. If you can raise a houseplant, you can grow a bonsai. Vendors will sell plant material, pots, and accessories.  For more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org, email thgb@towerhillbg.org, or call 508-869-6111, ext 146.
The Vegetable Garden at Tower Hill is one of the Garden highlights of the summer season. For the past ten years, horticulturist Dawn Davies has been the force behind the plant selections and arrangements for this charming garden, and she has taken the displays to new and inspiring heights. Join Dawn on Saturday, May 15 at 2 pm for a sneak preview of the Vegetable Garden Healthy Harvest theme for 2010. Dawn shares tips and techniques for growing a bountiful, healthy and beautiful vegetable garden. Photo below of the Vegetable Garden at Tower Hill by Maria von Brincken, Landscape Designer. The tour is free with admission to Tower Hill. For more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
See beautiful displays of daffodils and primroses of every kind imaginable, including lovely flower arrangements, presented by The New England Chapter of the American Primrose Society and the Seven State Daffodil Society on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2. Welcome spring with these two colorful and simultaneous displays of popular plants. Participate in tours of the shows, as well as lectures and discussions on daffodils and primroses. Vendors will be selling choice primrose, woodland and alpine plants. If you are interested in exhibiting your own daffodils, contact show organizer Mary Ann Streeter at 978-468-2262, or Nancy Mott at 203-661-6142. For more information, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
Instructor Priscilla Purinton of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society will conduct a hands-on workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, April 24, from 1 – 3 pm. Priscilla will be a featured speaker of The Garden Club of the Back Bay in November, 2010, and here is a chance to get down and dirty with her! Create a miniature bog habitat for your garden or patio with rare and interesting plants. Bogs are unique habitats saturated with acidic, low nutrient water that would spell death for most plants. However, they support a surprising diversity of unique flora that can grow nowhere else. Wow your friends with this most unusual container garden filled with carnivorous plants, rushes and other bog endemics. Participants will be provided with all materials and plants, and will learn how to create a good soil mix, what plants do well (and why) in bog situations, and will also learn how to keep the mini bog flourishing for years. Tower Hill member price $40, non-members $43. To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.
On Sunday, April 25, from 10 am – 4 pm, enjoy a tour featuring four private mature gardens in Stow, Boylston, and Princeton, Massachusetts, sponsored by Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Included are the gardens of John Trexler, Tower Hill’s Executive Director, Joann Vieira, Tower Hill’s Horticulture Director, members Rosemary Monahan and Stefan Cover, and members Katy Kleitz and Iris Lee Marcus. All feature impressive plantings of early blooming trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The diverse species of early flowering plants in these gardens will inspire participants in designing their own gardens. Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for non-members. For more information, call 508-869-6111, ext. 124, or purchase tickets securely on line at www.towerhillbg.org.
