Boston Flora

Tag: Tower Hill

  • Friday, April 29, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Orchard Walk and Talk

    Walk and Talks give you an in-depth behind the scenes look at what goes on at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. Learn from Tower Hill staff as they dive into what makes Tower Hill so special. For this Arbor Day Walk and Talk join Director of Horticulture Mark Richardson as he guides you around the newly planted orchard. Learn about all the changes that have happened to the orchard over the past few years, the plans for the upcoming years, and all of the special varieties was have at the Garden. $10 Member Adult; $20 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) . Register at www.nebg.org

    1. Please wear the appropriate attire for walking around the gardens and potentially on the forest trails.
    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.

  • Saturdays, February 5 – February 26, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Garden Design Basics, Online

    Capturing your ideas in an easy to understand plan is essential when creating a landscape design. This online Tower Hill Botanic Garden interactive workshop with Cheryl Salatino gets you focused on the methods and tools required to develop your design approach. We will use a common residential project as the foundation for sparking new ideas for what is possible. Each week you will evolve your design and present your work for feedback and questions. Our collaborative sessions will provide the skills you need to take the next step in designing your own personal garden. The sessions will be from 9:30 – 12:30, and are $125 for Tower Hill members, $150 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Goals of the Workshop
    1. Understanding existing site conditions, general measurements and reading a plot plan
    2. Capturing your ideas on paper
    3. Understanding key design principles
    4. Applying your design knowledge on a residential project (instructor will provide)

    Material List (Not provided W/ Course)
    1. Pencil & Eraser
    2. Engineering Scale
    3. Circle template
    4. Straight edge (ruler or triangle)
    5. Tracing paper
    6. Sketch paper
    7. 10′ or greater tape measure

    Cheryl is the principal designer and owner of Dancing Shadows Garden Design, a residential landscape design and services firm. She has been designing gardens across Massachusetts since 2002. Cheryl is a Certified Landscape Designer and a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist (MCH). She received her certificate in landscape design from the Radcliffe Seminars Landscape Design Program of Harvard University. She was awarded the status of Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist by the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) as evidence of achieving the industry’s highest standards in nursery and landscape professionalism. Cheryl has also earned an Advanced Certificate in Horticulture and Design as part of the New England Wildflower Society’s Native Plant Studies Program.

  • Thursday, December 2, 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Herb and Fruit Hand Printed Cards, Gift Tags, and Gift Wrap

    Get into the holiday spirit and add a personal touch to your decor this year. Imagine a wrapped gift with your own printed wrapping paper. Imagine a holiday card with a hand craft botanical touch. Artist and teacher Suzanne Hauerstein will guide you through simple ways to create your personal and one of a kind hand-printed holiday cards, gift tags and gift wrap using fresh fruit and herbs. All materials will be provided for this Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on December 2 from 12:30 – 2:30. .

    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.

    $45 Member Adult; $60 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register Here.

    1. All materials will be provided for this workshop.
    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.

  • Saturday, November 6, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm – Introduction to Essential Oils

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden lecture by Linda Patterson on November 6 from 1:30 – 3:00 will cover the health benefits of essential oils, how to work with them safely, and the importance of quality. We will discuss the safety hazards surrounding oils and their applications. Essential oils will be passed through the lecture hall to allow the audience to experience practitioner quality. Essential oils have grown in popularity over the past couple years.

    Linda Patterson, M.A. founder and director of the Eclectic Institute of Aromatherapy and Herbal Studies has over thirty years of experience working with herbs and essential oils. Her love for plants inspired her to complete an education in the sciences at Smith College to better understand plants, their functions, and the challenges they now face in their ever changing environments. This love has led her to become a Master Gardener as well as a Flower Essences Practitioner. Linda teaches internationally as well as throughout the New England area. Her dynamic style of teaching encompasses a wide variety of healing modalities, which embrace a holistic approach to health and well-being.

    $30 for Tower Hill members, $40 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Image result for linda patterson aromatherapy

  • Thursday, November 4, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Right Plant/Right Place Webinar

    As gardeners, our role is to provide our plants with the correct conditions to meet their specific needs. Knowing those conditions is essential before we head off to the nursery. In this Tower Hill webinar on November 4 at 6:30 pm with Cheryl Salatino, we’ll explore the fundamentals of sun and shade patterns, water availability, soil considerations, climate and problem potential, diversity, and site preparation and planting techniques for both new and existing planting beds. Like people, plants don’t perform well under stress. We’ll take a look at some of our favorite shrubs and perennials to better understand how to match the right plant with the right place.

    Cheryl is the principal designer and owner of Dancing Shadows Garden Design, a residential landscape design and services firm. She has been designing gardens across Massachusetts since 2002. Cheryl is a Certified Landscape Designer and a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist (MCH). She received her certificate in landscape design from the Radcliffe Seminars Landscape Design Program of Harvard University. She was awarded the status of Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist by the Massachusetts Nursery & Landscape Association (MNLA) as evidence of achieving the industry’s highest standards in nursery and landscape professionalism. Cheryl has also earned an Advanced Certificate in Horticulture and Design as part of the New England Wildflower Society’s Native Plant Studies Program.

    $10 Member Adult; $15 Adult

  • Sunday, October 31, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm , and Wednesday, November 3, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – Flower Photography from Start to Finish (Hybrid Course)

    This Tower Hill Botanic Garden program consists of two sessions. The first session will take place on October 31 from 10:30 – 1:30 in person and the other session is virtual. When registering, please select both sessions.

    If you’ve found that your garden photos don’t quite have the impact that you were hoping for, this class is for you. Join professional outdoor photographer Paul Nguyen in this two-session blended learning class, and discover how to create stunning close-ups and artistic images of your plants and gardens. The first session meets at Tower Hill and emphasizes proper technique, equipment choice, camera settings, and composition to create the best possible in-camera captures, as we investigate trees, leaves, and other Autumn subjects. The second session happens online over Zoom, and reveals the editing techniques that experts apply to give their photos that additional “pop” and polish that bring them to life and make them ready for printing or sharing.

    Requirements for the first session:
    Camera with a zoom lens or dedicated macro lens
    Tripod
    Clothing and footwear that allow for mobility and flexibility

    Optional equipment:
    Reflector/diffuser
    Close-up flash
    Kneeling pad or folding seat

    Requirements for the second session:
    Laptop or computer with speakers and a stable high-speed internet connection

    Professional Photographer Paul Nguyen is a native of Massachusetts with over 30 years of experience in film and digital photography. He currently specializes in digital photography of natural landscapes and wildlife from New England and around the world. In April 2017, he served in the prestigious National Parks Artist in Residence program, at Petrified Forest, Arizona. His work also includes an exclusive assignment as the photographer for the Gallery on the Charles River at the Museum of Science, Boston. Since 2019, he has been an affiliated artist at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. His images have been licensed by organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, Tamron USA, Amazing New England Artworks, and numerous local and international publications, and his outstanding image-making and teaching have gained him equipment sponsorships from Tamron USA and Sun Surveyor. Paul currently serves as a program guide and brand ambassador for Swedish outfitter Fjallraven.

    Paul lives and works out of Hopkinton, MA, and can be seen promoting and selling his work at art shows across New England throughout the year, and is also a lecturer and contest judge for local camera clubs and the New England Camera Club Council. The Boston Camera Club awarded him Judge of the Year honors for 2015-2016. He offers local and destination photography workshops through his business, BlueHour Photo Ventures, as well as private one-on-one instruction.

    $60 Member Adult; $75 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Sunday, October 31, 10:15 am – 12:15 pm – Drawing Leaves and Seeds

    Whether it’s acorn leaves and nuts or a milkweed pod and leaves, explore the wondrous and sometimes crazy shapes of seed pods through observational drawing. Add color with colored pencils and learn how to achieve an accurate shape and the importance of shading. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden course on October 31 is focused on learning and applying botanical illustration skills. It is an all levels workshop but it is encouraged to have some basic illustration experience.

    Materials List (Not included with registration):

    1. Mixed media paper pad, 9″ x 12″, such as Canson XL or Strathmore or Canson Mi-Tentes Drawing Paper Pad, assorted colors
    2. Colored pencils, assorted colors, brands such as Prismacolor, Caran d’Ache, Derwent, Faber-Castell Polychromos
    3. No. 2 pencil and an eraser

    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 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE

  • Saturday, October 30, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Growing Cacti and Succulents in New England

    Cacti and Succulents thrive in desert locations all over the world. Growing them in New England can pose quite a few problems for these arid loving plants. In this October 30 Tower Hill Botanic Garden class we will discuss the ways that we can help our cacti and succulents acclimate to living in the northeast. Too much water, not enough sun, too organic soil, these are all big problems for cacti and succulents. But, with the right horticultural knowledge they can all be easily solved. We’ll also go over propagation, containers, where to buy, and local resources for all things cacti and succulent related. Feel free to bring any plants that you have questions about as well.

    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. Eastern Opuntia image courtesy of GoBotany.

    $30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden) Register HERE

  • Friday, October 29 – Sunday, October 31 – Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts Show: Spirits of the Season

    The Central North and Central South Districts of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. will be hosting “Spirits of the Season”—a National Garden Club Standard Flower show—at Tower Hill this fall. The show offers members of Garden Clubs in the New England Region and beyond an opportunity to exhibit floral designs, horticultural specimens, and educational exhibits with the intent to educate club members and the viewing public and stimulate interest in horticulture and floral design. In this year’s schedule, class titles such as “Bewitched,” “Mask-er-ade,” and “Haunting Delights” provide inspiration for creative expression following a whimsical seasonal theme. The show exhibits are judged and awards are placed. Free with admission to the Garden.

    Friday, October 29, 2021, 10AM-5PM
    Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10AM-5PM
    Sunday, October 31, 2021, 10AM-4PM

    The Garden Club Federation of Mass offers many opportunities for education in the gardening world, and “Spirits of the Season” will provide a fun, festive insight into just some of the interests and talents nurtured by the state and individual clubs.

  • Saturday, October 23, 12:00 noon – 3:00 pm – New England Hosta Society Annual Meeting

    The New England Hosta Society is happy to return to in-person meetings, and its 2021 Annual Meeting will take place October 23 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, in Classrooms A and B. At noon, bring your own lunch (tea, coffee, water, and soda will be provided) and socialize before the meeting and elections beginning at 1 pm. At 2, Bob Solberg, hosta hybridizer and owner of Green Hill Hosta in North Carolina, will speak. He is the recipient of the 2003 Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Award by the American Hosta Society. The company is among the leading introducers of new hostas in the world. Many of them were hybridized by Bob Solberg and other leading hosta hybridizers. The high quality of our plants and their very large root systems is well known. (Great roots make a great growing hosta!)

    osta