The Urban Farming Institute will conduct a workshop in its Grow Series on Saturday, May 8 at noon with guest speaker Ryleigh Rivers. The event takes place at the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm, 487 Norfolk Street in Mattapan. Registration is encouraged – email info@urbanfarminginstitute.org or call 617-989-9920.
Part two of this two-part fruit tree pruning class on Thursday, June 22 from 10 – 2 will cover fruit tree management and growth control techniques for a maximally productive tree. Participants will learn how trees set bud, and what type of wood produces fruit. The class will focus on apples, cherries, peaches and pears. The program will begin with a lecture at Polly Hill Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury, in the new Education Center (pictured below), and move to the Grey Barn orchard for the hands-on portion. During the Grey Barn visit, the group will revisit trees from part one of the class in March, and observe how the pruning influenced growth, as well as discussing next steps for proper management. Bring a lunch, work gloves, and safety glasses, and dress for the weather. The Arboretum will provide pruners, saws, loppers and ladders. $40 for non-members, $30 for members. Space is limited; please call to preregister: 508-693-9426. All are welcome, whether or not you attended part one. Park in the main lot and meet at the visitor center.
Knowing what and when to prune, and how to do so, are important as you manage your home landscape. Learn the basic techniques for pruning ornamental shrubs for optimum health and beauty. Jen Kettell, an ISA-certified arborist will address topics including pruning cuts and tools; thinning and reducing overgrown plants; shaping and encouraging new growth. The class is sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum and takes place Saturday, February 28, from 9 – 11. Fee $20 Arboretum member, $30 nonmember. Register online at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=1.
A good fruit tree should not make a good shade tree. The primary purpose of pruning is to increase sunlight penetration, remove less productive wood, and shape the crown into an efficient, stable form. A neglected but otherwise healthy tree will usually show a marked improvement in fruit quality as a result of pruning. Join apple expert John Bunker of Fedco Trees in Waterville, Maine, for an apple tree pruning workshop at the Polly Hill Arboretum in Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday, March 9, from 10 – 2. Find out how to give an old tree new life and what kind of yearly pruning maintenance will keep your fruit trees producing year after year. This workshop begins with a talk on fruit tree pruning then heads outside to a near-by orchard for hands-on pruning. Bring your pruners, lopers and/or pruning saw if you have them. Also bring a brown bag lunch. $55/$45 for PHA members. Register at www.pollyhillarboretum.org.
The Shirley-Eustis House, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Roxbury, Massachusetts is pleased to announce a fruit tree pruning workshop will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please join the Shirley-Eustis House, Boston Urban Forest Council and Boston Natural Areas Network for a free workshop presentation entitled Fruit Trees: Pruning and Care at the Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley Street, Boston.
Routine pruning is vital for healthy fruit trees. In this hands-on workshop, experts will demonstrate basic tree pruning techniques and guide you as you help prune the Shirley-Eustis House orchard trees. The workshop will teach you how and when to make pruning cuts, methods to boost the production of quality fruit and strategies to improve the health of fruit tree orchards.
Please register for this event by calling 617-542-7696 or by emailing info@bostonnatural.org. This event is free and open to the public. All pruning tools and equipment will be provided but we ask that you provide your own gloves and eye protection gear.
On Saturday, September 15th, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay will hold its Annual Fall Street Sale, our local community yard sale, on the Dartmouth Street Mall between Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue (at Alley 434).
You may purchase a 10′ x 4′ selling space at the Street Sale for $75. This fee includes one chair. Bring your own table or rent one with your space reservation for an additional $25. Reservations are not transferable according to state revenue restrictions.
NABB arranges the space, procures the permits, and sets the stage. You bring your clean and sale ready household merchandise, books, antiques or other treasures, priced appropriately, and watch them be snapped up by bargain hunters. The proceeds are all yours.
No clothing, please. The City of Boston has notified NABB that no commercial products may be sold at this sale. For more information, or to procure a table, log on to www.nabbonline.com, or mail a check for $75 (or $100 if you wish to rent a table and chair) made out to NABB to the NABB office at 160 Commonwealth Avenue, #L-8, Boston, MA 02116-2749.
 
Pruning is a practice that is periodically required on all woody landscape plants and a yearly pruning program helps to maintain the health, beauty and safety of plantings. Jack Kelly of Bartlett Tree Experts will discuss those techniques that are safe and reasonable for the home gardener to do as well as discussing when it’s time to call in an arborist for consultation and management of large or difficult specimens. The lecture, entitled Pruning Outdoor Trees and Shrubs, will take place at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s headquarters at Elm Bank in Wellesley on Thursday, April 5 beginning at 7 pm. The event is free but registration is recommended at www.masshort.org.
Autumn is a great time to assess your woody plants for shape and structure. This Berkshire Botanical Garden demonstration/workshop will focus on pruning, including when, why and how to shape, renovate, train or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about pruning tools, timing, and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Pruning techniques specifically for both evergreen and deciduous hedges will be covered. The program will take place Saturday, September 24 from 10:30 – 1:30 at the Garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Ken Gooch is a Massachusetts Certified Arborist, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management’s Forest Health Specialist for Berkshire County. He is an educator and lectures widely on a variety of topics including forest health, pruning, and arboriculture. Fee is $30 for BBG members, $35 for nonmembers. You may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org. Wear waterproof outerwear and boots, and bring a bag lunch.
The Shirley-Eustis House, a National Historic Landmark house museum and carriage house in Roxbury, Massachusetts is pleased to announce another fruit tree pruning workshop on Saturday, June 4, 2011. As part of the Boston Orchard Program, The Shirley-Eustis House is partnering with Boston Natural Areas Network and The Food Project to bring you this free pruning workshop where you will learn how and when to make pruning cuts that will boost fruit production and improve the health of local trees. Ben Crouch, sole proprietor of Jamaica Plain’s Land of Plenty Gardens will provide information and hands-on demonstrations about pruning at the Shirley-Eustis House Orchards located at 33 Shirley Street in Roxbury.
This free program, for everyone interested in learning more about protecting their trees, will begin at 10 a..m. Reservations are required by Thursday, June 2. Contact the Shirley-Eustis House at 617-442-2275 or email at governorshirley@gmail.com. You may also contact Boston Natural Areas Network at 617-542-7696 or email them at info@bostonnatural.org.
David Salter, Tree Division Manager of Hamilton Tree in Falmouth, will speak on Tree Pruning: Health, Aesthetics and Safety, on Thursday, July 8, beginning at 10 am at Highfield Hall, 56 Highfield Drive in Falmouth. From an informed background, with degrees in agriculture and urban forestry, and with certification as a Massachusetts and International Society of Arboriculture arborist, David is ready to help homeowners care for trees on their properties. David will share the art of tree pruning so you don’t mistakenly damage or even kill a tree. He’ll review the importance of removing deadwood, decreasing the weight in trees, increasing light to an area, enhancing a view, clearing brush away for fire safety, and shaping and reshaping trees. He will also discuss the proper tools for different pruning challenges and demonstrate proper pruning techniques. $5 suggested donation. For more information, log on to www.highfieldhall.org.
