Boston Flora

Tag: US Botanic Garden

  • Thursday, December 19, 7:00 pm Eastern – Terroir of Cacao: Chocolate Flavor from Around the World, Online

    Terroir of Chocolate–Cacao Flavor from Around the World (Free Online Lecture) on December 19 at 7 pm is sponsored by the US Botanic Garden. Register at www.USBG.gov/Programs Chocolate can taste completely different when the cacao is grown in different places. You can even taste the difference between chocolate grown in different valleys of one Hawaiian island! Dr. Bletter will take you through the 12-step, 2-month journey of turning colorful cacao fruits into luscious chocolate bars. You will learn how the process was discovered in Latin America and how the steps affect the final flavor of the chocolate we all love to devour. We’ll also look back at the amazing ancient plant chemists of the Inca, Olmec, Maya, and Aztec who invented these processes and still to this day make incredible perfumed chocolate foams that rival modern molecular gastronomy techniques.

    Presenter: Dr. Nat Bletter, ethnobotanist, founder and flavormeister for Madre Chocolate. Dr. Nat Bletter has 25 years of experience in botany, traveling the world documenting exotic fruits and vegetables, gathering food in the wild, and exploring herbal and traditional medicine. With his Ph.D. in Ethnobotany from the City University of New York and New York Botanical Garden and postdoc at University of Hawai’i Manoa, Nat is the founder of artisanal chocolate company Madre Chocolate and runs the edible landscaping company Natty by Nature.

  • Friday, June 7, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Eastern – Groundcovers: Great Alternative to Turf Grass, Online

    Groundcovers are low-growing plants that serve many purposes in the landscape. These lovely low-growers limit weed growth, stabilize slopes, add texture to your garden, and more! Kathy Jentz, author of the new book, Groundcover Revolution, will cover several of these beautiful, hard-working plants, including several native plant selections. This US Botanical Garden online workshop will be held June 7 at noon. Register HERE

  • Friday, May 31, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Eastern – Cutting Gardens: Bouquets, Small Spaces, and Lots of Bloom, Online

    Growing flowers brings beauty to your garden, supports pollinators, and provides bouquets to spread joy to others. Join the US Botanic Garden and Maya Kosok, owner and lead gardener of Hillen Homestead, on May 31 at noon to hear about her urban flower farm on a half acre in urban Baltimore city, and learn how you can grow loads of cut flowers in your home garden or small farm. She will touch on variety selection, plant spacing, pest management, harvest practices, and some tips and tricks for making beautiful and bountiful homegrown bouquets. Registration required at https://usbg.swoogo.com/CuttingGardensLecture-May24

  • Through April 28 – The Future of Orchids: Conservation and Collaboration

    Organized by Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden, “The Future of Orchids: Conservation and Collaboration” fills the entire Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery with nearly 350 live orchids through April 28. The exhibition explores the numerous challenges facing wild orchids today, including climate change, habitat destruction, and over-collecting, and offers a glimpse into the work being performed by a diverse group of scientists to and conservationists to protect the future of orchids. 

    If orchids are part of your own future (or present), Barb Schmidt, a noted orchid care expert, leads three Smithsonian Associates studio arts programs you won’t want to miss. On Tuesday March 5, she offers a virtual tour and history of the native orchid collection at Longwood Gardens. If you’re a from-the-ground-up novice, Schmidt’s Tuesday, March 12 class is ideal for beginners who want to keep their orchids blooming at home. And on Saturday, March 16, learn to free your orchid from the confines of its pot and mount it on a piece of wood.

    Learn more HERE.

    Photo by Hannele Lehti

  • Wednesday, April 4 – Monday, April 17 – Springtime in Japan: Inspiring Gardens and Landscapes

    Wednesday, April 4 – Monday, April 17 – Springtime in Japan: Inspiring Gardens and Landscapes

    See iconic vistas, experience gardens that capture the essence of Japanese culture, witness rare and exclusive cultural events, marvel at bonsai masterpieces, see 1,000-year-old trees, and get an insight into the intricate landscape and design philosophies of this ancient culture this spring, April 4 – 17, with the American Horticultural Society.

    Our AHS hosts will be Holly and Osamu Shimizu. Holly is recently retired from her position as Executive Director of the U.S. Botanic Garden. Osamu is an accomplished landscape architect who spent the early years of his career in Japan. Both have traveled extensively, visiting gardens around the world.

    Frances Roxburgh, a founding partner of Specialtours, will be our tour leader. She has worked closely with Holly and Osamu over the past year to craft an exceptional itinerary exclusively for this AHS tour.

    Highlights

    Explore Tokyo’s Imperial Palace Gardens.
    Admire living masterpieces in the Shunka-en bonsai garden and museum.
    Behold the world’s largest bronze statue of the Buddha.
    Experience Kenroku-en, one of Japan’s finest landscape gardens.
    Be entertained by geisha in the ancient city of Kyoto — a rare opportunity.
    Learn about traditional Japanese philosophies and landscape design sensibilities.

    Our accommodations range from highly-rated hotels like the Ana Intercontinental Hotel in Tokyo, the Nikko Hotel in Kanazawa, the Hyatt Hotel in Kyoto, the Swissotel in Osaka, and the Benesse House Hotel in Naoshima, to distinctive ryokan inns in Hakone and Takayama, where we will have the opportunity to relax and enjoy traditional Japanese hospitality and culture. For complete itinerary and registration information visit http://www.ahs.org/gardening-programs/travel-study/springtime-in-japan2017

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  • Wednesday, October 1 – Application Deadline for Sustainable Landscape Practices Webinar

    The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, and the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, will coordinate a series of webinars for those interested in teaching others how to create sustainable landscapes.  From October 21 to November 18, the Landscape for Life: Train the Trainers webinars will occur every Tuesday afternoon and will also serve as an open forum for participants.

    Featured topics include healthy soils, effective water management, selection of appropriate plants to create habitat, use of recycled materials, and integrated pest management.  Sustainable practices for a variety of gardens – from large, rural lots to small apartments – will be covered.

    The webinars are part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, an interdisciplinary program developed as a collaboration between the American Society of Landscape Architects, the US Botanic Garden, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to establish guidelines and benchmarks for sustainable landscape design.  The application deadline is October 1, and prospective participants must be able to attend, in all, five webinars to register.  For more information visit www.landscapeforlife.org.

  • Friday, August 20 – Sunday, August 22 – In the Garden Weekend

    The American Horticultural Society is once again teaming up with the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, for the In the Garden Weekend, held August 20-22. The 12th annual event will include presentations by André Viette, nurseryman and host of the “In the Garden” radio show; Kerry Mendez, owner of Perennially Yours in upstate New York; Paul Meyer, director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania; Holly Shimizu, executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden; and Forrest Lee, the Homestead’s grounds superintendent. In addition to the presentations, tours of the Homestead’s gardens, meals, and accommodations are offered as part of the weekend package. All attendees receive a free year of membership in the AHS. Visit www.ahs.org or call 703-768-5700 for additional information.  To register, visit the Homestead’s website, www.thehomestead.com.

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