Boston Flora

Tag: Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture

  • Thursday & Friday, August 17 & 18, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Colored Pencil Techniques for Botanical Subjects on Toned Paper

    There is something magical about colored pencils on toned paper, but achieving the colors you want to match is difficult. 

    In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society class, co-sponsored with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, learn how to control the values and forms of colored botanical subjects using toned paper. Through class demonstrations, Carol Ann Morley will show you how to make colored palettes for different colored subjects, maintain true tonal values and color, and explore how colors change their appearance on different colored backgrounds. This class is useful to help problem-solve color choices, especially white and light subjects on darker backgrounds

    2 days: Thurs. & Fri., Aug. 17 & 18      
    9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

    WCBG Friends & MHS Members: $225 / Non-Members: $275. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Tuesday, October 22, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Beginning with Light

    Knowing how to set up your specimen with correct lighting to reveal all the nuances of form, color and texture is essential to capturing realism in your botanical art. In this one day Friends of Wellesley Botanic Gardens workshop on October 22 from 9:30 – 3:30, Elaine Searle will demonstrate her technique and guide you in getting the best results. The day will start with a short presentation and you will partner up to try out the lighting rig. Having lit and photographed specimens, we will do some practical work on painting realistic light and shadow on varying reflective surfaces. This workshop is suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced. Friends members $150, nonmembers $200. The class will be held in the Cheney classroom at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.

    copyright Elaine Searle

  • Friday, June 21, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Roots and Shoots

    Join artist and naturalist Louise Barteau for a one-day botanical workshop on June 21 from 9:30 – 3:30 in the Putnam classroom at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street in Wellesley. Using a hand lens and a notebook, examine many examples of plant structures while considering their role in plant growth. Brief slide presentations will be accompanied by hands-on observation and exercises. This Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens class is $70 for members, $85 for non-members. Register at www.wellesley.edu/wcbg/learn

  • Tuesday, January 15 – Thursday, January 17, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – On Location: The Kampong

    Join Sarah Roche at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Coconut Grove, Florida January 15 – 17 and enjoy three days of botanical art.  Once on location, start to draw with easy field sketches on the grounds of the stunning Kampong historic home and garden, where the climate of the southeast shore of Florida affords a natural open-air environment in which tropical species flourish.  Explore rudiments of form from live specimens as you work in graphite studies.  Some plants will be flowering, others will be fruiting and some may have all stages of development visible.  Then, add color with watercolors.  Take home a journal filled with field sketches useful for future art works and fond memories of a unique experience.  All abilities are welcome.  Fee  (Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens $325, non-members $400) includes three days of class instruction only.  Travel, accommodations, food, and other expenses not included.  Dormitory accommodations at Kampong may be arranged on a first-come basis.  For those arriving on Monday, January 14, a get-acquainted gathering will be arranged.  Contact the Friends office for more details at 781-283-3094.  Offered in collaboration with The Kampong National Tropical Botanical Garden.

  • Monday, May 21, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Defining Gardens: A Global View

    From meadows and forests to desert or barren glacial till, how do cultures in different environments satisfy their need for gardens? Is the focus on planned order or wild nature, on plants or man made structures? Are there favorite plants or flowers? How do the residents interact with their gardens? Wellesley College Professor Emerita Mary Coyne’s extensive travels to many lands always include garden visits. With her as our guide, we’ll armchair-wander to the Arctic, Europe, Asia, South and North America, and Africa to take a peek at gardens old and new. After many years teaching in Wellesley College’s Department of Biological Sciences, Mary Coyne embarked on a retirement career as a landscape designer. She received her Certificate from the Landscape Institute in 2010. The Harriet B. Creighton Educational Garden (below) across the driveway from the Visitor Center is designed and maintained by her. The May 21 lecture will be preceded by tea at 2 pm. Co-sponsored by the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the cost to attend is $10 for members of either sponsoring organization, or $15 for non-members. Register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Saturday, May 19, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Walk Through the Hunnewell Pinetum

    Enjoy the glories of spring on Saturday, May 19 as the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture lead a walk to the shores of Lake Waban where the College property borders the Walter Hunnewell Estate. There David Dusenbury, Superintendent of the property, will lead us on an approximately 90 minute walking tour of the historic Pinetum. The Pinetum, or collection of pine trees, was started in 1866 by Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, founder and creator of the estate, originally called Wellesley after his wife, Isabella Welles Hunnewell. The cultivation and care of this world-class tree collection has continued through four generations of the Hunnewell family to the present day. Wellesley’s pines have a history and pedigree worthy of any family tree. The 10-acre area includes more than 350 specimen conifers representing approximately 150 varieties ranging in age from a few years to 140-plus. Features include spectacular mature specimens of Sargent’s weeping hemlock, cedar of Lebanon and dawn redwood, among others.  Meet at the WCBG Visitor Center at 1:30 pm to walk over to the Pinetum. Tour takes place rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for the weather, including suitable footwear. Thanks to Wellesley alumna Luisa Hunnewell for so generously sharing her wonderful landscape with the Friends of Horticulture. WCFH members $20, non-members $25. Visit http://www.wellesley.edu/WCFH to register.

  • Saturday, April 28, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Rustic Trellis Building Workshop

    Craftsman Frank Hamm believes that anyone can build beautiful and functional furniture using just green tree limbs and saplings. On Saturday, April 28 (rain date Sunday, April 29) at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden, under his expert guidance, learn how to construct a terrific garden gate, trellis or side table in this half-day, hands-on workshop. You will learn how to use straight, curved and forked branches for design and structural integrity. Create harmonious, sculptural forms by carefully coordinating the complex shapes of individual wood cuttings. Take home a terrific addition to your garden, home or yard. (Log on to www.frankhamm.com for ideas.) Bring a hand drill and small bits, measuring tape, hammer and saw if you have them. Dress for the weather. Wood/building materials supplied. WCFH members $75, non-members $95. To register, visit www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

    http://www.frankhamm.com/Tennis%201%206x9.jpg

  • Monday, March 19, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bonsai: History, Facts and Myths

    The March meeting of the Garden Club of the Back Bay will take place at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Monday, March 19 beginning with tea at 2 pm, followed by another of our “Japan Year” programs, Bonsai: History, Facts and Myths. Learn how bonsai are created and tips for keeping them alive as long as possible. Pauline F. Muth will present a program on the history, art and horticulture of bonsai. She will illustrate her talk with both a photographic and live collection of various types of bonsai. Pauline has been involved with bonsai for almost 40 years. She maintains a teaching studio in West Charlton, NY exclusively dedicated to the art of bonsai. Her gardens are open to the public by appointment. She sits on the executive boards of Mohawk Hudson Bonsai Society, The Mid-Atlantic Bonsai Societies, The American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International. Her studioʼs web site is www.pfmbonsai.com. The program is co-sponsored by The Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.  Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive written notice of this meeting, along with car pool information.  Others may register on line (Arnold Arboretum and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture members $10, non-members $15) at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Friday, March 23, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm – It’s a Small World – Macro-Digital Photography

    Discover how to create stunning close-ups of flowers and other plant features in this one-day workshop with photographer David Kahn, at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  Begin with a discussion of equipment, preparation, composition, lighting, tips and tricks, as well as see examples of what can be achieved.  Then practice macro techniques using a variety of settings in the Ferguson Greenhouses and Visitor Center.  This hands-on workshop is ideal for photographers who want to explore their own creative vision in the realm of macro photography as well as artists who want to record small details as a reference for future artwork.  Requirements: a digital camera and a good working knowledge of your camera, including being able to focus on a subject 6″ or less from the lens, set your camera’s exposure mode, and turn your flash on or off.  A more complete list of requirements will be available online at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.  Please contact the office if you are not sure if your equipment or experience is sufficient.  Please bring your lunch as David plans a special presentation over lunch hour.  The class, which runs from 10 – 4, will take place Friday, March 23 (snow date Friday, March 30), beginning at 9:30 am.  Friends of the Wellesley College Botanic Garden: $75, non-members $95.

  • Tuesday, February 21, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Fabulous Ferns!

    The Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture will sponsor a great day of sketching on Tuesday, February 21, from 10 – 4, at the greenhouses at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden. Go on a fern foray with Elizabeth Farnsworth, illustrator and co-author of the Peterson Field Guide to the Ferns of Northeastern North America. Using the diverse fern collections of the Ferguson Greenhouses, explore fern anatomy, architecture, life cycle, ecology, and microscopic characteristics. See the features to look for when identifying ferns in the wild. There will be plenty of time for sketching ferns and their diagnostic characters, plus question-and-answer time about these amazing plants.  Bring your lunch along with sketchbook and pencils or pens (whichever is your preferred medium for sketching), and colored pencils for recording various anatomical structures.  Snow date will be Wednesday, February 22.  WCFH members $75, non-members $95.  Register on line at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.