Boston Flora

Tag: Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture

  • Monday, February 14, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – New York Garden Spaces

    Explore the green side of the Big Apple in this illustrated lecture with garden designer and WCFH docent Maureen Bovet.  Maureen was born and raised in New York City and her passion for gardening began there.  She will be your guide to the traditional (New York Botanical Gardens, below) and modern places where New Yorkers and visitors enjoy the great outdoors.  The history and horticulture of these parks are illustrated by beautiful images from her collection.  This February 14 program begins with tea at 2, followed by the lecture at 2:30 in the Visitors Center of the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. $10 for WCFH members, $15 for non-members.  To sign up, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Monday, January 10, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – The Secret Lives of Honey Bees

    Most people are familiar with the sight of a honey bee forager as she visits flowers in a garden or park, but few people know the rich story of the life of a colony within the darkness of a hive.  Wellesley College Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Heather Mattila studies the social organization of honey bees, and her hives lend a lively presence to the arboretum.  heather will unravel the secret life of honey bees, including the different kinds of bees that are found in hives and the jobs that they do, as well as the means by which honey bees communicate to ensure that the end result of their interactions is a healthy and productive colony.  The program, on Monday, January 10, will begin with tea at 2 pm, followed by the lecture at 2:30.  $10 for WCFH members, $15 for non-members.  Register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Saturdays, October 30, November 13 & 20, and December 4, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Ink Brush Painting

    Explore ink brush painting with Nan Rumpf in this Wellesley College botanical art workshop designed for adults who would like to learn to interpret plant forms with brush and ink.  Try to capture the essence of different plants and flowers using expressive gesture strokes based on Asian ink brush painting traditions.  Work with black ink and color, and also explore rice paper washes using gouache tea and color.  No previous experience is required.  Join to learn new skills or brush up (no pun intended) on your old skills.  This class can be helpful to watercolor artists as it can expand your repertoire of brushstrokes.  The class will meet at Wellesley College on October 30, November 13 and 20, and December 4, from 1 – 4, and will cost $125 for WCFH members and $160 for nonmembers.  To register, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH to print a registration form.

  • Saturday, October 9, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East

    For gardeners of all levels, this program, taking place Saturday, October 9 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regionally native plants.  Carolyn Summers will present topics including wildlife benefits, sustainable design and maintenance, and strategies for “safe sex in the garden” to reduce the spread of non-native invasive plants.  Participants will learn how to apply basic ecological and design principles in all their gardening endeavors.

    Carolyn Summers is the author of the recently published Designing Gardens with the Flora of the American East and is an adjunct professor for continuing education at Westchester Community College.  She provides technical assistance to the Native Plant Center, an affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  Please bring your own lunch.  A book sale and author signing will follow the class.  This program is offered by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the New England Wild Flower Society, and the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture.  $60 for members of one of the affiliated sponsors, or $70 for non-members.  You may register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • May 14 – May 29, 2011 – Secrets of Sichuan: A Journey to Jiuzhaigou

    The New England Wild Flower Society, with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, announce the upcoming tour The Secrets of Sichuan, to take place May 14 – 29, 2011.  This unique expedition to explore the flora, fauna, and culture of Sichuan will be led by Ted Elliman, leader of NEWFS botanical forays to China for many years.

    The rhododendron will be in flower during this visit.  This is good news because China, a global center of diversity for many plant groups, supports more than 400 endemic species of rhododendron. Most of these grow in the Hengduan Mountain region, where the tour will be based.  You may not see them all, but if this is your first trip to southwest China, you will probably see more than you ever have before.  Wild mountain nature reserves are the focus of the journey.  Natural areas on the itinerary include Emei Shan, a revered and sacred 10,000 foot mountain with spectacular flora, Tanghiahe Nature Reserve, with dense broadleaved forests and a rich bird fauna, and Wanglang Nature Reserve, where subalpine conifer forests of spruce, larch and juniper grow up through understories of tall rhododendron and a sparkling array of forest wildflowers.  In Wanglang, at 11,000 feet elevation, the high elevation wildflowers will be blooming at and above timberline.  Tangjiahe and Wanglang are also home to wild populations of giant panda.

    A major highlight will be a two day visit to Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of incomparable beauty, that is another great place to view and photograph spring wildflowers.  Jiuzhaigou is a valley complex of crystalline lakes and streams, connected by a superbly designed network of boardwalk trails.  Accessible parts range in elevation from 7,000 to 11,000 feet, and it is an ideal place to explore on foot.  Frequent shuttle buses provide ready access to the boardwalk trails.  Other stops will be Leshan, where a seated Buddha image 200 feet tall, carved from red sandstone, overlooks an auspicious river confluence, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and Sanxingdui Museum.  For a complete itinerary, log on to  http://www.wellesley.edu/WCFH/Courses/Sichuan%20Brochure.pdf.  Trip fee is $3,945 per person, double occupancy, plus air fair of $1,195 from New York, round trip, through Betchart Expeditions, Inc.  Call Renee Apostolou at 800-252-4910 for additional information.

  • Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Elements of Drawing: Larger Than Life

    The Arnold Arboretum, in collaboration with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, offers a two day workshop on Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22, from 9:30 to 3:30 each day at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Focus in on a flower blossom and record your observations as an attention grabbing enlargement. Under the guidance of Jeanne Kunze, draw the blossom magnified to show shape and form. See flowers in a new way and record detail not possible not possible at a smaller scale. Increase your ability to infuse subtle nuances and detail into your drawing. For beginners as well as more advanced artists. Develop confidence in your observation and illustration skills through Jeanne’s class demonstrations, individual teaching moments and directed practice. For beginners as well as more advanced artists. Bring your own lunch or walk to local shops.

    Fee $150 member, $190 nonmember of either the Arboretum or WCBG.  To register online, log on to www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

  • Monday, June 7, 3:00 pm – Annual Meeting of the Friends of Horticulture

    The Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony of the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture will take place on Monday, June 7, beginning with a reception at 3:00 pm, followed by a program at 4:00 pm, where Sarah Roche, Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration Director, will speak on Botanical Art Today.  For more information, and exact campus location of the meeting, call 781-283-3094, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/events/events/images/WoodyPlants.jpg

  • Wednesday, June 23, 7:30 am – 7:00 pm – Gardens of Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire

    Go on the road with the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture on Wednesday, June 23, leaving the Gray Lot with a car pool at 7:30 am, returning at approximately 7:00 pm.  Rain or shine you will drive to Newbury, New Hampshire, to begin the day in the Lake Sunapee region with a visit to the grounds of The Fells, one of New England’s finest examples of an early 20th century summer estate (see picture below).  At The Fells your guide is Thelma Hewitt, horticulturist with a specialty in native plants and wildflowers.  The estate grounds feature a 100 foot perennial border, the Old Garden hidden behind masses of rhododendrons, a formal Rose Terrace, and a world class Rock Garden.

    From the Fells, drive just up the road to the Hewitt’s for a garden tour and lunch.  The next stop is the Community Garden at Tracy Library in the center of New London.  Working with the Olmsted Brothers firm’s 1926 original plans and plant lists, the garden was recreated and replanted in 2002 by local volunteers, one of whom will be your next hostess, Carolyn Hager.  Traveling to her garden near Pleasant Lake, you will find an unexpected surprise in a woodland setting.

    You’ll end the day with a visit to the garden of Ann Loeffler in Elkins, at the far end of Pleasant Lake.  Ann is a volunteer at The Fells, who says perennials are her ongoing great love, and her current craze is dwarf conifers.  WCFH members $48, non members $60, includes lunch and snacks and garden admissions.  To register, call 781-283-3094, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

    http://www.gardenvisit.com/assets/madge/the_fells_newbury/600x/the_fells_newbury_600x.jpg

  • Thursday, May 20, 2:00 – 4:00 pm – The Power and Purpose of Trees: A Walk with Diana Beresford-Kroeger

    The Arnold Arboretum proves the perfect classroom for renegade botanist Diana Beresford-Kroeger. She will lead you among trees from around the globe, describing their subtle and not so subtle qualities that contribute to the environment. Mixing lore and chemistry, fact and theory, Diana will broaden your understanding of the inherent importance of trees to the lives of all on this planet. The walk will take place Thursday, May 20, from 2 – 4, and you should meet at the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. The program is co-sponsored by the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture and the fee is $25 for Arboretum members and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, $30 for the general public. Sign up at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://img.infibeam.com/img/fc77c981/517/8/9780472068517.jpg

  • Thursday, May 20, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Trees for Life: Planting the Global Forest

    Though schooled in classical botany, medical biochemistry, organic and radio-nuclear chemistry, as well as experimental surgery, Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s thoughts about trees are anything but classical. She has a collection of ideas, some radical, for how trees can be used to affect climate change as well as human health. According to Beresford-Kroeger, we have yet to fully understand the function and contribution of trees. In this lecture Diana will espouse the intrinsic values of particular trees, explain her hopes for reforesting the planet, and share some of the lore that fuels her passion to continue her research on trees. This lecture, taking place Thursday, May 20, from 7 – 8:30 pm in the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, is co-sponsored with The Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture, and costs $15 for members of the sponsoring institutions, $20 for non-members. You may register at www.arboretum.harvard.edu.

    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fbieQ6vDebI/SITNt4OFQ-I/AAAAAAAABaA/ciA5a9WQ1AY/s400/Virginity-noon.jpg