Boston Flora

Tag: Wellesley

  • Wednesdays, May 4 – June 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Art as a Way of Seeing and Knowing

    The Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture offer a seven week class entitled Art as a Way of Seeing and Knowing, A Journey of Discovery, beginning Wednesday, May 4, from 1 – 4, and continuing through June 15, at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden and Greenhouses in Wellesley, Massachusetts.  This class offers a unique opportunity for serious artists at all levels.  Be inspired and renewed by the awesome diversity of natural forms available year round in the greenhouses and arboretum at Wellesley College.  Or, use your drawings, memory and imagination to develop ideas in the studio classroom.  Draw or paint using materials that suit your expressive intentions.  In a warm and supportive atmosphere, award winning artist/educator Susan Swinand offers critiques and suggests projects to spark your creativity.  WCFH members, $200, non-members $250.  To register, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or call 781-283-3094. Image of work below by Susan Swinand courtesy of Pascarelli Gallery.

  • Saturdays, April 30 – May 21, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Ink Brush Painting Workshop

    Capture the essence of different plants and flowers using expressive gesture strokes based on Asian ink brush painting traditions.  Working with black ink and watercolor, Nan Rumpf (paintings below by Nan Rumpf courtesy of www.needham.patch.com)  helps you interpret plant forms with brush and ink.  Also explore rice paper washes using Assam tea and watercolor.  Join the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture to learn new skills or brush up on your old skills, on four successive Saturdays, April 30 – May 21, from 1 – 4.  This class can help watercolor artists expand their repertoire of brushstrokes as well as provide a useful transition step between drawing and painting.  WCFH members $125, Non-Members $160.   To register, call 781-283-3094, ext. 4, or log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.

  • Friday, April 1, 7:00 pm, and Saturday, April 2, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Edible Ecosystem Weekend

    Get your hands dirty as you help implement Wellesley College Botanic Gardens’ Edible Ecosystem Demonstration Garden, located on the slope below Whitin Observatory.  This landscape, designed by permaculture experts Dave Jacke and Keith Zaltzberg with the assistance of several Wellesley students, mimics the forest in structure and function while providing diverse yields of food, habitat, and research opportunities.  Begin with an introductory talk Friday evening on the theory behind “edible ecosystems.”  Then join us for as much of Saturday as you can, immersed in a mix of hands-on learning and formal presentations on the design process, land management strategies, and ecosystem design.  Gain valuable experience as part of a work team planting baby trees, transplanting and propagating existing vegetation, and laying down the largest week-suppressing sheet-mulch the town of Wellesley has ever seen.  Workshop participants should dress for a day of work in the garden.  Long pants and sturdy, close-toed shoes are required.  Plan to bring a hat, work gloves, you own tools (label them, please), sunscreen, bug repellent, lunch, water and snacks.  Introductory talk: $10 Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture members, $15 non-members.  Workshop: $60 Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture members, $75 non-members.  Pre-registration required – call 781-283-3094, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.

  • Tuesday, April 19 – Thursday, April 21, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – Going Underground: Bulbs and Roots

    Award winning botanical artist/illustrator Elaine Searle from England joins the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture to share her approach to this often overlooked subject, Bulbs and Roots.  Starting with close observation and tonal graphite drawings, students will work towards a finished watercolor study capturing tangled and fragile roots, translucent colors, and the wonderful papery texture of bulbs.  Elaine has a relaxed and supportive teaching style, which along with her demonstrations and individual guidance will enable students of all levels to make good progress.  Some drawing and watercolor experience is required.  The class will take place at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden on Tuesday, April 19 – Thursday, April 21, from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm, and the WCFH member price is $495, non members $595.  To register, or for more infomation, call 781-283-3094, ext. 4, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.  Below is Mary Grierson’s painting Colocasia Esculenta.

  • Wednesdays, April 6 and 13, and Monday, April 11, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Let it Shine! Painting Reflected Light

    Learn the techniques of capturing reflected light on fruits and vegetables in your watercolor painting with this Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture studio focus taught by Carrie Megan, on three days, Wednesday, April 6, Monday, April 11, and Wednesday, April 13, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm each day.  Under Carrie’s guidance, achieve the look of a shiny surface with layers of drybrush wash.  This studio course is for Advanced Beginners and beyond, and watercolor and drawing experience is required.  WCFH member price is $150, and non-members will pay $200.  To register, or for more information, call 781-283-3094, ext. 4, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.  One of Carrie’s persimmon paintings is shown below.

  • Fridays, April 1, 8, 15 and 29, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Scientific Botanical Illustration: Orchids

    Black and white drawings have an aesthetic beauty all their own, and were long used for illustrations before color printing.  Under the guidance of Jeanne Kunze, use traditional dip and technical pens to create weighted, broken, hatch, and crosshatch line work as well as stipple to illustrate live orchids.  As many scientific illustrations are done from pressed field-collected material, Jeanne will also show you how to use dried specimens for illustration, including methods of making these samples look fresh and alive.  Dissecting microscopes and other magnification devices will aid you in accomplishing an informative, precise, and aesthetically pleasing illustration.  There are some prerequisites for this Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture course, to take place at Wellesley on four Fridays, April 1 – 29, so email horticulture@wellesley.edu, or call 781-283-3094, ext. 4, for complete details.  WCFH member price is $250, non-members $300.

  • Tuesday, March 22 – Thursday, March 24, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – A Year in the Life of a Tree

    Join botanical illustrator Wendy Hollender for this intensive workshop that follows a tree through all its stages over the course of a year. The 3 days in March will jump start your tree study and give you the tools to work independently over the growing season. While there are different stages in different trees, Wendy will survey identifying markers – even those which require microscopic observation. After choosing your favorite tree to follow, you will create a sketchbook illustrating characteristics found on woody plants during the four seasons as preparation for a finished botanical painting in your specialty medium – watercolor, oil, colored pencil, or graphite. Between seminar sessions, Wendy will be available via distance learning to advise you on the development of your tree study and paintings. Prior drawing and painting or colored pencil experience required. The class, at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden, will take place Tuesday, March 22 – Thursday, March 24 (with an all important snow date of Friday, March 25), from 9:30 am – 4:30 pm. Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture fee is $525, non-members $650. Register at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.  Illustration from www.ediblegeography.com.

  • Executive Director, Massachusetts Horticultural Society

    The Massachusetts Horticultural Society is looking for  full time executive leadership. The Executive Director will hold full responsibility for the financial, strategic, and organizational growth and success of Mass Hort. Reporting to the Board of Trustees, the Executive Director will lead the development of the strategic vision and planning process for a renewed organization that drives the mission into an increasingly digital and ecologically-aware world. S/he will capitalize on the past successes, expertise, and resources of the Society to build it into a premier organization known for its mission of promoting the science, art, and practice of horticulture and dedicated to providing the public an appreciation, understanding, and enjoyment of plants and our environment.

    The ED must have a leadership style that promotes collective involvement and collaboration, open and inclusive communications, be adept at managing in highly matrixed organizations, advocates and cultivates volunteer involvement, and inspires all parties to work toward a singular mission and vision. The ED will prepare all budgets and cash flow projections and in concert with the Board oversee all external audits.

    Formed in 1829, Massachusetts Horticultural Society is dedicated to encouraging and improving the science and practice of horticulture and to developing the public’s enjoyment, appreciation, and understanding of plants and the environment. With its library, exhibitions, education and community outreach programs, and the recent development of a hands-on education and information center at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley, the Society is recognized as a consistent and comprehensive resource for horticultural science and practice, serving more than 270,000 people annually. Among its finest and most widely recognized achievements has been the Society’s Spring Flower Show (now produced as a joint venture). First produced in 1871, the Show was New England’s largest indoor event, attracting nearly 90,000 people annually. MHS is one of the largest horticultural societies in the U.S., and New England is home to one of the largest and most dedicated groups of gardeners in the country.

    Local candidates only – no relocation. For additional information, contact Mass Hort  at 617-933-4900, or mail resume to them at 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA 02482.

    http://www.natickgardenclub.org/MassHort-logo.png

  • Tuesday, October 27, 7:00 – 8:30 pm – Improving The Older Garden

    One of the country’s top gardening professionals, Janet Macunovich, is coming to Wellesley this month.  If you’re looking for inspiration and practical, how-to advice on improving the look of your garden or landscape, you’ll want to come hear what Ms. Macunovich has to say.

    On Tuesday, October 27, the Massachusetts Master Gardener Association will present Ms. Macunovich’s talk on ‘Improving the Older Garden’.  It will be held at Elm Bank, the headquarters of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in Wellesley.

    Ms. Macunovich is a noted professional gardener, author and educator recognized for her engaging how-to presentations, innovative hands-on workshops and down-to-earth writing and speaking style.  Her goal is to help people get more out of gardening and to better enjoy their landscapes.  To that end, she takes the mystery out of gardening and garden design. She replaces it with practicality and fun.

    Since 1990, Ms. Macunovich has written nine books and hundreds of how-to articles.  She uses experiences from her own gardens, clients’ gardens and a 5,000 square foot garden she designed and maintains at the Detroit Zoo where she is a 21-year veteran of that park’s Adopt-A-Garden program.  She has taught at Cranbrook House and Garden Auxiliary, Detroit Garden Center, Perennial Plant Association, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens.  Through sage observation and a deep well of experience, Ms. Macunovich offers gardening and landscaping advice that represents a specific, realistic approach for anyone who enjoys tending a garden.

    Her education in horticulture includes extensive coursework through botanical gardens, professional associations and universities. She is an Advanced Master Gardener through Michigan State University, and owner-operator since 1981 of the garden design and maintenance company Perennial Favorites. In Michigan, where she lives, she is known as “the lady with the flower house, the one with no lawn.”

    The entrance to Elm Bank is located at 900 Washington Street (Route 16), Wellesley, one mile west of Wellesley College.  Ms. Macunovich’s talk will begin at 7 p.m.  Admission is $25 and advanced registration is requested.  You can email your request to sonjajohanson@comcast.net.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to share knowledge and experience with the public through outreach programs in education, horticulture and gardening; to provide the Master Gardening Training Program to interested members of the public; and to provide graduates of the Master Gardener Training Program with educational and practical opportunities to extend their knowledge and interests in gardening and related topics. For more information, please contact Betty Sanders at 508-359-9453.

    http://www.fopcon.org/images/event_images/Macunovich_plant.jpg

  • Saturday, November 7, 10 am – 12:30 pm – Conifers for Urban Sites

    Mount Auburn Cemetery’s Horticultural Curator Dennis Collins is the go-to guy for teaching about conifers.  He will use the Arnold Arboretum’s vast collection of conifers to show those that would be suited for smaller spaces in city gardens. Dennis will also recommend plants that can withstand some of the stressors common to urban sites, such as extreme wind or heat.  Dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes for this class, which takes place entirely outdoors.  The location is Bussey Street Gate, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain.  For directions, and to register, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or email horticulture@wellesley.edu.  Cost is $30 for members of WCFH and the Arboretum, $35 for non members. Araucaria heterophylla photo courtesy of Rundstedt B. Rovillos.

    Araucaria heterophylla by Rundstedt B. Rovillos.