Boston Flora

Tag: West Tisbury

  • Wednesday, July 11, 7:30 pm – Extraordinary Secrets of Trees

    Perhaps you plan a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in July.  If so, don’t neglect this terrific evening lecture at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury on Wednesday, July 11 beginning at 7:30 pm. Have you ever looked at a tree? Of course, we see them every day; however have you ever really seen the wondrous traits of your favorite trees? Join author and educator Nancy Ross Hugo for this illustrated talk based on her recent book Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Ordinary Trees. Focusing on widely grown trees, this captivating book describes the rewards of close observation of trees, and with stunning photographs illustrates some of the most visually interesting tree structures, including leaves, flowers, buds, leaf scars, twigs, and bark. Trees will never look quite the same again.  $10/$5 for PHA members. Generously sponsored by Bartlett Tree Experts.  Register on line at www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Saturday, January 21, 3:30 pm – Mill Brook Restoration: Opportunities and Challenges

    There will be a discussion on the Mill Brook restoration with Michael Hopper, President of the Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition, on Saturday, January 21 at 3:30 pm at the West Tisbury Library on Martha’s Vineyard.  Mr. Hopper will share his experiences of restoration efforts for stream restoration in southeastern Massachusetts for sea-run brook trout habitat.  Free and open to the public.  For more information visit www.searunbrookie.org.

  • Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 pm, and Thursday, July 14, 9:00 – 12:00 noon – Gardening with Native Plants

    Join author and native plant enthusiast Carolyn Summers for an evening lecture (Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 pm)  and morning workshop (Thursday, July 14, 9 – 12) on designing and gardening with native plants.  Based on her book Designing Gardens with the Flora of the American East, Ms. Summers will show how to increase biodiversity in our gardens, for beautiful, sustainable results which also benefit wildlife.  The events will be held in the Far Barn at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, and the cost to attend the Wednesday evening talk is $5 for PHA members, $10 for nonmembers, and the Thursday seminar will be $30 for PHA members, $35 for nonmembers.  For more information, log on to www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Thursday, July 7, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – The Art of Bonsai

    What makes bonsai, those little trees in pots, so appealing? Perhaps it is how bonsai design mimics our big world on a miniature scale. Don Sibley, co-founder of the Martha’s Vineyard Bonsai Club, will disclose many secrets in this revealing workshop, to be held at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury on Thursday, July 7 from 10 – 11:30 am. Discover what makes big, old trees look the way they do and how these characteristics inform successful bonsai design. Students will observe trees both large and small. Sibley has taught painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts for 35 years and has recently retired from his position as gardener at Chappaquiddick’s Mytoi Garden. He has had a lifelong interest in Japanese gardening practices and bonsai. $20/$10 for PHA members.  For more information visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Tuesday, June 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Joys of Butterfly Gardening

    Butterflies are welcome visitors to the gardens at Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard. Join Susie Bowman, teacher/naturalist at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and avid gardener, to learn how to attract more of these beautiful insects to your garden. She will introduce the basic needs of butterflies and how to plan or modify gardens to meet these needs. Susie will illustrate with images of island butterflies that frequent specific plants at the Felix Neck butterfly garden. The program will conclude with a walk to the Polly Hill homestead border. Butterfly-friendly plant list included!  $20/$10 for PHA members.  For more information, visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

  • Thursday, June 30, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Martha’s Vineyard Open Days Garden Tour

    On Thursday, June 30, explore three private gardens in Vineyard Haven and West Tisbury, open to the public through The Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program. Hours vary at each garden. Admission to each private garden is $5, Open Days are rain or shine, and no reservations are required. Call 1-888-842-2442, or visit www.opendaysprogram.org for more information.

    At East Hill (133 Pasture Gate Road, Vineyard Haven; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Isabel Shattuck’s property on Lake Tashmoo features a welcoming moongate and split-rail fence draped with ‘New Dawn’ roses, hinting at the abundant blooms beyond. Lavenders, delphiniums, lilies, and additional roses are just some of the plants grown in the perennial garden, while stewartias, hollies, azaleas, and ferns highlight a woodland path. The Tashmoo Garden (253 West Spring Street, Vineyard Haven; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) was begun thirty-two years ago and has evolved to include specimen trees such as dawn redwoods, copper beech, and katsura, as well as a hillside of daylilies, a peony hedge, hydrangea and azalea collections, and a vegetable/cutting garden. At The Folly (57 Lamberts Cove Road, West Tisbury; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), ivy-covered balustrades and finials, planted urns, and winding hedges evoke an Italian villa, while a color theme of blue, white, and green foster a cool and relaxed atmosphere. Parterres, groundcovers, ferns, and flowers combine with stonework, varied grades, and views of the Vineyard Sound beyond.

    These Open Days gardens are featured in the 2011 Open Days Directory; a soft-cover book that includes detailed driving directions and vivid descriptions written by their owners. The directory includes garden listings in eighteen states and costs $21.95 including shipping. Visit www.opendaysprogram.org or call the Garden Conservancy toll-free at 1-888-842-2442 to order with a Visa, MasterCard or American Express, or send a check or money order to: the Garden Conservancy, P.O. Box 219, Cold Spring, NY 10516. Discount admission tickets are available as well through advanced mail order.

    The 2011 Open Days program is generously sponsored by Fine Gardening magazine as its National Media Sponsor. Fine Gardening magazine brings you breathtaking design ideas, helpful techniques, and the know-how to get great results in your own garden.  Painting by Thaw Malin III entitled “West Shore, Tashmoo” available at www.thawmalinart.com.

  • Saturday, May 28, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Spring into Summer: A Celebration of Plants

    Help the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury celebrate the seasonal opening of its Visitor Center and plant sale season on Saturday, May 28, from 10 – 2.  In addition to plants for sale, there will be special tours, garden talks, a tree raffle, family discovery tours, and more.  The Artcliff Diner Food Truck will be on hand with food for sale.  Join Tom Clark for a special 9 am early bird tour.  Free.  For more information, log on to www.pollyhillarboretum.org.

     

  • Tuesday, May 24, 10:00 am – Best of Small Flowering Trees

    In modern day landscapes small flowering trees have an essential role in providing year-round interest without growing so big to dominate them. Increasingly, gardeners have sought out trees for foundation plantings or focal points that fit the scale of the garden and form the basis for a dynamic, beautiful, and diverse landscape. On Tuesday, May 24, join Polly Hill Arboretum Executive Director Tim Boland at 10 am at the Polly Hill Arboretum in West Tisbury for an illustrated review of a wide assortment of small flowering trees that provide the right fit for your landscape needs. $5/free for PHA members.  Visit www.pollyhillarboretum.org for directions.

  • Saturday, May 28, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Spring into Summer: A Celebration of Plants

    The Polly Hill Arboretum on State Road in West Tisbury is looking forward to a new season and will open its Visitor Center on May 28 with a new event, Spring into Summer: A Celebration of Plants.  This celebration will kick off the summer season with the annual Memorial Day plant sale, special talks and tours, a book sale, tree raffle, garden talks,  and much more.  For more information, log on to www.pollyhillarboretum.org, or follow them on Facebook.

     

     

     

  • Wednesday, May 4, 7:00 pm – Pollution Solution: Safeguarding Our Waterways

    A program to be held at the Vineyard Haven Library on Wednesday, May 4, beginning at 7 pm, is a presentation of Tisbury Waterways, Inc.  The illustrated lecture will detail the installation of its bio-swale at the base of Owen Little Way in Vineyard Haven.  Bio-swales, or vegetative buffers, are a natural landscaping way to filter stormwater run-off to prevent pollution of marine environments.  Learn why bio-swales are key pollution fighters in commercial settings or in your own backyard, and how you can “grow” your own rain garden.  If you recently heard Dori Smith speak to the Garden Club of the Back Bay on the subject of rain gardens, this program will interest you.