Boston Flora

Tag: Worcester County Horticultural Society

  • Saturday, September 15 – Under the Harvest Moon

    Under the Harvest Moon: Cider to Sidecars, will be celebrated Saturday, September 15, from 6 pm – 11 pm. The evening benefits The Worcester County Horticultural Society and Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  The lively event features cocktails and seasonal hor d’oeuvre served amidst Tower Hill’s wild and cultivated beauty.  Guests will also enjoy seasonal farm-to-table dining, live music, unexpected auction items, and other surprises sure to delight – all under September’s spectacular Harvest Moon. For complete details, visit http://towerhillbg.org/harvestmoon.

    Image result for Tower Hill Botanic Garden evening

  • Thursday, March 15, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – 177th Annual Meeting of the Worcester County Horticultural Society

    The 177th Annual Meeting of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and Tower Hill Botanic Garden will be held at Tower Hill on Thursday, March 15, 4-6pm. Admission is free; pre-registration required. Members are welcome to bring guests. However, only Tower Hill members may vote at the Business Meeting.

    Please register at www.towerhillbg.org or by calling 508.869.6111 x102

    Business Meeting – 4pm – The 177th Annual Meeting of the Worcester County Horticultural Society will include a presentation of the Society’s business over the past year, a vote on candidates for the Board of Trustees, as well as any resolutions proposed. Amendments to the Bylaws will be presented for consideration and vote. Proposed changes may be viewed on the Annual Meeting page of our website  or be requested by calling the telephone number above. The Business Meeting will be followed by a presentation by Rodney Eason.

    Please join us for a reception in the Great Hall immediately following the presentation.

    RODNEY EASON – Rodney is the CEO of the Land & Garden Preserve which stretches from Northeast Harbor to Seal Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Prior to joining the Preserve in 2015, Rodney was director of horticulture at Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and display division leader at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Besides gardening and just an overall love of plants, his hobbies include bicycling, reading, and finding different ways to stay warm in the winter (he is a native Southerner). He and his wife, Carrie, feel extremely fortunate to be able to raise their two teens and two “tweens” in and around Acadia National Park.

  • Wednesday, September 20, 10:00 am – Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years

    Wednesday, September 20, 10:00 am – Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years

    On Wednesday, September 20, at 10:00 am at The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, John Trexler, Worcester County Horticultural Society Director Emeritus and Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, will discuss how Tower Hill evolved from a beautiful farm on a hill to an acclaimed public garden. He will also sign copies of his new book, Tower Hill, the First Twenty-Five Years: Selective Memories of a Benign Dictator.

    John Wheaton Trexler holds a degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Delaware Valley University. He developed his extraordinary knowledge of plants and garden design from his seven-year experience at Skylands Farm in Ringwood, New Jersey, the former estate of Clarence McKenzie Lewis. Additionally, John spent six years at the Morris County Park Commission restoring Bamboo Brook, the residential garden of landscape architect Martha Brookes Hutcheson.

    This meeting will be the kick-off of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s 2017-2018 season, and will be followed on Thursday, October 19 by a field trip to Boylston, Massachusetts, to view Tower Hill in all its autumn glory. Garden Club of the Back Bay members will receive separate notice of this meeting. If you are not a member but are interested in attending, please email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Thursday, June 1, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm and Saturday, June 24, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – WCHS Founders Walking Tour

    Walk in the footsteps of the Worcester County Horticultural Society founders – see where they lived, what they grew, and learn about the early days of the Society. Meet at the Worcester Common for the approximately ¾-mile walk. Co-sponsored our with Preservation Worcester. The walk will be held at two different times and dates – Thursday, June 1 from 6 – 7, and Saturday, June 24 from 2 – 3. Free for members of sponsoring organizations, $10 for nonmembers.

    Pre-registration required at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—wchs-founders-walking-tour – please note this tour is not at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Directions will be sent upon registration.

  • Tower Hill Botanic Garden Announces Appointment of Grace Elton as CEO

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is pleased to announce that Grace Elton will become CEO of the Boylston-based nonprofit this spring.

    Elton has been the director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va., since 2011, where she has established herself as a forward-thinking leader of one of the nation’s premier gardens.  Among Elton’s achievements at Lewis Ginter are a new apiary with demonstration beehives, partnerships to grow hops for a local brewery and expansion of a vegetable garden which contributes produce for an area food bank, and the planting of Lewis Ginter’s first native plant garden.

    A Florida native, Elton was first turned on to the importance of plants as a child living in Everglades National Park, where her parents worked. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Interdisciplinary Studies with a specialization in public garden management from the University of Florida and a Masters in Public Horticulture from the Longwood Graduate Program of the University of Delaware. After experiences interning at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, Elton returned to the UK to work with five separate gardens as a recipient of the Garden Club of America’s prestigious Martin McLaren Horticulture Scholarship.

    Prior to joining Lewis Ginter, Elton served as adjunct professor and arboretum supervisor at the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University.  Currently, she serves on the Board of the American Public Gardens Association, the leading association for professionals in public horticulture.

    Elton will succeed interim CEO Suzanne Maas. Maas has led Tower Hill since the departure of Kathy Abbott, who in May 2016 returned to her roots in Boston to work on waterfront and harbor issues.

    Elton will join Tower Hill during a period of tremendous growth for the organization, which welcomed 137,000 visitors and celebrated its 30th year at its Boylston location in 2016. This year is the 175th anniversary of Tower Hill’s parent organization, the Worcester County Horticultural Society. Tower Hill is also offering more programs and welcoming more members than ever before. Elton will take the reins as the organization moves closer to implementing the first phases of its new Master Plan, which calls for more gardens and programs for visitors to enjoy.

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting plants and people. Its mission is to inspire the use and appreciation of horticulture to improve lives, enrich communities and strengthen commitment to the natural world. The Tower Hill property includes 15 gardens, an historic apple orchard, a restaurant, gift shop, conservatories, library, and art galleries, as well as year-round programs for all ages.

  • Saturday, February 4 – Sunday, March 5 – Winter in Bloom

    In honor of Worcester County Horticultural Society’s 175th Anniversary this year, Tower Hill Botanic Garden’s floral design series invites professional and amateur designers alike to create arrangements capturing the essence of Tower Hill’s eighteen distinctive gardens.

    As New England braces for some of the coldest days of the winter, Tower Hill will be hosting Winter In Bloom: A Month of Flowers. Last winter, more visitors than ever discovered there is no better place in February to escape the cold weather and to be inspired than Tower Hill. Throughout the month – with activities planned each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of February – there will be expert guest speakers, hands-on workshops, live music, flower shows, displays by leading floral designers, and activities geared to all ages. The rich colors and fragrances offer stimulation for the senses not only for flower lovers, but for all those seeking a break from chilly temperatures and a reminder that spring’s beauty will return once again.

    Plant and flower inspired, kid-friendly activities take center stage during February’s school vacation week offering an educational and fun day-trip that multiple generations can enjoy together. Daily vacation activities will include story walks, scavenger hunts, crafts, library programs, story time, and more.

    FEBRUARY 4–5
    Professional Designers Weekend
    Our first Winter in Bloom weekend features floral arrangements by professional designers. Experience the latest trends and witness the creativity of the area’s top floral designers.

    FEBRUARY 11–12
    Individuals and Garden Clubs
    Our second weekend features floral arrangements by individuals and Garden Clubs.

    FEBRUARY 18–19
    Artists & Makers
    Enjoy art by local artists and accompanying floral designs inspired by their work.

    FEBRUARY 25–26
    Family Weekend
    You and your kids are invited to enter a floral design of your own – either inspired by one of the gardens or created during one of our flower-arranging classes the week prior.

    MARCH 4–5
    188th Annual Camellia Show
    Don’t miss the Massachusetts Camellia Society’s 188th Annual Show of amazing blooms.

    For complete details visit www.towerhillbg.org.  Image from www.patch.com.

  • January – June, 2017 – Agriculture, Horticulture & Mechanics: Three Organizations, Three Anniversaries

    2017 is a significant year for three of Worcester’s organizations.  At the Tower Hill Botanic Garden library from January through June, view historic material on display from the Worcester Agricultural Society (founded 1817), the Worcester County Mechanics Association (founded 1842), and the Worcester County Horticultural Society (also founded 1842), that show the connections between all three.  Free with admission.  For more information visit www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Friday & Saturday, November 4 & 5, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, and Sunday, November 6, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Wonders of New England: A Standard Flower Show

    Wonders of New England: A Standard Flower Show, will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive in Boylston, on November 4, 5 and 6, from 10 – 5 on Friday and Saturday, and 10 – 4 on Sunday.  The show is sponsored by Central North and Central South Districts, Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. in cooperation with the Worcester County Horticultural Society.  A complete schedule and rules may be found at www.gcfm.org under Flower Shows/Show information/Tower Hill.

  • Saturday, September 17 – Under the Harvest Moon

    Mingle amidst internationally-acclaimed artist Patrick Dougherty’s striking Stickwork installation and enjoy a rustically elegant evening of signature cocktails, seasonal farm-to-table dinner, live music and auction, all under September’s spectacular Harvest Moon, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Saturday, September 17.  This special evening commemorates the 175th anniversary of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Tower Hill Botanic Garden.  We’ll celebrate the incredible vision the Society had for the 132 acre Carter farm in Boylston, and the Worcester County Horticultural Society’s 175 years of connecting people with plants.  To receive your formal invitation visit www.towerhillbg.org/harvestmoon.

     

  • Fridays, October 2, 9 & 16, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – History of Tower Hill Botanic Garden

    Join John Trexler, Executive Director Emeritus of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and Founding Director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden, on a 3 session walking history of the Gardens. Learn the agony and ecstasy of how Tower Hill evolved from a simple eighteenth century farm to a nationally renowned public garden. Come dressed for the weather, rain or shine. Dates are October 2, 9 and 16 from 10 – 12. Tower Hill members $100, nonmembers $150. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.