Boston Flora

Tag: Zoom

  • First Wednesday of Each Month, 12:00 noon – 12:30 pm Eastern Time – Live Monthly Garden Lunch & Learn Webinars

    Debby Ward is a professional organic gardening speaker, instructor, coach and writer with over 40 years of gardening experience. She is the Founder of Prior Unity Garden, Making Organic Garden Dreams a Reality. Debby has been gardening since she could crawl around the family garden.

    Debby loves to help grow gardeners and has trained Master Gardeners in Fairfax County VA for the County Extension Office, taught for The Mason Sustainability Institute, Washington Gardener Magazine, the Take Back Your Health Conference and for many other events, organizations and groups.

    She has written articles for Green America and Natural Awakenings Magazines as well as many articles on herbal healing when she was the past President of Joe Pye and Friends, the former National Capital Area Herbal Network. She has written a booklet on Seed Starting and Safe Seed Buying as well as all the course materials for Prior Unity Garden classes. Debby created The Organic Garden Guide & Veggie Layout Handbook and the Prior Unity Garden product line.

    Known as Garden Coach Deb, she provides organic garden coaching and consultations by phone, Zoom and in person for folks local to the Washington DC Metro area.

    Debby loves to ‘paint with plants’ as she now calls it, combining her love of plants with her fine arts degree and sense of style, color and space. Debby has built Prior Unity Garden to assist others in achieving their organic garden goals and dreams and values biodiversity, community, healthy living soil, fresh organic food, music and the prior unity inherent in all beings.

    Each live 30 minute session includes:

    • A short talk or video by your speaker on a gardening topic
    • Live Q&A about the topic
    • if time permits, time to ask questions on other garden topics
    • Once you enroll and have attended three paid sessions, you can suggest topics you would like to see covered. This way you get to help drive the session subjects, so the sessions are tailored to those who attend.

    A subscription costs $18/momth. First webinar free when you enroll – coupon code FREELUNCH. Register at https://organicgardeningclasses.com/p/live-monthly-garden-lunch-webinars

  • Wednesday, December 2, 2:00 pm – Kiftsgate Court Gardens: Three Generations of Women Gardeners Webinar

    In this December 2 illustrated webinar, current owners Anne and Johnny Chambers will tell their personal tale of Kiftsgate Court’s history and share their plans for the garden’s future. The program is presented by the Royal Oak Foundation, co-sponsored by The Colonial Dames of America, Washington Decorative Arts Forum, and the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Southern California Chapter, and begins at 2 pm. $15 for sponsor members. $20 non-members.

    Kiftsgate Court is a family home and garden that has been loved and cultivated by the same family for over 100 years. Three generations of women gardeners have left their mark, each building on the family legacy.

    When Jack and Heather Muir bought Kiftsgate in 1919, Heather laid out the garden without any horticultural training. Instead of a lawn, she planted semi-formal beds of roses and other flowers, a tapestry hedge with a mix of beech, yew, and plain and variegated holly, and a rose border full of unusual varieties. Heather’s aesthetic favored the Arts & Crafts Movement, emphasizing perennials and Mediterranean plants chosen for their adaptability, including drought tolerant cistus, spiky agaves, and other Mediterranean style plantings. She was encouraged by her friend and next-door neighbor at Hidcote, Lawrence Johnston, as well as Vita Sackville-West, who planted the famous Kiftsgate Rose at Sissinghurst.

    Heather’s daughter, Diany Binny, continued the family gardening tradition during the 1950s. She designed paths, replanted borders with herbaceous plants, and re-fashioned the White Sunk Garden with a pool. Since the late 1980s, her daughter, Anne Chambers, and Anne’s husband, Johnny, have cultivated Kiftsgate. They introduced plants that flower year-round and added a water garden, a woodland, a tulip tree avenue, and an orchard. 

    Register at www.royal-oak.org. Use Discount Code BACKBAY20 to enjoy the Royal Oak member price ($15) when checking out.

  • Sundays, November 15 & 22, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Rooted in Place Online: Annual Ecological Gardening Symposium

    Offered online for the first time, Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 5th Annual Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium invites you to create a new, environmentally sensitive vision by exploring the connection between the surrounding landscape and your home.

    The symposium features four informative lectures over the course of two days, November 15th and November 22nd, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. with sessions offered live through Zoom followed by question and answer periods. Registration deadline is 9 a.m. on November 15. Recordings of the lectures can be accessed until January 1, 2021. 

    Our expert presenters will examine the intersection of the wild and cultivated landscape while exploring ecosystem services offered by native plantings, including the role they play in our gardens.

    Become inspired to plant gardens designed to support diverse and resilient ecological communities in the face of a changing world. Online registration for this program is temporarily unavailable. Please call 413 354-8410 to register. 

    Conference presenters include Heather Holm, Ulrich Lorimer, and Dr. Desiree Narango.

    Heather Holm is an award-winning author and nationally sought-after speaker, spending much of her time passionately educating audiences about the fascinating world of native bees and the native plants that support them. Her first book, Pollinators of Native Plants, was published in 2014, and her latest book, Bees, published in 2017, has won six book awards including the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native bees and native plants and the natural history and biology of native bees occurring in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Heather’s presentation, What’s the Buzz About Native Bees explores the nesting habitat, life cycle, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of common genera of native bees occurring in the Midwestern, Eastern United States, and southern Canada. The pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees will be highlighted, in addition to the presentation of floral resources and how the physical characteristics of bees can influence their effectiveness as pollinators.

    Ulrich Lorimer is Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust. A longtime advocate for native plants in designed landscapes, Uli firmly believes that ecological gardening can help heal our planet and bolster biodiversity in all its forms. His work as a native plant and biodiversity advocate is informed by years of work in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Native Flora Garden, in the woodland garden at Wave Hill in the Bronx and even earlier at the US Botanic Garden. Uli’s presentation, What I have Learned from Observing Plants in Nature, engages gardeners and horticulturists to turn outdoor hikes into inspiring, learning experiences — an approach which fosters inspiration, reinforces the ecoregion concept, shows how ecosystems and their components function, and emphasizes how plant communities are connected with all other forms of life, humans included. This talk will explore how observations made from nature can help expand our plant choices, inform design decisions, and result in gardens that support biodiversity, aesthetics and ecosystem function. 

    Dr. Desiree Narango is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and current David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow. Her research interests include ecology and conservation in human-dominated landscapes, plant-animal interactions and community-driven science. Desiree has a PhD in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from University of Delaware, an MS in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University, a BS in Environmental Biology from SUNY: ESF and nearly 15 years experience studying wildlife. She’s also an active birder and gardener who enjoys getting others excited about the natural world in their own yards. Dr. Narango’s presentation, Native Plants in Gardening Practices, addresses her research on how native plants and gardening practices influence birds, bees, butterflies and moths in residential yards, addressing the specialized relationships between native plants and insects, why insects matter to birds, and steps you can take to improve habitat for wildlife at home. She will also share resources to find more information about native plants, nature-friendly gardening and participating in community-driven science. 

    There will also be a panel discussion with Bridghe McCracken, Drew Monthie, and Rebekah Lamphere. Full details may be found at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/rooted-place-online-annual-ecological-gardening-symposium

  • Saturday, November 14, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm – Fabulous Fungus Fair, Online

    Explore the wondrous world of fungi! Join Harvard students on November 14 from 2 – 3:30 for a closer look at the mushrooms, yeasts, and molds found in gardens, forests, labs—even in our own refrigerators. This popular annual event turns virtual this year, featuring videos created by Harvard students. Join the webinar to participate in live conversation in response to student projects. Be prepared to see fungi in a whole new way!

    Zoom Registration information at https://hmsc.harvard.edu/event/fabulous-fungus-fair-0.

    To join the program, you will need to download the free Zoom app in advance. If you already have Zoom, you do not need to download it again. For details on how to improve your Zoom experience, visit the How to Attend an HMSC Program webpage

  • Thursday, October 22, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Spooky Spirits Mixology Class, Online

    Learn to make seasonal cocktails featuring fresh ingredients in the Halloween edition of Boston Community Garden’s popular virtual Garden Mixology series. This month’s drinks feature witchy herbal ingredients and adult takes on autumnal classics like caramel apples. Never fear, the cocktails will, as always, be well-balanced and complex and highlight locally grown or foraged ingredients.

    You’ll pick up a bundle of fresh ingredients on October 22 from one of three locations (JP, Quincy, or Medford) and return home for a Zoom class using your own spirits. Trustees members $24, nonmembers $30. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/57729/

    All proceeds directly support Boston Community Gardens. Tickets sales stop at 3pm on Wednesday October 21. Members get a 20% discount. For any questions, please reach out to mdelima@thetrustees.org.

  • Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    Thursday, November 5, 10:00 am – Invasive Plants of New England: Identification, Ecology, Management, and Native Alternatives Webinar

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to host its November 5 meeting online on Zoom, beginning at 10 am, with Frederick (Bud) Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator with Native Plant Trust. The lecture addresses the identification and control of many of the invasive plant species that are an unwelcome and persistent presence in forests, fields, and wetlands. Through this visual virtual presentation, we will examine the impacts of several invasive species and discuss methods for managing invasive plant populations.

    Before joining Native Plant Trust, Bud was ecologist at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy. He studied conservation biology at Antioch University New England.

    An email notification will be sent to Garden Club of the Back Bay members. If you are not a member and are interested in participating, email info@bostonflora.com.

  • Tuesday, October 27, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Frederick Law Olmsted Lecture: Everett L. Fly

    The Harvard Graduate School of Design is pleased to present a series of talks and webinars broadcast to our audiences via Zoom. This October 27 Frederick Law Olmsted lecture will be ONLINE ONLY. For security reasons, virtual attendees must register. Scroll down to find complete instructions for how to register.

    Everett L. Fly, MLA ’77, native of San Antonio, Texas, resides in the city with his wife Rosalinda. An honors graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture, he is the first African American graduate of Harvard University’s Department of Landscape Architecture. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

    Fly’s forty year practice as a licensed landscape architect and architect includes national multidisciplinary consultations for the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

    He served on the State of Texas National Register Board of Review and City of San Antonio Historic and Design Review Commission. He chaired the board of Humanities Texas from 1993 to 1994.

    Fly served appointments by President Bill Clinton to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities from 1994 to 2001. President Barack Obama awarded him one of ten 2014 National Humanities Medals for his body of work preserving the integrity of African-American places and landmarks.

    Recent awards include the 2018 San Antonio Power of Preservation Foundation “Champion of Preservation Award” and the 2020 Conservation Society of San Antonio “Texas Preservation Hero Award”.

    He co-founded the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum.

    Follow Everett L. Fly on Twitter.

    Register to attend the lecture here. Once you have registered, you will be provided with a link to join the lecture via Zoom. This link will also be emailed to you.

    The event will also be live streamed to the GSD’s YouTube page. Only viewers who are attending the lecture via Zoom will be able to submit questions for the Q+A. Live captioning will be provided during this event. After the event has ended, a transcript will be available upon request.

  • Sunday, October 18, 8:00 pm – Taste America: Boston, Online

    Taste America will bring chefs and diners from 20 cities around the country together for a virtual communal dinner on October 18 to support local independent restaurants. 

    Enjoy a three-course meal with guests in your city and around the country from the comfort of your home. Your Taste America meal kit will be prepared by chef Irene Li of Mei Mei and includes dough wine and Rabbit Hole whiskey, along with access to cooking demos and our national broadcast featuring a lineup of James Beard Foundation friends, chefs, and special guests.

    The menu includes Beekeeper’s Salad (Watercress and Arugula, Aged Cheddar, Medjool Dates, Dee Pollen, Toasted Nuts, and Honey Buttermilk Dressing), a choice of two entrees (Cumin Lamb Shepherd’s Pie or Cumin-Peppercorn Farmer’s Pie with Lentil-Mushroom Blend), and Almond Jelly with Fresh and Preserved Fruits. Complete description and registration can be found at https://www.jamesbeard.org/events/taste-america-boston-pop-up-dinner-2. $150 fee.

    Your three-course meal will be available to pick up on the afternoon of Sunday, October 18 at Mei Mei (506 Park Dr, Boston, MA 02215).

    Through our Open for Good campaign, the James Beard Foundation is committed to helping independent restaurants survive this crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term. Food containers and packaging have been generously donated by Placon, located in Madison, Wisconsin.

  • Thursday, October 22, 10:00 am – Botanical Drawing and Painting, Online

    Thursday, October 22, 10:00 am – Botanical Drawing and Painting, Online

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay is pleased to present its October meeting via Zoom on Thursday, October 22 at 10:00 am, featuring popular past presenter Sarah Roche on the topic of Botanical Drawing and Painting. Sarah is a botanical artist and Education Director of the Botanical Arts program at Wellesley College Botanic Garden. She will teach a limited number of Garden Club members to draw and paint from live botanical specimens, from your own outdoor spaces. Sarah, an experienced teacher, will demonstrate and guide members of all abilities through the project. GC members who register will be sent a materials list and Zoom link prior to the date of the program. An email notice for registration will be sent.

  • Tuesday, October 13, 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm – Advanced Techniques for Vegetarians: Root Vegetables, Online

    With cooler temperatures comes a whole new world of vegetables to play with, from your everyday potatoes and carrots to knobby celery root and big bunches of beets. It’s all too easy to fall into a same-old roasting routine with root vegetables, though. In this class, we’ll teach you two techniques that make the most of the flavors and textures of colder-weather produce—and neither one demands turning on the oven. First, we’ll use a stovetop low-liquid boil technique to transform the humble parsnip into an addictive side dish that marries its earthiness with floral honey, spicy caraway and fruity cider vinegar. Then, we’ll put a grater to good use as we transform fennel and celery root into a salad that is crunchy, bright and shockingly quick to throw together. The best part? These two techniques are easy to apply to other hardy vegetables. Join us for a class that will change the way you look at root vegetables.

    Bonus: All attendees of this class will receive a one-time $15 coupon to the Milk Street Store after class. This event has limited spots, and you must register in advance via Eventbrite. One sign-up covers one device. Closed Captioning is available for this event.

    Immediately after registering, you will get a confirmation email that contains the Zoom meeting log-in information. One week prior to class (or within 48 hours of registering, if you sign up less than a week in advance), you will receive an email with the ingredients, equipment and prep you’ll need to cook along with us, if you choose.

    After class, you will receive a recording of the event, as well as a packet with recipes and resources that we discuss during the event. If you have any questions about this class, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via cookingschool@177milkstreet.com.

    Payments for Milk Street live stream classes are non-refundable. If you find yourself unable to attend, you may transfer the ticket to someone else, but we are unable to refund fees and all payments are final.

    Proceeds from live stream cooking classes support Milk Street’s non-profit work with The Big Sisters Association. Fee is $24.95. Register at www.177milkstreet.com