Boston Globe garden columnist Carol Stocker will be answering questions about gardening, houseplants and landscaping on Friday, Jan. 4, 1-2 p.m. live.

Boston Globe garden columnist Carol Stocker will be lin live Friday 1-2 p.m. to answer you questions about holiday decorating with plants, gift plants and house plants.

By Carol Stocker
There are lots of holiday horticultural organization and garden club events this month, including Tower Hill's annual "HOLLY DAYS is a horticultural celebration of the winter holidays. It will highlight a gastronomic
theme with hand-crafted ornaments, November 23rd through December 30th. Tower Hill's Stoddard Education & Visitors
Center is magnificently decorated with trees, wreaths, and swags adorned with gleaming
lights and exquisite ornaments, making use of natural materials such as dried flowers,
leaves, seeds, seed-heads, cones, branches, and fruits.
Admission: The HOLLY DAYS exhibit and entertainment is included with garden admission;
$12 Adults, $9 Seniors (65+) and $7 Youth (6-18), children under 6 and Members admitted
FREE. Discounted group rates are available. NEW this year: In keeping with the food
theme, canned goods will be collected for Rachel's Table Food Pantry; visitors can
deduct $1 from their admission for each can donated, limited to 6 cans per person,
per visit; no other discounts apply.
Hours: Daily from Nov. 23-Dec. 30, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Wednesdays until 8 P.M., CLOSED
December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in
Boylston, Massachusetts, three miles north of exit 24 off Route 290. For more information,
contact Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 508-869-6111, or visit the website at www.towerhillbg.org

By Carol Stocker
Globe Correspondent

BOYLSTON, Mass. -The Worcester County Horticultural Society, which owns and operates Tower Hill Botanic Garden,
has announced the appointment of Kathy Abbott as Executive Director.

Abbott is a leader in conservation, having
held posts as Interim President and Executive Vice President of The Trustees of
Reservations; Director of the Conservation and Recreation Campaign of The Trust
for Public Land; Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and
Recreation; and President and CEO of the Boston Harbor Island Alliance. "Her conservation experience, management acumen and successful career as a collaborator and fundraiser are a real boon to our organization," said Chris Reece, President of the Worcester County Horticultural Society.

As Interim President and Executive Vice President of The Trustees of Reservations,
Abbott oversaw more than 25,000 acres of land and led the organization's drive to
expand its urban conservation work across Massachusetts with Urban Parks Advocates.
Prior to that, as Director of the Conservation and Recreation Campaign of The Trust
for Public Land, Abbott led an advocacy campaign that increased
the budget to manage and maintain Massachusetts' state and urban parks by 20 percent.

Abbott has developed a national reputation working on creative public private partnerships and fundraising. As the Founding President and CEO of
the Boston Harbor Alliance, Abbott partnered with the National Park Service and other
agencies, corporations and foundations to develop and manage
the Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area, a new model national park.

She is the National Co-Chair of the City Parks Alliance, the only independent, nationwide
membership organization solely dedicated to urban parks.From 2003 to 2005, Abbott served as the first Commissioner of the Massachusetts
Department of Conservation and Recreation, where she oversaw the merger of the Metropolitan
District Commission and the Department of Environmental Management into a single
agency with over 1,100 employees and managed over 450,000 acres of public land
in the Commonwealth for recreation, water supply, forestry and more.

"This position is a wonderful opportunity for me to apply all of my experience to
help grow an incredible organization focused on connecting people to plants and
all the benefits they contribute to communities and the Commonwealth, and to further
the connections from gardening to our changing climate," Abbott said. "Moreover,
the Worcester County Horticultural Society is a renowned institution going back
nearly 175 years and Tower Hill Botanic Garden is simply a beautiful and amazing
place that touches people and I look forward to spending more time there."

The hiring of Abbott comes at a time when the Worcester County Horticultural Society
and Tower Hill Botanic Garden are looking to expand the role of Tower Hill Botanic
Garden in Worcester and across the Commonwealth and New England.

"The Trustees envision Tower Hill Botanic Garden as a force of nature in New England,"
Reece said. "Kathy shares that vision and has the skills to build a broad and engaged
community grounded in gardening and horticulture. At Tower Hill we want to provide
a fun and relaxing environment where we can promote the contributions that plants
make to the environment and economy. They are the source of all the air we breathe,
the food we eat and are critical to maintaining the water we drink."

Abbott holds degrees from
the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, UMass Amherst and Harvard University.

The nation's third oldest horticultural society, the Worcester County Horticultural
Society was established in 1842; nearly 150 years later, the nonprofit organization
created Tower Hill Botanic Garden, one of New England's only comprehensive botanic
gardens.

By Carol Stocker
There are lots of holiday horticultural organization and garden club events this month, including Tower Hill's annual "HOLLY DAYS is a horticultural celebration of the winter holidays. It will highlight a gastronomic
theme with hand-crafted ornaments, November 23rd through December 30th. Tower Hill's Stoddard Education & Visitors
Center is magnificently decorated with trees, wreaths, and swags adorned with gleaming
lights and exquisite ornaments, making use of natural materials such as dried flowers,
leaves, seeds, seed-heads, cones, branches, and fruits.
Admission: The HOLLY DAYS exhibit and entertainment is included with garden admission;
$12 Adults, $9 Seniors (65+) and $7 Youth (6-18), children under 6 and Members admitted
FREE. Discounted group rates are available. NEW this year: In keeping with the food
theme, canned goods will be collected for Rachel's Table Food Pantry; visitors can
deduct $1 from their admission for each can donated, limited to 6 cans per person,
per visit; no other discounts apply.
Hours: Daily from Nov. 23-Dec. 30, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Wednesdays until 8 P.M., CLOSED
December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in
Boylston, Massachusetts, three miles north of exit 24 off Route 290. For more information,
contact Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 508-869-6111, or visit the website at www.towerhillbg.org

December 7 & 8, noon to 3 p.m. (approx) Canton Garden Club House Tour "Songs of the Season" - The tour will feature 3 homes and 1 public building (Pequitside). Friday evening the Canton Choral Society will entertain at Pequitside Also at Pequitside will be a boutique and greens sale as well as refreshments.
Location: 3 homes and Pequitside
Cost: $25

Dec. 8, The Nahant GC, presents "Nahant Holiday House Tour & Tea" - The Nahant Garden club is having a holiday house tour and tea in December: Nahant Holiday House Tour and Tea, 11 AM - 3 PM, December 8, 2012 $30.Cost: $30 Contact: (781)581-1282 or (782)598-0309 for information and tickets.

Dec. 8 The Belmont GC, "Holiday House Tour" - See: www.belmontgardenclub.info for more information.

By Carol Stocker
This is the big weekend for garden club greens sales, which often feature decorated bargain wreaths, swags and bagged greens for do-it-yourself decorating, freshly cut from members' gardens. Many items and arrangements are hand made by members with an artistic flair. These non-profit events are often major fundraisers for local beautification projects.

The Milton Garden Club hosts its annual Greens Sale Saturday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Known for its one of a kind fresh decorated evergreen wreaths, diverse arrangements starting at $2, and giant bags of fresh cut holly and mixed greens, this is a longstanding traditional event. This sale often sells out quickly so arrive before the doors open for the best selection. Location: Cunningham Hall, 75 Edge Hill Road, Milton.

Danvers Garden Club "Greens Sale," Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is another great offering of holiday wreaths, kissing balls, swags, boxwood trees, baskets, and centerpieces designed and crafted by members of the Danvers Garden Club. Location: Endicott Park Carriage House, Forest St., Danvers.

Groveland Garden Club "Annual Greens Sale," Saturday. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Unique hand made Wreaths, Swags, Kissing Balls, Boxwood Trees. Holiday Arrangements, Homemade Baked Goods...Location: Little Red Schoolhouse at the corner of Main Street (Rt. 113) and Broad Street.

Wollaston Garden Club "Greens Sale" Saturday 9 a.m. to noon. The sale will feature hand-made wreaths and swags, as well as large outdoor arrangements, indoor table arrangements, holiday plants and other unique gift items and our signature bagged greens. Location: Wollaston Congregational Church Social Hall 48 Winthrop Ave Wollaston, Quincy.

Bridgewater GC, "Annual Greens Sale" Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Location: Bridgewater Cole-Yeaton Senior Center, 10 Walley Krueger Way, Bridgewater, MA

Berkshire Botanical Garden Annual Holiday Marketplace is Dec 1 & 2 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and admission is free. As is tradition, regional designers and friends of the Garden have created a Gallery of Wreaths available for purchase. Visitors can expect an array of decorative styles, from traditional evergreen wreaths adorned with berries and bows to elaborate pieces featuring found natural materials like seed pods and magnolia leaves. Preserved boxwood topiaries, boxwood kits, and festive tabletop decor will be for sale, as will amaryllis, paper whites and hyacinths, all beautifully potted and ready for holiday bloom.Garden-lovers will enjoy unusual ornaments, reference and coffee table books, gift-wrapped membership packages and baskets filled with herb products made by the Garden's Herb Associates for sale at the BBG Gift Shop.The annual Holiday Marketplace Cocktail Party will be held on Friday, November 30 from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Guests can enjoy cocktails and early buying privileges with the purchase of a $75 ticket, available through the Garden's website or by phone at (413) 298-3926.

Tower Hill's annual "HOLLY DAYS is a horticultural celebration of the winter holidays. It will highlight a gastronomic
theme with hand-crafted ornaments, November 23rd through December 30th. Tower Hill's Stoddard Education & Visitors
Center is magnificently decorated with trees, wreaths, and swags adorned with gleaming
lights and exquisite ornaments, making use of natural materials such as dried flowers,
leaves, seeds, seed-heads, cones, branches, and fruits.
Admission: The HOLLY DAYS exhibit and entertainment is included with garden admission;
$12 Adults, $9 Seniors (65+) and $7 Youth (6-18), children under 6 and Members admitted
FREE. Discounted group rates are available. NEW this year: In keeping with the food
theme, canned goods will be collected for Rachel's Table Food Pantry; visitors can
deduct $1 from their admission for each can donated, limited to 6 cans per person,
per visit; no other discounts apply.
Hours: Daily from Nov. 23-Dec. 30, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M., Wednesdays until 8 P.M., closed
December 24, 25, 31, and January 1. Tower Hill is located at 11 French Drive in
Boylston, Massachusetts, three miles north of exit 24 off Route 290. For more information,
contact Tower Hill Botanic Garden at 508-869-6111, or visit the website at www.towerhillbg.org

By Carol Stocker
on Thursday, November 29: 4:00—8:00 pm, the country's oldest horticultural society, Mass Hort, will hold their annual horticultural Christmas sale with gifts for gardeners at the Education Building, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley. Booths are next to the popular Festival of Trees event.

Some of the vendors you will find are:

Five Crows www.fivecrows.com
A variety of handcrafted gifts from Five crows Gallery in Natick that are reflective of the
holiday season.

Foxgloves www.foxglovesinc.com
Garden Gloves, hats and tools

Company Jam www.companyjam.net
Company Jam is a small batch taste of the season preserve and confiture company. Our products reflect the bounty of local farmers and the passion we have for bringing you the best each season.

Harriett's Gingerbread
Harriett Hallagan of Dover will have a collection of boxwood trees and gingerbread
houses. For years she has been making gingerbread houses and boxwood trees
for family and friends. The trees are suitable for holiday table and mantle
decorations. She will have a selection of decorated gingerbread houses as well as
undecorated houses for those who wish to adorn them at home!

Little Beehive Farm www.littlebeehivefarm.com
Tony Lulek has developed a full line of bee and honey related products. They not only harvest and sell their honey but they also make soaps, candles, hand creams and other body care items.

Joannas New World Biscotti
Joanna's New World Biscotti is a specialty, small-batch bakery offering an updated, highly flavorful take on an Old-World-style, European cookie.

Natural Pressings
Pressed floral art, cards and pictures

Fine Chokolader www.finechokolader.com
Made by hand Belgian Chocolates and traditional flavors

Wooden Expressions www.woodenexpression.com
Beautifully designed Hand made copper roof birdhouses

Harwood Arts www.harwoodArts.com
Original designs in silver, gold and precious stone jewelry

Victoria Gourmet www.vgourmet.com
All natural seasoning, salt and spice blends packaged in beautiful tins

Hendra Rose
Beautiful tucked silk scarves from India and others from around the world

Sanctuary Jewelry www.Sanctuarybodywork.net
Jennifer Houghtaling has been making jewelry for years as a way to steady and relax her mind and stoke her creative energies. Her designs are made from the most beautiful and eclectic semi-precious stones, gems and metals, resulting in a truly unique and one of a kind piece

Vianne Chocolat www.viannechocolat.com
Vianne Chocolat elevates locally sources ingredients in its hand crafted, artisan style chocolates.

Recently Added Vendors:
Cody's Creation www.etsy.com/shop/codyscreations
Welcome to Cody's Creations where pet fashion meets function! Handmade dog collars, cat collars, leashes, custom harnesses, Treat Pockets, Leash Pouches and more.

ForestMother http://www.etsy.com/shop/forestmother
Hand Made whimsical gnomes that reflect the artists love of flowers and woodland landscapes.

Paws to Celebrate
Handmade dog treats made locally in Natick, Mass.

By Carol Stocker
Almost a century before New York's celebrated High Line was converted from an abandoned elevated railroad spur into an aerial park, Shelburne Falls near Greenfield created its famous Bridge of Flowers from an abandoned railroad bridge over the Deerfield River in a true pioneering act of readapting the refuse of the industrial age.

Next summer Boston may have its own "bridge of flowers" over the Fort Point Channel on the historic 1908 metal truss "swing" bridge.

The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America has contributed $60,000 to benefit horticultural beautification projects for two of the busiest pedestrian crossroads around the Rose Kennedy Greenway. At the Nov. 16 annual meeting, Chair Michele Hanss gave The Boston Harbor Association a $50,000 grant for installation of a horticultural display along the historic Old Northern Avenue Bridge linking the Rose Kennedy Greenway with the developing Seaport District.

The "Harbor-Link Gardens" proposal will transform the bridge, once considered an eyesore by many, with planters of labeled hardy seaside perennials and shrubs and with blue colored paving.

The Boston Committee's Blossom Fund also presented $10,000 for the Christopher Columbus Park Circle Project to JoAnne M. Hayes-Rines, president of Friends of Christopher Columbus Park. This seed money will underwrite redesign of the misconceived pedestrian circle at that waterfront park.

Pedestrian use of both areas has greatly increased since completion of The Big Dig.

The office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino's issued his statement of support: "Beautifying this bridge will attract more visitors to the popular Harborwalk and act as a fitting gateway to our rapidly growing Innovation District. Improving the Northern Avenue Bridge will also create a visual link to the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and I commend the partnership of public, private and non-profit sectors to help get the job done."

At its annual meeting at The Country Club in Brookline, Hanss also presented Vivien Li and landscape architect David J. Warner, of Warner Larson Landscape Architects, with an Asian spruce, the first plant for the project, which is scheduled for spring completion. Li is president of The Boston Harbor Association, which has succeeded in creating the 40 mile Harborwalk which surrounds and is connected by the bridge. "This generous support will help to set a standard for future plantings and sustainable design along the waterfront," she said, adding that local businesses will help with long term maintenance. Nearby luxury hotel developer Eric Sachsse voiced support and called the modest initiative "exceptionally impactful." Landscape architect Warner Larson will provide pro bono services for the design and oversight of the installation.

Funding from the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America is raised from a membership of 1100 women from 14 garden clubs in Greater Boston and southern New Hampshire. Said Hanss, "The mission of our consortium is to support horticultural initiatives in Boston that can have an impact on a greater number of people than similar projects each of our member clubs undertaking in our individual communities. Making horticulture and open space a priority in Boston will have a ripple effect throughout the region."

The Boston Committee meeting's speaker was Don Rakow, director of the Cornell Plantations, which encompasses 150 acre arboretum and over 4300 acres of natural areas at Cornell University. His research focuses on the history and management of public gardens. He said urban parks began a revival in the1990's with the return of affluent populations to the city's center. (He mentioned that the Boston Common, created in 1634, was the nation's first urban park.)

Major trends in public gardens that Rakow identified including children's gardens, and efforts to broaden use with multi-lingual signage, wheelchair accessible entries and distribution of free passes at churches and WIC sites.

Public gardens are also wrestling with climate change, Rakow said. Staff at the Arnold Arboretum have documented that many plants are blooming 10-14 days earlier in the spring than those collected in the past as herbarium specimens for Harvard.

And if it's still needed after Hurricane Sandy, here's another climactic change caveat: on August 28, 2011, rain runoff from Hurricane Irene (at that point a tropical storm) flooded the Deerfield River and engulfed the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls.

By Carol Stocker
“Green” gift giving continues to be an increasingly popular trend. The Trustees of Reservations, the nation’s oldest statewide land conservation organization offer a “green gift membership.

Starting as low as $47 for individual members ($37 for students and seniors, $67 for families), a gift membership to The Trustees includes:
Trustees Membership GiftFree/reduced admission to 108 Trustees properties (including popular destinations like the Crane Estate in Ipswich, World’s End in Hingham, the Old Manse in Concord, the Bryant Homestead in Cummington, Doyle Center and Community Park in Leominster, Bartholomew’s Cobble in Tyringham, and Cape Poge on Martha’s Vineyard)
Discounts on stays at Trustees bed & breakfasts (The Inn at Castle Hill in Ipswich and the Guest House at Field Farm in Williamstown)
Discounted fees for the hundreds of events, programs, lectures and workshop the Trustees offer year-round, for all ages
The Trustees Property Guide, a 224-page guidebook to the organization’s 108 reservations—available exclusively to members
A year’s subscription to the quarterly member magazine, Special Places, which will keep you up-to-date on important conservation, nature, history, cultural, and environmentally-important topics and events; and,
In addition, if you purchase a gift membership for $125 or above, your gift recipient will also receive a special limited edition Trustees long-sleeve jean shirt. For more details and to ensure holiday delivery, please order gift memberships by December 14 at: 978.921.1944 online at www.thetrustees.org.

By Carol Stocker
(on line live to answer gardening questions 1-2 p.m. Nov. 9)

Founded in 1829, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is dedicated to encouraging the science and practice of horticulture and developing the public's enjoyment, appreciation, and understanding of plants and the environment. Here are November classes and holiday events at their HQ at 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts:

Fairy Garden Workshop for Kids
Growing and Showing! A Fairy Garden Workshop for Kids
Saturday, November 10th
10 am-12 pm
There are still spaces available for this workshop where kids ages 8-12 can plant their own Fairy Garden, with help on how to exhibit that garden at the 2013 Boston Flower and Garden Show.

Thursday Night at the Hort: Forcing Hardy Bulbs
Featuring Kathi Gariepy - Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
Presentations will begin at 7pm and go until all questions are answered.The classes are priced at $12 for members and $15 for non-members unless otherwise indicated. There is no need to pre-register and you may pay at the class.
Location: The Parkman Room, Education Building, Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley

Upcoming "Thursday at the Hort" presentations include:

November 15: Creating a Container of Succulents.

November 6th 6-8pm - Reconstructing Thanksgiving
Whole Foods Market, Wellesley MA

Bored with the same old "traditional" Thanksgiving side dishes? Wondering if there is a way to make them both healthy and delicious? Come in and learn how to make a few simple and effortless adjustments to your Thanksgiving dinner.
Cost - $10.00 for members, $12.00 for non-members.
Reservations may be made by calling 617-933-4943

Upcoming classes

December 6th - Gifts from the Kitchen
January 8th - Eating to Begin a Healthy Lifestyle
February 5th - For the Love of Chocolate

Festival of Trees
November 23 through December 8The Overseers of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society will present its Fourth Annual
Festival of Trees at Elm Bank from Friday, November 23 through Saturday, December 8,
2012.

PREVIEW PARTY will be held on Saturday, November 17th
7-9:00 p.m.
Appetizers and wine will be served amongst the beautiful trees.
$25.00 per person.
For more information, email Joyce@masshortfestivaloftrees.org

GIFTS FROM THE GARDEN

Thursday, November 29th
local craft, artisan food and fine art vendors in a convivial community setting
next to the popular Festival of Trees event. Some of the vendors you will find are:

AUTHOR FEST

Also on Thursday, in conjunction with the vendor portion of Gifts from the Garden, Mass Hort will be highlighting a group of authors with horticulture-based books in our AurthorFest event. Selected authors will be discussing their books with an opportunity for purchase. Book lovers may choose to listen to just one author, or stay for them all. Light refreshments will be served during the proceedings. The schedule of speakers is listed below:

4:00 James L. Jones. Fall and Winter Bloom in the Solar Greenhouse - Detailed
information on operating a greenhouse that is heated by the sun alone and on choosing a satisfying array of off-season bloomers that do well under its conditions.

4:45 Ellen Sousa. The Green Garden - Guide to natural-style, earth-friendly gardening
in New England. Learn how to work with nature to create gardens brimming with health
and sheltering birds, pollinators and other declining wildlife.

5:30 Deborah A. Locke. Mr. Bull and the Amazing Grape - The beautifully illustrated
picture book is written for children ages 4 through 8 and tells the story of Ephraim Wales
Bull, a hard-working farmer who resided in Concord during the 19th century. He
was "The Father of the Concord Grape", a hardy and delicious blue-black grape that won
a gold medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in 1853.

6:15 Suzie Hearl Canale. "The Beantown Tales" - A collection of children's books
which educate readers about important issues concerning the three main elements of the earth; the environment, humanitarian kindness and endangered animal preservation. The award winning series is geared towards children from 3 to 9.

FESTIVAL OF TREES WREATH WORKSHOP

Create beautiful wreaths and swags to take home for the holiday season! The
Festival of Trees Wreath Workshop will be held on Saturday, December 1st at 10:30 a.m.
in the Putnam building at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA.
Price: $45.00 for Mass Hort members, $55 for non-members.
Space is limited to 20 participants and pre-registration is required. Participants are
encouraged to bring clippers and/or strong scissors. All other supplies will be provided.

Please register online at http://www.masshort.org/Festival-of-Trees. You can also
register or find out more information by calling 617-933-4934 or email Joyce Bakshi at joyce@masshortfestivaloftrees.org.

Saturday November 17th
Succulent Container Workshop with Carrie Waterman
10 am-12 pm in the Putnam Classroom at Elm Bank

Make your very own succulent container. Learn from an expert how to plant an attractive container of these wonderful plants. All materials will be provided including a nice selection of succulent plants suitable for a mixed container, pots, special soil mix, plant labels and top dressing. Aftercare instructions will be included along with information about how to propagate succulents and how to exhibit your container at the 2013 Boston Flower & Garden Show.

To register click here. Deadline for registration is Monday, November 12th.
Fee: Members $60 per container; Non-members $75.00 per container.

By Carol Stocker
Landscape architects and historians from around the country converged on the Boston Athenaeum Saturday night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Library of American Landscape History, the foremost publisher in the genre, which is headquartered in Amherst. The non-profit has published a cannon of 26 books on the history of landscape design in this country, working with the University of Massachusetts Press. They include the award winning "A Genius for Place: American Landscapes of the Country Place Era," by Robin Karson, LALH's founder and executive director, who briefly addressed the gathering.

Also in attendance were Iris Gestram, executive director of the National Association for Olmsted Parks in Washington, director Mark Zelonis of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Bob Cook, former director of the Arnold Arboretum, Meg Winslow, archivist for the Mount Auburn Cemetery, and Lee Farrow Cook of the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic National Park Service site, named Fairsted.

Nancy Turner, the LALH's founding president, was honored. "I met Robin when she came to write about my Fletcher Steele garden," recalled Turner in an interview. The famous Boston landscape designer had had an office on Louisburg Square, but had retired to Pittsford, N.Y., near her estate, and created his last garden there for her. Karson documented it in her great book, "Fletcher Steele, Landscape Architect." Written shortly after Steele's death in 1971, the book documented many of his gardens before they were lost. Steele gardens were generally high maintenance and seldom survived their owners, "but Mabel Choate preserved her Naumkeag," said Turner. She referred to the The Trustees of Reservations' Steele garden in Stockbridge, famed for its series of white Art Deco staircases and waterfalls framed by birch trees..

Turner now lives in Connecticut. Does her own Pittsford garden still exist? "I don't know. I never went back to look. There has been a tremendous increase in the cost of maintenance." She smiled. "Gardens are like sand castles. It survives in Robin's book," she said as she flipped though the book's pages, which featured photos of her well planted granite staircase, orchard, and a series of terraces that led to a round reflecting pool. "It's very quiet, a placid place that reflected the final year of Fletcher Steele's life."

It was after completing this survey of Steele's rapidly vanishing gardens that Karson decided there needed to be an organization that published books on American historical landscapes. She was able to start one with Turner's support, and has kept it going for 20 years, during which she has assembled the most important authors of books on landscape architecture in this country.

New books include "Community by Design; The Olmsted Firm and the Planning of Brookline," by Elisabeth Hope Cushing, Roger G. Reed and Boston University professor Keith N. Morgan, who was at the party. After designing Central Park, Olmsted deserted New York for Brookline, which had proudly anointed itself "the richest town in the world." Little has been previously published on the importance of Brookline as a laboratory and model for the Olmsted firm's work. This book will detail how his son and namesake saw the town as a grounds for experimenting in the new profession of city planning.

It will be followed next year by a study of another important locally based designer. "Arthur A. Shurcliff and the Making of the Colonial Williamsburg Landscape," by Elizabeth Hope Cushing, will spotlight this under-appreciated force in the Colonial Revival house and garden movement. His projects included aspects of the Charles River Esplanade, the Franklin Park Zoo, and, at the end of his life, the iconic gardens at Colonial Williamsburg.

Next year will also see the LAHL's publication of "The Best Planned City in the World: Olmsted, Vaux, and the Buffalo Park System," by Francis R. Kowsky, cq writing about Buffalo, N.Y. "We try to focus the study on individual places," explained Karson. It will be the first in a series edited by Ethan Carr called "Designing the American Park." Another new series will deal with environmental design.

Interest in the history of American landscape architecture has blossomed in the last three decades, said Carr at the gathering. He linked it to the resurgence of interest in New York's Central Park and it's history. That park, which sunk to an all-time low in the 1970's, is now in the best shape of its history, thanks in part to LALH board member Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, the founder of the powerful Central Park Conservancy.

Boston's Emerald Necklace, another Olmsted masterpiece, has also enjoyed rejuvenation and scholarly attention. The Frederick Law Olmsted Papers Project will soon publish Volume Eight of Olmsted Sr's letters, dealing with the 1880's when the Emerald Necklace was created, said Carr, who is the editor.

The U. Mass professor is also the editor of one of LALH's prizewinning books, "Mission 66: Modernism and the National Park Dilemma." And what is the dilemma? "Too little money, too many visitors," said Carr succinctly. "And too many cars."

Boston Globe garden expert Carol Stocker will be on line Friday to answer your gardening and landscape questions live 1-2 p.m.

By Carol Stocker
Globe Correspondent
If you feel like working outside in the glorious fall weather, this just happens to be the best time to plant most trees, shrubs and perennials that are winter hardy, and almost all spring blooming bulbs, as well. They need to start growing roots before winter to put on a good show next spring. Early November is not too late to plant.

Fall, not spring, is the best season for planting because plants do not have to deal with debilitating heat and drought. In fact natural rainfall is so plentiful that you often don't need to water. And it doesn't hurt that it's the most pleasant time of the year for outdoor projects and that nursery stock is often on sale now. We are programmed to respond to the fall chill with increased productivity, just like those plant roots.

If you are a beginning gardener, start by planting some ornamental bulbs. These will become the easiest and earliest flowers in your 2013 garden. That's because bulbs are like little suitcases that have their flowers already packed inside (in embryonic form), so they are guaranteed to produce it least one flower next spring.

Whether or not bulbs flower in successive years depends upon the type of bulb you choose and and where you plant it. An ideal location is next to a south-facing house foundation at the top of a slope. The house protects the plants from winds, the foundation radiates heat for an early spring start and the slope promotes good drainage longevity. Or plant where you will be able to see the flowers from indoor windows, as they will bloom when it is still cold out.

Daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and alliums or (ornamental onions) are all easy, beautiful bulbs that can return for many springs. Bulbs like sun, but if your garden is shady, try leucojum, erythronium, camassia, galanthus and wood hyacinths instead. Many Oriental lilies are also shade tolerant, but I would think twice about planting them if the new red lily leaf beetle, which devours them, has arrived in your area.

If they weren't so lovely, I would warn you away from tulips, too. They often only bloom their first spring, spouting "blind" leaves in subsequent springs. I think of them as expensive annuals and plant them only three or four inches deep, and then pull up and discard the entire plant after they finish blooming. I also spray them with animal repellent when they are growing in the spring because deer love them and will otherwise nip off their buds so you'll be left with rows of headless tulips. Most people find that tulips are not worth such extra trouble and expense, but I love them as much as the deer, so I put up with it.

Plant bulbs with the pointy ends up. You can dig an individual hole for each bulbs. But unless you are dotting them around an already packed perennial bed, it is much easier and looks better if you plant bulbs in a cluster in of five or more in one big hole per grouping. The planting hole should be three times as deep as the width of the bulbs. You can space the bulbs twice their width apart. So smaller bulbs can be planted more shallowly and closely together than larger bulbs.

I love buying plants and bulbs but I hate digging holes, so here are some of my personal tricks for fitting more plants into fewer holes:

Layer several kinds of bulbs of different sizes one hole. For instance, plant giant ornamental onion bulbs that are four inches wide in a hole I've dug a foot deep. Then I cover them up by filling the hole half way to the top, which in this case means back filling with six inches of soil. Next, arrange a layer of two inch wide daffodil bulbs on this new level spaced four inches apart. Then cover those with three inches of soil and position a layer of inch-wide crocuses above them two inches apart before totally filling in the hole with soil. I use a ruler to measure, but don't be afraid to eyeball it, since bulbs are forgiving. When you finish planting this or anything else, water immediately to help the soil settle and to initiate root growth.

I also sometimes combine perennials and bulbs in the same planting hole. The tricky thing about planting perennials or trees or shrubs is to dig to the right depth, which is the depth plant was growing in the nursery container you bought it in. For instance, if you buy a perennial that is in a gallon pot that is nine inches deep, with the soil surface one inch below the rim of the pot, you need to dig a planting hole eight inches deep. This sounds simple, but it is important. If you make the hole too deep and bury the plant's crown, the spot where the roots attach to the stem, with too much soil, you can kill the plant. Strange as it sounds, roots that planted and buried too deep can suffocate. This is true of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. The simplest technique to measure the depth of the hole you are digging is to set the pot in the hole. Ten you can see whether you need to back fill or dig deeper before you even take your perennial out of the pot.

When you get the hole to the right depth, begin widening it. Most plants have roots that grow outward rather than downward, so ideally you should widen the hole until it is three times as wide as it is deep. I position the bulbs in a ring around the bottom of the hole, before I put the perennial plant in the center. This way the bulbs can sprout up around the perennial. If the plant is too low in the hole you can pull it up or out and fill in the hole part way without worrying about covering up or moving the bulbs, which are less fussy about planting depth. Mix the soil you dug out of the hole with organic amendments such aged cow manure, the gardener's favorite "black gold," to enrich the soil and improve it's "tilth," or texture. Don't worry about adding fertilizer, which sometimes does more harm than good by disrupting soil organisms. There's an old gardener's saying: "Feed the soil, not the plant." If you focus on improving the soil content and texture instead of just applying fertilizer to the plant, beneficial organisms such as earthworms can flourish and your plants will grow better in the long run.

Planting now will give you a down payment on spring that will make the long winter ahead feel that much shorter.

By Carol Stocker
Your garden is a miniature world of living organisms, none of them more remarkable than ants, which can be truly said to run the world. Life on earth could survive nicely without humans, but wouldn't last long without aunts, to paraphrase famed Harvard scientist Edward O. Wilson.

There are more than 140 ant species found in New England. "A Field Guide to the Ants of New England" (Yale) is the first truly user-friendly regional guide to them.

This important book sets new standards for insect identification for amateur and professional naturalists with its 500 meticulous line drawings, hundreds of photographs and detailed distribution maps showing where each species has been collected in New England. It also explains the evolution and ecology of these insects. Authors Aaron M. Ellison, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Elizabeth J. Farnsworth and Gary D. Alpert are to be congratulated for a milestone in the understanding and appreciation of ants.

By Carol Stocker
Some of us have had our first frost!

But many flowers are frost proof and will keep flowering late into the fall. These include marigolds, roses, chrysanthemum and pansies. I have been particularly impressed by the new Cool Wave pansy strain bred for cold weather tolerance. They survived last year's mild winter here. Individual plants were my first flowers in the spring as well as my last flowers in the fall.

Unfortunately, dahlias have no frost tolerance. But though mine have died above ground, the tubers are safe underground and I am waiting two weeks for them to "ripen" in the ground before digging them up to store in my basement, along with gladiola corms and canna tubers, over the winter.

I like to grow dahlias. Some are better for landscaping while other varieties make great cut flowers. These were my favorite prolific performers this year:
Chilson's Pride, pure pink with white centers on five foot tall plant. Long lasting and productive. Great cut flower.
Miss Molly, very pretty three inch yellow and pink waterlily style variety. Five foot plants. Good for cutting.
Sunshine, low growing large orange daisies with dark foliage for landscaping. Very popular in England. Better for landscaping than cutting.
Cafe Au Lait, five foot tall plant produces giant but subtle mocha colored blooms for cutting, great for weddings. Recommended to me by floral designer Pauline Runkle.
Taboo, fuschia purple five inch balls one five foot plants
Cornell, dark five inch red balls
Bonbini, prolific Karma dahlia in jack-o-lantern bright orange and yellow three inches flowers appropriate for fall bouquets
Lagoon and Amanda, large violet/pink/white Karma dahlias, bred as cut flowers
Fascination, low growing dark foliage covered with small pink/red button flowers for landscaping.

Boston Globe garden expert Carol Stocker will be on line Friday to answer your gardening and landscape questions live 1-2 p.m.

By Carol Stocker
On Thursday, October 18, Invasive Plant Management Strategies for Urban Wilds, Home Landscapes and Community Gardens will be discussed by experts Paul Sutton and Ted Elliman 6:30 P. M. –8:00 P.M.

Sutton is Coordinator for Open Space and Special Projects with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and Elliman is the Vegetation Management Coordinator with The New England Wildflower Society.

The ecological cost of these invasive species will also be discussed and techniques for identifying them will be explained. The evening promises to offer a combination of technical skills to use in the field and will provide valuable insight on why invasive species give us cause for concern in our urban green spaces.

The event will be at the office of Boston Natural Areas Network, 62 Summer Street, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA (Enter on Otis Street) and is free to the public, but registration is required to attend— To register please: email info@bostonnatural.org or call 617-542-7696

Host is The Urban Wilds Council, organized in 2009 by BNAN, to bring together friends groups, city partners and concerned individuals from across Boston. By working as a citywide council, the group seeks to improve and increase capacity to protect, maintain and promote urban wilds. Contact Stewardship Manager Karen Chaffee for more information at Karen@bostonnatural.org or call 617 542 7696 or visit http://www.bostonnatural.org/uwsurvey/uwfindings.asp

Boston Natural Areas Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together local residents, partner organizations, public officials and foundations to preserve, expand and enhance urban open space, including community gardens, greenways and urban wilds. For further information about the organization, becoming a member or the calendar of events, visit www.bostonnatural.org or call 617-542-7696.

By Carol Stocker
Weather conditions point to a good fall for color. If you live and Boston and can't get into the countryside, you can go to the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain and take a free guided tour with a knowledgeable volunteer docent.

Tours start in the Hunnewell Building and last around 60-90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register.

The general tour season runs from mid-April through mid-November.

Saturdays at 10:30am
Sundays at 1:00pm
Wednesdays at 12:15pm

These tours are intended for individuals. For a tour tailored to your group, please request a private group tour.

While skeptics can go on denying climate change, gardeners know better. In our little patch of this globally warmed world, a century or more of accumulated growing wisdom is being thrown out the greenhouse door with bathwater and baby.

Last year, for example, the sweet peppers did poorly because a favorite gardening maxim let us down: "Six months from the first thunderstorm, expect the first frost." That old adage failed spectacularly when the peppers planted after a warm Mother's Day drencher were subjected to frost two days – not six months – later. Stunned and stunted, they never recovered.

Another favorite: "Plant peas before the last snow melts" worked well until 2011, when the dog days of August arrived in April. The sugar snaps bolted, then broke under the weight of a freak snowstorm, just as delicate flowers formed the promise of sweet pods. That was followed by more spring heat, ruining a second crop.

2012 has been as crazy: The U.S. experienced the warmest spring on record, a jaw-dropping 5.2 degrees above the long-time average! But mixed with the heat was some real whiplash weather. Here in New England, for example, 80 degree temps in March were followed a day later by a plunge to 20 degrees. Apples, plums and pears, fooled into blossoming early by the heat, were damaged by frost and so produced lower yields this year.

Obviously, you can't "plant corn when oak leaves are the size of a mouse's ear" when oaks now delay flowering and leaf out in response to drastically warmer winters. Studies out of the University of California show that wild plants are adapting to survive climate change. So must we.

The best way to adapt to the hot and dry is to introduce low or no-tillage techniques that retain soil moisture and subsoil ecosystem health.

Recyclable mulches, raised beds and ditching will help control and better utilize run-off from sporadic, but much, much heavier rains – the new norm. Mulch does double duty, protecting from both drought and deluge.

Change your game further by testing warm-weather plant varieties new to your region. Check the 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. It's the first update since 1990 and reflects significant global warming over most of the nation. Now cantaloupes, which barely stood a chance before, are growing in places like Santa Fe, N.M., while heat-loving Merlot grapes have become the second most popular variety in Virginia, says Scientific American.

Finally, prepare as best you can for "whiplash" weather – extremes of hot and cold, dry and wet. Keep cold frames and row covers handy. Watch the weather forecast and the sky. The first frost is now more likely to come in November than October, but in the increasingly crazy world of Global Weirding, you never know, so listen to forcecats/

Carol Stocker will be on line Friday, Sept. 21, from 1-2 p.m. to answer gardener's questions... John W. Trexler will be receiving the George Robert White Medal of Honor at the 113th Annual Honorary Medals Dinner, Thursday, September 27th at 7:00 pm, in which the Massachusetts Horticultural Society honors a group of individuals or organizations who have made a special contribution to the world of horticulture. He is Director Emeritus of the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston. John served as Executive Director of the Worcester County Horticultural Society for 28 years. In 1986, at his urging, the Society purchased the Tower Hill Farm. Under his leadership Tower Hill has grown into one of the country's premier public gardens. John is recognized as a national horticulture authority.

Other medals will include:

Thomas Roland Medal: Sydney Eddison

Gold Medal : Logee's Gardens

Silver Medal: Fine Gardening Magazine

Vivien Bouffard

For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Jessica Adani at jadani@masshort.org or 617-933-4945. Read more about this event.