Fall Horticultural Happenings

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Boylston - Bonsai-the art of training trees to grow in miniature-will be the focus of a weekend-long exhibit at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on September 10-11, presented by the Bonsai Societies of New England. Many beautiful bonsai specimens-several more than 50 years old-will be on display. The amazing trees have all the characteristics of their normal sized counterparts: large, twisted trunks, changing leaves, exfoliating bark--but scaled down to table-top size. Many specimens from several private collections will be on display. Lectures and demonstrations on Bonsai care and culture will be held throughout the weekend.

Bonsai Weekend is included with admission to Tower Hill Botanic Garden which is
free on Saturday, September 10, due to the coinciding Gardener's Emporium, regular
admission is charged on Sunday, September 11; $10 Adults, $7 Seniors and $5 Youth
aged 6-18, Children under 6 and Tower Hill members are free. Tower Hill is located
at 11 French Drive, Boylston, exit 24 off Interstate 290. For more information,
call (508) 869-6111 or log on to www.towerhillbg.org

Fall Gardening Programs continue at Nightingale Garden in Dorchester

Nightingale Community Garden, located at 512 Park Street in Dorchester continues to be a center of garden activity this fall with concerts, workshops and garden festivals. The workshops will help neighborhood gardeners get the most out their vegetable gardens with helpful hints on fall garden planning, harvesting, and end of the year garden care. There will be a class on how to prepare herbs for the kitchen and in addition to the garden workshops there will be a Caribbean concert featuring Treavor Comma, a watercolor workshop, and a Fall Harvest Festival. The programs will be led by BNAN garden educator, Erika Rumbley along with help from BNAN staff and Master Urban Gardener volunteers. The workshops are a response to the growing interest in community gardening.

Saturday, September 10, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Herbs from your Garden

Saturday, September 17, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Watercolors in the Garden

Registration is required for this program-- Call 617-542-7696 or email to info@bostonnatural.org to register.

Thursday, September 29, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Putting your garden to Bed

This workshop will be at Spencer Street Community Garden, 96 Spencer Street, Dorchester

Thursday, October 6, 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Putting your garden to Bed

This workshop will be at Leyland Street Community Garden, 6-18 Leyland Street, Dorchester

Saturday, October 8, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Putting your garden to Bed

This workshop will be at Nightingale Community Garden, 512 Park Street, Dorchester

On Saturday, October 15 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Nightingale Community Garden will celebrate its first annual Fall Harvest Festival. This is an opportunity for all Dorchester gardeners to share the bounty of their harvest. You are invited to bring food and your appetite and enjoy the potluck of fresh dishes inspired by a season of growing.

DOT Grows Garden council meets the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Codman Square Health Center, in conference room B. This newly formed council serves to support Dorchester community gardeners, residents, families and organizations in practicing and promoting community gardening, sharing resources and ideas and planning for a healthier Dorchester.

The Nightingale Garden Workshop Series is part of BNAN’s Boston Is Growing Gardens (BIGG) project which aims to double the community garden food growing capacity in Dorchester and increase opportunities for access to healthy food and physical activity for Dorchester residents. Working with our partners, the City of Boston, Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition, gardeners, neighbors and local health organizations , BNAN is undertaking to create a two-fold increase in the number of plots (from 249 to 251) in the 17 Dorchester Community Gardens owned by BNAN.

Funding for Dorchester Community Gardens has been provided by the Boston Public Health Commission/Center for Disease Control, The Manton Foundation, The Boston Foundation, The Claneil Foundation, The Towards Sustainability Foundation and The Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund in addition to the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development.

If you would like to learn more about BIGG or how to get involved in community gardening in your Dorchester neighborhood, please contact BNAN at info@bostonnatural.org or call BIGG Project Manager Grantley Payne at 617-542-7696 x21.

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 more information about the organization, becoming a member or the calendar of events, visit www.bostonnatural.org or call 617-542-7696.

HERITAGE MUSEUMS AND GARDENS presents a Rustic Trellis Design and Construction Workshop

Sandwich, Mass.— Noted Cape Cod sculptor Alfred Glover will lead a two-day Rustic Trellis Design and Construction Workshop at Heritage Museums & Gardens on Saturday and Sunday, September 10 and 11, from 10:00am to 2:30pm. 
The result will be a beautiful natural trellis that participants take home to that special garden spot. The registration fee is $125 for members; $140 non-members (tools and materials will be provided). Heritage is located off Route 6 at 67 Grove Street in Sandwich, Mass. To register, see www.heritagemuseums.org or contact Heather Mead, director of programming, at 508.888.3300 ext. 149 or hmead@heritagemuseums.org.

In this workshop, participants will take a second look at natural materials that are usually discarded, and will use them to design useful and decorative works of art. The trellises that will be created can be seen as sculpture, although they can also be a functional part of the landscape. Participants will learn basic design and assembling skills that will enable them to continue on to other rustic furniture and sculpture projects. 



Instructor Alfred Glover has been working with found wood and other materials since moving to Cape Cod in 1973. An accomplished painter and sculptor, his work is included in numerous public and private collections, including museums, libraries, schools, and hospitals, most notably Children's Hospital in Boston and recently Cape Cod Hospital's pediatric ward. Glover has been Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Cape Cod Community College for the past ten years and has conducted many workshops through educational venues, as well as privately at his Cataumet studio. A number of his playful rustic trellises have been translated in bronze with colorful painting. For more information about the artist, see www.alfredglover.com.

Founded in 1969, Heritage Museums & Gardens is a place that celebrates American culture and inspires lifelong learning by sharing excellence in horticulture, garden design, and the exhibition of great collections. Heritage is located on 100 acres of gardens and nature trails on the banks of Shawme Pond in historic Sandwich; it is the largest public garden in southern New England. In addition to the magnificent grounds, known for their encyclopedic collections of daylilies, hostas and hydrangeas, the estate holds a nationally significant collection of Dexter rhododendrons, specialty gardens, water features, and sculpture. Hidden Hollow, a new family-friendly feature, is a place for exploration of the natural world and learning about environmental stewardship. Heritage also offers three buildings housing permanent exhibits of world-class automobiles, American folk art, historical artifacts, a working carousel, and changing special exhibits on aspects of American culture.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF
WORKSHOPS AND DEMONSTRATIONS THIS SEPTEMBER and and October Harvest Festival

Stockbridge, MA. . .A wide variety of hands-on workshops, lectures, demonstrations and field studies covering topics from pruning shrubs to studying wild mushrooms will be presented this month by the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

On Saturday, September 10, 10 am – noon, demonstration/workshop Bringing Patio Plants Indoors for Winter will provide tips to encourage outdoor plants to thrive through the winter months and multiply for next season’s garden. Participants will learn about cultivation, fertilizing, watering, healthcare and propagation and take home a variety of cuttings. Instructor Jenna O’Brien owns Viridissima, a garden design and maintenance business in Becket, MA. Cost: Members $22, Nonmembers $27.

Enjoy your own garden greens throughout the late fall and early spring months after participating in Extending the Season’s Harvest: Growing Vegetables for Four Seasons, a field trip on Saturday, September 10, 1 – 4pm at Gould Farm in Monterey, MA. Stephen Enoch, Gould Farm’s Garden Team Manager, will present options for types of structures to contain plants, crop selection and soil preparation. Cost: Members $22, Nonmembers $27.

On Saturday, September 17, 9 am – 3 pm, Drew Monthie, a horticulturist, garden designer and ecologist, will provide an understanding of how invasive species are degrading our ecosystem and what gardeners can do to control these destructive plants. A morning lecture, a hands-on workshop and demonstration of eradication techniques and a short field trip are all part of Invasive Plant Identification, Removal and Control Strategies. Cost: Members $85, Nonmembers $90.

Learn all about fungi at Stalking Wild Mushrooms in the Berkshires on Saturday, September 17, 1 – 3 pm. John Wheeler, president of the Berkshire Mycological Society, will illustrate and describe the most common poisonous and edible mushrooms and take participants into the woods on a mushroom hunt. Cost: Members $22, Nonmembers $27.

Massachusetts Certified Arborist Ken Gooch will lead a demonstration/workshop on Pruning Shrubs and Small Ornamental Trees on Saturday, September 24, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm. He will focus on why and how to shape, renovate, train or rejuvenate woody plants, both evergreen and deciduous. Learn about pruning tools, timing and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Cost: Members $30, Nonmembers $35.

Berkshire Botanical Garden is one of New England's oldest and most treasured public gardens. Established in 1934, its mission was to inspire and educate the community about responsible horticulture and home-grown food. Today, with a year-round schedule of garden classes and workshops, prestigious guest lecturers and a horticulture certification program, in addition to many special events, it is still dedicated to these founding values and to the preservation and improvement of the local environment. Its 15 acres contain 22 zone 5 display areas representing over 3,000 regionally appropriate plant species, significant trees, unique shrubs and exotic botanical collections.

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Harvest Festival, a cherished Berkshire region event and harbinger of the autumn season for nearly 80 years, will be held October 1-2 at the Garden located in Stockbridge, MA. This year’s Festival combines legendary autumn activities with an expanded farmer’s market, vaulting demonstrations (gymnastics on horseback) and new vendors, artisans and crafters.

The Festival’s reputation as a New England tradition is nationally recognized as one the largest and longest running events of its kind in the country. Live music, crafts, food, a silent auction, plant sale, expanded farmer’s market and family friendly activities fill the 15-acre garden, where hundreds of local artisans, entertainers and vendors are featured.

Crafts
The Harvest Festival is the premier showcase for over 60 local and New England-based artisans and crafters — jewelers, ceramicists, photographers and many more will exhibit, display or demonstrate their crafts, including weaving, spinning, blacksmithing, felting and more.

Local Food
The Harvest Food Court and Botanical Café and Bakery provide distinctive snack and meal choices including grilled sour dough pizza and freshly baked apple streusel pie. The festival also features fabulous local food artisans, producing handmade chocolates and more, as well as an array of local farm vendors at the new and improved Farmer’s Market.

Music and Entertainment
The Festival stage will be booked all weekend with music ranging from 40’s swing and jazz to children’s songs and fiddling. Included in the lineup are David Grover, The Lucky Five’s, The Berkshire Ramblers, Frank Schaap, Down Home, Kelly, Putnam and Stevens and Moonshine Holler. In addition, buskers will roam the grounds with music and Johnny Mystic’s magic throughout the weekend.

Children’s Activities
The Festival is well known for its children’s activities including the famous hay jump and maze, haunted house, the Happy Face Painter, pumpkin toss, Jona’s Balloon Animals, puppet shows, Wraps and Tats (hair wraps and airbrushed tattoos) jump rope making, child-friendly farm animals and pony rides, mini-golf, the Pocket Lady, and a full tent of craft activities for children.

Classes for Gardeners

Join Garden staff for informal classes on seasonal topics including seed saving, garden wrap-up (fall maintenance) pickling and invasive plant control.

Silent Action, Giant Tag and Book Sale, Jewelry Boutique, Country Bazaar and Plant Sale
Great finds at great prices abound at the Harvest Festival where visitors can stock up on plants, gently used books, home and garden items, toys, apparel, jewelry and – through an exceptional silent auction – including vacations, art, home and garden décor and services.

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Harvest Festival runs from 10 am – 5 pm both Saturday and Sunday, October 1-2. Admission is $10 per vehicle. A complete list of activities, vendors and entertainment is available through the Garden’s website, www.berkshirebotanical.org.

Berkshire Botanical Garden is one of New England’s oldest and most treasured public gardens. Established in 1934, its mission was to inspire and educate the community about responsible horticulture and home-grown food. Today, with a year-round schedule of garden classes and workshops, prestigious guest lecturers and a horticulture certification program, in addition to many especial events, it is still dedicated to these founding values and to the preservation and improvement of the local environment. Its 15 acres contain 23

Zone 5 display areas representing over 3,000 regionally appropriate plant species, significant trees, unique shrubs and exotic botanical collections.

The Garden is open daily, 9 am – 5 pm and is located at the intersection of Routes 102 and 183, Stockbridge, MA. To register for classes, or for more information on Garden programs, events and courses, visit the Garden web site: www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413 298-3926.