The Garden Club of the Back Bay

The stunning arrangements of garden-grown flowers in the Polly Hill Arboretum Visitor Center in West Tisbury wow visitors, volunteers, and staff all season long.  These vibrant bouquets of familiar and unusual flowers are grown and arranged by PHA volunteer and retired commercial grower Susan Silva in her West Tisbury garden.  Join Silva from 10 - 11:30 as she shares techniques for growing and arranging cut flowers.  Using flowers from her garden, participants will create their own spectacular bouquets. Bring a container to transport your flowers home. Space is limited, please pre-register.  Call 508-693-9426.  $45 per person ($40 PHA members).  You may contact Karin Stanley by email, karin@pollyhillarboretum.org, for directions and more information.

As part of The Mall at Chestnut Hill’s 2009 Organic Garden Series, come to the Mall on Saturday, July 18, where there will be a bee keeper/apiarist on site, a live butterfly exhibit, an exhibit on coastal gardens and salt marshes, Chestnut Hill Garden Club Tour, and “Rose Art” - art groups featuring their interpretation of roses through live paintings.  For more information, call 617-965-3037, or log on to www.simon.com and click the @Your Mall Now! button.

Volunteers are needed to water five newly planted trees on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall throughout the summer and into the fall.  Each tree requires 1/2 hour of watering once a week — about 3/4 to 1 hour of your time. Trees are located at the corner of Exeter (2), between Fairfield and Gloucester (1), and between Gloucester and Hereford (2). Instructions, hoses, and vacation backup will be provided.  To offer your services or for more information, please call Susan Juretschke, Volunteer Coordinator, at 617.876.6542 or 617.833.9609.  Naturally, if it keeps raining, this will be an easy job, but chances are the skies will clear sometime this summer!

Forest Hills’ founder, Henry A.S. Dearborn, was a civic leader with expertise in law and politics, as well as in landscape design and horticulture. The first president of the Massachusetts Horticulture Society, Dearborn, along with others, helped shape the rural garden cemetery movement in the United States. Join Anthony Sammarco, author of more than 50 books on Boston history, for a walking tour celebrating Dearborn and other prominent 19th century horticulturists buried at Forest Hills Cemetery.

Meet at Main Gate. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water; this is a 2-hour walk (with frequent stops) over varied terrain. Admission: $9.  For more information, and to register, log on to www.foresthillstrust.org.

The Rockport Garden Club presents Seaside Gardens, a tour of fifteen private Rockport seaside gardens, on Friday and Saturday, July 10 and 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ten stops provide access, and each garden offers unique plantings and styles.  Most of the gardens are on the waterfront along Rockport’s spectacular coastline, while others feature ocean views.  Perennials, refreshments, and original art will be offered for sale at designated tour sites.  All proceeds will be used to maintain Rockport’s town gardens and to fund civic projects and scholarships.  This is a rain or shine event.  Admission is $25 in advance (call 978-546-2250 or 978-546-7871).  Tickets may be purchased at Toadhall Bookstore, 51 Main Street, Rockport.  For further information,  you may email Elaine Hassler at e.hassler@comcast.net, or log on to www.rockportgardenclub.org.

Spend a week at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden.  Start with basic leaf botany and color mixing for Sarah Roche’s favorite leaf colors.  Then rev up your dry brush watercolors skills and watch as luscious leaves come alive on your paper.  Advanced beginner watercolor skills required.  Members of the Friends of Wellesley Botanic Garden, $225, non-members $275.  For more information, and for a printable registration form, log on to www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or send a check made out to Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture to them at 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481-8203.

See gorgeous displays of lilies and arrangements featuring lilies, with botanical art of lilies by members of the New England Society of Botanical Artists, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts.  On Saturday at 3 pm, hear a lecture by lily expert David Chase on “Beetle Resistant Lilies”, and on Sunday at 2 pm Master Gardener Melissa Pace will speak on “Amending Soil for Success - Soil Preparation for Planting,”  Saturday hours are 1:30 - 5, Sunday hours are 10 - 5.  For directions, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

Explore making good choices for floral arrangements through flower selection, learn simple techniques for cutting and conditioning materials, and see the appropriate methods of handling specific kinds of plant materials.

Award winning floral designer Robin Murphy, who presented to The Garden Club of the Back Bay during the “Art in the Garden” theme year, will lead you through this process and guide you in the creation of your own abundant “gardenesque” floral arrangements.

Container and mechanics included. Participants should bring floral scissors, clippers, and a small bucket to class.  Members of Heritage Museums - $40; non-Members - $50 per person.  To register, log on to www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org.

The Garden Conservancy partners with the Berkshire Botanical Garden to sponsor this Open Day.  For information and to reserve tickets, log on to www.gardenconservancy.org.

Now on display in the Visitor Center at the entrance to Old Sturbridge Village, this exhibit entitled Taking Root: The Growing Business of Gardening in Pots in the 1800’s,  invites exploration of the art and business of gardening in flowerpots in 19th-century New England. The thriving world of gardening in pots in early New England is shown through a series of vibrant and colorful vignettes. The depictions range from the rough industriousness of a potter’s shop to the refined elegance of a Victorian parlor, and to all of the worlds in between. For more information, hours and admissions fees, log on to www.osv.org.

Join Heritage Museums discovering the enchanted private sanctuaries of New Seabury and Popponesset Island on Thursday, July 9th, 2009 from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. (rain or shine). All proceeds benefit the many wonderful programs and activities at Heritage Museums & Gardens. Make the day even more special with a luncheon at the New Seabury Club.  The extraordinary vistas from the main dining room are the perfect complement to your garden tour experience!

The gardens are located throughout the New Seabury & Popponesset Island area and all can be reached by car. Parking is available near and around all the homes on the tour. Be prepared to walk from parking areas to each of the gardens.

There will not be any shuttle services provided. This is a garden tour and walking is involved. Please be prepared with comfortable walking shoes—and dress for the weather !

A Garden Boutique will be on display and for sale in the main lobby at New Seabury Country Club, featuring stunning floral jewelry and exclusive gifts for the garden and home, inspired by the horticultural collections of Heritage Museums & Gardens.

Price for the Garden Tour only:$35 Members of HM&G, $40 Non-Members
Price for Tours and Luncheon: $70 Members of HM&G, $75 Non-Members

For additional information please call 508.888.3300, x-111, or email: ahoxie@heritagemuseums.org

Southeastern District presents “Flash Back -Fast Forward” a standard flower show at the Barnstable County Fair,  Fair hours: July 17 -19  11:00 am - 11:30 pm; July 20-23 4:00 pm - 11:30 pm; July 24-25 11:00 am 11:30 pm, Cost: Fair Admission ($10 adult, $8 Seniors and Military, Children under 12 free).

The Barnstable County Fair has been an annual summer tradition on Cape Cod for 164 years. The Fair is a place where families can spend the day together and share experiences they can only experience at the Barnstable County Fair.

There are animal shows, 4-H demonstrations, petting zoos, horticulture displays, rides, games, live music, arts & crafts, food and commercial vendors with various arts and crafts for sale.

For more information log on to www.barnstablecountyfair.org.

The story of Highfield Hall coincides with the arrival of the railroad in Falmouth on July 18, 1872. The ability to reach Cape Cod from Boston or from New York by train transformed the area from a quiet farming and fishing community to an exuberant summer community. Middle class families stayed in inns, many of them homes converted to lodgings to handle the explosion of summer visitors. Wealthier families built seaside estates in areas such as Quissett, Chapoquoit and Penzance.

Among the newcomers escaping the heat of the city were the Beebes of Boston. James Madison Beebe, wealthy from various dry goods and manufacturing businesses, and his wife, Esther E. Beebe, first converted the Thomas Swift House on Shore Street to a summer home they called Vineyard Lodge. They subsequently bought more than 700 acres of land on the hill above the railroad station, more than half of which has been preserved as Beebe Woods.

After the death of their father in 1875, his children built two grand residences on the hill. Brothers Pierson and Franklin and sister Emily built a lavish “summer cottage” in the Queen Anne stick style modeled after the British Pavilion in the great 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Highfield Hall was completed in 1878, and its sister mansion, Tanglewood, where the J. Arthur Beebes took up residence, was finished in 1879. Thus began over fifty years of Beebes living and entertaining in their “summer cottages” at Highfield. In its heyday, the hill must have been a bustling scene. The miles of carriage trails, riding trails, gardens, two huge homes, and numerous outbuildings required a small army of servants to maintain. The Beebes even started a farm on Shore Street to provide produce for their Falmouth and Boston residences.

Join docents on the first Sunday of each month ( in addition to July 5, you may attend on August 2, September 6, October 4 & November 1) at 1p.m. for a special estate walk of the Beebe property. Learn about the building of Highfield Hall and its sister mansion, Tanglewood, explore the grounds and gardens, and hear about the Beebe family members who lived a lavish Victorian lifestyle during the late 19th and early 20th century. $5 donation suggested. Walks will not be held in the event of rain.  Reservations are encouraged, but not required, by calling 508-495-1878 or emailing registrations@highfieldhall.org.  For directions and more information, log on to www.highfieldhall.org.

Landscape Gardener Nancy Wetzel takes a fascinating look at medicinal herbs, the historic importance of community herbalists, and herb gardens through the lens of author Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1896 book The Country of the Pointed Firs. Visiting Historic New England’s Sarah Orne Jewett House at 5 Portland Street in South Berwick, Maine is a special treat, and to see the home in combination with this presentation is an extraordinary opportunity.  Writer Sarah Orne Jewett spent much of her life in this stately Georgian residence, owned by her family since 1819. The view from her desk in the second-floor hall surveys the town’s major intersection and provided her with material for her books, such as The Country of the Pointed Firs, which describe the character of the Maine countryside and seacoast with accuracy and affection. Registration is required - call 207-384-2454, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org for directions and more information.

Some Garden Club of the Back Bay members and supporters travel to the beautiful Saratoga Springs area to sample the summer offerings of the New York City Ballet, among other activities in this neck of the woods.  If you happen to be in the area, take the time to attend this lovely Garden Tour. This will be the 15th annual tour that Soroptimist International of Saratoga County organizes.  The tour raises money for improving the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world.

Soroptimist International of Saratoga County is part of the international organization Soroptimist International of the Americas, Inc. There are over 1,500 Soroptimist clubs in 20 countries and territories in North, Central and South America, Guam, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Globally, Soroptimists make a difference by focusing their efforts in six areas:  economic and social development, education, environment, health, human rights/status of women and international goodwill and understanding.  On a local level they address these concerns through awareness, advocacy and action.

Each year they raise funds that are donated back to the local community in support of programs for women and girls.  Their signature events include Cabin Fever and the Secret Garden Tour.

Soroptimist Live Your Dream Campaign inspires women and girls to live their dreams and encourages them to pass on their good fortune to others.

The tour will be Sunday, July 12th from 11:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 the day of the tour.  We strongly recommend pre-purchasing tickets.  This popular tour sells out every year!  Tickets can be purchased at The Arts Center, 320 Broadway Avenue in Saratoga Springs.  For more information call Lorrie Anthony at (518) 899-5086. You can also visit www.soroptimistsaratoga.org .

Children and adults of all ages are invited to join the festivities at the Preservation Society of Newport County’s annual Children’s Party at Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The party will feature circus acts, music, magic, clowns, puppets, pony rides, kiddie rides, refreshments and much more on this historic seven acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay.  No reservations required, and tickets are sold at the door only. Adults: Members $10, General Admission $15; Children 6-12 years: Members free, General Admission $5; Children 5 and under free.  For directions, log on to www.newportmansions.org. Rain or shine event.

The Bird House Garden Center presents a free seminar in Children’s Gardens, the final seminar in its Spring Seminar Series.  The seminar offers tips, techniques, and great information for both beginning and experienced gardeners.  The class will begin at 10:00.  The Bird House is located at 34 Massachusetts Avenue (Route 111) in Boxborough, MA.  For more information and directions call 978-263-1628, or log on to www.birdhousegardencenter.com.

Seven private gardens will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Hidden Treasures of the Berkshires tour, including a site in a former quarry, with pine trees and stone deer lining the path to the small lake; the grounds of a Federal house, which is shaded by old-growth trees and lined with perennial beds; and a quiet country garden with a variety of plantings centered around a waterfall and koi pond.

Advance ticket purchase, $30, is recommended, by check and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Lenox Garden Club, Box 552, Lenox, Mass., 01240. Box lunches, reserved by June 30, are $20. Tickets, if available on the day of the tour, will be $35 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1156 Ashley Falls Road in Ashley Falls. Information: (413) 298-3089 and lenoxgardenclub.net.