The Garden Club of the Back Bay

The Massachusetts Master Gardener Association is comprised of amateur and professional horticulturalists with a mission to promote horticultural knowledge to the public through volunteerism. MMGA Master Gardeners become trained and certified through an intensive training program held at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. The course consists of thirteen classroom and lab modules, including soil science, botany, entomology, plant pathology, pruning and propagation. Courses are conducted by both academic and industry professionals.

12 Thursdays • September 10— December 10 • 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
(No class on November 26)

Application deadline: Friday, August 1.

If you would like to pursue acceptance into the fall 2009 Massachusetts Master Gardener Association Master Gardener Training class, please download your application and enclose it, along with a nonrefundable registration fee of $25. The tuition fee of $500 is due within two weeks of acceptance into the program.

Apply today. The class fills quickly!

Location: MHS Horticulture Center
Contact: Michael Opton, 617-933-4963; mopton@masshort.org

Looking to pick your own blueberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, pumpkins, vegetables, etc.?  Log on to www.pickyourown.org and search for a farm near you.  There are Christmas tree farms, corn mazes, picking tips, easy canning directions, canning supply locators, equipment guides, and recipes.  Make strawberry jam, blueberry pie, ice cream – the site is updated daily.  Readers post comments.  Links give directions, and information on whether the farm is organic, whether credit cards are accepted, and hints for dressing for the occasion.  Some farms offer eggs and chickens as well.  You can search by product or location.  Enjoy the harvest experience and meet your farming neighbors.  The website provides a page for every state in the US and six other country pages, plus lists of fall festivals, Halloween festivals, and special events.

Visit the gardens of Heritage Museums & Gardens in the morning and experience one of the most enjoyable times of the day. The Horticulture staff invites members and friends to an informal gardening lecture. Bring questions and take part in the discussion. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be canceled. Meet at Ticket Office.
FREE with Museum Admission.  For more information, log on to www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org.

The Trustees of the Southwest Harbor Public Library invite you to attend a Garden and House Tour “A Festival of Flowers on Mount Desert Island, Maine” Sunday, July 26, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., rain or shine.  For 20 years the library has been bringing the special pleasure of visiting local private gardens to the public, this year featuring six lovely gardens strung along the shore from Southwest Harbor to Manset, to Bass Harbor and up to West Tremont. . Tickets are $25 on day of tour, $20 in advance.  Make check payable to Southwest Harbor Public Library and mail to PO Box 157, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679.  Call the Library at 207-244-7065 for more information and directions, or log on  to www.swharbor.lib.me.us.

The Gustin Gallery, 231 Horseneck Road, Dartmouth, Massachusetts opens at 11 am on August 8 in conjunction with the opening of the sculpture exhibit at the Slocum’s River Reserve.  ”The River Project: Sculpture at Slocum’s River Reserve” will feature six large-scale site-specific sculptures by six regional sculptors through March 13, 2010.  “The Slocum’s River Project: Thoughts and Processes” at the Gustin Gallery will feature drawings, sketchbooks and models by the six artists through November 8, 2009. Formerly known as Island View Farm, Slocum’s River Reserve includes mature woodlands, agricultural fields, and pastures that slope down to the western bank of the Slocum’s River. Two miles of trails cross the Reservation and connect to trail easements over an adjoining sixty acres of private land.

The Reservation protects more than 3,000 feet of frontage along the Slocum’s River. Adjoining private farmland and pastures produce corn, alfalfa, and horticultural nursery stock and are used to graze livestock. The Trustees of Reservations and Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust (DNRT) jointly own and manage the property.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Dartmouth Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency
Telephone: 508-679-2115 x11
E-mail: bioreserve@ttor.org

A successful garden or landscape captures and reflects a certain “spirit of place.” Join Claire Sawyer, director of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, as she explores what makes a garden “authentic.” In her book, The Authentic Garden, Sawyers identifies core principles that help make a garden true to a specific time, place, and culture.  In this illustrated talk she will show how sensitivity to these principles can lead to unique American gardens – gardens that are deeply rooted in their surroundings, reflecting both the owner’s personality and the regional sense of place.  Book signing after lecture.  $10 admission ($5 for members of the Polly Hill Arboretum).  The talk will take place at the Polly Hill Arboretum, State Road, West Tisbury, Massachusetts, and is sponsored by Jardin Mahoney.  For directions and more information, contact Karin Stanley at 508-693-9426, or email her at karin@pollyhillarboretum.org.

Discover the peace and tranquility these stunning gardens in Tyringham, Massachusetts, which combine several natural features – including a rushing stream, a rounded knoll, and rising flank meadows – into an ordered arrangement of both formal and informal beauty.

Fees: FREE.
Telephone: 413-298-3239
E-mail: westregion@ttor.org

Ashintully (Gaelic meaning “on the brow of the hill”) was the name given to the original 1,000-acre estate assembled in the early 20th century by Egyptologist and two-time state representative, Robb de Peyster Tytus from three farms in Tyringham and additional land in Otis.

On a hill overlooking the southern end of Tyringham Valley, Tytus built between 1910-1912 a white, Georgian-style mansion which came to be known as the Marble Palace. Its main façade featured four Doric columns and was spanned by thirteen window bays; its interior comprised thirty-five rooms, ten baths, and fifteen fireplaces (the Marble Palace was destroyed by fire on April 20, 1952; only the front terrace, foundation, and four Doric columns remain today). In 1913, Tytus died at Saranac Lake, New York, leaving his wife, Grace, and two daughters, Mildred and Victoria. One year later, Mrs. Tytus married John S. McLennan, a Canadian senator, newspaper owner, and historian. She gave birth in 1915 to one child, John Jr., before subsequently being divorced.

In 1937, John McLennan (Jr.) acquired the estate, where he had spent all his childhood summers. He later moved into the farmhouse at the bottom of the hill, where he lived the rest of his life, renovating the nearby barn into a music studio. John McLennan became an accomplished composer of contemporary music, including chamber and orchestral music and pieces for piano and organ, and, in 1985, won an American Academy of Arts and Letters music award. John McLennan created, over the course of thirty years, Ashintully Gardens.

The gardens blend several natural features – a rushing stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll, and rising flanking meadows – into an ordered arrangement with both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge, and Trellis Triptych. Urns, columns, and statuary ornament the garden, while foot bridges, foot paths, stone stairs, and grassy terraces connect various parts of the garden. In 1997, Ashintully Gardens received the H. Hollis Hunnewell Medal, established in 1870 by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society to recognize gardens of country residences embellished with rare and desirable ornamental trees and shrubs.

The beautiful courtyard garden of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum at Fenway Court will inspire you to decorate your own flower pot.  Plant seeds in peat pots to grow at home, create a musical wind chime to enhance your outdoor space, and listen to the toe-tapping music of the Berklee Bluegrass Band.  Free admission for everyone on Thursday, July 23, from 5 – 8 pm.  For additional information, log on to www.gardnermuseum.org.

Enjoy a 2 ½ hour oversand vehicle exploration across Chappaquiddick’s barrier beach, sponsored by the Trustees of Reservations. Your guided tour includes an exploration of the rare maritime forests that inhabit the farthest reaches of the island. You’ll also stop at the Cape Poge Lighthouse to learn its history, climb the spiral staircase, and witness breathtaking views of Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod and Nantucket.  Relax and enjoy the birding, beachcombing, and photographic moments this journey has to offer, as you discover the fascinating natural history of Cape Cod.  For more information, log on to www.thetrustees.org.

Program duration: 2.5 hours
Frequency: Daily
Times: 9AM and 2PM
Members: Adult $30; Child (15 and under) $15.
Nonmembers: Adult $40; Child (15 and under) $18.
Please call 508.627.3599

The 35th Annual Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference will take place Friday through Sunday, August 7-9, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus. Choose from150 workshops on organic farming, gardening, land care, sustainability and homesteading.   Teen and children’s programs will also be available. A sampling of workshop titles include Organic Lawn & Turf Course, Community Farm Workshop Track, and Mass. Grass Grazing School.  The Keynote speakers are Paul Stamets, mushroom expert and author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, and Will Allen, founder and CEO of Growing Power, an organization that brings knowledge about sustainable food systems to urban areas.  Entertainment will include dancing, a country fair, a barter event, and a farmer’s market.  Dorm rooms may be reserved, camping spots will be available, and wholesome organic meals will be served. To register visit www.nofasummerconference.org. For more information contact the NOFA Summer Conference office at (978) 355-2853 or nofa@nofamass.org.

Visit Tower Hill Botanic Garden and view the New England Daylily Society’s judged exhibition.  Log on to www.towerhillbg.org for directions, or visit www.nedaylily.org for more information.  The schedule is as follows:

11:00 – 11:40 “Got Sun? Go Daylilies!” presented by Sandra Schaider. See their beauty and endless variety, learn about their easy care and propagation, the fun of cross pollinating and growing from seed… all in a series of extraordinary photographs.
11:45 – 12:20 “Local Treasures” presented by Mike Huben, hybridizer
12:25 – 12:50 “Propagation by Division” shown by Denise Pavlovich
12:55 Raffle drawing for free plants and membership to the daylily society
1:00 – 5:00 “Judged Exhibition” features New England’s prize daylilies.

You are invited to The FARM Institute’s annual auction and celebration Meals in the Meadow on Saturday, July 18^th held under the stars in the pastoral setting of Katama Farm in Edgartown, MA.

This year The FARM is pulling out all the stops to celebrate nine years of reconnecting children and adults to the land, animals and each other. Indulge in priceless auction items, eat locally grown food prepared by some of the Island’s best chefs and dance your boots off with The Cattle Drivers and other local musicians.

Island auctioneer celebrity and auctioneer Trippy Barnes will be taking the reins of the live and silent auction.

Throughout the evening there will be plenty of food to sustain your soul. From sushi to oysters to chocolate desserts to smoked tomato martinis and everything in between your appetite will be more then satisfied.

This year’s event will feature a full buffet dinner prepared by Buckley Gourmet Catering. Appetizers will be served where patrons can sample a variety of delicious items from some of the Island’s most renowned chefs. As always, the menu will work to offer enticing, locally grown foods, which showcase the Island. Contact Rob at 508-627-7007 for exact time and directions, or email him at rob@farminstitute.org. Learn more about the Farm Institute at www.farminstitute.org.

The FARM Institute (TFI) is a teaching farm that educates and engages children and adults in sustainable agriculture through the diverse operations of a working farm. TFI provides year-round educational programs offering learning experiences in:

• The culture and history of Martha’s Vineyard farming;
• Farming (Field crops, produce, fruit, hay);
• Land preservation;
• Nutritional awareness;
• Humane livestock management (cattle, poultry, swine, sheep, goats);
• Entrepreneurial thinking and application

Entitled “Great Gatsby on Long Island”, the 2009 American Conifer Society will present its 2009 Annual National Meeting in Hauppauge, New York, August 6 – 8.  The Northeastern Region is excited to host this year’s ACS National Meeting on Long Island. The emphasis will be the Great Gatsby themed estates of Long Island. Each of these estates were created with lavish gardens and magnificent landscapes. The estates contain their own pinetum which feature mature conifer specimens as well as dwarf conifer gardens. Participants will also visit  perhaps the finest public garden in the United States: the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, New York. The NYBG features the Benenson Collection of Dwarf and Unusual Conifers plus a number of the conifer discoveries of the late Dr. Sid Waxman. Fred Soviaro, Director of the Hofstra University Arboretum, will speak on “The Gardens and Conifers of Hofstra.” Vinny Simeone, Director of  The Planting Fields, will present “A Look at the Coe Family and Their Estate.” There will also be a session on “Conifer Gardens of Great Britain and the Netherlands.” Other tours will be of Old Westbury Gardens, 88 acres of formal gardens, tree-lined walks, grand allees, ponds, statuary, and architectural follies, Hofstra University, and the newly renovated Dwarf Conifer Garden at the Planting Fields.  Silent and live plant auctions will be held at the banquet dinner Friday nightt.  On Saturday, two tours, New York Botanical Gardens and Bayard Cutting Arboretum, will conclude with a Caribbean cookout.  The meeting site and accomodations will be the Hyatt Regency Long Island, 1717 Motor Parkway, Hauppauge, New York.  For more information and to register, log on to www.conifersociety.org.

New York Botanical Gardens The ACS meeting will feature:

• Premier garden tours
• Educational Talks featuring the ACS Scholarship 2008 winner
• Outstanding silent and verbal conifer auctions
• Excellent accommodations
• Plenty of conifer information and conifer comradery
• PLUS attendance by members of the British and Dutch Conifer Societies
• Exclusive Post tour (details soon)

Ellen Hoverkamp was a pioneer in using the flatbed scanner as a tool to create fine art.  Her technique involves making intricate arrangements from plants, vegetables and natural objects.  The light from the scanner reflects the subject making the arrangement appear to glow against a dark background.  Inspiration for her work comes from the Victorian botanical illustration, particularly “Language of Flowers” bouquets, and Dutch still life painting.  Hovercamp gratefully utilizes cuttings offered from local gardeners and farmers in her scanned compositions. This collaboration with the gardening community began in 1997 and continues today, as she works to preserve souvenirs of the garden.  She views her pictures, often named for the gardeners, as portraits of flowers and also portraits of those who grew them.  “Friends, family, neighbors, and even people I hardly know invite me to cut and use their flowers and vegetables for my work.”  See more of Ellen Hoverkamp’s work at www.myneighborsgarden.com.  The Exhibit will run from July 28 – September 16, 2009 at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, Massachusetts. The reception will feature a cash bar and light refreshments.  Free and open to the public.    For more information, call 508-869-6111 or log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

Delight in a festive evening amongst the gardens of Naumkeag – a National Historic Landmark and one of the most beautiful views in New England! Stroll through the world-famous gardens sparkling with fireflies. Feast on hors d’oeuvres and sip on cocktails while watching the sun set behind the Berkshire Hills. Bid on the best of the Berkshires at the silent and live auctions. All proceeds support restoration of Naumkeag’s historic kitchen.

Naumkeag was the summer “cottage” of the Choate family who began summering in Berkshire County in the 1870s. Designed by McKim, Mead & White in 1885, this forty-four-room, shingle-style house is filled with original furniture, ceramics, and artwork collected from America, Europe, and the Far East. Joseph Hodges Choate (1832-1917) was a prominent New York attorney. Between 1899 and 1905, he served in England as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James.

Naumkeag is famous for its eight acres of terraced gardens and landscaped grounds surrounded by forty acres of woodland, meadow, and pasture that stretch to the Housatonic River Valley. The gardens and landscaped grounds, first designed in the late 1880s by Nathan Barrett, were transformed and expanded between 1926 and 1956 by Fletcher Steele and Mabel Choate. Separate garden “rooms” include the Afternoon Garden, Tree Peony Terrace, Rose Garden, Evergreen Garden, Chinese Garden, Arborvitae Walk, and Linden Walk. Perhaps the most famous feature of the landscape is Steele’s Blue Steps, a series of deep blue fountain pools flanked by four flights of stairs climbing up a gentle hillside and overhung by birch trees.

Fees: $100 per ticket for members, $140 non-members (includes one year individual membership); $250 for a non-member couple (includes one year family membership)
Notes: Call for event details and reservation information. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Telephone: 413-298-3239 x3000
E-mail: westregion@ttor.org

Take part in a special oportunity to learn about the landscape and gardens at Hamilton House, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick,  Maine, one of the properties administered by Historic New England, with Regional Landscape Manager Gary Wentzel.

After railroads made the region accessible in the late 19th century, coastal Maine became a fashionable destination for wealthy summer people. Many of the newcomers bought and restored the fine old houses built during the prosperous years following the American Revolution.

In 1898, Mrs. Emily Tyson and her stepdaughter, Elise, purchased the c. 1785 Hamilton House, built on a magnificent site overlooking the Salmon Falls River. The Tysons flung themselves into a lifelong project to restore the house to its former glory. Influenced by literary imagery, including the writings of their neighbor and friend, Sarah Orne Jewett, they decorated with a mixture of elegant antiques, painted murals, and simple country furnishings to create their own romantic interpretation of America’s colonial past.

$6 for Members of Historic New England, $12 for non-Members.  For more information and directions, log on to www.historicnewengland.org.

Field trips are a long standing tradition of the Connecticut Botanical Society.  They provide an opportunity to learn about plants and habitats from some the area’s most knowledgeable botanists, and an opportunity to share your own knowledge with others.  The trips also add to the bank of knowledge of New England flora.  On each field trip. a list is made of all plant species identified, and this list becomes part of the Society’s records.  The Connecticut Botanical Society encourages the gardening public to participate in the botanizing of Hartman Recreational Park in Lyme, Connecticut, led by Carol Lemmon, President of CBS.  This 300-acre park with 10 miles of trails meanders through swamps, marshes, around a beaver pond, under power line cuts, and unusual rock formations.  There are archeological sites dating from the American Revolution.  For field trips, wear sturdy footwear and bring a lunch.  Sunscreen and insect repellant are also recommended.  For plant identification, you may wish to bring a field guide(s), a hand lens, and a small notebook.  Familiarity with plant taxonomy is helpful, but not required.  No pre-registration is required.  Free to CBS members.  Non-members must pay a $15 fee, which includes a one-year membership in CBS, and entitles you to join future trips this season at no additional cost.  For more information and directions, call 203-484-0134, or log on to www.ct-botanical-society.org.

Long Hill is one of The Trustees of Reservations most beautiful North Shore properties. Join this annual tradition of making your own living container; perfect for a variety of diminutive plants that can endure our winters. Members of The Trustees, $28, non-members $35.  Please pre-register by calling 978-921-1944, x4018, or email needucation@ttor.org.

How to Get There:
From Route 128, exit 18, take Route 22 (Essex Street) north 1.3 mi. Bear left at fork in road and continue for 0.2 mi to brick gate posts and entrance drive on left. Parking area (50 cars) located about 100 yards up the driveway on the left. Overflow parking in field.

The SoWa Open Market offers a shopping experience like no other in Boston. With an ever-changing group of artisans, a hip location and the chance to feel the sun on your face while you browse, it’s a trip worth making. The market offers the opportunity to meet the artists, vendors and farmers behind the work, and is fast becoming part of the South End’s well-known artist’s community. Every week offers shoppers something different and unique – you won’t want to miss it!

The market hosts a wide variety of vendors, whether you’re looking for hand-crafted accessories, original art, indie designer clothing or just a fresh loaf of bread, you’ll find painters, sculptors, photographers, clothing and jewelry designers, milliners, handbag designers, house wares, florists, bakers, local farmer’s produce and much more every week!  Free Admission and Parking. For directions and more information, log on to www.sowaopenmarket.com.