The Garden Club of the Back Bay

As December progresses, The Garden Club of the Back Bay wreath project wraps up with the final submission of expenses to our intrepid Treasurer, and a final mailing of bills to last minute wreath buyers who didn’t get their payments in with their orders.  We rarely have had any collection problems, but sometimes we do have to send out gentle reminders once or twice – December and January can be hectic, we know.  Once we reconcile the accounts, we’re on to our next projects – this year the Twilight Garden Party, which will raise funds for our 50 for 50 Magnolia planting celebrating our fifty year history with the planting of fifty magnolia trees throughout Back Bay.  We’ll be reporting on this in the coming months, but right now our focus remains tying up all loose ends to finish our 2011 wreath project with a healthy profit.   Every cent of net revenue goes right back into the community, so we like to know how much we have to spend.  Below is a pretty wreath with a burgundy bow that looks ready to go out for New Year’s Eve.

The Edwardian kitchen garden sequestered behind walls is long gone. Enthusiastic gardeners with limited space and sun exposure unabashedly mix food production within the most ornamental of landscapes, even the front yard. Landscape designer and horticulturist Warren Leach will show how the ‘vegetable patch’ can be transformed, structured within raised beds, provide abundant production, and be the focal point of the landscape, in this free (with admission) Tower Hill Botanic Garden session on Saturday, January 28, beginning at 2 pm at Tower Hill. Warren, as many of you know, is the co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth. For more information, visit www.towerhillbg.org.  Photo from www.veggiegardeningtips.com.

No discussion of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreath project would be complete without discussing the clean up.  We need to leave The First Lutheran Church of Boston space neat and tidy, and after four days of decorating with live greens, paint and wire, you can imagine what a task that can be.  All materials which are to be saved are sorted and boxed back into stackable plastic containers destined for our storage facility.  Tables and easels are broken down, leftover greens are bagged for recycling, garbage is collected by a neighborhood maintenance company, and our members sweep and wash.  The painting tent is broken down, and a human “bucket brigade” sends our materials up the kitchen steps and into the backs of members’ cars.  This isn’t the most enjoyable part of the process, although some members find satisfaction seeing everything tidied up, but it is critical.  Sweeping and trash removal do take place constantly throughout the week, but no matter how much is done, Thursday afternoon and evening is arduous.  The next day finds members traveling to the storage facility, to basements, to barns, and to numerous closets, tucking away materials until next season.  The design below was inspired by the edgy sheer black and gold bow, which the decorator enhanced with silver and gold glittery balls, painted white pine, magnolia leaves, pine cones, and lotus pods embellished with more glittery elements – a powerhouse.

A trip to the Mediterranean is planned by the Pacific Horticulture Society and the Northwest Horticultural Society April 14 – 24, led by Sofia Barroso, and escorted by Katherine Greenberg. Join them for a spring tour of Mallorca, where you have invitations to visit spectacular private gardens and art collections.
The tour will take you from the lovely patios of Palma to elegant country estates and charming seaside villages. You will also explore the island of Menorca, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with fascinating archaeological sites and distinctive architecture. Along the way, experience the generous hospitality, regional cuisine, and scenic beauty of the Balearic Islands.

Tour escort Katherine Greenberg is a garden designer with a special interest in Mediterranean gardens. She is a past president of Pacific Horticulture Society and the Mediterranean Garden Society (MGS). Katherine studied at the University of Madrid, and she has led a number of tours to Spain with a focus on gardens, culture, and cuisine. During her term as president of the MGS, she started a branch of the Society in Mallorca.  This tour is planned for a small group. Early reservations are encouraged.  Image of a garden in Palma shown below is from the excellent website www.onbotanicalphotography.blogspot.com. The complete trip itinerary is available online: http://www.sterlingtoursltd.com/Mallorca2012.html.

Wreath week is a highlight of the Garden Club of the Back Bay’s program year, for many of our members.  The companionship, added to the warm and welcoming atmosphere and the ability to create works of art, has brought back former and far-flung members each season.  Members who have moved away plan around their schedules to be able to attend.  One member, now living in Manhattan, comes up to work the front desk.  Another, from Martha’s Vineyard, booked into The College Club for the week in order to decorate.  A member from Cape Cod, unable to be here due to conflicting concert schedules with her singing group, drove up Sunday with materials from her garden.  We’ve already mentioned our Las Vegas member who mails baked goods for the volunteers.  We’ve had, in prior years, friends from Texas and California stay to help. We emphasize that volunteers need not be members of the Club – they just need to be willing workers with a good attitude and a smile.  Below is a picture of a matched pair with gold bows and gold and copper accents made for a member’s Commonwealth Avenue windows.

The Friends of the Public Garden have announced the top reasons to spend New Year’s Eve on the Boston Common:

1. The Boston Common is the nation’s oldest public park! It’s a wonderful, historic place to welcome the New Year.

2. “The Looking Glass”: Don Chapelle will be carving an ice sculpture so large that you will actually be able to walk through it (weather permitting)! This fantastic piece will be on display on the Common from 6 p.m. until 6:45

3. Master ice carver Steve Ross pays tribute to the island of Puerto Rico with his piece that will be on display near the Frog Pond from 6 p.m. until 6:45

4. The TADpole play ground will be home to several First Night Frogs, also in ice! Take a chance to walk around and see each of these incredible sculptures.

5. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. Viva Viva will thrill audiences with a sound that is equal parts infectious-pop and dark-stomping-blues combined with their own blend of hope, disappointment, grit and wit.

6. Next up, Vanzetti will perform with their unique style of jazz, grunge and psychedelia- culminating in a post apocalyptic folk sound.

7. Count down to midnight with Amos Blood! Playing from 10:45 right up until midnight for your enjoyment.

8. Connect with neighbors and friends as you countdown to midnight in this great public space! Boston has a really wonderful community! See it first hand!

9. Enjoy an incredible view of the fireworks that will signify the beginning of a new year!  Photo below from www.bostonist.com.

In addition to wreaths, The Garden Club of the Back Bay sells incredibly full poinsettia plants in three colors, red, white, and pink.  The pink color has varied from year to year, since so many new varieties are introduced to the trade each season, but we’ve tried, for the past few years, to obtain a pastel, rather than a hot, pink hue.  The plants have four major stems and are wrapped in paper for ease of transport.  Once unwrapped at home, buyers are delighted by the size and fullness of the display.  Delivering the plants when the weather is very cold is always a challenge, since these tropicals are quite sensitive to cold.  We were fortunate to experience such mild weather this December, but naturally that isn’t always the case, so we’ve become adept at dashing the plants into heated cars so they will arrive happy and healthy.  Speaking of pink, the lovely wreath below was created by one of our decorators to celebrate the birth of her first grandchild Abigail, who was born on Day Two of wreath week.

Garden Club of the Back Bay representative to The Friends of Copley Square, Bev Christians, has reminded us to remind all our readers of the tree situation at Copley Square.  She and fellow Club member and representative Rita Christensen have been working hard with the Friends group to find a solution to the dead and dying trees.  Bev writes:

A number of Garden Club members who are concerned about the diseased trees in Copley Square have asked about joining the Friends of Copley Square at this time of year when charitable contributions are made.  Please note that the Friends have set up a designated account to receive monies for tree care and replacement.  When you join, mark the check memo “Tree Fund.” Thus far, Garden Club memberships in FOCS have paid for fertilizer and biotic stress treatment to fortify blighted trees.Your memberships truly count, especially right now.  Mail your check for $50 for individual membership or $500 Singleton Society (special events) to Friends of Copley Square,  P.O Box 170124, Boston, MA 02117-0084.  

Visit www.friendsofcopleysquare.org to join or donate on line with PayPal, if you prefer.  Copley Square has, in the past, been a site for First Night ice sculptures, and in the dead of winter, the tree damage goes unnoticed.  When spring arrives, however, the extent of the problem will be readily apparent.  Please give generously.

The Garden Club of the Back Bay wishes to thank the many wreath buyers who, in addition to their orders, made a general donation to the Club.  This money is especially valuable to us because it represents a vote of confidence in all our projects.  We are a not for profit Massachusetts corporation and a 501c(3) corporation registered with the Internal Revenue Service, so contributions are tax deductible.  The price of a wreath, however, is not deductible, since one receives something of value in exchange for payment.  All donors receive a written thank you and acknowledgement of their gifts.  The wreath below, with a gold bow and red apples, symbolizes our buyers’ generosity of spirit.

The Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lecture Series at The Ayer Mansion, 395 Commonwealth Avenue, continues Tuesday, January 17 at 6:30 with a talk by William S. Young, Historic Color Designer and Back Bay Architectural Commission staff person, who will speak on Peculiar Dignity: Arthur Little Interiors in the Back Bay.  Wine and cheese will be served at 6:30, with the program beginning at 7 pm.  Tickets ($25) may be purchased by mail (make checks payable to The Campaign for the Ayer Mansion and mail to The Campaign for the Ayer Mansion, Inc., 395 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215) or on line at www.AyerMansion.org.

Step back in time to a world of colonial mansions, antebellum homes, and peaceful public squares shaded by ancient live oaks. Experience the beauty and charm of America’s only tea garden and taste freshly-brewed American Classic Tea. This Pacific Horticulture Tour escorted by Greg Graves, President of the Pacific Horticulture Society, is timed for peak bloom of magnolias, daffodils, iris, camellias, early azaleas, and roses…and so much more. The Savannah walking tour features the home and garden featured in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  You will have exclusive access to many private gardens not open to the public in both Charleston and Savannah.  For a complete brochure, call Sterling Tours at 800-976-9497, or visit www.sterlingtoursltd.com/Charleston2012.html.  Image below by Gina from www.antique-art-garden.blogspot.com.

The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreath project is one of two fundraising activities we plan each year, the other being our early summer Twilight Garden Party.  The net proceeds from wreath week are used to plant, prune, and care for the street trees of the Back Bay.  Therefore, since we wish to maximize our profits, we encourage walk in orders for wreaths with bows, or just plain wreaths.  Unfortunately, we cannot sell fully decorated wreaths during wreath week – these must be ordered in advance.  Our time at the Church is limited, and the number of fully decorated wreath orders we accept is also limited.  Many who come by are so impressed by our output that they want to buy a decorated wreath on the spot, and are disappointed.  We put names on our mailing list and those who are interested will receive an order form next fall.  If anyone reading this post wishes to be put on the mailing list, simply email info@gardenclubbackbay.org with your name and address.  The wreath below, a fantasy of copper and gold, received much attention from members and customers this year, and probably will be a much requested “look” next season.

The Margaret Ferguson Greenhouses at Wellesley College will host a special art exhibit: a series of life-sized animal silhouettes perched on branches, hiding in foliage, or foraging on the ground throughout the greenhouse habitats.  Carved in low relief and painted a flat white, these “greenhouse ghosts” symbolize an absence in the world’s ecosystems, as each represents a threatened, endangered or extinct animal.  This site-specific installation is the work of local artist Andrea Thompson, in collaboration wit h Wellesley College students who helped identify the animals to be depicted and the plant species that they depend upon.  Contact www.wellesley.edu/WCFH for details (time of reception not available as of the date of this post.)  Her work entitled “Forest Suite” at the Ice Hotel is pictured below.

If you own a digital camera and a computer, but are challenged by the basic activities of transferring, storing, and manipulating images, this Tower Hill Botanic Garden  workshop run by Steve McGrath is for you. Bring your camera and your laptop if you have one, for hands-on help on Saturday, January 21, from 12:30 – 3:30 at Tower Hill, 11 French Drive in Boylston.  Fee is $35 for THBG members, $40 for non-members.  To sign up, visit www.towerhillbg.org, or email thbg@towerhillbg.org.  Image from www.flytrapcare.com.

We’ll take a one day hiatus from our breakdown of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s holiday wreath project to wish you all a Merry Christmas.  The cheerful wreath below was delivered to a customer who asked for a bright red bow, lotus pods, and cardinals.  She received exactly what she asked for.

The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreath week isn’t all about decorating and delivering – we also eat well.  Early on we decided never to lose the services of a loyal volunteer because he or she needed to have lunch.  We begin each morning with coffee and tea, and a variety of muffins, scones, and coffee cakes.  Clementines and cider are available as well.  Lunch is catered in each day from a different provider, so no one is bored, and there are always vegetarian options.  Seltzers, sodas, chips (need that salt!) and snacks are plentiful.  Afternoon brings tea and cookies.  One loyal member who winters in Nevada sends homemade biscotti in a variety of flavors.  This year we even had some leftover Halloween candy bars.  No one admitted to wanting them, but they were all gone by the end of the week.  We also bring in paper goods, band aids, tissues, and Crisco for cleaning hands (rub hands stained with pine tar and sap well with the Crisco, wash with soap, and you’re good to go.)  As evening progresses, we dive back into the sandwiches or pizza, to keep up our energy levels, since our days are long.  Below is a wreath with an artichoke accent, one we dried rather than ate.

We’ve told you how we make our bows, but some Garden Club of the Back Bay wreaths are send out, by special request, without ribbon.  A few customers keep their wreaths up well into late winter and don’t want an especially holiday look to the decoration.  Some just prefer our designs without the added splash of color.  As we’ve said before, we aim to please.  There is a bit more work involved with wreaths without bows, since more of the surface of the wreath must be covered.  While an average fully decorated standard wreath might take between an hour to two hours to make, one without ribbon easily stretches the process an extra half hour.

Soil has been called “the bridge between life and the inanimate world.” Join Janet McDonough, Senior Instructor of Biological Science Laboratory at Wellesley College, to gain a new appreciation for this backbone of our landscape. From its origins in the glacial era, explore the characteristics of soils in New England and how that character is represented by the plants in our landscape. How is soil made? What are the components of a good soil, and what easy methods can gardeners use to tell what amendments are needed? From geology to biology, Janet will give us all the dirt on soil. This Monday, January 23 presentation is offered by the Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture in collaboration with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Boston Junior League Garden Club, and the New England Wild Flower Society. Register on line at www.wellesley.edu/WCFH, or call 781-283-3094. Members $10, non-members $15.

We make beautiful bows for the Garden Club of the Back Bay holiday wreaths.  We don’t skimp on the quality of ribbon, either.  All our ribbon is, at a minimum, 2 1/2 inches wide, sometimes wider, and is wired on the edges.  The cost of each roll varies, and we do try to buy on sale, often at the end of the season, but in order to keep our customers happy and our decorators intrigued, we purchase a variety of colors and patterns.  Sometimes, on the roll, our members wonder what we were thinking when we bought the ribbon.  Black and gold?  Buffalo checks?  Purple?  Polka dots?  Yet, once made up, these ribbons sparkle with life.  To see them being made, visit :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Od4RWBu6sw.     Below is a close up of one of this year’s new patterns, a sparkly red brocade over a bronze/green background.  Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee any specific design from year to year, since often the manufacturers don’t keep the same stock in production.  We do promise that all the bows will be beautiful.