The Garden Club of the Back Bay

Seduced by begonias? Join the crowd. And who can blame you? Not only are begonias outrageously glam, but they are a cinch as houseplants – if you know the ropes. Join Tovah Martin, curator of the begonia collection at Logee’s Greenhouses for 25 years and lifelong begonia addict, at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, February 11 from 10 – 12 for a begonia workshop. She’ll spill the goods on which begonias make the best houseplants as well as revealing which begonias to avoid. She’ll recommend begonias that make a smooth transition from indoors to outside. In fact, she’ll introduce you to the entire begonia family with scenic detours to show you her favorite real live plants. Care, maintenance, watering, pruning, repotting, and propagating will be demonstrated with plenty of hands-on interaction. Best of all: Bring home several begonia cuttings in a mini-greenhouse to grow on! Bring hand pruners and a cardboard box to transport plants home. BBG member price $37, non-members $45, and you may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

Tovah Martin is a horticulturist, writer and garden personality living in Northwest CT. She writes for many horticultural publications and her latest book is The New Terrarium, published in 2009.  Photo below of begonia ‘Chocolate Cream’ from Logee’s Greenhouses 1999.

Give your sweetheart a special gift – learn basic glass blowing theory to produce brilliantly colorful glass flowers and hearts.  No experience necessary to take this Boston Center for Adult Education class on Sunday, February 12 from 2 – 6, taught by the instructors at the Diablo Glass School.  The $145 session will take place at Diablo Glass and Metal, 123 Terrace Street in Roxbury.  To sign up, visit www.bcae.org.  The antique glass flower bouquet pictured below was a gift to Elizabeth C. Ware and her daughter Mary Lee Ware from Leopold Blaschka in 1889.  Photograph by Hillel Burger, copyright President and Fellows of Harvard College.

For complete information, visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

Plant a lovely winter garden for your table or window to enjoy indoors while winter still holds sway outside. European container gardens combine potted plants with fresh cut flowers in a decorative container. With proper care, the plants will last for many months and the fresh flowers can be replaced when desired. This Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop, led by Betsy Williams on Saturday, February 18 from 10 – noon, costs $65 (THBG members) or $70 (nonmembers.) All materials included.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

With the abundance of local and raw milk, homeowners can now expand their domestic arts into the realm of cheese making. This Berkshire Botanical Garden program on Saturday, February 4, from 1 – 3 will introduce the craft of basic fresh cheese making, both concepts and process. Participants will watch and help local homesteader/farmer Dominic Palumbo, from Moon in the Pond Farm, make a simple “Farm Cheese.” The program will conclude with a tasting and tips for how to turn your wonderful cheese into the perfect treat for family or guests including how and what to serve it with. This program will be held off site.

Dominic Palumbo owns Moon in the Pond Farm, a NOFA (Northeast Organic Farmers Association) certified organic farm in Sheffield, MA. He produces organic eggs, milk, meat, wool, yarn and honey. Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org ($30 BBG members, $35 non-members) and directions will be sent.

Mary Ellen Warchol and Denise Lemay of Stockbridge Farms present a luncheon and cooking class in on, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, January 29, from 2 – 3:30. Prepare and try a sumptuous four-course floral-based meal with renowned instructors Mary Ellen Warchol and Denise Lemay.  Flower cookery has been traced back to Roman times, and to the Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian cultures. Today, many restaurant chefs and home cooks use flowers in their dishes. Explore this unique culinary addition to foods. The menu will include unusual items, such as lily soup! Take home the recipes, new tricks, and enjoy a meal.  THBG members $30, nonmembers $35.  Register online at www.towerhillbg.org.  Photo from www.healthygreenkitchen.com.

This Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop, led by Christie Higginbottom on Sunday, February 5 from 1 – 4, will teach home gardeners how and when to start their favorite garden crops indoors. Topics covered include selecting and preparing supplies, seed sowing techniques, caring for developing seedlings, re-potting, and transplanting plants to the garden. Workshop participants will take home planted seed flats and handouts that include plans for a two-tiered plant table that can easily be constructed at home.  Then they can settle down to watch the Super Bowl that evening.  THBG member fee is $35, nonmembers $40.  For more information, and to register, visit www.towerhillbg.org.

You’ll already be out in the Berkshires to hear Robert Herman, so stay around on Saturday, January 21 from 1 – 3 to hear the interesting lecture In The Kitchen Garden. We all know that home-grown food tastes the best. Foodie farmers Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam will discuss how to select the best tasting varieties for your kitchen garden. Do heirloom vegetables taste better than hybrids? What are the best sources for seeds and supplies? And how will I ever narrow down the list of things I want to plant? Learn simple preservation techniques and strategies for eating from the garden all year long.

Tim Wilcox and Caroline Pam run The Kitchen Garden Farm (CSA) in Sunderland, MA. They both have culinary experiences in France and Italy that informs and inspires what they grow. They have both worked at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City and are foodies, italophiles, and farm geeks. Register on-line ($22 BBG members, $27 non-members) at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Photo by Paul Frantz.

While most of us are familiar with the English borders and cottage gardens, designing and planting by habitat is a continental European ecological approach to combining perennials. Consider the gardens of European designer Piet Oudolf and learn about this cutting-edge design concept that has widely influenced European gardens for many years, in this Berkshire Botanical Garden class to be held Saturday, January 21, from 10 – noon. Robust, low-maintenance plants are selected and grouped according to their ideal growing situation. Robert Herman, an American who managed one of the top European perennial plant nurseries, will explain the habitat concept and design strategy and feature gardens from some of the foremost European designers.

Robert Herman has over 30 years of experience as a professional horticulturist, almost 7 of which were spent in Europe as “Meister” for the Countess von Zeppelin Nursery in Germany. At the Missouri Botanical Garden he served in the horticulture and education departments and lead White Flower Farm in Litchfield, Connecticut as Director of Horticulture. He frequently lectures at plant conferences and botanical gardens in North America and Europe. His articles have appeared in American Nurseryman, Fine Gardening, the German magazine Garden and Landscape, and the Hardy Plant Society Journal in England. BBG member price $22, non-members $27, and you may register on-line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Below is an image of the “Lady’s Mantle path” into the German nursery that Robert Herman managed for seven years.

Join Boston Park Advocates for the third Capacity Building Workshop in the 2011-12 series! On January 17th Derek Lumpkins from Discover Roxbury & Lauren Patrick from the Boston Parks Department will lead a workshop on How to build your Social Media Fan Base (facebook & twitter). Find out how to build your fan base, how to keep them engaged, and how often you should be communicating with them! Socializing and pizza at 5:30; workshop starts promptly at 6:00pm. RSVP: Ivett@bostonparks.org or 617-442-4141. The event will take place at BNAN offices, 62 Summer Street, 2nd Floor, in downtown Boston.

Join landscape architect David Dew Bruner at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, January 14, from 10 – 1, for a look at the front yard. Consider the history of the front yard and apply some basic principles to enhancing the use of this often ignored space. Learn how to reclaim the front yard as a viable/functional space to be used by the family. Issues covered will include front entrances, gardens, privacy, and what to do with that garage door!  Participants should bring a photograph of their front yards. Several will be selected to illustrate common design challenges and simple solutions.

David Dew Bruner is an award winning landscape architect and fine artist with over 35 years of experience ranging from Deputy Administrator of Riverside Park, NYC, to amusement park design, historical restoration and all scales of residential design. Originally from New Orleans, he has a BLA and a BFA from LSU as well as a MLA form the University of Massachusetts.  BBG member price $37, non-member price $45, and you may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

The Boston Parks Department and Art Commission are presenting free winter photography workshops December-February. The next event will take place Sunday, January 8, from 10 – 12 at Christopher Columbus Park.

Participants in the scavenger hunt will be asked to search for unique features in specific Boston Parks based on clues. The clues for the scavenger hunt will be emailed and posted on www.facebook.com/bostonparksdepartment and www.twitter.com/bostonparksdept. For those who take the best photos of these specific one-of-a-kind landmarks, there’s an opportunity to win cool prizes!!  Register via email: lauren.patrick@cityofboston.gov.

There are some things that are just better in winter.  Oysters, slowly simmered stews, and perhaps the most overlooked – citrus!  Ever wonder what exactly a Meyer lemon tastes like, or what to do with the crates of clementines that pop up during the holiday season?  In this Stir class, to be held Monday, January 23 at 102 Waltham Street in Boston, beginning at 7 pm, you’ll cover everything from blood oranges to kaffir limes and how to incorporate citrus into a range of sweet and savory dishes – and cocktails.  $145, and early sign up is a must.  Call 617-423-7847 to reserve your spot.  Classes are non-refundable and due to limited seating, exchanges for future classes are not possible.  If a guest is unable to attend a reserved class for any reason, the individual will still receive a copy of that class’s cookbook, if applicable.  Picture below from www.thekitchn.com.

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.

If you are familiar with the basic watercolor skills, and would like to learn some new techniques, this Tower Hill Botanic Garden workshop on Thursday, January 19 from 6:30 – 9  will show you how to paint using the unique properties of water to achieve an abstract landscape. With instructor Susan Dinion, you will explore wet into wet technique, color interactions, and water saturation effects, and look at how the painting changes as it dries. Students should come with a basic set of watercolor paints (any set will work, but better quality paints will give you better results), brushes, and several sheets of 150# to 300# watercolor paper. You will do multiple, small (5×7) landscapes, and time permitting, a larger landscape. You may register online at www.towerhillbg.org.  THBG member price is $30, nonmember $35.  Painting below by Pat Roberts, mother and student of Susan Dinion.

Explore the creative pleasures of artistic self expression together! These sessions with art instructor and educator Nan Rumpf are designed for parents and children in grade 5 and up. This Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture class will experiment with drawing, nature printing, watercolor painting, scratchboard work, and collage. Sessions at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden will encourage experimentation and exploration. No previous experience is necessary. All materials will be provided. Fee for the five session series (Saturdays, January 14 – February 11 from 1 – 3) is $150 for WCFH members, $185 for non-members. Fee covers registration for one child and one adult partner. Additional family members may attend for $70 per person. To register, visit www.wellesley.edu/WCFH.  Painting below by Nan Rumpf.

Winter citrus will take center stage as Bonnie Shershow, a Cambridge resident who makes some of Formaggio Kitchen’s favorite jams, teaches us the ins and outs of classic marmalades. Bonnie will demonstrate how to make marmalade, and discuss the different types of citrus you can use to make your own at home. We will wrap up by tasting a couple of cheeses that pair well with marmalade, and each guest will get their own jar of fresh citrus jam to take home.  This class, sponsored by Formaggio Kitchen, will be held at the classroom annex located at 67 Smith Place in Cambridge.  The class fee is $45 per person, and  you may register on line at www.formaggiokitchen.com.

Renowned horticultural business consultant Frank Crandall will host the 8th two-day intensive GEM (Growth, Effectiveness, Management) Horticultural Business Seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, from 8am to 5pm at the Kettle Pond Visitor’s Center at 50 Bend Road in Charlestown, RI (snow date Friday, Jan. 20).

Crandall, a Rhode Island Certified Horticulturist, Arborist and NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional, will share methods and techniques he mastered during 38 years of experience running an award-winning landscape firm with $3 million in sales and 30 employees at its peak. Over two days, the seminar will cover the following topics: Estimating, Job Costing, Overhead Calculation, Company Finances (budgets, cash flow, and financial statements), Sales Techniques, Employees (attracting, hiring, retaining, firing, and evaluating), Management Tips, Marketing, Importance of a Handbook, Business Insurance, Contracts and Legal Agreements, Getting Small Business Loans and Accounting Mistakes to Avoid.

The text for the seminar is Crandall’s newly published book, The Essential Horticultural Business Handbook, which each participant will receive. Daily lunches are also included. The seminar is approved for NOFA Organic Land Care Program re-accreditation credits for accredited professionals. The cost is $395 per person; $375 early bird registration (by Jan. 3, 2012); $375 each for two or more employees from the same company. Checks should be made payable to Frank Crandall, GEM and mailed to: PO Box 451, Wakefield, RI 02880.

For more information or to register, contact Frank Crandall at FrankCrandall3@gmail.com or (401) 742-7619.

Zentangle is an easy-to-learn method of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is a fascinating new art form that is fun and relaxing. This three-hour Tower Hill Botanic Garden session includes your own mini-kit of supplies and introduces eight different nature-inspired patterns that will be used to produce two pieces of original art. The instructor, Karen Kathryn Keefe, is a Certified Zentangle Trainer, and the class will be held Sunday, January 15 from 1 – 4 at 11 French Drive in Boylston. THBG member price $35, nonmembers $40. To register, visit www.towerhillbg.org, or email thbg@towerhillbg.org.

Create a unique piece of jewelry or a holiday ornament using pods, seeds, dried leaves and other natural materials, at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Sunday, December 11, from 1 – 3, with instructor Julie Lapham of Julie Lapham Designs. Leave in its natural state or cover with gold or silver paint for a touch of sparkle. All materials included. Bring clippers, tweezers and an apron.  THBG members $30, nonmembers $35.  Register at www.towerhillbg.org.