The Garden Club of the Back Bay

The 2012 New England Rose Society Convention will take place Friday, March 23 through Sunday, March 25 at the Best Western Mainstay Inn in Newport, Rhode Island.  This year’s convention will be hosted by the Rhode Island Rose Society.  Enjoy workshops, a rose show, educational programs, and receptions.  For complete information, visit www.arsyankee.org.  Ruby Celebration rose from Apuldram Roses (www.apuldramroses.co.uk)

Join the Philadelphia Horticultural Society at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 12th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia, for the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show.  This year, the theme is Hawaii: Islands of Aloha.  Complete information and ticket purchase capabilities may be found at www.theflowershow.com. The 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show will introduce visitors to a tropical experience that blends next-stage digital technology with the natural beauty and rich culture of the Hawaiian Islands. Guests will have fun, learn, and be wowed by real-time floral competitions, the world’s largest lettuce wall, internationally renowned speakers, and a new layout of displays.

Guests will enter the Show beneath dynamic projections of crashing waves and one of the most exciting displays of white orchids ever assembled. Towering palms, bamboo, green walls, and a plant canopy will immerse visitors in the Hawaiian rainforest.

A 25-foot-high waterfall will splash down into Pele’s Garden, an island of exotic flowers and plants where performers will conjure volcanic flames and the Fire Goddess. The islands will be celebrated in showcase gardens that highlight their culture through flowers and landscapes, performances and art.

Gardeners of all skill levels will find an ocean of ideas in the 150 free presentations held throughout the week, as well as dozens of educational displays that explore the latest gardening techniques and trends.

Shoppers will find an array of take-home products to get the garden started and wonderful gifts in the Marketplace, Meadowbrook Farm Store and Flower Show Shoppe. A Hawaiian Village will offer authentic crafts and products from the islands.

The quantity and diversity of trees and shrubs in our area provide shelter and food to a wide assortment of birds throughout the year. Three fantastic bird photographers have combed their portfolios for images that capture both floral and avian organisms in tandem. By giving a measure of parity to the plants, these images invite the viewer to consider the vital interactions between all living things. The Arnold Arboretum hosts the show Aviflora: Plants and Birds That Love Them from January 14 – March 11, 2012, in the Hunnewell Lecture Hall at the Arboretum, with an artists reception on Saturday, February 18 from 1 – 3. For more information visit www.arboretum.harvard.edu, or call 617-384-5209.

For complete information, visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994, Brazil) is recognized as one of the most influential – if not the most influential – landscape architects of the 20th century. “Tablecloth/Toalha”, an exhibition at Rooster Gallery, 190 Orchard Street on New York’s Lower East Side, will be comprised of several late works, mainly executed during his stay in Constância at José Ramoa’s, an art dealer and collector with whom Burle Marx developed an intense friendship. The exhibition will be on display January 6 – March 4, with an opening reception January 26 from 6 – 8, so if you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple this winter, don’t miss this show.

The exhibition is titled after a 141”x59” painted tablecloth specifically designed to fit Ramoa’s dining table. Just like another tablecloth on display at Sítio Burle Marx in Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, this work clearly demonstrates Burle Marx’s originality as a multifaceted artist whose work cannot be exclusively categorized as landscape architecture. Lauro Cavalcanti – curator of the retrospective exhibition “Roberto Burle Marx 100 anos: A permanência do Instável” – stated that Burle Marx “…painted every day in the morning and in the afternoon he did his gardens” and did not enjoy the fact that his paintings were relegated to a secondary position.

Also on display will be 12 india-ink works on paper, dated from 1973 to 1990, which reveal Burle Marx’s loose proficiency. While dispensing color – something inherently his due to his activity as a landscape architect – Burle Marx still follows the same provocative abstract morphology that characterized South-American art during the second half of the 20th century, providing the viewer some hints on issues like urbanism and landscaping. Along with these works some never before seen letters and photography of Burle Marx and Ramoa will be available.

“Tablecloth/Toalha” is an exhibition that wants to show Burle Marx’s activity not only as a landscape architect, but also as a prolific and inventive artist. In the end, one might question whether it is the architectural grammar that is present on Burle Marx’s paintings or the pictorial language that is present in his landscape projects.

Join the  Ecological Landscaping Association and North Creek Nurseries at a free reception at New England Grows on February 2nd from 1-2 pm in Room 204 B of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 415 Summer Street in Boston. The Northeast’s leading horticulture trade show and green industry seminars await you February 1 – 3 at New England Grows, one of the largest and most popular horticultural and green industry events in North America.

New England Grows connects 13,000+ green industry professionals with the brightest horticultural ideas, hottest selling plants, latest green industry technology, and best outdoor equipment at its 1,100+ booth horticulture trade show.  Add to that dozens of ground-breaking green industry seminars led by world-renowned experts, and you’ll understand why New England Grows is the ultimate green industry event for you and your business. Register early, online at www.newenglandgrows.org.  $45 per person through January 16, $65 per person thereafter.

The exhibition entitled Verdant: An Exhibition of Contemporary Art Utilizing Living Plants, explores the interactions between people and the natural environment; delving into the complexity of humanity’s relationships with the landscape through the work of contemporary artists who use living plants in their art.

Rather than simply drawing inspiration from the biosphere, artists Binh Danh, Paula Hayes, Tim Knowles, and Workingman Collective utilize plant matter as their artistic media, incorporate natural growth processes to create striking images, employ plants with pollutant-eliminating abilities in interactive sculptures to create healthy social spaces, and even embrace plants as active collaborators in their work. The free exhibition will run from January 30 – March 10 at the Sandra and David Bakalar Gallery at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue in Boston. Times are Monday through Saturday 12 – 6, Wednesday 12 – 8, closed Sundays. For more information call 617-879-7333.

Be Healthy Boston is a two day urban wellness retreat, right in the heart of Boston, at The Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer Street.  Meant to educate, inspire and empower members of the Boston and surrounding communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles, Be Healthy Boston promises to be a unique experience in a unique environment, like no other.

There’s lots to look forward to! Just a few things include:

Learning how to adopt a healthy lifestyle holistically
Sampling new and exciting fitness classes from local studios
Trying acupuncture, reiki, and other integrative therapies
Enjoying mini-massages and other spa-therapies
Speaking with local health and wellness experts and business owners (Siena Farms owner Chris Kurth and his fabulous chef wife Ana Sortun will be among them)
Be Healthy Boston will be more than just an event; it will be an experience like no other. Nowhere else can you meet face to face with local wellness providers, services, and businesses, all of which can help you create the healthy lifestyle you want, all under one roof.

Your Two-Day Pass includes:

15 Workshops on innovative topics, including nutrition, stress management, and green living
Sample fitness classes in Gyrotonics, Yoga, Kettlebells, Zumba and more
Mini spa treatments and integrative therapies from Aveda, Chuan Body + Soul, Spa Intercontinental, Massage Envy and others
Coaching and wellness consultations with leading wellness coaches
Cooking demonstrations with award-winning chefs, such as Oleana’s Ana Sortun
Book signings with best-selling authors, great take home gifts and plentiful samples
Healthy and delicious lunches and Saturday early evening reception
Silent auction to benefit Dana Farber’s Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies
and more!

Be Healthy Boston is a two day urban wellness retreat, right in the heart of Boston! Meant to educate, inspire and empower members of the Boston and surrounding communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles, Be Healthy Boston promises to be a unique experience in a unique environment, like no other.

There’s lots to look forward to! Just a few things include:

• Learning how to adopt a healthy lifestyle holistically
• Sampling new and exciting fitness classes from local studios
• Trying acupuncture, reiki, and other integrative therapies
• Enjoying mini-massages and other spa-therapies
• Speaking with local health and wellness experts and business owners
• Attending innovative workshops
• Participating in cooking demonstrations with local restaurants and chefs
• Meeting like minded Bostonians interested in their health and wellbeing
• And more!

Come to Be Healthy Boston and be inspired to create the healthy life you deserve!
Attending innovative workshops
Participating in cooking demonstrations with local restaurants and chefs
Meeting like minded Bostonians interested in their health and wellbeing
And more!

Come to Be Healthy Boston and be inspired to create the healthy life you deserve! For complete information, log on to www.behealthyboston.com.  Register by January 8 for the best price ($79 – $159).

Join the Fruitlands staff for light refreshments and the opening of two new exhibits in the Fruitlands Art Gallery, 102 Prospect Hill Road in Harvard, Massachusetts. Zen Dust, by artist Linda Hoffman and Photographs of the Harvard Shaker Village, on loan from the Harvard Historical Society, will be on exhibit during WinterFest weekends, along with landscapes from the Hudson River School and nineteenth century portraits from Fruitlands collection. Admission free with suggested donation.  The art gallery will be open on Saturdays and Sundays 1PM-5PM from January 14 – February 26.  For directions, visit www.fruitlands.org.

The work in the Zen Dust exhibit was inspired by Linda Hoffman’s early training in the Zen Art of Noh Theater, in Kyoto, Japan. Once back in the West, Hoffman created her own art form that was poetic and spare – influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi- sabi. Wabi being loneliness, solitariness, the sight of lone crow on a crooked branch, a plum blossom peeking through snow, while sabi refers to objects that show the well-worn, rustic, patina of age. The Shaker large format photographs were taken during the 1960s as part of the Historic American Building Survey, run by the National Park Service. There are 28 photographs in the show, many of them attributed to Jack E.Boucher. They feature both interior and exterior shots of the Shaker buildings, including some very beautiful close-upshots of architectural details.

There will be a free joint program of the North Shore Community Health Network and the NCHC Northeast Prevention Institute on Thursday, January 12, from 8:30 am – noon at the Peabody Marriott, 8 Centennial Drive in Peabody, entitled Creating Healthy, Safe and Livable Communities: Bridging the Gap Between Public Health and Community Development.  What does it mean to “design” a healthy community? Why is it important? Where do you start? A panel of experts from community development and public health will share their knowledge and experience in developing projects and policy-making that make community and regional health a priority. The morning will begin with breakfast and networking within and across sectors. Local case studies will be presented by the panel followed by roundtable discussions to encourage new ideas, concepts and the building of knowledge in this area. You will walk away with: – greater understanding of the impact planning and policy (inherent in community development, housing, transportation, etc.) can have on public health – strategies for creating partnerships and strengthening role of public health in planning – concrete tools and resources that can be used to achieve effective outcomes – ideas for reprogramming and leveraging existing funds to support integration of public health and community development This workshop is funded in part by the North Shore Community Health Network (NSCHN).

Panel Presenters: – Lea Susan Ojamaa, Division of Prevention and Wellness, MA Department of Public Health – Stephen Winslow, Senior Project Manager, City of Gloucester Mass in Motion – Mariana Arcaya, Public Health Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council – Eric Halvorsen, Transit Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council – Heather McMann, Executive Director, Groundwork Lawrence.  For more information, contact Kirsten Doherty at 978-722-2861, or email her at kdoherty@glfhc.org.

The New England Landscape Design & History Association (NELDHA) cordially invites you to its first meeting of 2012, featuring a “Slide Slam” focusing on the theme Designing Paradise.  Share garden and landscape photos – from a recent trip or completed project – with fellow members.  Choose 8 – 10 slides (we still use these?) or PowerPoint visuals of a garden or landscape you would like to share and save to a portable memory stick.  AV equipment will be provided.  The event will take place Thursday, January 26, from 3 – 5 at the Fishbowl, The Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury Street in Boston.  RSVP to Laurie Pazzano at 781-893-7185, or email her at lpazzano@hotmail.com.  Photo below taken in Magnolia, Massachusetts.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy invites you to the opening of Lighthouse, a temporary art installation on the Greenway at the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion.  On Thursday, January 12, from 6 – 8, there will be a brief presentation from the team of artists followed by an after party at a Greenway Neighborhood establishment to be announced.  Lighthouse combines color and light through a series of projections, and is designed and created by GoodGood Studio and by New American Public Art.

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.

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.

Ice Chimes is going up on Greenway this week. Come out for the grand unveiling of this winter sculpture next Thursday at 6PM. Join us to celebrate public art on the plaza followed by networking and a nightcap at Vintage Lounge (72 Broad St). Ice Chimes by Moskow Linn Architects and Payne Bouchier Fine Builders will be on display in the Wharf District Parks from December 8, 2011 – April 2012. The sculpture is 20 feet high and collects precipitation and encourages icicle growth along a series of metal chimes. You’ll find it at Rowes Wharf Plaza, between High and Broad Streets. The opening will be Thursday, December 8, from 6 – 7 pm.

The Boothbay Region Garden Club’s 9th Annual Festival of Trees will take place at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, 86 Townsend Avenue, from December 1 – December 3, 10 am – 5 pm. “All That Glitters” with over sixty decorated trees and other donated items to be auctioned, raffles of two trees and a visit from Father Christmas.  Holiday Shops include: Trinkets and Treasures, Decor Galore, Artists Among Us, Sweets and Savories, The Stitchery, Wreath Emporium, Nature’s Gift Corner, and also Sunday Morning Refreshments.  Visit www.boothbayregiongardenclub.org for complete details.

In this sculpture display in the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Glass Flowers gallery, Scottish artist Siobhan Healy creates a subtle and thought-provoking piece inspired by the Ghost Orchid (Epipogium aphyllum), a rare British wild flower recently rediscovered after it was thought to be extinct for 23 years. Healy depicts the orchid in transient and ethereal clear glass, encouraging the viewer to reflect on the potential loss of this fragile species—an evocative emblem of the one in five of wild flowers that are threatened with extinction. This artist talk will take place Friday, December 2, beginning at 4 pm. Free with museum admission. For more information, visit www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

Beginning November 23 and running through December 10, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society will again host the annual Festival of Trees at Elm Bank. The event kicks off the holiday season in a special way: by giving families an opportunity to see spectacularly decorated holiday trees in a festive environment. Tree themes appeal to all ages and all trees are raffled off, with proceeds supporting the mission of the Society.Viewing Days:  Wednesday, November 23 through Saturday December 10 (open Thanksgiving Day).

Hours: weekends and the day after Thanksgiving: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; other days: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Note: On December 10th the Festival will close at 7 p.m.  General Admission: $8 for Adults, Children under 12 FREE!  Children age 14 or younger must be accompanied by an adult.  Please visit www.masshortfestivaloftrees.org to read more.

The glitter of gold and the sparkle of silver will dazzle you as you tour three magnificent mansions decked out in Yuletide finery. Music, tours, and spectacular decorations highlight the celebration of Christmas at the Newport Mansions. The Preservation Society of Newport County invites you to make holiday memories with your family by visiting The Breakers, The Elms and Marble House this holiday season. For complete information, call 401-847-1000, email info@newportmansions.org, or visit www.newportmansions.org.

Each fall as colors fade outdoors, a riot of color erupts indoors in the Lyman Conservatory at the Botanic Garden of Smith College. While not as widely known as the Spring Bulb Show, this autumnal display is even more spectacular, with vibrant oversized blooms reaching 8 inches across, floral walls of color, and chrysanthemums overflowing the greenhouses.

The Fall Mum Show has been a popular college and community tradition since the early 1900s and has served as a showcase for the hybridizing experiments of the horticulture class. That tradition continues to this day: the Chrysanthemum Show shows off a variety of multicolor chrysanthemums that were hybridized by the previous year’s horticulture students. The public is then invited to vote for their favorites.

The Chrysanthemum Show at the Lyman Conservatory is open to the public from Saturday, November 5 through Sunday, November 20, 2011 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The Botanic Garden is open to the public free of charge (although donations are always appreciated) and is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available on College Lane for the two weeks of the Mum Show. For more information on the show and other events, please contact the Botanic Garden at (413) 585-2740 or visit www.smith.edu/garden.