| This Month at Mass Hort | |
The Environmentally Sensible Lawn
Thursday, April 04 2013, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
With Mary Owen UMass Amherst - Turf Specialist
Whether your lawn consists of the small spaces and walkways between your gardens or serves as the big play yard for all the kids in the neighborhood, this session will help you to understand how, with a minimum of input, you can keep that lawn functional and enhance the environment.
Cost - $15.00 for members, $20.00 for non-members
Beyond the Basics: 10 Herbs Everyone Should Know and Grow
Thursday, April 11, 2013
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
with Karen O'Brien - Owner and Operator of the Green Woman's Garden
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (and basil) are great herbs that form the backbone of a good herb garden. In this lecture, we will explore ten lesser known herbs that you should include to make a great herb garden. Culinary, fragrant and ornamental, these herbs will add a new dimension to your garden and kitchen.
Cost - $15.00 for members, $20.00 for non-members.
Plant an Herb Box  Workshop
Saturday, April 13, 2013
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
with Karen O'Brien - Owner and Operator of the Green Woman's Garden
We will enjoy the sensory delights of herbs as we fill a window box with herb plants. Many herbs do quite well in pots, so you need not have a garden to experience the pleasures of fresh herbs for your home. All materials supplied.
Cost - $65.00 for members, $75.00 for non-members. Register here.
 Make 2013 Your Year for Tomatoes
Thursday, April 18
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
With Barbara Pierson - White Flower Farm Nursery Manager, Educator, Speaker
Barb will talk through the basic principles of growing tomatoes and share her top tips for making sure that you have healthy plants and an abundant crop. Barb will also share what's new in the world of growing tomatoes and plant combinations - what herbs and vegetables to plant with your tomato plants this year.
Cost - $20.00 for members, $25.00 for non-members. Register here.
Jaw-Dropping, Traffic-  Stopping, Get the Neighbors Talking Containers
Thursday, April 25, 2013
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
with Deborah Trickett - Certified Horticulturist, Owner of The Captured Garden
Tired of the same old window boxes? Have you ever wanted to create lush container gardens that would be the envy of the neighborhood? Are you ready to move beyond the expected? Join Deborah Trickett for a hands-on demonstration as she shows you how to take your container gardens from "blah" to "aaah". She'll start with the basics, of appropriate containers, soil mixes, and plant choices for different site conditions, then proceed to new and unusual plant material and uncommon, container choices.
Cost - $15.00 for members, $20.00 for non-members. Register Here!
Spring Entertaining with Panache
Thursday, April 25, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Do you want to host an event for Mother's Day or a loved one's graduation, but are short on ideas and time?
Join us with Sue Schocket at her Healthy Habits Kitchen in Wellesley to learn creative and delicious ways to make an impact on any crowd. Sample a selection of garden-inspired appetizers and cocktails, such as tomatoes filled with goat cheese, zucchini spread, Raspberry-Herb cocktail, white Sangria, and more.
Cost - $30.00 for members, $35.00 for non-members.
Reserve your space here.
Location: Healthy Habits Kitchen, 36 Washington Street, Suite 2, Wellesley
 Jaw-Dropping, Traffic- Stopping Containter Workshop
with Deborah Trickett - Certified Horticulturist, Owner of The Captured Garden
Venture beyond the expected and learn the secrets to creating lush container gardens that will be the envy of the neighborhood during this workshop with Deborah Trickett. Bring in your own pot (no larger than 12" wide) filled with soil. Deborah will begin by explaining some important design principals and elaborate on common container garden mistakes. Then it's your turn. Pull on your gardening gloves, grab some cool and unusual plant material and let the fun begin. When you're done your neighbors will be so jealous!
Cost - $65.00 for members, $75.00 for non-members. Register Here!
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| Volunteers | |
Volunteer today! Mass Hort is looking for volunteers to help run programs, events, and join committees. Use your management, marketing, and people skills to help Mass Hort deliver its mission.
Learn more about volunteering at Mass Hort
Sign up today to volunteer! |
| Join Mass Hort |  For exceptional benefits to help you in the garden- Join Today! If you are a Mass Hort member- please recommend membership to a friend! Forward this newsletter. CLICK HERE TO JOIN |
| Book Review | |
Tree Gardens: Architecture and the Forest
by Gina Crandell
(New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2013)
Elegantly written and designed, Tree Gardens: Architecture and the Forest, by landscape architect Gina Crandell, is the first book to explore the use of trees as architectural elements in the creation of landscapes, fostering a new perspective on the complex issues that arise when living materials are used to replicate built form.
Trees used to form architectural spaces are both of the garden and forest, shaped by intent yet subject to the inevitable forces of nature. The "impossibility of completion and the certainty of change that differentiates landscape architecture from architecture" provides a foundation for Crandell's carefully researched analysis of how, over long periods of time, the integrity of landscapes designed with tree gardens at their core, is maintained.
Tree Gardens: Architecture and the Forest contains fifteen case studies beginning with the Wooded Circle of Lucca, Italy, dating from1544, and concluding with the 9/11 Memorial Garden in New York City. The historical breadth of projects included within the book illustrate how trees, used as architectural elements, have evolved from military installations with civic implications to symbolic elements that reverentially reconnect man to the natural world, evoking memory, loss and regeneration.
The case studies, which form the core of the book, present landscapes from the United States, Europe and Asia and while they include several historic examples, notably Versailles and Central Park, focus mainly on projects from the twentieth century. The selected landscapes, which employ tree gardens, offer diverse examples of design solutions to unique sites at various scales and budgets. Whether defined as a bosque, allée, hedgerow, quincunx, plantation, regenerating forest or orchard, each site presented uses trees to create environments that are ambitious, thoughtfully conceived, carefully executed and maintenance-intensive.
A list of the species, concise history of the site, overview of the design intent, and an analysis of existing conditions and management and maintenance issues is provided for each of the fifteen case studies as well as richly illustrated plans, historic images and extensive, contemporary photographs.
Crandell does not share the methodology through which individual projects were selected for inclusion in the book and does not provide insight into how and if the selected projects relate to each other historically. Every project is presented on its own merit and as a portfolio the studies collectively illustrate "a variety of ways tree structures, ranging from tens to thousands of trees, can form expressive spaces that heighten our understanding of nature."
One of the most compelling challenges illuminated in Tree Gardens: Architecture and the Forest is familiar to anyone who nurtures a garden; that is, the complex reality of designing with materials that change over time. Working with trees, magnifies the problem because, with trees, it is very difficult to create new landscapes that evoke their structural form upon completion and once, grown to maturity, maintain their design intent.
This process is thoughtfully detailed in the concluding chapter on the 9/11 Memorial Forest at the site of the World Trade Center. Collaboratively designed by Michael Arad and PWP Landscape Architecture, the Memorial Forest exists today as a result of an arduous process of negotiation and advocacy by the designers to secure as much as possible of the six-foot layer of subsurface necessary for more than 400 Swamp White Oaks to flourish on the site.
The trees, chosen for disease resistance, strength and longevity, were carefully selected for their expressive visual characteristics and acquired from multiple nurseries where they were selected and nurtured to the large caliper five-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half inch size desired for planting. To counterbalance the possibility of loss, the planting plan includes both natural groupings and formal allées that accentuate the approach to the fountains. A single Bradford Pear tree that survived the attack has been replanted on the plaza.
Crandell concludes with a chapter, "The Orchard, the Nursery and the Forest" which poses the question, "how might it be possible to expand the focused engagement and sculptural experience of tree gardens to vast landscapes without also investing vast resources?" As urban environments strive to enhance green infrastructure and offset the impacts of climate change it is a question that merits further inquiry.
Tree Gardens: Architecture and the Forest is a thoughtful book that will appeal to anyone with a passion for horticulture and design providing a unique perspective on the "world's largest living architectural structures" and their use as landscape elements throughout time.
Patrice Todisco writes about parks, gardens and the public realm at www.landscapenotes.com.
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Letter from the President
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Kathy Macdonald, President of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Photo by Andy Caulfield
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Dear Friends,
With the last vestiges of winter snow reduced to small, scattered piles, we can start to see signs of spring in the landscape. At Mass Hort we look forward to helping gardeners prepare for a fruitful season through educational lectures and workshops, meanwhile readying our own gardens for our members and visitors to enjoy.
After this year's tremendous flower show ended on March 17th, we took a moment to catch our breath and to reflect proudly on the herculean effort of running the amateur competitions and Mass Hort's exhibits.
For this we owe great thanks and appreciation to Carrie Waterman, who stepped up to the plate this year to manage the multiple aspects of the amateur competition and their committees. Thank you to the committee chairs, who donate their time to make the show a success, and include: Floral Design I, Yvonne Capella; Floral Design II, Julie Pipe; Ikebana, Hiroko Matsuyama; Photography, Beth Hume and Viki Saltonstall; Miniatures, Debi Hogan; and Amateur Horticulture, Martha Clouse.
Thanks also to Judi Brooks, who managed the logistics of hospitality and volunteers. Maureen Horn was our research expert, historian, and the writer behind our "Sowing the Seeds of Change Exhibit". Clark Bryan, our show floor manager, managed all the moving parts of the show and with David Fiske, garden curator, Charlie Harris, and volunteers like Tom Cameron, Susan Hammond and others... grew and sourced plants, painted exhibits, packed, unpacked, set up displays, exhibits, and then did it all in reverse. A rite of spring at the flower show!
Mass Hort at the Flower Show is a team effort and we appreciate each and every one who helped make our exhibit and competitions a success: show chairs, committee members, designers, exhibitors, green industry partners, trustees, overseers, neighbors, volunteers, staff, The Landscape Institute/BAC, and Master Gardeners. Thank you to our show sponsors, Bartlett Tree Experts and Mystic Scenic and to the Paragon Group, who owns and manages the show, and supports Mass Hort's efforts with the amateur competitions.
As a member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, you make it possible for us to grow and continue our mission of engaging people in the wonderful world of plants, gardens, and the natural world. Thank you.
Happy Spring,
Kathy Macdonald
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Show Wrap-Up from the Chairs:
2013 Mass Hort at the Flower Show - Amateur Competitions
Carrie Waterman, Co-Chair of the Show
Last June, 2012, when I volunteered to chair the Amateur Competitions for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at the Boston Flower & Garden Show in 2013, I thought I had some idea what I was getting myself into. Boy, was I wrong!
 You see, I have worked on the Show in some capacity for almost 20 years: forcing plants for the Garden Club Competitions of yore and for the exhibits of the New England Wild Flower Society, chairing the Amateur Horticulture Competition four times and serving on that committee for 18 years, exhibiting every year, etc. This year I would be overseeing all the competitions: Amateur Horticulture, both Design Divisions (I and II), Miniature Gardens, Photography and the Ikebana Exhibits. It was both a thrill and challenge. Instead of organizing plants I would be organizing people, lots and lots of people!
Work started back in July when the chairmen were asked to submit their "schedules" and committee lists, and continued right up until Sunday night of close-down at the Se. They are all wonderful, talented people and it was a privilege to work with them as we put this incredible event together as a team.
The most eye-opening part of the show for me was the amount of work
by a few tireless Mass Hort staff members and volunteers who move all the staging and exhibit materials in and out of Boston for the show. Long before and after the exhibitors and most committee members have come into or left the Seaport, these dedicated people were loading and unloading trucks, building staging for exhibits and making sure everything is delivered to the right place in the World Trade Center in perfect condition, and returned to and stored at Elm Bank for next year. A herculean, and largely unsung effort!
What I learned from this whole, humbling experience is that the final results that the public sees, the exhibits, are but a small part of everything that goes on to make those exhibits and exhibitors shine, and so my hat goes off to all the volunteers and Mass Hort staff members who worked tirelessly for a year to produce this show. Bravo! A job well done!
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When is a Climbing Onion Really an Onion?
Martha ClouseChairperson, Amateur Horticulture Competition "Is a Climbing Onion really an onion?" As Amateur Horticulture Chair, I worked as a volunteer in the Amateur Horticulture Competition exhibit for over three days during the course of the show and answered this question hundreds of times. People are really taken by one plant or another every year at the show. This year it was the turn of Boweia volubilis or the Climbing Onion. There were several fine Boweia entries including a pair grown as identical plants. And the answer is no, it's not an onion; it's related to the hyacinth and is inedible  and poisonous. Visitors were also fascinated with a blooming Tradescantia in a Hanging Basket class which was grown by a student from the Lunenburg High School Horticulture Program, and by Aporocactus, a veteran hanging cactus exhibit in full bloom entered by veteran exhibitor Art Scarpa. The questions here were: "How old is the cactus?" The fine weather during the course of the show brought many children into the Amateur Horticulture exhibit where they were able to see that Junior Horticulture. Our youthful exhibitors entered dish gardens and a terrarium sown with cactus seed that had begun to sprout. Amateur Horticulture is proud to announce that the Beket-Lang Award, the Mass Hort Society President's Award for Junior Horticulture, and the Mass Hort Society Green Thumb award were once again awarded to Junior Horticulture competitors. Great show everyone! |
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Amateur Photography at the Flower Show
Viki Saltonstall and Beth Hume, Amateur Photography Co-Chairs
Entries in the Amateur Photography were of a very high caliber this year, probably because it was the first year that the over 300 entries went through a jury system in order to gain a spot in one of the six classes.
The thirty-six final entries were submitted from all over the country, from men and women, professionals and amateurs. A dramatic effect was achieved as the unmatted images hung on large black panels with individual lights. Most classes received commendations as a result of the high quality overall. The juried show is the beginning of an exciting tradition of excellence.
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Garden Federation of Massachusetts at Mass Hort at the Flower Show
Yvonne Capella, Floral Design I Chairperson
This year marked the 84th year that the Garden Federation of Massachusetts, Inc. has held a Flower Show in conjunction with the Massachusetts Horticulture Society. The title of the competition was "Coined in the U.S.A". Each class was inspired by an American saying. Included in the title was the origin and year it became a part of Americana. The exhibitors were inspired by such titles as "Square Meal", which came from an advertisement in 1856 for California's Hope and Neptune as advertised in The Mountain Democrat. The Club Competition was titled "A Piece of Cake" in which the garden club members had to design a child's birthday table. There were tables with Lego themes, Curious George, and fairies to mention a few. Perhaps the most breathtaking and challenging of the classes was "Drop-dead Gorgeous" which came from the New York Herald Tribune, "Fashions from Florence", January, 1962.
Possibly the best part of the GCFM and Mass Hort at the Flower Show is seeing all of our Flower Show friends we haven't seen over the long winter months while sharing in the experience of creating all the beautiful exhibits for the viewing public. May this just be one more anniversary with many more to follow of the members of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts and the Mass Horticultural Society celebrating Mass Hort at the Flower Show.
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Miniatures Thrill The Crowds
Debi Hogan, Miniatures Chairperson
 The Miniature Gardens Competition in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society portion of the Boston Flower and Garden Show were exceptional this year. The winning exhibit from the Garden Club of Mansfield was created by Kim Sestak with the assistance of Mary Chmielecki. The garden depicting Bilbo Baggins home in "The Shire" with a hint of journeys to come revealed by a pathway under the mountain was designed with amazing detail and meticulous attention to the 1 inch is equal to 1 foot scale required for the gardens. This is Kim's third time exhibiting and Mary's second. The garden they designed this year was one of the best seen in the show in years.
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Hats Off to Division II
Julie Pipe, Chair, Floral Design Division II  This year lovely spring hats provided inspiration for the beautiful designs displayed in Division II. Lush green leaves, bright flowers and gauzy veils adorned the heads of the demure young ladies as they greeted the visitors entering our area of the ballroom. Our theme was "Seeds of Inspiration" and the inspiration for all our designs was the "Love of Flowers".
As always, the incredible craftsmanship of the necklaces wowed all attendees - the minute detail of the miniatures, the masses of color, the implications of the many different sporting activities we enjoy, and the classic lines of the Orient all made for an interesting show. Many of our designers have exhibited often over the years, but we were especially delighted to welcome several newcomers, many of whom had attended the Mass Hort Floral Design Course in the Fall. They bravely accepted the challenge, overcame their nerves and all did a wonderful job. Congratulations to all who took part in this annual celebration of spring. |
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Ikebana Display at the Flower Show
Hiroko Matsuyama, Chair, Ikebana
The Ikebana section of Japanese flower arrangement was managed by the Boston Chapter of Ikebana International (This year's president is Mrs. Madhu Agrawal).
This year, only the Ikenobo, Sougetsu and Ohara schools exhibited their Ikebana works for the attendees of the Boston Flower Show.
 Four big Ikebana arrangements were demonstrated. Ikenobo school members made two Rika Shinputai, but both were quite different styles.
As for the ordinary size Ikebana arrangements, Ikenobo school members made six arrangements of Nishu-ike Shoka, Sanshu-ike Shoka, Futakabu-ike Shoka, Shoka Shinputai and a free style. Sogutsu school members made ten arrangements of free styles. Some arrangements were mixed with live flowers and artificial materials like metal and plastics. Some flowers were arranged with special vases. These are modern forms of Ikebana. Ohara school members made four arrangements of one Heika slanting style and three free styles.
All arrangements made a great impression on the attendees. The success is a product of the hard work of the exhibitors of the Ikebana arrangements, as well as docents and volunteers who helped keep the flowers fresh throughout the show. Many thanks to all exhibitors and volunteers.
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April Horticultural Hints
by Betty Sanders
BettyOnGardening.com
Snow, snow go away The snowstorms didn't start until
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February and, if they would just stop, we could begin our spring gardening. Stay off wet lawns and gardens! You will compact the soil and make it a much less hospitable environment for the grass or plants you want to grow there. After all the snow has melted and the soil has dried enough that it no longer stays in a tight clump after being squeezed in your hand, it's ready to work.
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Pick debris off the lawn.
Once your lawn has dried, give it a good going over with a metal spring rake. This removes the small debris and lifts the grass compacted by the snow. Do not fertilize the lawn now. It is weak from winter and force feeding it a high nitrogen diet will not strengthen the plants.
Prune away any damage from our winter storms. Remember any pruning done on spring bloomers will reduce the number of flowers. But it is always important to take off branches that have been torn (and still hanging on) or are broken leaving a ragged end. While you are at it, remove any crossing or rubbing branches in the interior of the tree. If you have deer damage, consider using one of the sprays that are applied monthly and cause the foliage to have a foul taste. The deer will be on the prowl for food now that the snow is gone.
Clean your beds.
If you left last year's perennials for the birds, remove the old stems now. Even if you cleaned the bed last fall, rake it now to remove the material that has blown in over the winter. Be careful not to tear the foliage of bulbs or early perennials.
Start your vegetables.
If your garden soil has dried enough to pass the clump test, start planting. Peas, spinach, lettuce, onions, kale and other cold-hardy types can go into the ground now. Indoors, if you have light and space, you can start some of the hot crop vegetables - tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, as well as herbs and flowers.
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The correct starting date is determined by the planting date and how many weeks the package (or catalog) tells you it will take to get to transplant size. Starting too early means leggy and spindly plants that won't do well in the garden. The average last frost date for this area is Memorial Day. Experience has taught me to wait for June 1. If you live in Boston, it's earlier, if you live west or north, it may be later.
Visiting Nurseries.
Can't wait to see plants at the nurseries in the spring? Contain your enthusiasm. Just as clothing retailers are showing bathing suits, some plant retailers tend to 'push' the season prematurely. You can plant pansies and the cool weather vegetables in April, but there is no sense in buying tomato seedlings, marigolds and petunias yet. At best they will be stunted by the cold weather; at worst, they shrivel and die during a frost. It's a great time to buy trees and shrubs which do well during the spring. Planted early, they begin growing roots before the hot weather puts additional strains on them.
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April Fools
 By Neal Sanders
Leaflet Contributor
On a crisp, cold morning in early February, I walked out my front door and was confronted with proof that nature always has the ability to startle us. There, in an otherwise barren patch of earth, a half dozen white hellebores were in full, glorious bloom. They caught the sun's weak rays, preening like movie stars.
The very next day, they were buried under 18 inches of snow.
Three weeks ago, the snow by our front door had retreated sufficiently that a clutch of yellow crocus had burst open, ready for whatever pollinators were buzzing about. Two days later, the Storm That Wasn't Supposed To Get This Far North dropped a foot of 'partly cloudy' on my town. This morning, the snow has retreated again, but leaving only crocus greens.
Welcome to New England, the home of April fools.
'April fools' is not a day; it is season in which spring arrives in fits and starts.
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On warm days I pull out overwintering non-hardy shrubs |
Temperatures begin to rise, and so I drag pots filled with tender shrubs and perennials from out of their winter quarters to begin the acclimation process. Then, the evening news brings word from a cheerful weatherperson that an unexpected dip in the jet stream will bring nighttime temperatures down into the upper teens. Out I go, into the fading twilight, dragging pots back into the garage.
At least I provide a continuing source of amusement for our neighbors.
Anyone who has lived in New England for a decade or so knows the April weather stories: the April Fool's Day snow storm of 1997 (more than 20 inches in Boston) probably tops the list, but how about the ice storm of mid-April 2011 that let you watch the swelling buds on your fruit trees freeze before your very eyes?
Maybe the Marathon has something to do with it. If it's warm enough for 26,713 athletes to run 26 miles, surely it's reasonable to expect that a few plants can survive outdoors. What we fail to remember is that those athletes want it to be cold and dreary. If it's warm enough to grow petunias, runners will be dropping like flies.
In our spare time, Betty and I manage a community garden with sixty plots for a like number of gardeners. Last Saturday, Betty gave her annual vegetable gardening talk at the town library. A room full of people listened intently as she repeatedly said that soil temperature is the only reliable indicator of when to plant. The air temperature may be 55 degrees, but if the soil an inch down is 35 degrees, nothing will germinate. By my count, she repeated that mantra five times.
No sooner did she finish her talk when the first hand went in the air with the inevitable question: "How soon can we start working the garden?" To her credit, Betty did not throw anything. Instead, she smiled and gave her pat answer: "You tell me what the weather is going be through the end of April, and I'll tell you exactly when you can start your garden."
Patience is the principal virtue of a New England gardener.
At the same time, I know that the teasing will continue. In a protected corner by our garage, a dozen daffodils are already eight inches high and headed up, waiting for the perfect afternoon to dazzle me with their blinding yellow trumpets. And, just as surely, Old Man Winter will have a last gasp, and those daffodils will suffer the indignity of multiple inches of snow, sleet or freezing rain (or maybe all three). But eventually, spring will arrive. In New England, we call that 'May'.
Neal's newest mystery, Deal Killer , has just been published. You can learn more about it here. That book, plus his five other mysteries, can be ordered through Amazon.com. |
What's the Key to a Happy Summer? Happy Campers, Of Course!
Massachusetts Horticultural Society's Elm Bank is the Summer Home of LINX Outward Adventures Camps
We are happy to call the The Massachusetts Horticultural Society's Elm Bank Reservation home to LINX Outward Adventures Camps. Our 180-acre property offers the perfect setting for fun camp activities including canoeing, fishing, nature walks, teambuilding, and summer games. Complete with miles of forest trails, gardens, playing fields, and the LINX Camps outdoor pool complex, Elm Bank sets the stage for the perfect outdoor camp experience!
As an added bonus, when you attend LINX Camps at Elm Bank, you'll receive a complimentary Family Membership to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
What are you waiting for? Register for an upcoming Open House & Campus Tour today! |
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The Bressingham Academy
Campus: Bressingham Hall, and Gardens, Norfolk, England
Senior Faculty: Adrian Bloom, Dr. Allan M. Armitage
September 1-7, 2013.
To all gardeners, plant lovers, landscapers, designers and keen horticulturists.
The Bressingham Academy celebrates the science and art of gardening. We welcome you to attend the inaugural class on September 1-7, 2013. A rigorous five day study and tour schedule will expose you to topics such as Plant Identification, Garden Design and the inspirational use of plants, Taxonomy, Morphology, as well as New Introductions in Trees, Shrubs, Perennials and Annuals.
The campus consists of Bressingham Hall, located in 17 acres of world famous gardens developed by Alan and Adrian Bloom. The main lecturers will be Adrian Bloom and Dr. Allan M. Armitage. Guest lecturers include Dr. Chris Grey-Wilson, Tim Newbury, Paul Gooderham and Jaime Blake. Both Adrian Bloom and Dr. Chris Grey-Wilson are both holders of the Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH) awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society. Only 63 people can hold this award at one time, the 63 representing the years in Queen Victoria's long reign.
The main teaching laboratories will be the Dell Gardens and Foggy Bottom, both luxuriantly rich in plant materials and design ideas. Additional field trips include local gardens in Norfolk and Suffolk, and a bonus trip to Wisley Gardens in Surrey, the home of the Royal Horticultural Society.
While the educational content is up to date and serious, this event is planned as an enjoyable inclusive week for all who want to learn and share our passion, knowledge and experience in such unique surrounding.
The inaugural class will only number 20-25 students. We expect spaces to fill rapidly; to secure a desk in the Academy Class of 2013, please sign the contract and send in tuition according to dates in the contract.
Adrian Bloom Dr. Allan Armitage
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Sowing the Seeds of Change-Mass Hort Exhibit at the Flower Show Photo Collage
"Sowing the Seeds of Change" - Massachusetts Horticultural Society's exhibit at the Boston Flower and Garden Show highlighted the Society's 184-year legacy leading the charge to bring the fruits of horticulture into the lives of ordinary citizens.
The exhibit's seven garden vignettes highlighted Mass Hort's founding in 1829, the creation of Mount Auburn Cemetery in 1831, noteworthy exhibitions and flower shows, the Window Gardening Movement of the 1870s, School Yard Experiment of 1897, Depression Era Vegetable Gardens and the Victory Gardens of World Wars I and II, and Mass Hort's Gardens at Elm Bank.
Photo: Market Cart: The Beginnings, 1829, illustrated Mass Hort's agricultural roots and its founders' intent to improve the quality and quantity of fruits and vegetables available at the markets in Boston, and was showcased with a market cart designed by Whole Foods Market of Wellesley. The 21st Century also finds Mass Hort focusing on contemporary issues such as organic gardening, cultivation, health and local foods. Mass Hort runs the Wellesley Farmer Market.
Photo: Mount Auburn Cemetery, 1831, founded by Mass Hort to address the need for alternate burial grounds in Boston, introduced the "garden cemetery" concept as a beautiful, landscaped resting place and was illustrated by a landscape design by Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio.
Photo: Victorian Flower Arrangement: Exhibitions, 1843, told the story of early exhibitions, where people came together to learn about new and improved varieties of plants, fruits, and vegetables, including the introduction of the Concord Grape. A Victorian flower arrangement illustrated "flower shows" and was designed by Mass Hort trustee Marisa McCoy.
Photo: Tenement House: Window Gardening Movement, 1878, a charitable effort, was conceived as a way to brighten urban tenement windows with flowers and help children learn about plants and their care. The garden was designed by Darcy Paige, Landscape Institute/BAC alumna, and included a "tenement house" and a modern day space depicting the greening of urban areas to improve the lives of city dwellers of all backgrounds.
Photo: Desk Garden-School Yard Movement, 1891, the Society established a committee on school gardens with Henry L. Clapp, principal of the Putnam School in Roxbury to encourage children to work cooperatively in school gardens and learn about plants and gardening while enjoying the fresh air. This garden vignette was designed by Dan Stephens and Suzanne Higham, Landscape Institute/BAC alumni.
Photo: Vegetable Gardens and Victory Gardens, 1930-1940s During the Great Depression, Mass Hort's members helped establish vegetable gardens in some of Boston's neighborhoods. In the later 1940s, the Society led the charge for Victory Gardens to boost food production and nutrition. Mass Hort is contributing to today's local food movement with its Garden to Table program, which encourages cooking and preserving from the home garden. In 2012, Mass Hort donated over 3,500 pounds of produce harvested from its Chef's and Food Pantry Gardens to local food pantries. Vegetable garden designed by Olga Martin, Landscape Institute/BAC alumna.
Photo: Bresshingham Garden: The Gardens at Elm Bank, 1998 - today, illustrated by Paul Miskovsky's "Bressingham Garden" to invite people of all ages and backgrounds to Mass Hort's 36-acre campus in Wellesley to learn from and enjoy the beauty of gardens and landscapes.
Photo: Big Red Chair: Children's Exhibit: Mass Hort's children's exhibit featured "The Big Red Chair" (Lilly Tomlin-style for those older children) designed by Mass Hort staff member, April Daley, and demonstrated a sensory potted garden and fun activities to engage younger horticultural enthusiasts in the wonderful world of plants.
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VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Carrie Waterman, Co-Chair, Mass Hort at the Flower Show
Carrie has been volunteering for Mass Hort for over 19 years. She was dedicated to Amateur Horticulture Competition at the flower show for 18 years, four as  chair and the other 14 as Awards and/or Schedule Chair in AmHort. This year Mass Hort needed someone to oversee the entire Amateur Competition which includes Horticulture, the Floral Design Divisions, Miniature Gardens, Photography and the Ikebana Exhibits. Carrie volunteered to take on this monumental task.
One of Carrie's first jobs, working with Kathy Macdonald, was to change the name of Mass Hort's participation in the Show from "Blooms!" to Mass Hort at the Flower Show. Her management goal was to get all the committee chairmen together for regular meetings, to build a sense of camaraderie among the various groups and to work as a team to produce the Amateur part of the show. Carrie commented: "I met and worked with some wonderful people."
Carrie observed: "The most eye-opening thing for me to see was the HUGE amount of work, hard, physical labor, done by a very few staff members and volunteers getting all the staging prepared, loaded, unloaded and assembled at the Seaport before the committees and exhibitors arrive and then doing the same thing after the show closes and they have all departed. This was probably the hardest part of the whole show. After an exhausting week of 80+ hours of work these wonderful people are there after the Show closed late Sunday night, all day Monday and Tuesday taking it all down, packing it all onto trucks and then unpacking it all at Elm Bank. I was comatose for about a week after the Show and I did half the work the guys at Mass Hort did! I am in awe."
She continued: "Saddest part for me this year was I did not have time to exhibit my own plants. There's always next year!"
Carrie has been interested in the Flower Show as long as she can remember. My whole family, mother, father and four sisters used to travel down from Lowell every year to see the Show and go out to dinner in Boston. Carrie got involved with Mass Hort and the New England Spring Flower Show through her garden club, Noanett GC, which regularly produced a garden in the Garden Club Competition at the show.
What would Carrie say to get others involved? "If you love growing plants, arranging flowers, or taking photographs why not share your love and talent with others and exhibit at the Show? Once you have done it, you will be hooked and you might even like to join the committees working on the show and help others exhibit. It's really fun and you meet some wonderful people with similar interests from all different walks of life. Join us!"
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Perennial Plant Association's 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year: Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'
The Perennial Plant of the Year honors time-tested perennials that not only look lovely but behave well. This year's winner, Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum,' or Variegated Solomon's Seal, offers small, white bell-shaped flowers with a light sweet scent in mid-to late-spring, but its real beauty derives from its foliage and form-graceful, arching 18-24-inch stems with white-tipped leaves. In the autumn, when many perennials are looking tired, this Asian and European scion of the Polygonatum genus displays yellow foliage and bluish-black (non-edible) berries.
As for its behavior, Variegated Solomon's Seal demands relatively little of the gardener and plays well with other plants. Variegatum grows best in light shade, but tolerates sun and heavy shade. It prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soil, but thrives in a wide range of soil ph and in USDA Zones 3 to 8.
Given compost and consistent moisture to start, it happily spreads by rhizomes to form colonies. While not immune to pests, it is not their top choice either: both deer and slugs much prefer native Solomon's seals and hostas.
The question with all rhizome-spreaders is: just how vigorously do they spread? Wayne Mezitt, owner of Weston Nurseries, who has grown P. odoratum 'Variegatum' for decades, says it is relatively aggressive-faster than pachysandra-but easy to control. Plant one to three every three-square feet, and it will claim its territory.
This tall groundcover provides a spot of brightness in a shady border, but also works well under trees and shrubs, in naturalized areas, or cascading down a slope. Hostas, ferns, dicentra, mayapple, foamflower, jack-in-the-pulpit, and blue cohosh are all mentioned as companion plants, along with early-spring bulbs. The foliage is excellent in flower arrangements. I plan to use it to transform my lawn into a woodland garden.
When you visit the Gardens at Elm Bank you can see the Variegated Solomon's Seal in the Welcome Garden at the entrance gate.
(Photo credit: Stephen Still, PPA)
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