Boston Flora

  • Saturday, September 26, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Shindig at Baker Bridge

    On Saturday, September 26, please join The Food Project’s trustees, staff, and youth for a fresh, new version of our Big Shindig fundraiser, re-imagined as a self guided culinary and interactive experience on Lincoln’s Baker Bridge Farm. Show you support for three decades of building a more sustainable and just food system for all. Celebrate and support this transformative work.

    At the Baker Bridge Farm, The Food Project stewards 31 acres of conservation land in Lincoln, MA) approximately 15 miles outside of Boston), growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and cover crops. Much of the food grown here supports our food access initiatives in Boston’s Dudley neighborhood, supplementing the produce grown on our urban farms. This produce is distributed to our SNAP/HIP-accessible farmers’ market on the Dudley Town Common, donated to several hunger relief organizations, and sold through The Food Project’s CSA farm share.

    Drive by the Baker Bridge Farm on a summer day and you’ll see dozens of teenagers, hailing from Acton to Boston and everywhere in between, who have come together to work towards the shared purpose of growing food. These young people gain hands-on experience with sustainable agriculture while participating in workshops about food justice and sustainable agriculture, leading volunteers on the farm, and exploring innovative ways to expand food access.

    Operation of this site is made possible through a continuing partnership with the Town of Lincoln’s Conservation Commission. The Food Project has been farming in Lincoln since 1992 and working at this plot of land since 1998.

  • Saturday, October 3, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Cocktails in the Colonies: America’s 250th Birthday at the Pearson Tavern

    Come party with the Museum of Old Newbury at the Pearson Tavern in Newburyport on October 3 at 6 pm, sip on cocktails, and enjoy a night to remember. This event is a fundraiser for the Museum.

    Celebrate America’s 250th birthday in a house that was already old when independence was declared. This exclusive Museum of Old Newbury members-only evening at the privately owned Pearson Tavern brings together colonial cocktails, hearty food, live music, firelight, tavern tales, and a lively performance of An Evening at Pearson’s Tavern, featuring Jeremiah Pearson, local patriots, and a young Lord Timothy Dexter.

    Step inside the Tavern, built in the late 17th century for a night of history, hospitality, and Revolutionary good cheer. Traditionally said to have operated as a tavern from 1732 to 1837, this remarkable Byfield home offers a fitting setting for a party honoring America’s 250th birthday.

    This is a special opportunity to enter a private historic home that is not ordinarily open to the public and immerse yourself in the 18th century life of a tavern. Space is strictly limited, and attendance is reserved for Museum of Old Newbury members. Need to check your membership status? Give us a call at 978-462-2681 or email info@newburyhistory.org. Ticket prices start at $250.

  • Saturday, September 12, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – Medway Community Farm FarmFest

    Mark your calendars and save the date for Medway Community Farm’s celebration of the 2026 season, FarmFest, on September 12th, 12 PM – 4 PM!

    FarmFest is an annual celebration of community, local food, and outdoor fun. Whether you’re a longtime supporter or a first-time visitor, there’s something for everyone.

    Food Trucks
    Beer Tent
    Music
    Vendors
    Kid’s Activities
    More details to be shared.

    Gate fee $5.00 per person, with a cap of $20.00 per family.
    Purchase tickets on our website, pay at the Welcome Table (cash, Venmo).

    Activities are in the works!
    Visit our website and Facebook event for updates.

  • Sunday, September 13, 10:30 am – 12:00 noon – Hall’s Pond Guided Walk

    The Friends of Hall’s Pond and the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance invite you to take a guided walk in the Hall’s Pond Nature Sanctuary on September 13. Participants will explore the renovated and improved features of the sanctuary, observe local wildlife, and discover many of the tree species around the pond and in Amory Woods. Email info@brooklinegreenspace.org for more information.

  • Friday, September 18 – Sunday, September 20 – Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival

    Three days of fun and educational seminars, tastings, dinners and the fan-favorite Sunday Jazz Buffet Brunch await you in Marble House and Rosecliff at the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival on September 18 – 20.

    Celebrated Chef and Chopped judge Maneet Chauhan will join us as host of the elegant Vintner Dinner and as featured guest for a conversation in the Rosecliff Ballroom. For complete listing of events, and links for registration, visit https://www.newportmansions.org/events/newport-mansions-wine-food-festival-2026/

  • Thursday, September 24, 5:30 pm – 10:30 pm – Afterglow at the Arnold

    The Arnold Arboretum and The Young Friends of the Arnold host Afterglow at the Arnold on Thursday, September 24, in the Arnold Arboretum’s Explorers Garden. The VIP experience begins at 5:30pm, and the afterparty begins at 7:30.

    This enchanting evening of discovery under the stars celebrates the Arboretum as a free public park in the City of Boston, a “museum of trees,” a conservation and research institution, and a community resource for education and well-being. The event will be hosted in our Arnold Arboretum’s Explorers Garden on Bussey Hill, where plants collected from around the world are cultivated to support the study and preservation of biodiversity. Guests will engage with Arboretum experts while enjoying cocktails and passed food in the living collections, followed by music and dancing under a tent.

    Pricing ranges from $115 – $1,000 (patron ticket). Register and learn more at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/support/afterglow-at-the-arnold/

  • Tuesday, September 8, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm GMT – The Beth Chatto Approach to Ecological Planting in Public Spaces, Online

    Join The Garden Museum on September 8 online for an evening in conversation with Julia Boulton, CEO of Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens; John Little of the Grass Roof Company; Daryl Moore of Cityscapes, and wildlife advocate Chris Gibson, as they explore the power of ecological planting to transform the places we live, work and share.

    At a time when our public spaces are expected to do more than ever – for people, wildlife and the climate – this discussion will examine how thoughtful planting can reshape neglected urban landscapes, streets, parks and new residential developments into vibrant, resilient places that are rich in character, support biodiversity, and foster stronger connections between communities and the natural world.

    Drawing on Beth Chatto’s philosophy of “right plant, right place” the speakers will explore how selecting plants that are naturally suited to their environment can create landscapes that are both beautiful and resilient. Sharing their experience of planting into sand and rubble to create thriving habitats in the most challenging urban conditions, the panel will discuss practical approaches that embrace rather than fight the realities of a site.

    Rooted in the pioneering principles established by Beth Chatto, the speakers will explore how the ethos that defines Beth Chatto’s Plant & Gardens has inspired projects far beyond the garden gates. Moderated by Julia Boulton, the panel will examine how thoughtful design, resilient plant communities and sustainable horticultural practises can create public spaces that are both beautiful, biodiverse and enduring.

    The conversation will highlight projects inspired by Beth Chatto’s ethos: the award-winning Meanwhile Garden in central Colchester, the nearby Albert roundabout and Chattowood housing development; demonstrating how ecological planting can transform overlooked corners of our towns and cities, or shape new neighbourhoods; showing how ecological planting offers an opportunity to create places that are not only more sustainable and climate resilient, but also more welcoming and enriching for everyone who uses them.

    The discussion will cover practical approaches to increasing biodiversity, selecting plants that thrive in challenging conditions, working with different substrates, and managing planting schemes for long-term success. The speakers will also reflect on the collaborations, partnerships and shared expertise that have helped bring the Beth Chatto approach into the public realm. £10 Livestream Register at www.gardenmuseum.org.uk

  • Sunday, September 13, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – The Dead Botanists Society (Rain Date September 21)

    For New England Botanical Society’s 130th anniversary, we’ll be celebrating with the ‘Dead Botanists Society’ of Mount Auburn Cemetery. The cemetery, established in 1831, is a National Historic Landmark and considered the first “garden cemetery” in the United States. The collection features more than 2,500 taxa (in over 20,000 plantings) throughout 175-acres. It is also the final resting place for several notable botanists in NEBS’s history. The event begins at 9:30 am on September 13 (rain date September 21).

    Jim Gorman of Mount Auburn Visitor Services will provide a list of plants in flower and talk about the cemetery and eminent botanists prior to the founding of New England Botanical Club in 1896. This includes Asa Gray and the garden named in his honor that was recently renovated and Jacob Bigelow, the architect of the cemetery. Samantha Richardson, Mount Auburn Manager of Horticulture Records, will provide a customized tour map and describe the Flora of Mount Auburn online plant records database of trees, shrubs, and ground covers. Nancy Eyster-Smith, NEBS Corresponding Secretary, will provide biographical highlights of members of the “Dead Botanists Society,” at the burial sites. This includes founding members of NEBC who served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Corresponding Secretary, Curators of herbaria, and Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora, as well as the well-known Merritt Lyndon Fernald. Additional highlights of the tour will include trees recorded as Massachusetts or New England champions for their species and the Franklin Tree (Franklinia alatamaha), now extinct in the wild, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.

    Location: Mount Auburn Cemetery. Meet at the Story Chapel, 580 Mt Auburn St, Cambridge, MA, for an introduction before we head out on the tour. The walk is about 1 mile. Bring water and wear comfortable shoes. Picnicking is not permitted on the cemetery grounds.

    FREE and open to members and nonmembers. For more information visit https://rhodora.org/meetings/

  • Friday, September 11, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Fearless With Color: Selected Works in Watercolor

    Experience the bold, expressive watercolor paintings of acclaimed artist John Barnard (1924–2018) in Fearless With Color, a special exhibition celebrating light, landscape, and the beauty of the natural world. The opening of the exhibit will take place September 11 from 5 – 8 at the Prescott Community Center in Groton, Massachusetts, sponsored by the Nashua River Watershed Association.

    Known for his fearless use of color and expressive brushwork, Barnard’s paintings capture the energy, beauty, and emotion of the natural landscape. His work invites viewers to experience a deeper connection to a place and serves as a powerful reminder of the landscapes and waterways that enrich our communities.

    We are especially grateful that a portion of proceeds from artwork sales will be donated to NRWA. These contributions help advance our work to protect water quality, restore habitat, educate future environmental stewards, and promote the long-term health of the Nashua River watershed.

    We encourage community members, art enthusiasts, and conservation supporters alike to visit the exhibition and celebrate the connection between art, nature, and environmental stewardship.

    Please contact John Barnard, 978-382-3032, for more information.

  • Thursday & Friday, November 5 & 6, 8:30 am – 3:45 pm – Newport Symposium: What Makes It American

    This November, the Newport Symposium explores the theme “What Makes It American” with a series of lectures and tours examining the origins and legacy of art, architecture, landscape and design in the United States. As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, presenters will discuss the history of our national—and Newport—identity through visual culture. The event takes place over two days at Marble House and Rosecliff. A star-studded list of speakers includes Robyn Asleson, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Raissa Bretaña, Fashion Historian at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Rachel A. Heslop, Senior Project Coordinator at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, Thomas Jayne, Interior Designer with Jayne Design Studio, K.L.H. Wells, Author and Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaulkee, and Christopher YOung, Vice President and Creative Director of Tiffany & Co. Register at https://www.newportmansions.org/events/save-the-date-newport-symposium/