Boston Flora

  • Tuesday, November 17, 5:00 am – 6:00 am Eastern (but recorded) – John Evelyn & the Art of Deception, Online

    This Gardens Trust online talk on November 17 from David Marsh looks at John Evelyn and the Art of Deception in the 17th Century Garden.

    All historical periods have their moments where deceit and illusion was important from the Trojan Horse onwards, but the 17th century took things to a new height. This talk looks at the work of John Evelyn (1620-1706) one the key personalities in the evolution of the modern intellectual world. He was a prolific author and diarist, a founding member of the Royal Society and a friend of Pepys, John Locke, and Christopher Wren as well as artists, scientists and politicians. And he loved contrivance and artificiality in almost field of life including in the garden. Be prepared to be surprised by what he thought he could get away with.

    This ticket is for this individual session and costs £8 (Gardens Trust members £6 ) Register on Eventbrite HERE.

    Ticket holders can join the session live and/or view the recording until 1 December.

    Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days prior to the start of the talk, and again a few hours before the talk. A link to the recorded session (available until 1 December) will be sent shortly afterwards.

  • Wednesday, November 18, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Ecologies of Justice Book Launch

    Join the launch party on November 18 at 6 pm at the Weld Hill Research Building at the Arnold Arboretum for the new book, Ecologies of Justice: Making and Unmaking Prison Worlds. Free but please register:
    https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launch-ecologies-of-justice-tickets-2002179755546

    Several of the book’s contributors will attend to discuss the book and sign copies.
    Book Description: What is the role of multi-species ecologies in creating spaces that counteract the violence in carceral systems and environmental destruction? This book brings together, for the first time, contributions on issues related to prison, jail, and reentry programs, community-based interventions, environmental justice, and sustainability. Through rigorous analysis, detailed case studies, poetry, and personal reflections, the book offers ways of thinking and acting at the intersection of environmental issues and the carceral system. It gathers hard-earned wisdom and insight of researchers, activists, practitioners, and community leaders from within and beyond prison walls who have taken up their projects despite profound institutional constraints.


    This event is co-sponsored by the H.E.R.O Nurturing Center, The New Garden Society, and the Ecologies of Justice Network. Pre-order the book through Rozzie Bound Books and pick it up at the event. This is a free event, but if you choose to pay the additional admission, the money will be donated to The New Garden Society to offset costs for the food and venue.

  • Friday, November 13, 7:45 pm – 9:00 pm – ECOC Lecture: The Resplendent Quetzal

    Join ornithologist Alan Poole for an exploration into the life and history of the Resplendent Quetzal — a dazzling, legendary bird of the highland forests of Central America. Author of the recent book Quetzals: Icons of the Cloud Forest (2023), Poole will lead us through the nesting and feeding ecology of this renowned bird, its role in Mayan and Aztec religions, and how Resplendents fit into the increasingly threatened rain forests that sustain them. In addition, we’ll take a look at what lies ahead for this (and other) quetzals — how conservation efforts are giving them a boost in some regions, while in others the birds are struggling. This talk will touch on land use in Central America, especially Costa Rica, through a quetzal lens. No species does more to bring current land use trends in this region into focus. Understanding those trends is key to maintaining the viability of highland tropical forests in the Americas, and the quetzals that depend on them.

    Alan Poole, Ph.D., an Associate of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, was editor of the Birds of North America life history series (18 volumes, 18,000 pages) for 22 years. In addition to his most recent book on quetzals, he also authored Ospreys: Revival of a Global Raptor, among other volumes. Poole lives along the coast of southeastern Massachusetts, and spends winters in the highlands of Costa Rica, where quetzals are a highlight.

    A book signing will follow the program. This event is co-hosted by the Peabody Essex Museum and the Essex County Ornithological Club. A brief meeting of the club will be held from 7:30–7:45 pm. All are welcome to attend! The venue is the Morse Auditorium at the PEM.

  • Monday, November 16, 6:30 pm – MassDOT Public Meeting: Bowker Project

    The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is hosting a public information meeting for the Bowker Overpass Replacement and Widening project to share updates on construction progress with the community. The project team will also present on the upcoming stages of construction. All residents, local business owners, and interested commuters are invited to attend. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions after the presentation. The meeting will take place Monday, November 16 at 6:30 pm at the Fenway Community Center, 1282 Boylston Street in Boston (entrance on Jersey Street.)

    MassDOT provides translation, interpretation, and other reasonable accommodations upon request. Requests should be made at least ten (10) business days prior to the event. Please contact MassDOT’s Highway Project Accommodations office at MassDOTHighwayProjectAccommodations@dot.state.ma.us for your accommodation needs.

    Project inquiries may also be emailed to MassDOTBowkeroverpass@dot.state.ma.us. Please submit any written statements regarding the proposed undertaking to: Carrie A. Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: PROJECT MANAGEMENT, PROJECT FILE NO. 606496

  • Thursday, November 12, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon Eastern – Trees, Forests & Orchards, Online

    Learn about the benefits of adding a community orchard or food forest program to your community garden network. Hear from Ashley Vernon of the Giving Grove, an affiliate network of community orchard programs based in community garden organizations, and Creighton Hofeditz of Denver Urban Gardens. The free Zoom event takes place November 12 at 11 am Eastern. Registration required.

    REGISTER at https://theurbangardenproject-world.zoom.us/meeting/register/1PPH7TPcSsCd8lW5tnBHAg#/registration.

  • Tuesday, November 10, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm GMT – The James & Joe Garden Show: Concrete & Clay, Online

    James Alexander-Sinclair and Joe Swift debate whether it is better to garden in a city or in the wilds of the country. This Garden Museum event takes place online on November 10 from 6:30 – 7:30 London time – you work that out, but you’ll get a link later to view if you mess up.

    Both began as landscapers in London and have now migrated to the country (Joe to Dorset and James to Oxfordshire). Do they miss the urban bustle? What are the best and worst bits of sprawling acres? For a start there are no deer in London (yet) and the rural foxes have much better manners.

    Nobody is absolutely sure where they will end up but expect a conversation about vertical gardening, sit on lawn mowers, how much ground elder is too much, is it possible to carry compost bags on the tube and similar existential dilemmas.

    There will also be time for questions although there are two very strict rules:

    No dead plants – if it is dead, you killed it: take some responsibility.
    No dull questions.

    We are here for questions about revenge, tattoos, historical fantasies, design, and anything that requires counseling.

    It will be a fun evening. As Mary Keen says “I love the James and Joe show, because they always manage to say some quite profound things, while being seriously silly.”

    £10 Livestream. All our live streams are recorded so you have the choice to watch the event live or enjoy at a later time that suits you on the same link. When you make your purchase, you will be sent the viewing link and password in your order confirmation email. To register, visit www.gardenmuseum.org/uk

  • Monday, November 16, 7:00 pm – Indigenous Knowledge & Climate Change: The Keys to Our Resilient Future

    The Museum of Science, in partnership with Amira Madison (Aquinnah Wampanoag), Hartman Deetz (Mashpee Wampanoag) highlights the work Indigenous communities are doing to combat climate change across the United States in this seasonal conversation series. This session takes place November 16 at 7 pm. Free with preregistration at www.mos.org

    Come to the William and Charlotte Bloomberg Public Science Common for an evening of powerful dialogue exploring how Indigenous knowledge and stewardship shape solutions for cleaner air and a more stable climate. We’ll dive into the role of healthy forests, wetlands, and grasslands in cleaning and cooling the air, the traditional practices, such as cultural burning, that tend the land and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire smoke, and the generations of observation that inform Indigenous understandings of wind, weather, and seasonal change. Together, we’ll explore how Indigenous peoples are renewing relationships between land, sky, and community.

  • Wednesdays, November 11 & 18, 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Eastern – The Evolution of Green Plants, Online

    In this two-part Native Plant Trust webinar, you will study theories about early plant evolution. We’ll review the evidence for plant evolution, including fossils, DNA, and morphology, to understand how photosynthetic organisms from ancient seas evolved and adapted to life on land. The second session of the webinar will focus on the evolution of gymnosperms and angiosperms (conifers and flowering plants). A recording of this class will be available for 30 days after the class date. The instructor is Lori Benoit, and the cost is $40. Register at https://nativeplanttrust.org/class/evolution-of-green-plants/

  • Sunday, December 13, 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm – Beacon Hill Holiday House Tour 2026

    Join the Nichols House Museum for the annual Beacon Hill Holiday House Tour on December 13 from noon – 4 pm. A celebration of this historic neighborhood’s festive best, the Tour offers you the rare opportunity to experience private homes decorated for the holiday season. This fundraiser showcases outstanding examples of historic preservation, as well as creative modern interpretations and adaptations in a broad range of architectural and interior design styles throughout Beacon Hill. The Nichols House Museum will also be open for self-guided tours for guests to experience historically inspired holiday traditions. A reception will follow the tour.

    Spend a festive day in the neighborhood. Tickets are $150 in advance, $175 on the day of the tour. Purchase at https://www.nicholshousemuseum.org/events/holiday-house-tour-2026/

  • Sunday, November 15, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – The Growth of Trees: A Journey Through Time

    Join Michael Wojtech on November 15 at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and discover how trees grow, reproduce, and interact with their environment across days, weeks, seasons, and years and over varying scales—from the intricate details of buds, flowers, leaves, and bark that we use for species identification to the collaborative roles of trees in ecosystems. Learn more about the function and experience the beauty of characteristics such as overwintering buds, lobed or toothed leaves, flowers by the thousands, and seeds that fly on the wind.
    Please come dressed to walk around the gardens, potentially on the forest trails.

    Michael is the author of Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. As a naturalist and educator, Michael strives to share the science and wonder of trees in an accessible and compelling fashion. He writes, photographs, illustrates, and presents programs about the structure, growth processes, and ecology of trees-including their bark, buds, leaves, roots, and wood-for audiences at all levels of experience. He is especially interested in the process of discovery and engagement and draws his greatest inspiration from sharing the sense of wonder, awe, and the recognition of beauty that result from these investigations.

    $55 for NEBG members, $66 for nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org