The Native Plant Trust, founded in 1900 as the Society for the Protection of Native Plants, and long known as the New England Wildflower Society, is the nation's first plant conservation organization. The society is dedicated to the preservation of native plants and operates the Garden in  the Woods (a native plant botanical garden) at its headquarters in Framingham, Massachusetts. It also offers courses on topics of conservation and horticulture of native plants. In addition it organizes  volunteers…

l Iove plants and books and as the days are longer and warmer I am thinking a lot about plants and books. This book Planting the Wild Garden, is by my dear friend Kathryn O. Galbraith with beautiful illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin. I'll bet you think you need seed packets to plant plants. But you don't. You'll have to read to know how to plant the wild garden. President Barack Obama  wrote a book that asks his…

The sycamore on the right, is in front of my  house, and the other younger sycamore is right across the street. They seem to be in a constant embrace. The Sycamore is also known as American plane tree, western plane, occidental plane, and buttonball. Whenever we give friends directions to our house we just direct them to the biggest tree in  the middle of the block. I did not know very much about sycamores until we moved to…

Peter E. Kukielski has been growing and working with roses for many years. I first met him when he was the curator of the New York Botanical Garden Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden 12 years ago. He gave me the full tour and told me about all the other roses that were scheduled to be added. I asked him how the garden could possibly hold any more roses. The garden was so full and so beautiful. He leaned towards…

Fashion in Art: Mirrors of Humanity Tuesday, February 23— 2:00–3:00pm Fashion, considered by some to be frivolous, elite, and/or inaccessible, in fact mirrors the complexities of who we are.  Edward Maeder’s insights capture how we perceive what we wear and why through artworks that record idiosyncratic, personal, and socio-political structures.  “Maeder’s book celebrates the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives, and the power of clothing to bring history to life” (Hamish Bowles, International Editor, Vogue). Edward Maeder, from Black…

Annuals play an important part in the garden. They bloom for a long season, and can cover the ground or reach high like the morning glories that cover the garden fence. Morning glories come in all manner of colors from the familiar Heavenly Blue to my favorite, Grandpa Ott with its deep blue and rich winey center. Zinnias come  is all colors, all sizes and all shapes.  They also attract bees. All  of us are paying more attention…

The backyard garden is full of snow and ice, but great balls o' fire  --- days awaistin'. I already have friends who say the seeds they ordered were told it was too late. It's no fun to see a page of a seed catalog and learn that half the seeds are no longer available. Last year, on March 22 I attended the Cabin Fever Seed Swap. Gardeners gathered to share their seeds, extra bought seeds and seeds from…

I am aware that  our world needs the plants and insects that have been obliterated because of the lack of plants that will feed them. That is why I, and many other gardeners, are choosing pollinator plants for their gardens. I planted a sunny bed of the brilliant Aesclepias tuberose, butterfly weed, in my garden  because I want to attract butterflies, especially Monarch butterflies which need the pollen and nectar. The female Monarchs lay their eggs on the…

I am not a member of the Soil Science Society of America, but I want to pass along the kinds of information it gives that can be of interest and help to all of us in our gardens. February 1, 2021 – Plant roots modify soil in different ways – depending on the root’s architecture. This Soil Science Society of America’s (SSSA) February 1st Soils Matter Blog explores plant roots and how plants modify soil in substantive ways. Blogger Jake…

 Landscapes of Exile and Belonging in American Literature February 3 — 2:00–3:00pm Instructor/Presenter: Michael Hoberman When William Bradford, the first governor of Plimouth Plantation, described the Pilgrims’ first glimpse of Cape Cod, the new landscapes that emphasized the bewilderment they felt at its “wild and savage hue.” Nearly three hundred years later, another Massachusetts writer, W.E.B. DuBois, spoke of  the landscapes and speaking of having “been born by a golden river and in the shadow of two great…