Somerville Garden Club

New England Wildflower Society – Fall 2010 Listings

October, 2010 Listings – Adult Classes, Gardening, Horticulture, Field Trips in Eastern MA

Friday, October 1, 2010, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Intermediate Wetland Delineation, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. This hands-on workshop uses lectures and fieldwork to teach current regulatory standards and allows students to experience wetland delineation in the field. Instructor William Kuriger, Ph.D., reviews field indicators for vegetation, soils, and hydrology, atypical situations, problem area wetlands and manual requirements by State and Army Corps methods. The afternoon fieldwork occurs at a nearby wetland system featuring challenging soil and hydrological characteristics. Routine delineations take place along a number of transects. Following field work, we review completed data sheets, transect characteristics, and hold a question and discussion session. Fee: $98 (Member) / $115 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Saturday, October 2, 2010, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Fire Ecology of Camp Edwards, Bourne and Sandwich, MA. Camp Edwards, part of the Massachusetts Military Reservation, comprises 15,000 acres of high quality woodland and shrubland habitat with some grassland areas. The site has a history of both small and large wildfires (thousands of acres). Over the last twenty years, the Natural Resource Management Program has conducted prescribed burns to reduce fuel loads and to promote natural communities that support many state listed plants and animals. Instructor Joel Carlson visits several forested, shrubland, and grassland areas of the 1,000 contiguous acres recently burned, and discuss fire history and ecology, in addition to identifying common plants of the area. Fee: $36 (Member) / $41 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Sunday, October 3, 2010, 12-3:30 p.m., Ferns in the Fall, Blue Hills Reservation, Milton, MA. When fading sunlight and perhaps a frost have shriveled the undergrowth and turned it brown, evergreen ferns and club-mosses stand out in dramatic contrast. On a walk through the Blue Hills Reservation, instructors Don Lubin and Raymond Abair visit a dozen evergreen species and other pteridiphyte taxa, including polypody, Christmas and grape ferns, five wood ferns and maybe a spleenwort, four club-mosses and a horsetail. Fee: $28 (Member) / $32 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 7-9 p.m., Native Bulbs for New England Gardens, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. A large variety of North American species actually perform better if the whole plant is transplanted from a container in the spring rather than bare root in the fall. Laura Eisener highlights some of the beautiful native plants that grow from bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, including spring and summer blooming species. These hardy, long-lasting perennials make delightful additions to your sun or shade garden. Fee: $22 (Member) / $26 (Nonmember). Cosponsored by New England Wild Flower Society and Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm. Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Wednesday, October 6, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Autumn Walk through Forest and Bog, Acton, MA. Acton Arboretum, a little gem of conservation land, offers 53 acres of orchards, meadows, woodlands and wetlands. Instructor: Roland “Boot” Boutwell hikes with the class through old apple orchards, alongside ponds, through woodlands and over a boardwalk through a bog where cranberries were once harvested. Witch hazel (Hammalis virginiana) should just be coming into bloom in the woodlands. Discover pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) by the bog. Fee: $28 (Member) / $32 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Saturday, October 9, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Barrier Beach Ecology and Tracking, Coast Guard Beach, Eastham, MA. Instructor C. Diane Boretos explores one of the Capes most spectacular barrier beach ecosystems and learn about important natural processes associated with this barrier and the Nauset Marsh. Look for track and sign of some local fauna such as coyote, red fox, mink, river otter and meadow voles. Hiking is fairly easy. Fee: $36 (Member) / $43 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Saturday, October 9, 2010, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East, Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, MA. For gardeners of all levels, this day-long program provides a comprehensive foundation for garden design using regionally native plants. Instructor Carolyn Summers includes basic design concepts and styles, wildlife benefits, sustainable design and maintenance, and strategies for “safe sex in the garden” to reduce the spread of non-native invasives. Learn to apply basic ecological and design principles in your own or your clients’ gardens. Fee: $60 (Member) / $70 (Nonmember). Cosponsored by New England Wild Flower Society and Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Saturday, October 16, 2010, 1-3:30 p.m., Fungi in the Field. MA Audubon Drumlin Farm, Lincoln, MA. Can you distinguish a bolete from a gilled mushroom? And what technically is a mushroom anyway? Fall is fungi season in the Northeast, the best time to discover and identify what’s out in the field. Instructor Jef Taylor explains the crucial and sometimes astonishing roles these fascinating life forms have in the ecosystem and some methods for identifying mushrooms and other fungi all around us. Fee: $20 (Member) / $24 (Nonmember). Cosponsored by New England Wild Flower Society and MA Audubon Drumlin Farm. Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 10 a.m.-12 noon (Rain date: Wednesday, October 20, 10 a.m.-12 noon). Fall in the Garden, Lincoln, MA. And then get up and do what has to be done! Get inspired by this hands-on opportunity to learn about all the various garden activities to do in the autumn. Instructor Robin Wilkerson gives tips on planting, dividing, fall clean-up, pruning, and preparing for the winter months ahead. This combination garden walk and gardening workshop is set in a beautiful two-acre garden that includes a native plant woodland, a large vegetable garden and orchard, and diverse perennial beds. Fee: $24 (Member) / $29 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

Monday, Tuesday, October 25, 26, 2010, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Ecological Landscaping Techniques, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA Do you want to be a greener gardener or professional landscaper? Ecological landscaping instructor Scott LaFleur emphasizes techniques designed to enhance and preserve floral and faunal diversity both above and below the soil line, and to provide sustainability over the long term. Some techniques prevent alteration of existing soil biota and hydrology, while others, such as compost and compost tea, improve soil function and plant health. Receive hands-on training on approaches to site analysis, choosing appropriate plant material for each site, and mitigation of adverse effects of past land uses. Fee: $154 (Member) / $185 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

October, 2010 Listings – Kids Classes, Gardening, Horticulture, Field Trips in Eastern MA

Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 3:30-5:30 p.m., Rock and Roll, Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA. For children in Grades 2-5. Come to the Garden to collect rocks and watch them roll in our rock tumbler, becoming shiny and smooth. We will study crystals, and learn about quartz, fool’s gold and geodes. How do scientists classify rocks? What kinds of things can you learn by smashing rocks open? Instructor: Bonnie Drexler investigates these and other geological questions with the class and creates a rock collection to take home. Fee: $12 (Member) / $14 (Nonmember). Pre-registration is necessary, contact the registrar at 508-877-7630, ext. 3303.

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