Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Design Workshop for Home Gardeners HOR 282

Christie Dustman, Designer, APLD
5 Sessions
Tue Jul 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug 4 6:30–8:30pm [HB]
Explore principles of garden design and develop a plan for a specific area of your yard. In this beginner-level design class, you will explore the importance of line, scale, circulation, unity, and repetition as the organizational components of a coherent garden. You’ll also consider finer details such as color, focal point, depth, layering, and connecting indoors to outdoors. Christie Dustman will use before and after examples of projects she has completed to illustrate the design process. You will be required to draw a base plan for your site and identify your wish list of features. In analyzing your own and your classmates’ base plans and needs, you will practice the process of design and then begin to apply principles to your site plan. Christie will then lead in-class reviews, soliciting solutions from students and suggesting her own. You will leave class with a plan in progress from which to continue your design exploration. This class is primarily about garden space, and, as such, will not include garden design, though some key plant elements may be discussed.

Email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu for a list of materials and instructions on creating your base plan for the first class.

Fee $100 member, $120 nonmember

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Landscapes: Urban and Rural

The photographs of Roger Cody

By forcing the photographer to impose limits and provide visual meaning to what amounts to a pre-drawn canvas, the photograph has the possibility of communicating a personal vision, revealing lines and relationships previously hidden. Mr. Cody will exhibit a collection of landscapes that provide an opportunity to see the familiar and ordinary as something more. The locales are diverse, but the collection of images is united by a commonality of artifice—the transformations used to make the impersonal and chaotic, personal and meaningful.

July 13-August 6, 2009
Reception: July 14, 5:00-7:00pm

Location: The Landscape Institute, 30 Chauncy Street, Cambridge, MA

Introduction to Floral Structures BOT 127B

Kanchi Gandhi, Botanist, Harvard University Herbaria
2 Sections of 5 sessions

Section A Tue June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 6:30–8:30pm [HUH]

Section B Tue July 14, 21, 28, 4, 11 6:30–8:30pm [HUH]

Charles Darwin called the origin of flowering plants an "abominable mystery." The diversity found in floral structure makes it easy to understand his frustration. In this basic overview, Kanchi Gandhi will teach you to look at flowers as the complex structures that they are with slides, handouts, and dried and fresh specimens. You will learn floral characters of some of the major plant groups (families). Participants will also learn to use keys to identify plant families. Bring a hand lens if you have one. Examples of groups for the relevant sections are listed below.

A: Amaranths, Begonias, Buttercups, Carnations, Elms, Evening Primroses, Geraniums, Hollies, Legumes, Magnolias, Mallows, Maples, Mustards, Oranges, Oxalis, Poinsettias, Parsleys, Pokeweed, Purslane, Roses, Violets, and Walnuts

B: Asters, Buddleias, Honeysuckle, Iris, Lilies, Milkweeds, Mints, Morning-glories, Olives, Phlox, Potato, Snapdragons, Squashes, Orchids, and Tulips

Fee $115 member, $140 nonmember
Offered in collaboration with the New England Wild Flower Society

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

What Is That Shrub? Why Should I Care? HOR 144

Michael Dosmann, Curator of Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum
1 Session
Wed Jul 15 6:00pm–8:00pm [HB]
Most people don’t pay attention to many of the plants they pass by daily; many of these commonly used plants tend not to merit a second glance. Yet Michael Dosmann thinks there’s value in getting to know these common shrubs as well as a few alternatives to the mundane. You will begin in the classroom for some identification basics and then walk to the Arboretum’s Leventritt Garden and other parts of the landscape to compare shrubs typically planted in suburban and city sites with alternatives.

Fee $20 member, $25 nonmember

Outdoor Photography Workshop

Laura Faye Martin, Photographer
3 Sessions
Thu Jul 16, 23 6:30–8:30pm [NSHS] and Sat Jul 18 2:30-5:30pm [HB] (Raindate: July 19)
Explore the basics of outdoor nature photography in this hands-on workshop for both beginning and more experienced students. The type of camera does not matter. This class is about taking photos that shine and tell a story, not about learning your camera's specific controls. You'll explore shooting techniques—use of angles, light, shadow, subject—and then use these skills in the field to produce photos that you love. Evening sessions will meet at Newton South High School and the Saturday session will meet at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain for a half day of outdoor shooting and discussion. (Be prepared to do extensive walking.) During the final meeting, you will show your work and receive both peer and instructor feedback.

Fee $70 member, $83 nonmember

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.

Drop-in Family Activities

Come join us at the tent outside the Hunnewell Visitor Center for the first in a series of free Saturday drop-ins, geared toward children and families. Activities may include crafts, science investigations, scavenger hunts and more! Look for one more drop-in in August 29th. Appropriate for ages 4-12.

Root Works: Works on Paper by Linda Murray

June 13–July 26, 2009
Hunnewell Building Lecture Hall

Reception with the artist
Saturday, June 13, 1:00–3:00pm
Drop-in family activity
Saturday, July 25, 11:00am–1:00pm

When a huge 100-year-old maple toppled, narrowly missing Linda Murray’s studio, it set in motion a two-year exploration of trees in Murray’s art. She believes that “old trees exude something that is intangible, a presence of strength and wisdom. These trees are saying, ‘I am a survivor. I was here before you were born and I will be here when you are gone.’ They transcend time.” Ethereal images
in watercolor, mixed media, and graphite capture the damp, hushed feeling of a deep forest. Delicate moss creeps at the base of giant trunks, and exposed roots reveal faces within.

Linda Murray lives in Bath, Maine, and holds a BS in Studio Art from the University of Maine at Augusta. Her artwork is included in many private collections and is part of the University of Maine’s permanent collection. Murray teaches art to adults and children in public and private venues.

Note: The lecture hall is often used for meetings and classes. Please call 617.384.5209 for exhibition availability.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra Concert at Jamaica Pond

Free Classical Music Concert
Sunday, July 26 at 6:00 pm
Great Lawn At Jamaica Pond

Charles Ansbacher conducts the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, featuring acclaimed 22-year-old cellist Jacqueline Choi. This public performance includes the music of Mendelssohn, Haydn, and the world premiere of The Story of Frederick Law Olmsted by Thomas Oboe Lee.

Presented by the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department-ParkARTS and Friends of Jamaica Pond in partnership with the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Friends of Fairsted, and the National Park Service Frederick Law Olmsted National Historical Park.

This is a rain or shine event. In case of rain, please visit www.landmarksorchestra.org. For more information, call 617.520.2200.

Free Walking Tour

Experience the Arboretum in a new way—take a guided tour and gain a richer understanding of this special place. Trained docents point out seasonal highlights and tell you stories the plants would tell—if they could talk! Every tour is different; you’ll hear about the science of trees, Arboretum history, future Arboretum plans, and points of interest.

Tours begin in front of the Hunnewell Building unless otherwise noted, last around 90 minutes, and are geared toward adults. There is no need to register. For more information or cancellation updates due
to inclement weather, call 617.384.5209.