Adult Education

50 Favorite Plants with Tracy Disabato-Aust HOR427

Tracy Disabato-Aust
1 Session
Thursday, April 2 7:00–8:30pm (Newton South High School)

Tracy Disabato-Aust has taught thousands of readers how to design and maintain their gardens. Her first book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, is widely considered the “bible” for perennial maintenance. Now with 50 Favorite Plants for High-Impact Gardens, Tracy presents 50 show-stopping plants are easy to grow. Each has passed Tracy’s test for toughness, beauty, and durability, chosen after years of studying how to make beautiful outdoor spaces with a minimum of maintenance. Don’t miss hearing Tracy’s gardening advice, delivered with high energy and humor.
Tracy is an accomplished gardener, presenter, and … tri-athlete. With keen perception she captures in her writing not only the physical characteristics of plants, but also the emotions evoked by plants… through scent, color, and associations. When not fulfilling national and international speaking and writing commitments, she is training and racing as an “All American” at the national and world levels in triathlons and duathlons. Tracy’s books will be available for purchase and signing.

Fee: $15

Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Newton Community Education, New England Wild Flower Society, and Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture

See the cover of Tracy DiSabato-Aust's book here (pdf).

Planting and Transplanting: Demonstrated Techniques for Trees and Shrubs HOR 195

John DelRosso, Head Arborist, Arnold Arboretum
1 Session
Sat Apr 4 9:00am–1:00pm [DG]
Setting out young trees and shrubs is a major spring gardening task. Learn planting and transplanting techniques that will give a new tree or shrub the best chance of survival. John DelRosso will cover planting-hole preparation, settling the plant in, finishing touches, and maintenance. After the lecture, he will demonstrate these techniques in the Arboretum’s nursery. Dress for the outdoors.

Fee $40 member, $48 nonmember
Credit APLD: 1.5ceu; MCLP: 1ceu; MCA: .5ceu

Introduction to Botanical Drawing and Painting: Woody Plants ART 110

Ruth Ann Wetherby-Frattasio, Botanical Artist and Art Instructor
4 Sessions
Mon Apr 6, 13, 20, 27 1:00–4:00pm [HB]
Artist Ruth Ann Wetherby-Frattasio will teach techniques for depicting the finer details of trees and shrubs—budding boughs, newly unfurled leaves, and blossoming twigs. Participants will learn to see like an artist and will practice drawing in an encouraging atmosphere. A simple drawing method will be demonstrated followed by instruction in painting techniques, including the color mixing necessary for achieving the neutrals of bark, the mossy greens of leaves, the whites of emerging buds, and the delicate pinks, violets, reds, and yellows of flowers. Beginners will start with a technique for placing an image on paper. Continuing students will develop their skills further. During this class, botanical works by artist Esther Heins will be on display in the lecture hall, providing inspiration. Email adulted@arnarb.harvard.edu to request a list of supplies you will need for this class.

Fee $130 member, $155 nonmember
Offered in collaboration with Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture

Do Manutenção de Jardins em Português (Landscape Maintenance in Portuguese) HOR 127

CANCELED
Luiz Ibanhez, Supervisor de Manutenção, NatureWorks Landscape Services, Inc.
1 Sessão
Terça-feira, 7 abril, 9:00h da manhã às 3:00h da tarde [HB]
Melhore sua compreensão de horticultura e aumente suas habilidades de trabalho. Esta aula de um dia introduzirá os fundamentos da manutenção de jardinagem. Luiz Ibanhez, orador em Português nativo que trabalha na área há 8 anos, discutirá o seguinte:
• Prática de Manutenção
• Fertilidade do Solo
• Crescimento e Saúde das Plantas
• Técnicas de Poda e Plantio
• Avaliação de Planta
• Equipamento de Segurança
A aula será dada em Português e acontecerá em lugar fechado e aberto, ambos nas dependências do Arnold Arboretum. Serão dados Certificados de Participação aos participantes presentes. A taxa inclui café da manhã e materiais do programa. Os estudantes deverão trazer almoço.
Pegue a Linha Laranja para Forest Hills siga as placas para o Arboretum.

Taxa $60

Growing Vegetables in the City HOR 173

Abby Hird, Putnam Fellow, Arnold Arboretum
3 Sessions
Tue Apr 7, 14, 28 6:30–8:30pm [HB]
Learn the where, what, and why of urban vegetable gardening with horticulturist Abby Hird. Raised on a Nebraska farm, educated in horticulture, and now living here in Boston, Abby Hird will talk about her gardening adaptations in the city environment. She will guide you through site evaluation, plant selection, and common problems and possible solutions in raising home-grown food. She’ll also talk about community resources for gardening, ideas for maximizing yield from a small plot, as well as ways to grow food more sustainably. This class is for nascent gardeners and those who have been frustrated by previous run-ins with vegetables.

Fee $60 member, $72 nonmember

Greening with Native Trees and Shrubs HOR 121

Nancy Rose, Editor, Arnoldia, Arnold Arboretum
1 Session
Thu Apr 16 6:30–8:30pm [HB]
Native vs. non-native is a hot topic in horticultural circles. There are plenty of good reasons to choose native plants: they’re essential to the lifecycle of native birds, insects, and other animals; they’re adapted to the regional climate; and many are highly ornamental as well. But the issue isn’t really as simple as that. For starters, how do we even define “native”? And are native plants really the best choice in landscapes that have been so completely human-altered that there’s nothing “native” about them? Though horticulturist Nancy Rose can’t resolve all the questions, she will identify some of the arguments and reasons for “going native” and then suggest appropriate trees and shrubs. She will speak about plant characteristics, cultural requirements, and site conditions that should be considered in the selection – including examples of situations where a native plant isn’t necessarily the best choice.

Fee $20 member, $25 nonmember

Understanding and Growing Ericaceous Plants BOT 235

Bill Cullina, Author, Plant and Garden Curator, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
1 Session
Fri Apr 17 10:00am–4:00pm [NEWFS]
Almost every landscape in southern New England contains at least a few rhododendrons, laurels, or azaleas. With acidic, forested soils and a moderate, moist climate, our region is well suited for many members of the heath family (Ericaceae), and we have one of the most diverse assemblages of species anywhere in North America. In this in-depth seminar, Bill Cullina showcases all of the eastern species from Arctostaphylos to Zenobia, detailing their ecology, form, cultivation, and landscape uses. The day concludes with a tour of Garden in the Woods’ outstanding collection. Includes morning coffee, snacks, and lunch.

Fee $85 member, $105 nonmember
Offered in collaboration with the New England Wild Flower Society

Gardens and Spirituality HOR 481

NOTE: Tickets available at the door. Now closed to online registration.

Julie Moir Messervy
1 Session
Sat Apr 18 2:00–3:30pm [Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston]
Julie Moir Messervy’s vision for composing gardens of beauty and meaning is changing the way people think about and experience their outdoor surroundings. With thirty years of experience, four books and numerous high-profile lectures, Julie has emerged as a leader of a movement in which landscape design is as much about a personal journey as it is about leaving an imprint upon the earth. She has inspired a new generation of landscape designers, homeowners, and others to create gardens that reflect an inward vision deeply rooted in outdoor archetypes, childhood imagination, and esthetic impulses. In this lecture at Boston's Trinity Church, Julie will show gardens that engender spirituality and reveal how spirituality can inform garden design. Her forthcoming book, Home Outside: Creating the Landscapes You Love, will be available for purchase and signing.

Fee $20 member, $25 nonmember
Co-sponsored by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and Trinity Church in the City of Boston

Private Spaces: Garden Redesign for Homeowners HOR 219

Peter Medaglia, Landscape Designer and Owner, Gold Medal Gardens
4 Sessions
Mon Apr 20, 27, May 4, 11 6:30–8:30pm [HB]
Have you bought a home and with it an overgrown garden? Or are you living with a garden that's become uninspiring? If so, how do you redesign your garden to mesh with your ideas of what a garden should be? Even the smallest of yards can become a successful garden if planned wisely. You will learn how to design your personal space for maximum use and aesthetic appeal and to deal with questions of sun, shade, drainage, and water in an urban or suburban environment. Peter will discuss plants suitable for smaller spaces and will work with you to develop your own redesign. Students will have the opportunity to attend a private garden tour in Boston with the instructor later in the season (additional Fee payable to the instructor).

Fee $96 member, $115 nonmember

Trees Inspire WAL 121A

Robbie Apfel and Bart Kelso, Arboretum Docents
1 Session
Sun Apr 26 3:00pm [HB]
Trees have always inspired human beings, and people, in turn, have attributed special meaning and significance to trees. See some of these trees (or their close relatives) during this special walk. You will visit trees mentioned in the Bible, Native American tradition, and southeast Asian sacred practices. You will also visit specimen trees that have been especially inspirational to Arboretum visitors because of their remarkable size or shape, majestic beauty, or the way they awaken in us a sense of reverence and awe.

Free. Advance registration requested

Garden Tools: Care and Sharpening HOR 220

Kit Ganshaw, Horticultural Technologist and Sue Pfeiffer, Curatorial Fellow
1 Session
Thu Apr 30 6:00–8:00pm [HB]
Selecting the right hand tools for garden use can mean the difference between pleasure and drudgery, even injury. When should you use secateurs rather than loppers or shears? Which kind of hand-saw is best for your purposes? How do you keep tools clean and sharp? In this demonstration and discussion, Kit and Sue will share their opinions of their favorite tools and help match the tool to the task and the person. This is a chance to get answers to your specific tool questions. The session will include a sharpening workshop. Bring your hand pruners and other tools. Registrants must sign an Assumption of Risk and Release to participate in this class.

Fee $20 member, $25 nonmember