The Weston Garden Club is presenting a hands-on workshop, Learn the Art of Floral Design, led by floral design expert Lisa Sweet.

The workshop is being held Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 10:30 a.m. at the Norfield Grange, 12 Goodhill Road in Weston.

Ms. Sweet will show participants how to create a “little black dress” of a centerpiece, that, with a few substitutions, can take home entertainers from Thanksgiving through Christmas.

Participants should bring their own clippers. The $25 cost includes all other supplies.

To register, email lisarsweetct@gmail.com. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Monday
A telephone message came in over the weekend asking if we could identify a possible ash dieback case. It turned out to be mistaken identity. Not the disease, the tree; it was an unhealthy mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), not Fraxinus excelsior. From the (kneejerk) reaction of said owner, I can’t help thinking that recent media coverage may not be helping the plight of the ash tree, as anything resembling an ash on the property was about to be burned.

And as for all the finger-pointing going on: blaming nurseries for the spread of ash dieback and the government for not dealing with the problem sooner … deal with what exactly? Initiate a Reaganesque anti-spore missile defence system for the airborne pathogens that drift across the channel? In my opinion, no amount of slashing and burning, import bans or witch-hunting is going to make a lot of difference in the long run. Nature produced the die-back; ultimately nature will resolve it.

Chalara fraxinea is a particularly virulent fungus that will have devastating effects on the British landscape and associated living flora and fauna. But our native ash is a prolific seeder. There are signs of resistance in the ash populations of Europe (as much as 5% in Denmark) and we are likely to have similar amounts of genetically advantaged trees here. In time, this genetic resistance should be passed on in the seed and, just possibly, nature will right itself if we allow it. But it will take a while and is truly saddening.

Tuesday
I met Fiona Wells, the agricultural and conservation consultant for our project on the east coast of Suffolk. The parkland is 100 acres and we are in the process of applying for Natural England’s higher level stewardship scheme, an environmental benefit scheme in the management of the parkland for wildflower margins, hedgerow restoration, wildlife habitats and so on.

Fiona has produced a management plan for the estate and we were keen to meet the staff to instigate it. It’s exciting stuff as the owner is completely behind returning the estate to its pre-war self; small scale farming, coppicing woodland and hand-laid hedges – this scheme will help achieve this.

Wednesday
My regular fortnightly trip to Devon was exciting: the first phase of our rhododendron walk is now complete. Despite the tiny plants, it already gives a sense of what is to come. This will be the most comprehensive collection of regionally-themed species rhododendrons that I know of. It’s amusing as we walk through the area saying things like: “just popping down to Tibet and will meet you in Sikkim”.

Our esteemed head gardener Graham has skilfully built a series of streams and pools using a nearby lake overflow as the source, transforming the slope into something truly beautiful. I promise to issue some images of this area should the sun ever shine again, allowing for half decent photography.

Thursday
Stopped off in London on my way back from Devon. A new client in Regent’s Park would like a garden similar in style to our Chelsea show garden – but as a roof garden. I met with the client’s project manager and Dan Riddleston from Bowles Wyer Contracts to determine what design parameters we are up against. We will have only 100mm of soil depth to play with, although weight restriction is not a problem. I suspect we are going to go down the raised bed route, but how do we make a raised bed not look like a raised bed?

Friday
Attended the Society of Garden Designers’ first ever awards ceremony. It was a great success; I take my hat off to the organisers. I’m a little hazy on the details; I got to bed at 5.30 am and had a very expensive bar bill. Note to self: must train harder for the BALI awards on December 6.

Saturday
All day child-related cross-country events resulting in very proud parents.

Sunday
A blissful full day of logging. We have about an acre of wetland; mostly crack willow (Salix fragilis) and alder (Alnus glutinosa). Historically, the willow was pollarded for firewood and the alder was used for the production of charcoal. The alders have since grown into fine multi-stemmed specimens, some of which are entering into mortal decline (but will probably outlive us all). Each year, thousands of seedlings appear and we encourage suitably positioned specimens to grow on for the future. The willows have become unwieldy and continuously live up to their name, shedding large limbs all over the place – often crushing the young alders. I am nearly finished pollarding the worst limb-shedders and trees that were done over the last few years are showing good signs of regeneration. All deadwood and branches are stacked up and left to decompose au naturel.

The only other trees that grow down here are ash – three real beauties too. Priorities have now been changed and I spent the day clearing the competitive rank undergrowth beneath them. Sure enough, I found a number of ash seedlings in the vicinity and they were quickly given a cane, spiral guard and mulch. Fingers crossed.

• Thomas Hoblyn is a landscape and garden designer. This is the latest in a series of posts on the ups and downs of a life spent creating beautiful gardens.

THE 19th-century landscape gardener who created the gardens at Elvaston Castle is to have a blue plaque unveiled in his honour.

William Barron joins a long list of Derbyshire greats who have received the commemoration in recent years.

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   Elvaston Castle and its gardens survive into the 21st century. The original design by William Barron, below, included some “quirky” ideas.

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   William Barron of Borrowash and a drawing of Elvaston Castle, showing part of the “Mon Plaisir” gardens.

Others include Rolls-Royce founder Sir Henry Royce, Chatsworth’s world-famous former head gardener, Sir Joseph Paxton, and Cromford Mill’s Richard Arkwright.

A public vote decides which names receive the honour.

The plaque to commemorate Barron’s innovative and creative contribution to garden design will be unveiled at his former home in Nottingham Road, Borrowash, on November 30.

Andrew Lewer, the leader of Derbyshire County Council, who will unveil the plaque, said: “This is the fourth blue plaque we have put up this year to celebrate the important people and places of Derbyshire. William Barron was a virtual unknown until he was asked to create a new garden at Elvaston Castle.

“Using revolutionary techniques and creative flair, Barron transformed a flat, marshy wasteland into a magnificent country park that is deserving of its grade two listed status.

“This blue plaque serves as a just and timely reminder of Barron’s important contribution to his craft and to the county of Derbyshire which was his adopted home for over 60 years.”

After leaving Elvaston Castle, Barron built a successful business in Borrowash from where he sold plants and offered tree transplanting and landscape gardening services. The firm provided a number of jobs for local people and it continued to thrive as a family business until the inter-war years.

Barron was nominated by Rosemary Woodhouse and Margaret Barker, of the Ockbrook and Borrowash Heritage Society.

Mrs Woodhouse said she was thrilled the public had voted for Barron to be honoured with a blue plaque.

She said: “I am very pleased that William Barron was a popular choice for a blue plaque this year.

“Hopefully his contribution to Elvaston Castle and Borrowash will be recognised more widely now.”

Mrs Barker added: “I am delighted that so many people knew of Barron and his link to Derbyshire. His techniques combined the quirky with the beautiful. He was a true artist in every sense of the word.”

Derby City Council recently launched its own blue plaque scheme, which was first set up in London.

:Like a carefully tended garden, an antiques show requires organization and variety. Marvin Getman’s October 20–21 Boston Antiques and Design Show evinced the results of such care. Sales were good and energy was palpable. With Getman, each event is tighter than the last, and there is always some new enhancement.

Of the 160 dealers present, 25 were new to the event; and seven book and print dealers set up. Getman was confined to a motorized scooter that he used to speed around the Shriners Auditorium visiting booths. He was injured in a biking accident earlier in October. He is recovering nicely and plans, with his wife, to participate in the Pan Mass Challenge next summer.

Brian Cullity of Sagamore, Mass., showed a group of rare books that elicited sales, including a 1931 edition of

Madame Sex

by Isaac Goldberg that was printed privately at the Panurge Press in New York. Cullity, known for the fine and tastefully eclectic, also showed an English brass snuff box, circa 1780–1800, with an engraved and punched perpetual calendar on the lid. Choice Sandwich glass and ceramics were also on offer.

Robinson House of Westwood, Mass., mixed Japanese pottery with prints and added to the mix an Eighteenth Century Burmese Buddha, a Persian painting and a Chinese Kang table.

From South Dennis on Cape Cod, David Thompson brought a circa 1870 schoolmaster’s desk in original paint and a pair of table desks of quartersawn oak by J.M. Young’s Sons Furniture Company. There were also interesting old photographs, books and prints and a blue willow platter with the image “New York from the Narrows” by William Ridgway.

Steele and Steele of Middletown, R.I., had sales and sales. Their appealing offerings ranged from a country bench with nice splay legs, shoe forms, a trestle table, a bocce set and a sweet highchair in blue paint.

Michael Hingston of Etna, N.H., was having a good show, and smalls, such as art pottery, silver and paperweights, were selling easily. Hingston also had a pretty New Hampshire Sheraton bureau and balanced his booth with artwork like a painting by William Wyman, a 1961 German mountain scene and an oil on board view of Loch Brenner.

Tradewinds Fine Art of Charlestown and Narragansett, R.I., sprinkled sold signs on paintings in the booth and several blank spaces on the walls attested to other sales. “Winter Peace” by Robert Strong Woodward sold. Of three Venetian scenes by Impressionist artist Dominico Riccitelli, who was born near Naples and arrived in Providence at 15, two sold early. Tradewinds brought a wide assortment of marine paintings, including one by Frederick John Mulhaupt.

Lincolnville, Maine, dealer Martin J. Ferrick filled a booth with enviable New England furniture, such as a dandy Connecticut Hepplewhite mahogany four-drawer chest with inlay and a Chippendale cherry slant lid desk on an ogee bracket base and a nice Sheraton cherry candlestand with vivid bird’s-eye maple. There was also a Maine birch tall chest, and a Chippendale six-drawer chest sold early.

Quelle Surprise, based in Gloucester, Mass., sold good smalls — perfumes and other glass, porcelain and silver. Harry and Mary Ellen Morgan also showed a rosewood apprentice chest from about 1850.

Boston dealer Peter Murphy usually shows pretty eclectic material, and this show was no exception. He had a pair of Swiss frames, circa 1900, with bird’s-eye maple and burlwood leaves, a Swiss pocket watch with transfer work, a collection of German cigarette cards, a ceramic book with scrolls and a pretty lithopane hall light.

A carved flying pig welcomed visitors to the booth of Rehoboth, Mass., gallery When Pigs Fly. Country smalls were the big draw, although a hand carved tractor and a US Mail airplane attracted no small attention. There was a sawbuck table, a nice shopkeeper’s desk on stand and a substantial Boston and Maine railroad tool box, along with vintage leather luggage and stoneware.

A pig was a focus point in the Biddeford, Maine, dealer booth Little River. He was an ironstone blue and white calico guy who was set apart from the plentiful glass for sale.

Antiques of Hingham, Mass., showed a wool parade jacket and badge from 1890, Braintree. Other delights were a nautical scrimshaw desk, a Kentucky rifle with a tiger maple stock, stoneware and a group of medals. A taxidermy raccoon only enhanced the country ambiance of the booth, while a pond sailor did duty for marine material and a tall Steiff kangaroo overlooked it all. The McCullochs, who also run Broad Cove Auctions in Hingham, said the show was good, “Really good.”

Dan and Nancy Antiques of Feeding Hills, Mass., were selling silver and some fine Thomas Webb cameo glass. Stephen Renda of Lynn, Mass., showed an impressive copy of “The Flight of Paul and Virginia.”

Greg Hamilton of Stone Block Antiques of Vergennes, Vt., told Getman it was one of his best shows ever. He showed good paintings, silver, jewelry and a map of Paris. More unusual was a Nineteenth Century heliograph, used to measure the altitude of the sun, along with an 1858 patent for using the device to make a durable photographic image on a lithographic stone, and a daguerreotype of one of the inventors who devised the technique. There was also a nicely formed bone shaker.

Book and print dealers were set up in the Fez Room of the auditorium — a smaller space, carpeted and with lower ceilings, conducive to quiet browsing. Booksellers were pleased and surprised at their success. Greg Gibson of Ten Pound Island Book Company sells rare and esoteric material related to whaling — he sold five important pieces. Joan and Dick Gosselin of Talking Leaves of Hooksett, N.H., showed rare books on art and militaria and said they were having a good show. They also brought along material with local references that appealed to buyers. Thomas Boss of Salem, Mass., had some fine books and artwork that attracted attention.

Crones Collectibles had their last show with Getman and did a land office business. They offered deep discounts as they are about to board their motorhome and head in a general direction described as “south-ish.”

Pioneer Folk Arts of Ellsworth, Maine, had good sales that included a knockdown carnival figure from the 1920s, a carving of a man, cast iron architectural elements from a porch and vintage painted signs. Two handsome hooked rugs were for sale. One depicted a boat and the other was made in 1951 with an allover design with cats, a bird, a sailboat, a child by the sea. The latter was signed “MM” and was thought to have been made in New Hampshire.

Forgotten Furnishings of Waitsfield, Vermont, experienced brisk sales. For sale was a wagon seat, which had been found in Vermont and retained traces of blue paint, along with andirons and silver.

Bayberry Antiques of Rockland, Mass., shared a booth with Anne B. Russell of Newburyport, Mass. They had large framed calligraphy pictures of an elephant and a leopard-like creature, baskets, textiles, treen and decoys, a fine blanket chest and a nice country shelf.

Everyone likes to look at photograph displays, so the Griffin Museum of Photography of Winchester, Mass., was well patronized. The museum offered photographs of Hildegarde, Merle Oberon and Buster Keaton, along with images of local interest, such as sports events at the old Boston Garden.

A lawyer’s deed box held pride of place in the Alley Antiques booth. The Pelham, N.H., dealer also showed a fine cast iron horse-drawn fire wagon.

Kairos Gallery, now of Chappaqua, N.Y., mixed up the mix, adding glass, religious items and contemporary paintings to its offerings of Asian ceramics and decorative objects.

Bolton Landing, N.Y., dealer Class Menagerie reported a good show, and the sold stickers sprinkled around the booth verified that.

For more information,

www.neantiqueshows.com
or 781-862-4039.

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HAMPTON FALLS — Boy Scout Sam Hemond, an Eagle Scout candidate, is another step closer toward earning the organization’s highest achievement after hosting a very successful spaghetti dinner fundraiser recently.

A member of Hampton Falls Troop 377, Hemond, 16, is preparing to install a Reading Garden on the grounds of the town’s Free Library as his Eagle Scout project. It will replace an earlier established garden space that has since become overgrown.

The approximately $1,000 raised through the dinner event will help pay for paver stones and other landscaping materials. Work was scheduled to begin during a recent weekend on the Reading Garden, a circular spot measuring 14 feet in diameter which will be surrounded by plantings and situated just behind the library.

“I’ve got most of the materials,” Hemond said, as a bustling crew of volunteers prepped for the dinner at the town’s safety complex, where the event was held. “They’ve got them waiting on the sides (at) Landscaper’s Depot in Kingston.”

This is a project that Hemond has wanted to take on for some time, drawing inspiration from Eagle Scout Calvin Lord, a fellow troop member who had considered it when exploring his own project options two years ago.

Hemond first approached library and town officials a year and a half ago to offer his plan, and as is the case with all Eagle Scout projects, thorough documentation was needed just to get the Reading Garden off the ground.

“I didn’t realize how much paperwork it took to get it approved,” Hemond admitted. “It took a little longer than I expected.” The documentation, including everything from photos to a meticulously-kept record of donations and volunteer hours, continues throughout the project and will do so until he presents it all to the Boy Scout Council.

A home-schooled high school junior, Hemond has been a patron of the Hampton Falls Free Library since it was located on the Exeter Road. He has taken part in many of the youth programs that were offered at both library locations, such as the book club and book discussion groups, and the annual summer reading program.

Naturally, the library has been a constant resource for Hemond when it came to conducting research for school projects in general.

“It has always been helpful whenever needed,” he said.

His act of giving back to a town treasure is something that sits quite well with library director Judy Haskell and the library’s board of trustees.

“We’re all definitely behind this (and) we’re very excited,” Haskell said. “We are really looking forward to seeing what he does. It’s bound to be an improvement.”

Haskell added those improvements are being partially supported by a $500 grant she had applied for and submitted to the Rye Driftwood Garden Club, which awarded the grant for a collaborative effort in beautifying library grounds.

For selecting the plants that will be installed around the Reading Garden, Hemond tapped into the expertise of his Eagle Scout Advisor, Fire Chief Jay Lord, who has a degree in horticulture. He offered his assessment of Hemond’s project.

“He has a good plan (and) he’s ready to go,” Lord said, adding that he feels an Eagle Scout project “has nothing to do with the project. It’s the whole concept of running a project” that is the main directive.

“It should be called a Leadership Project, because that’s what it is,” said Troop 377 Scoutmaster J.P. Pontbriand.

Observing that advance thought and planning just to get a project in motion is “one of the most intimidating parts” of the process, Pontbriand said Hemond’s Reading Garden plan “has generated good support and enthusiasm,” that enhanced a sense of community, which “is one of the core things we try to do with a troop.”

It’s also a chance for scouts like Hemond to demonstrate those leadership skills they have developed by being involved in the Boy Scouts organization.

“Sam has done a lot of great things in our troop,” said Pontbriand, adding that Hemond has “continuously held one leadership position after another. The (other) scouts look up to him. He’s a great role model.”

The adults in Sam Hemond’s life appear quite impressed too, particularly his parents, Paul and Denise.

“We’re really proud of him,” said Denise, noting that many people from her son’s life (swim coach, members of their church and home school group, family and friends) showed their support by attending the spaghetti dinner. “He worked really hard to get to this point.”

“It has been a great experience watching my son lead his Eagle project from conception to the fund-raiser, to planning the actual Reading Garden,” said Paul. “It’s a real eye opener with all that is involved in a project. It’s great preparation for the future.”

As Sam Hemond continues his comprehensive path toward building a library Reading Garden and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, he offered a simple reflection of his involvement with the organization he initially joined as a first grader.

“It has been fun,” he said, “and a huge part of my life.”

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SUFFIELD — Connecticut florist Ruth Loiseau knows our nation’s most storied home intimately. It’s her floral style that sets the stage every year for the holiday season as part of the White House decorating team. Starting with the Reagan administration, her decor has made its way through the entire White House from the West Wing to the State Room. It’s a job she’s held for nearly three decades.

“I was able to get this position indirectly through my mother, who had her own flower shop. I followed in her footsteps and went to school for floral design to learn her craft,” said Loiseau. “A mutual contact eventually got the job of White House florist. I volunteered for her and from there it’s history.”

The White House is typically decorated like a museum. However, Loiseau’s approach includes grouping flowers into 3-5 batches to ensure that the centerpiece truly pops. Every year, the White House uses a theme to decorate for the holidays. Loiseau likes to use monochromatic room décor. For instance, in a red room, decorate with red roses, ranunculus, etc.

Loiseau’s keen eye will be put to use at Suffield’s Phelps-Hatheway House Garden this holiday season to commemorate Homes for the Holidays Suffield. Connecticut Landmarks’ Phelps-Hatheway House Garden presents a special Holiday Preview Party on Friday, December 7th, from 5:30 to 7 pm. Décor by Loiseau, in partnership with members of the Suffield Garden Club, features an array of fresh flowers and foraged local greens and materials, which will transform the Phelps-Hatheway House into a holiday wonderland.

The evening will begin with a champagne punch and toast, followed by a private reception from 6 to 9 pm across the street at Julia Roberts’ (formerly Emma Fuller’s) 1824 house at 60 South Main Street and Janet and Dave Leishman’s 1767 house at 78 South Main Street. Luminaria will light the entry to these homes, which will be decorated by members of the Suffield Garden Club and offer wine, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a dessert display.

Homes for the Holidays Suffield is sponsored by First Niagara Private Client Services, the First National Bank of Suffield and Highland Park Market. Tickets are $50; proceeds benefit the Phelps-Hatheway House Garden. For tickets, contact Jamie-Lynn Fontaine at (860) 247-8996 x23 or jamie.fontaine@ctlandmarks.org. Ticket to the event includes re-entry on Saturday or Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th from 12 to 5 pm, tour the Phelps-Hatheway House Garden and the two private homes at 60 and 78 South Main Street. Tickets are $15, children 6-18: $10 (children under 6 Free). The weekend will also feature a Holiday Greens Boutique by the Suffield Garden Club on the Hatheway House grounds, with an extensive offering of greens, wreaths and topiaries, in addition to Phelps-Hatheway Museum Store, featuring period-inspired gifts by local artisans. Guests may also purchase select decorations by Ruth Loiseau and the Suffield Garden Club, available for pickup at the end of the weekend. Children are invited to participate in a special holiday craft activity creating holiday decorations.

Ruth Loiseau is a nationally renowned master floral designer and owner of Ruth L. She is an experienced lecturer in the art of floral design and was a keynote speaker at the 2010 Bouquets to Art event at The de Young Museum in San Francisco, CA. She has worked at the White House as an SBA since the Reagan administration and continues to assist with special events during the current administration.

The Phelps-Hatheway House Garden is located at 55 South Main Street in Suffield, CT. The museum is closed for the season for regular tours, re-opening May 2013. For school groups or tours by appointment, please contact the education department at (860) 247-8996.

The Phelps-Hatheway House Garden highlights the luxurious lifestyles enjoyed by two wealthy eighteenth-century Connecticut Valley families. Merchant Shem Burbank built the house in 1761, but as a Tory sympathizer, his business suffered during the American Revolution. In 1788 he sold the house to Oliver Phelps, who added a wing in 1794, flaunting the riches earned from land investments in western New York. Considered an architectural masterpiece, this wing still features original Parisian wallpaper. Eight years later Phelps left Suffield, bankrupted by his failed land schemes. Continued…

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The Gold medal winning RHS Chelsea 2012 exhibit designed by Paul King

Monday, November 19, 2012
2:09 PM

A GOLD medal winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show designer is to design a dramatic living garden at the 2013 Show for Felsted School, following the devastating fire to one of its boarding houses this summer.

Always in search of a fresh and interesting story, Felsted parent Paul King wanted actively to create something to support the memories of the 90 years of boys and girls who had lived and learned in the historic Follyfield House, which was gutted by fire in July.

The loss of such an iconic building left many past and present students, and the wider Felsted community saddened.

Conscious of the value of his sculptured trees and plants, Mr King – who owns King Co in Rayne – could visualise a Follyfield garden for Chelsea, creating something unique in the Grand Marquee at RHS Chelsea 2013. Using planting and memorabilia from the remains of the burnt out building, he intends to create an impressive living sculpture of the scene on July 15.

It will be a commemorative garden to represent the loss suffered and the prevailing Follies spirit, intertwined with hope for the future.

Mr King aims to symbolise the friendship, education and memories of the building, but equally to create a living memorial for the the new Follyfield House, to be opened in 2014.

Headmaster Dr Mike Walker said: “To be involved in such an iconic event as The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is a great honour. We are humbled and indebted to King and Co for donating their time and expertise to support Felsted, following its tragic loss of a much loved building.

“The pupils, staff and I are extremely excited about seeing the garden in reality at the show and we look forward to enjoying its continued life back at the school in future years.”

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(The Boston Harbor Association)

The Boston Harbor Association plans to install a garden on the aging Northern Avenue Bridge.

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

The Boston Harbor Association has received a $50,000 grant to install a garden on the Northern Avenue Bridge connecting the downtown waterfront and the Seaport District.

The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America presented the grant at its annual meeting on Nov. 15. The new horticultural display, to be called the Harbor-Link Gardens, will include hardy seaside plants and new colored pavement and will be designed by Warner Larson, an award-winning South Boston-based landscape architecture firm donating its services to the project.

“The old Northern Avenue Bridge is a vital link between two important areas of our city, and this generous support will help to set a standard for future plantings and sustainable design along the waterfront,” said Vivien Li, president of The Boston Harbor Association, in a statement released by the association.

The steel-truss bridge over the Fort Point Channel is more than 100 years old and was once busy with vehicles, according to past Boston Globe articles, but due to deterioration has long been limited to pedestrian use. Mayor Thomas M. Menino once wanted to tear down the bridge, and in 1999 vetoed a unanimous vote of the Boston Landmarks Commission that would have preserved it.

Menino said then that designating the 646-foot span a landmark “would only force upon the city an unfunded mandate and limit the city’s flexibility to address long-term transportation needs, including federal requirements of the US Coast Guard to keep the Fort Point Channel open to navigation.”

But Menino backed down from that position after the Evelyn Moakley Bridge was built adjacent to the old bridge, and in the statement released by the association, he voiced support for its vision.

“Beautifying this bridge will attract more visitors to the popular Harborwalk and act as a fitting gateway to our rapidly growing Innovation District,” Menino said in the statement. “Improving the Northern Avenue Bridge will also create a visual link to the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and I commend the partnership of public, private, and non-profit sectors to help get the job done.”

The Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America is funded by its membership of 1,100 women in 14 garden clubs across Greater Boston and southern New Hampshire.

Chairwoman Michele Hanss said in the statement that the committee’s mission is “to support horticultural initiatives in Boston that can have an impact on a greater number of people than similar projects each of our member clubs undertake in our individual communities.”

Email Jeremy C. Fox at jeremy.fox@globe.com.
Follow Jeremy C. Fox on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow Downtown on Twitter: @YTDowntown.

HAMBURG — Let your love of nature and gardening show, as you decorate for the upcoming holidays.

“Make people want to linger,” said Mary Gurtler, designer at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, located at 4484 Clark St. in Hamburg.

She and fellow designer Samantha Platt will offer a class on designing a welcoming entryway at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 at Lockwood’s. To register, stop into Lockwood’s, call 649-4684 or visit www.weknowplants.com.

This is one of a series of classes and hands-on workshops that will help you bring nature into your holiday decorating, this year.

Gurtler shared some ideas that she and Platt used in decorating the store.

Start with items you already have. Many people display bird houses inside their homes all year round. Add some berries, snow or lights to bird houses and they can become holiday decorations.

Gurtler said that she feels lights are an important part of holiday decorating. “It’s all about the lights,” she said. “I don’t care if they’re white or colored or blinking.”

The use of branches can help bring nature into holiday decorating. Attach a curly willow branch to a wall and hang Christmas ornaments from it, or set a branch in a pot of stones and add your favorite bird ornaments.

Bring items from your garden inside and use them in creative ways. For example, a bird bath on a pedestal can hold a Christmas scene.

Many of us have allium in our gardens. These plants remind me of giant Tootsie Pops®, with a very round flower perched atop a straight stem. They bloom in spring, but the dried flower can add interest to the garden, all summer. In the fall, Gurtler brought in the dried bloom, painted it white and set it atop a Christmas tree. Allium flowers also look spectacular, when painted black or gold.

If you do not have any allium in your garden, plant bulbs in the ground, now. You can plant them until the first week of December, or until the ground freezes.

That trellis that stands vertically in your garden during the summer can be brought inside and hung horizontally, from the ceiling. Dangle Christmas ornaments and other decorations from it.

If you have a favorite chair or spot where you like to relax, have a holiday candle nearby and something pretty to look at, from that spot.

“Decorating is as much for you as it is for the people you have over,” Gurtler said.

Learn more during classes and workshops that are scheduled at Lockwood’s. Call the business for more information and for prices.

– On Sunday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m., learn how to make a Thanksgiving centerpiece using real flowers, with the help of professional florist Mary Trifunovic.

–Learn how to design a welcoming entryway at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. Gurtler and Platt will provide nature-inspired ideas for doorways, using wreaths, swags and container arrangements.

– Make a seasonal gift, using fresh and faux materials, during make-a-gift workshops at 11:30 a.m. and noon on Saturday, Dec. 1. Attendees at the earlier workshop will make a candle ring. Noon students will make a door handle basket.

– Decorate your mantel or sideboard with style on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. Floral design professional David Clark will demonstrate how to create eye-catching holiday tablescapes.

– A basic wreath workshop will be held on Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Lockwood’s Greenhouses gardening expert Sally Cunningham will teach attendees how to make a full, natural greens wreath, with a bow.

– On Saturday, Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m., design an elegant wreath of mixed greens and berries, with Cunningham.

– Trifunovic will help attendees make a boxwood tree on Sunday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. at Lockwood’s Greenhouses. You’ll make a 16-inch tabletop tree designed with boxwood cuttings and miniature decorations.

– On Wednesday, Dec. 12, a mixed greens wreath workshop will be held at 6:30 p.m. Cunningham will lead the workshop.

– Make a kissing ball with Cunningham on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 10:30 a.m.

– Create a Christmas centerpiece on Sunday, Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. Under the guidance of Trifunovic, you will use greens, cones and natural material.

Connie Oswald Stofko is publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. Email Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com.

Our neighbour, Keith, who’s in his 70s, has been gardening for years. He went from working for an agri-chemical company to establishing and running a successful organic citrus orchard, which gives you an idea of how forward-thinking and flexible he is.

Every now and then he comes out with a gem of wisdom which proves invaluable in the garden.

His latest offering is this: buy half a dozen pots of lavender and stick them in the fork of a branch about halfway up your fruit trees.

Hmmm. Bit of a weird design feature, I thought, but he wasn’t out to make a style statement. The lavender will attract bees, which will then pollinate the fruit trees, he reckons.

Lord knows whether it works, but much of what he tells us does, and it’ll be a cheap, interesting experiment at the very least.

The Landscaper dearly loves lavender, so having pots of it hanging around in the orchard will be no hardship. He may even take it a step further, he thought, and underplant the fruit trees with different varieties of lavender, which would, I admit, look quite a lot better than the neat but uninspiring circles of bare earth that facilitate easy mowing.

A step or three on from this is herbal ley, a living grass ground cover that helps to control and suppress weeds, retain moisture, prevent erosion and attract beneficial insects and bees. Herbal ley acts as a nutrient fixer and recycler, and there’s no question it looks better than the bare earth circle. You can create your own ley for different purposes so, if you want to enhance the look and productivity of your fruit trees, find a mix designed for orchards.

Trees don’t naturally grow in isolation or surrounded by lawn or bare earth so it’s easy to see how herbal ley will enhance tree health.

Bear in mind, though, that in this context the word “herbal” doesn’t mean thyme, rosemary and the like. It actually refers to “herbage” – leafy green ground cover and low-growing plant species.

The way to go about it is to skim off lawn around the tree and then sow “orchard herbal ley” seed.

Plant borage (blue edible flowers), red and white flowering clover, lemon balm, chicory and spring bulbs to attract bees and other insects to fruit trees for pollination and, therefore, more fruit.

Planting members of the Umbelliferous (Apiaceae) family, such as parsley, carrot, parsnip, coriander and dill will help to protect fruit trees from caterpillar and grub pests. Let them flower and set seed, and sow again for next year. Apples also like to be underplanted with yarrow, chamomile, borage, clover, chicory and cornflower.

For soil fertility and nutrients, plant clover and lupin for nitrogen fixing, and comfrey for potassium.

It’s not too late to sow or plant a herbal ley if your soil is still moist. Buy a herbal ley mix or persuade friends with yarrow, clover, tansy, lemon balm, bulbs and chicory to divide some bits off their established plants for you and replant them around your trees.

And, if you like, sneak a bit of lavender in there, too.

Earthly delights

If you’re around Auckland between now and November 18, you can visit New Zealand Sculpture Onshore – an exhibition of contemporary sculpture at a spectacular clifftop overlooking the Hauraki Gulf.
More than 120 outdoor works by established and emerging artists will be on show, alongside an indoor sculpture gallery, and a display of children’s sculpture.

Tell me what’s new

When British Garden Designer of the Year Andrew Fisher Tomlin turns up at next year’s Ellerslie Flower Show, he’ll be looking for The Big Idea.

He’s a firm believer in new designers leading the way and hopes to see new designers’ unexpected takes on what a garden should be. Fisher Tomlin, who judged at the first Christchurch show in 2009, says he’s excited about returning to judge at “one of the best flower shows in the world”.

He’ll also be looking for the ingenuity he saw last time that proves you don’t need big bucks to make a huge impression.