The garden club post explained that they will be joining with others to help restore and protect pollinators' habitats, "… members will be providing food and habitat for pollinators in our home gardens (can even be a container on a deck or a condo window planter), as well as through public garden projects, youth garden projects, nursing homes, botanical gardens, business areas, and government offices."
If you have your own garden, all the resources you need to get underway are at this site. If you live in a rental or condominium, ask the management company or board of trustees to take a pollinator mindset when planning the common area gardens.
When you consider the importance of what pollinators do for us, learning more and taking action is the least we can do to help turn around this critical shortage.
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Sixteen trees on these blocks will be removed. Here's what the sign on that tree says.
Or as they said in the letter The Garden Club of the Back Bay sent us:
"Dear Neighbors,
In the next few weeks the Garden Club of the Back Bay and the City of Boston will begin the first phase of a project to improve the streetscape of Clarendon Street. As many of you have noticed, the trees on the two blocks between Beacon and Commonwealth have been in steady decline due to salt sensitivity and are now mostly dead, and an eyesore. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department has agreed to remove the trees and the Garden Club has agreed to replant all 16 locations with very handsome, large Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’ specimen trees in the spring of 2016. These trees are ancient, immune to most urban tree problems, are not salt sensitive, and have beautiful fall color. They will be interesting to you and to all the children using the Playground every day.
This is a big project, but Clarendon Street is an important entrance portal in to the Back Bay and should be beautiful. The Garden Club hopes you will help us fund this work. Tree sponsorships are $2,500 per tree and include plaques which can be installed on the tree fences. What a nice holiday, birthday, or anniversary present! All donations of any size are welcome and needed so we may complete this work in the spring. Contributions are completely tax deductible.
We hope you will consider contributing. We want you to know our plans in advance of the chainsaws arriving! Your checks can be made to the Garden Club of the Back Bay and mailed to M. Pokorny, 384 Marlborough St, Boston, MA 02115. You may also donate with a credit card on our website, www.gardenclubbackbay.org – just press the Donate button and we will acknowledge your contribution right away.
Sixteen trees on these blocks will be removed. Here's what the sign on that tree says.
Or as they said in the letter The Garden Club of the Back Bay sent us:
"Dear Neighbors,
In the next few weeks the Garden Club of the Back Bay and the City of Boston will begin the first phase of a project to improve the streetscape of Clarendon Street. As many of you have noticed, the trees on the two blocks between Beacon and Commonwealth have been in steady decline due to salt sensitivity and are now mostly dead, and an eyesore. The Boston Parks and Recreation Department has agreed to remove the trees and the Garden Club has agreed to replant all 16 locations with very handsome, large Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’ specimen trees in the spring of 2016. These trees are ancient, immune to most urban tree problems, are not salt sensitive, and have beautiful fall color. They will be interesting to you and to all the children using the Playground every day.
This is a big project, but Clarendon Street is an important entrance portal in to the Back Bay and should be beautiful. The Garden Club hopes you will help us fund this work. Tree sponsorships are $2,500 per tree and include plaques which can be installed on the tree fences. What a nice holiday, birthday, or anniversary present! All donations of any size are welcome and needed so we may complete this work in the spring. Contributions are completely tax deductible.
We hope you will consider contributing. We want you to know our plans in advance of the chainsaws arriving! Your checks can be made to the Garden Club of the Back Bay and mailed to M. Pokorny, 384 Marlborough St, Boston, MA 02115. You may also donate with a credit card on our website, www.gardenclubbackbay.org – just press the Donate button and we will acknowledge your contribution right away.
This week, someone placed roses on the paving stones that The Garden Club of the Back Bay members added among the plantings around the sculpture.
These stones were put in place to make it easier for people to have photos taken of themselves or their group with the statue. Ed and I often volunteer to take these photos with visitors' cameras and we're fairly sure other neighbors do the same.
This was not among my favorite sculptures when I first encountered it, but over the years I've come to associate it with the people who take time out of their few hours in Boston to stop and pay tribute, have a photo taken for the folks back home, and, in at least one instance, stand with tears in their eyes looking up at a former President of Argentina being honored in a foreign land.
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This week, someone placed roses on the paving stones that The Garden Club of the Back Bay members added among the plantings around the sculpture.
These stones were put in place to make it easier for people to have photos taken of themselves or their group with the statue. Ed and I often volunteer to take these photos with visitors' cameras and we're fairly sure other neighbors do the same.
This was not among my favorite sculptures when I first encountered it, but over the years I've come to associate it with the people who take time out of their few hours in Boston to stop and pay tribute, have a photo taken for the folks back home, and, in at least one instance, stand with tears in their eyes looking up at a former President of Argentina being honored in a foreign land.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Yes, January is a cold and wintry month in Boston but there is still a lot going on and many activities, both outdoor and indoor, to recommend.
New Year's Day
Weather permitting, Ed, Poppy, and I usually take a long walk on the first day of the year. We'll visit the Common and the Public Garden, and Copley Square. As a photographer, the Frog Pond skaters are always fun to watch and provide so many stories to capture in each photograph. If you have a new camera to play with, this is a great spot to add to your route for the day.
Here are some past posts from fun times photographing the Frog Pond skaters:
Something you eat for good luck or an activity you enjoy with famiy or friends? Share with us and perhaps you'll inspire others to adopt your tradition. We'll enjoy a glass of sparkling wine either at home or in a restaurant.
Since 2007, we've resolved to start each month of the year with a toast over a glass of something bubbly. You're welcome to join our sparkling resolution and check out our monthly list of wines to try.
Dressed in Holiday Style
Homes around the city will have beautiful wreaths on the doors and lovely decorations for the holidays early in the month. Above and below are two of the many lush and creative wreaths designed and sold by volunteers from The Garden Club of the Back Bay to raise funds needed to care for trees along the streets and in the parks. Here is a link to more of their work that you might be able to spot around the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, and in other parts of the city.
Conventions Bring Visitors
Big meetings impact hotel prices and restaurant reservations around the city. The ones in the Back Bay have more impact on locals and visitors to the city than the seaport. Here's the January list of meetings with more than 5,000 in attendance.
1/2/15/-1/5/15 – 12,000 social scientists will be meeting at the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay.
And just in case anyone local or visiting has an interest in these two events, we've included them:
1/15/15-1/19/15 – New England Auto Show in the Seaport
1/17/15-1/19/15 – Boston RV and Camping Expo in the Seaport
More tips from locals and frequent visitors to Boston can be found over on the Boston Trip Advisor Forum. Penny started a conversation over there with some of this same information and others have chimed in to add their tips and favorites.
Share your own traditions and January information in the comments below or send them our way on our Twitter feed. Just include @BostonZest in your message.
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In 2010, a century old elm in Boston’s Back Back gained notoriety after a group of residents worked to save the towering giant.
As one of the neighborhood’s original street trees planted more than 125 years ago, this aging beauty had stretched its toes up and through the brick sidewalk. To smooth passage over the roots, an experimental macadam was installed but didn’t work out. It was time to try another alternative.
After extensive talks with the city of Boston and the Back Bay Architectural Commission, the previous material has been replaced with a more durable and aesthetically pleasing product called KBI FlexiPave – a rubber and aggregate surface that is ADA certified, the color of brick, and extremely water permeable.
(Once the main walkway was in place, the FlexiPave surface was extended over the tree's protruding roots to widen the path)
The Garden Club of the Back Bay generously fronted the $1,400 to install the new surface before winter set in. Now they are asking for donations to refill their coffers for the next project.
The tree is on Marlborough Street near the corner of Fairfield. Take a test stroll or roll over the new surface. It’s smooth and has a bit of cushion to it. If you like this treatment, don’t be shy, consider making a tax deductible contribution. It’ll be greatly appreciated.
Checks should be made out to The Garden Club of the Back Bay and mailed to: Margaret Pokorny, 384 Marlborough St., Boston, MA 02115.
Watch our 1-minute video to see how FlexiPave changes from a loose aggregate to a solid surface, plus a demonstration of how extremely water permeable it is.
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Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
