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| Abbreviation | MassHort |
|---|---|
| Formation | 12 June 1829 |
| Founder | William H. Sumner |
| Founded at | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Location | |
| Website | www |
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest formally organized horticultural institution in the United States. As of 2014, it had some 5,000 members.
The society was established in 1829 in Boston as the Boston Horticultural Society, and promptly began weekly exhibits (in Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market) of locally grown fruit and later vegetables, teaching the newest horticultural techniques and breeds, including the local Concord grape in 1853. It continued this tradition from 1871 through 2008 with its annual New England Spring Flower Show.
In 1831 the society bought a 72-acre (290,000 m2) estate called "Sweet Auburn" for an arboretum, garden, and cemetery. Although the horticultural garden never materialized, in 1835 the site was incorporated as Mount Auburn Cemetery. Until 1976, the society received one-fourth of the proceeds from the sale of Mount Auburn's cemetery lots.
In its early years, the Society met in various locations in Boston. Starting in 1845, the society has built for itself three successive exhibit halls, each named "Horticultural Hall." The first was located on School Street; the second on Tremont Street, and the third on Massachusetts Avenue.
Since 2001 the society's headquarters have been at the Elm Bank Horticulture Center (36 acres) in Wellesley. The 36 acres (150,000 m2) encompass multiple gardens including an acre-sized one designed by prominent UK plantsman Adrian Bloom. Other gardens include the Weezie's Children's Garden, an Italianate Garden, a floral and vegetable trial garden run as part of the All-America Selection group, and specialty gardens built around rhododendron, daylilies, herbs and native plants.
In 2008 the society found itself in financial difficulty. Following revelation that then-new executive director Bob Feige had spent three days in jail the year before for failing to pay employees at a former business he owned, the trustees began a detailed review of the books which revealed the organization to be "essentially broke and facing a stack of bills with no way to pay them." [3] Feige resigned after the trustees presented the facts, but it was apparent that problems were building over a number of years due to overspending. In 2002 the society sold $5.25 million of rare books and prints to raise cash, at which time the Massachusetts Attorney General strongly advised the society to educate its trustees on sound financial practices. [4] In order to conserve cash the society decided to not hold the New England Spring Flower Show in 2009 for the first time since 1871, opting instead for a truncated event in downtown Boston called 'Blooms".
In September 2009, MassHort announced that it would incorporate "Blooms" as part of the Boston Flower & Garden Show, produced by the Paragon Group, Inc., a privately-held events marketing group. That show took place in March 2010 at the Seaport World Trade Center. MassHort took responsibility for two floral design competitions, amateur horticulture competition, Ikebana displays, plant society displays and one day of lectures. In its May 2010 newsletter, 'The Leaflet', MassHort described the venture as 'financially successful'. Also in its May 2010 newsletter, MassHort reported it had reached agreement with the bulk of its remaining creditors by selling off an additional group of books from its collection.
In January 2011 the Board of Trustees hired Katherine K. Macdonald as Executive Director/President of the Society after the Board stabilized the organization's financials.
The Gardens at Elm Bank include twelve display gardens. In 2011, a new vegetable garden was designed to support the Garden to Table program. By 2013, this vegetable garden was producing over 4000 pounds of produce that was donated to two food pantries. The Welcome Garden near the parking lot entrance was added in 2012, designed by Paul Miskovsky. Improvements to the Italianate Garden included the restoration of the fountain, a central element to the garden.
Since 2011, over $250,000 in capital investments have been made to the property, thanks to foundation grants.
Mass Hort at the Flower Show provides the management of the amateur horticulture, floral design, Ikebana, and photography for Paragon Group, the owners of the Boston Flower & Garden Show.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
Horticulture is the art and science of growing plants. This definition is seen in its etymology, which is derived from the Latin words hortus, which means "garden" and cultura which means "to cultivate". It is important to note that there are various divisions of horticulture because plants are grown for a variety of purposes. These divisions include, but are not limited to: gardening, plant production/propagation, arboriculture, landscaping, floriculture and turf maintenance. For each of these, there are various professions, aspects, tools used and associated challenges; Each requiring highly specialized skills and knowledge of the horticulturist.
The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. Held at Chelsea since 1912, the show is attended by members of the British royal family.
A daylily, day lily or ditch-lily is a flowering plant in the genus Hemerocallis, a member of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, native to Asia. Despite the common name, it is not, in fact, a lily, nor does it specifically grow in ditches. Gardening enthusiasts and horticulturists have long bred Hemerocallis species for their attractive flowers; a select few species of the genus have edible petals, while some are extremely toxic. Thousands of cultivars have been registered by the American Daylily Society, the only internationally recognized registrant according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP).. The plants are perennial, bulbous plants, whose common name alludes to its flowers, which typically last about a day.
Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related supplies to professionals in the trade. Retail florists offer fresh flowers and related products and services to consumers. The first flower shop in the United States opened prior to 1851.
Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, is the first rural or garden cemetery in the United States. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmins, and is a National Historic Landmark.
Floriculture is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment and the human environment. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found throughout the world. Efficient production practices have been developed over the years, for the hundreds of plant taxa used in the floral industry, increasing the overall knowledge of whole plant biology. Plant breeding and selection have produced tens of thousands of new genotypes for human use. Jasmine, Marigold, Chrysanthemum, Rose, Orchid, Anthurium, etc. are flowers of commercial demand.
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through Chinatown, the Financial District, the Waterfront, and North End neighborhoods. Officially opened in October 2008, the 17-acre Greenway sits on land created from demolition of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway as part of the Big Dig project.
The Gardens at Elm Bank, home of Massachusetts Horticultural Society, occupies 36 acres (15 ha) of Elm Bank Reservation, a 175-acre (71 ha) recreational area of woodlands, fields, and former estate property on the Charles River managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The estate's entrance is located at 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States, with the major portion of the grounds located in the neighboring town of Dover. In 1987, the entire site was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Elm Bank.
Floral design or flower arrangement is the art of using plant material and flowers to create an eye-catching and balanced composition or display. Evidence of refined floral design is found as far back as the culture of ancient Egypt. Floral designs, called arrangements, incorporate the five elements and seven principles of floral design.
Horticultural Hall, at the corner of Huntington Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, was built in 1901. It sits across the street from Symphony Hall. Since 2020, it has been owned by Northeastern University. It is the current home to The William Morris Hunt Memorial Library of the Museum of Fine Arts as well as to offices of Boston magazine, 829 Studios, and Small Army, in addition to a performance space of the New England Conservatory of Music.
The Michigan State University Horticulture Gardens are horticultural gardens, with a landscape arboretum, located on Bogue Street on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Michigan. The gardens are open to the public daily without charge.
The Ottawa Horticultural Society was founded in 1892. It is a non-profit organization that exists to promote gardening and horticulture in Ottawa. This is done through a series of presentations, flower shows and workshops. The Society also carries out community beautification projects in Ottawa.
This is an alphabetical index of articles related to gardening.
Arlow Burdette Stout was an American botanist and the pioneer breeder of the modern hybrid daylily.
The Northwest Flower & Garden Show is an annual exhibition of horticulture and gardening held in Seattle, Washington, for five days each February. It is the largest garden show west of Philadelphia and is regarded as the second largest garden show in the country. It is held at the Washington State Convention Center, and has been since the first year. The show has lush, fully built display gardens, over 90 educational and entertaining seminars, and a garden marketplace exclusively for plants, gardening supplies, botanical art, – the largest Marketplace of any garden show in the U.S.
Will Rogers Gardens is a 30-acre (12 ha) park in Oklahoma City located at the corner of 36th Street and Portland Avenue. It is one of the city's historic parks and is open year-round. Will Rogers Gardens features the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden, a 7-acre (2.8 ha) arboretum and a conservatory with a cacti and succulent collection. It also features display beds of daylilies, iris, azaleas, herbs and peonies.
Many types of flowering plants are available to plant in flower gardens or flower beds. The floral industry calls these plants, bedding plants. These fast-growing plants in seasonal flower beds create colourful displays, during spring, summer, fall or winter, depending on the climate. Plants used for bedding are generally annuals, but biennials, tender perennials, and succulents are used.
HortPark is a 9-hectare (22-acre) park located in Queenstown, Singapore. It opened in December 2007 and was officially launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in May 2008.
David Martin Domoney, C Hort. FCI Hort is an English Chartered Horticulturist and celebrity gardener. He co-presents the TV gardening programme Love Your Garden, alongside Alan Titchmarsh, and is the resident gardener on ITV1's This Morning.
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