TODAY AND THIS WEEK

Barrington Garden Club’s Mother’s Day Plant Sale, parking lot of Ace Center Hardware, Barrington Shopping Center, County Road, Barrington. Perennials, hanging baskets, herbs, salad boxes, hand-made gift items. Sat 10 am-4 pm. Benefit for the club’s civic beautification projects and scholarships.

East Farm Spring Festival (6th annual), Route 108, South Kingstown. Featuring plant sales, workshops and presentations by the various departments in the University of Rhode Island College of Environment and Life Sciences. Sale of annuals, perennials and vegetable plants; information booths staffed by URI Master Gardeners; pre-ordered seedling sale by the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District; presentations; children’s activities; band music and strolling musicians; “green” product vendors; workshops on container gardening, composting, tree planting and vegetable gardening; free pH soil testing for those who bring soil samples from home; sale of rain barrels and compost bins; Sat 10 am-2 pm. Rain or shine. Visitors who plan on buying many plants should bring a cart or wagon to transport items.

Garden Discussion: May Flowers (and Vegetables!), Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham St., Newport. 885-2103. Master gardener Rosanne Sherry discusses gardening without chemicals and compounds. Wed 7-9 pm. Advance reservations.

Lecture/Workshop: Hot Annuals and Perennials for Container Gardening, Young Family Farm, 260 West Main Rd., Little Compton. 635-0110, 339-7460. Sat 10 am. Free.

New England Unit of the Herb Society of America’s Herb Plant Sale, Elm Bank Horticulture Center, 900 Washington St. (Route 16), Wellesley, Mass. (617) 933-4900. Classic and unusual selection of plants including parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, sweet grass, snail flower vine, verbascum, mixed clematis, selection of basils, pot marigold, select shrubs, perennials, trees. Mother’s Day containers, bee plants table with expert beekeepers to assist visitors, ethnic herb table. Society members and garden designers to offer advice and assistance. Sat 9 am-1 pm. Free admission/parking.

Newport Showhouse Guild’s 14th Anniversary Designer Showhouse, at the home of Judge Frank Caprio and his family, 545 Ocean Rd., Narragansett. Theme of the show house is “Inspired Design,” with more than 30 interior and landscape designers working on the property. May 10 through June 8, daily 10 am-4 pm. $25. Benefit for Washington County Children’s Coalition and the Rhode Island Foundation. The Showhouse Guild is still looking for show house volunteers; call Diane at 749-2989 or visit www.newportshowhouse.org.

Open Greenhouse, Blithewold Garden Programs, Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Rd., Route 114, Bristol. 253-2707; www.blithewold.org. Next Sun 1-4 pm. Included with admission: $10, seniors/full time students $8, free for visitors 16 and younger accompanied by an adult.

Plant Sale, Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth. Topiary, bedding plants, hanging baskets, scented geraniums, unusual cacti and succulents. Sat 8 am-5 pm.

Plants That Defy Drought in the Container or the Border, Tranquil Lake Nursery, 45 River St., Rehoboth. (508) 252-4002; www.tranquil-lake.com. Warren Leach, landscape horticulturist/co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery, showcases wood ornamentals and herbaceous perennials that thrive in well drained and dry conditions. Sat 11 am. Free.

Plum Beach Garden Club Plant Sale, Old Library Park, 55 Brown St., Wickford. 295-1910. Variety of herbs, specialty annual, vegetables, unusual sun and shade perennials, native plants. Flour Power Bake Table featuring biscuits, muffins, fruit pies, breads, coffee cakes, cookies, jams and Plum Beach Chili. Sat 9 am-2 pm.

Rhode Island Dahlia Society Annual Tuber Auction, Cold Spring Community Center, Beach Street, North Kingstown. 294-3486, 294-4734, www.rhodeislanddahliasociety.org. Today 1 pm. Free admission.

Rhode Island Orchid Society Orchid Derby (7th Annual), Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-9450, ext. 250; 874-2900. Today 11 am-3 pm. Included with admission: $3; $1 children 6-12.

Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Programs. 789-7497; www.riwps.org or e-mail office@riwps.org.

•Wed. Field Trip to the Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Mass. Meet to car pool at 9 am just off Route 95 in South Attleboro for 11 am tour; return to same location at around 3:30-4 pm.

•Sat. Habitat Changes and the Forest Tour, Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge, 12 Sanderson Rd., Routes 44 and 5, Smithfield. See how nature can coexist close to a major business district, with emphasis on tree identification and basic forestry concepts. Moderate two-  to three-mile hike. 10 am-noon. $5, members $3.

South Kingstown Park and Recreation Programs, Tri-Pond Park Nature Center, Asapond Road (off Curtis Corner Road), South Kingstown. 789-9301; southkingstownri.com/parksrec. Advance registration.

•Wed. The Language of Plants and Flowers. Participants explore symbolic language with origins dating back to ancient Asian and older European cultures, then design their own vegetative-style arrangement using symbolic flowers and other plant materials to create a personal message. 1:30-3 pm. $23, South Kingstown residents $18. Youth 14 and older welcome.

•Thu. Baskets and Blooms. Participants create a bird’s nest-style basket using natural materials and then fill it with a live flowering plant. All materials provided. With Laura Carberry. 7-8:30 pm. $25, South Kingstown residents $19. Youth 12 and older welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Southside Community Land Trust Film Screening/Discussion: The Real Dirt on Farmer John, Providence Public Library, 150 Empire St., Providence, in the Barnard Room, third floor. 273-9419, ext. 28. The film tells the tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer and documents the dramatic failure of a conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic community-supported agriculture farm outside of Chicago. Sat 2-4 pm.

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center Programs, Dalrymple Boathouse, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence. 785-9450. Advance registration.

•Today. What’s New for Container Gardening? Check out new annual plants, learn the latest trends and see products that will simplify maintenance of container gardens. Plants available for purchase. 3-4 pm. $25.

•Wed. What’s Bugging My Plant? Plant pathologist Larry Englander discusses the insect pests and disease pathogens that most commonly affect home gardens. Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of an infection or infestation, along with the best management strategies to help preserve the integrity and health of your garden. 1-3 pm. $20.

•Sat. Rhode Island Orchid Society’s Introduction to Orchids. Learn the basics of orchid culture, such as sun requirements, potting, fertilizing, watering and choosing a soil media. Each participant will take home a quality, mature, blooming orchid. 1-3 pm. $45, includes materials and one year R.I. Orchid Society membership.

ONGOING

Arnold Arboretum, 125 Arborway (Route 203), Jamaica Plain, Mass. (617) 524-1718; www.arboretum.harvard.edu. National Historic Landmark. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the country’s first landscape architect and the designer of Boston’s “Emerald Necklace,” as well as New York’s Central Park; 265 acres of rolling hills, 15,000 trees, thousands of varieties of plants, 4,500 species; Bonsai House with plants that date as far back as 1737. Grounds open daily, sunrise-sunset.

Attleboro Farms Nursery and Greenhouse, Route 120, North Attleboro. (508) 695-7200; www.attleborofarms.com. Mon.-Sat 9-6, Sun 9-5.

Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum, 101 Ferry Rd., Route 114, Bristol. 253-2707; www.blithewold.org. 45-room mansion overlooking 33 acres of landscaped grounds, with gardens, bamboo grove and a 90-foot giant sequoia; views of Narragansett Bay from paths and 10-acre lawn. Self-guided mansion and garden tours Wed-Sun 10 am-4 pm. $10, seniors/full-time students $8, free for visitors 16 and younger accompanied by an adult. Grounds and gardens open daily 10 am-5 pm; admission charged. Special exhibit: Daffodil Days; display of tens of thousands of blooming daffodils and other early blooming bulbs, trees and shrubs (ends today).

Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University, 315 Harborside Blvd., Providence. 598-2805; www.culinary.org. A museum devoted to every aspect of the culinary arts. Ongoing exhibits include Diners, Still Cookin’ in the 21st Century; A Pantheon of Chefs; Kitchen Stoves: From the Open Hearth to the Microwave; and Decorated Cakes and Bread Showpieces. Tue-Sun 10 am-5 pm. $7, seniors $6, college students w/ID $4, children 5-18 $2, younger children free, group rates available.

Frerichs Farm and Greenhouses, 43 Kinnicutt Ave., Warren. 245-8245; www.frerichsfarm.com. Nine greenhouses feature annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables; custom planting service. Tue-Sun 9-5 pm; open Monday holidays.

Garden in the Woods, 180 Hemenway Rd., Framingham, Mass. (508) 877-7630; www.newfs.org. New England Wild Flower Society’s 45-acre botanical garden and native plant nursery, with 1,500 native varieties, including 200 rare and endangered species and 11 special destination gardens, including flying saucers and a labyrinth by landscape master W. Gary Smith. Daily 9 am-7 pm. Tours Mon-Fri 10 am, Sat-Sun 2 pm. $8, students/65+ $6, youth 6-18 $4, members/children 2 and younger free. Pets not allowed.

Lyman Greenhouses, Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman St., Waltham, Mass. (781) 891-4882, ext. 244. Open for tours Mon-Sat 9:30 am-4 pm; grounds, Mon-Sat 9 am-5 pm.

Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum, 396 County St., New Bedford. (508) 997-1401. An 1834 Greek Revival mansion and its landscaped grounds. Tue-Sun 10-4 pm. $4, elderly $3; children 12 and younger $2.

7 Arrows Herb Farm, 346 Oakhill Ave., off Route 152, Attleboro. (800) 496-7860; www.sevenarrowsfarm.com. Display gardens, uncommon plant nursery, tea room. Thu-Sun 11 am-5 pm.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, Worcester County Horticultural Society, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Mass. (508) 869-6111; www.towerhillbg.org. Tue-Sat 10 am-5 pm. $8, 65+/youth 6-18, $5, children 5 and younger free.

Tranquil Lake Nursery, 45 River St., Rehoboth. (508) 252-4002; www.tranquil-lake.com. Display gardens, 10 acres of day lilies (mid-May to Oct., peak about July 20), Siberian Iris (mid-May through June, peak about June 1) and Japanese Iris (mid-June through July, peak about July 7). Also perennial borders, mixed perennial and shrub gardens, ornamental vegetable garden, thyme bench, container herb garden, an entry garden, an ornamental grass garden, a pond-sided water garden, a bog garden, a dry-scree garden, container gardening plantings with annuals and perennials, and a purple garden designed to attract hummingbirds. Daily 10 am-5 pm.