This season, the Historical Society is thrilled to partner with the Greenwich Botanical Center to host a three-part family-friendly workshop series dedicated to the history and science behind floral arts that make Greenwich special.

Open to all ages, the first workshop is inspired by the vibrant floral arrangements and illustrations from the Cos Cob artists who once called the Bush-Holley House, or the Holley Boarding House as it was known to them at the end of the 1800s, home. These artists enjoyed the bright and vivid hues of both native and exotic flowers and incorporated them into their artistry. Documented in the Greenwich Historical Society collection, artists, such as Genjiro Yeto, brought Japanese ikebana floral arranging techniques to other Cos Cob artists of the boarding house. Boarding house owner Constant Holley-MacRae became a renowned floral arranger, while the floral paintings and carvings from her husband Elmer Livingston MacRae can be seen in masterpieces across the Historical Society campus.