B E R K S H I R E B OTA N I C A L G A R D E N
WINTER/SPRING 2020
WINTER/SPRING 2020
FEB
22 Winter Lecture: Tom Coward Head Gardener at Gravetye Manor and Gardens “The Legacy of Wild Gardener William Robinson” Lenox Memorial High School
DEC 14–FEB 7
MAR 2–29
E A R LY S P R I N G
“Unborn Sun”
The Bulb Show
Paintings by John Gordon Gauld on display in the Center House Leonhardt Galleries. Gallery reception December 14, 4 – 6:30 p.m. and “Meet the Artist” gallery presentation and tea ceremony January 19, 2- 4 p.m.
Featuring New England Favorites and a growing collection of South African bulbs on display in the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse.
“Portraits of American Trees”
The photography of Tom Zetterstorm will be on display in the Center House Leonhardt Galleries.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Matt Larkin, Chairman Madeline Hooper, Vice Chairman Janet Laudenslager, Secretary John Spellman, Treasurer David Carls Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Mary Copeland Adaline Frelinghuysen Lauretta Harris Nancy Hickey Ian Hooper Tom Ingersoll Jane Iredale
Daniel Kasper Linda O’Connell Wendy Philbrick Ramelle Pulitzer Elizabeth Roberts Mark Walker Rob Williams Suzanne Yale KK Zutter
S TA F F Anne Albert Visitor Center Manager
Dorthe Hviid Director of Horticulture
Dana Audia Director of Special Events
Melvin Jenkins Camp Director
Michael Beck Executive Director
Christopher Kupernik Buildings and Grounds Manager
Amy Butterworth Membership and Development Coordinator
Dan Mullen Buildings and Grounds Assistant
Christine Caccamo Senior Gardener
Robin Parow Director of Marketing Communications
Duke Douillet Senior Gardener
John Ryan Seasonal Gardener
Katarina Goldenberg Seasonal Gardener
Bridgette Stone Education Coordinator
Elizabeth Griffin Communications Assistant
Elizabeth Veraldi Office Manager
Deborah Helmke Gardener
Chris Wellens Director of Education
CUTTINGS Robin Parow, Editor Julie Hammill, Hammill Design, Design
Gravetye Manor and Gardens, Sussex, United Kingdom
On the Cover: Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii on display in the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse. Photo by Elizabeth Griffin
APR 20–24
M AY 2 – 3
M AY 8 – 9
Spring Break Farm Camp
The Daffodil Show
A week-long camp for children ages 6–14 to experience the wondrous process of the Garden waking up after a long winter.
A flower design and horticulture show hosted in BBG’s Center House and presented by the Lenox Garden Club.
43rd Annual Be-A-BetterGardener Plant Sale Our annual Plants and Answers Be-a-Better-Gardener Plant Sale featuring thousands of plants, garden themed vendors, and helpful advice. BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
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Cuttings For advertising opportunities, please call 413-298-3926.
DIRECTOR’S CORNER MICHAEL BECK
Quo Vadis, BBG? Now, after the last intrepid dahlias have finally been felled by killing frost and the last maple leaves have been mulched into organic fertilizer for our lawns, now is the perfect opportunity for a public garden such as ours to reflect on who we are, and why we are here. At a recent joint trustee and staff retreat, we took the opportunity to ponder some rather esoteric questions. No, we didn’t tackle things like What is the sound of one hand clapping? or What is the meaning of life? Rather, the more than 40 of us assembled in the room were asked to assess how BBG was meeting the challenges of a changing and sometimes hostile world, how we could help build community and provide resources to those who seek us out. It was such a fruitful exercise, and will form the foundation of our next strategic five-year plan that will be unveiled in 2020. BBG has managed to remain relevant more than 85 years since its founding, and our recent growth, and plans for more, clearly validate the strategic direction we have taken. And still, we must always be aware of our reason for being, and whether we are providing “information, education and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of our local environment” as our mission instructs us to. This issue of Cuttings highlights some ways that BBG provides access to the natural world, and it’s not always as easy as showing an enthusiastic gardener a beautifully designed landscape (though we certainly do that in spades!). As we have grown in recent years, we have discovered more varied ways to attract people to interact with our garden world. Our ART/GARDEN programming has drawn contemporary artists and their admirers to BBG in droves. Cooking and art classes have brought more avid learners to the Garden week after week. A new reference library is taking shape and will be made even more accessible to our local community in the year ahead. And when BBG goes on the road, our garden study day trips and overnight travel opportunities allow our members to be inspired by horticulture all over the country and the world. What’s next? This past season, a group of photography volunteers took shape and is now busy honing technical skills and providing fresh resources to BBG’s promotional efforts. Garden therapy and garden mindfulness are on the horizon as we explore new subject matter for our adult and youth curriculum. New collaborations with local schools, and an expanding Farm in the Garden Camp, will introduce more of our community’s youngest to the natural world. Whether you are a resident of our region or have visited us from afar, chances are you are reading this because you are interested in BBG and what we do. Your path to the Garden may have been easily explained by your love of horticulture, or it may have been more circuitous, through a love of art, or food, or books. No matter, I hope you know we are here for you and I hope you can help us in our mission by becoming a member of this wonderful organization, or by volunteering, or by making a year-end donation to help us thrive and grow! Thank you for supporting our Garden… your Garden… in whatever way you can.
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A NEW VIEW THROUGH GARDEN PHOTOGRAPHY By Thomas Christopher
PHOTO BY MIKE SIMON
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What if we could see the garden afresh? There could be the advantage of viewing the familiar plot with a new eye able to judge clearly the strengths and weaknesses of a planting. But there could also be much more. Seeing the garden brand new again, could we see it with its initial magic still intact, as in the first time we watched a seed sprout into a tiny plant so full of potential? At the Berkshire Botanical Garden, both things are happening, as staff and members are looking through a camera lens to see a garden very differently. This new perspective commonly sharpens their gardening. Pursued in the right spirit, it also restores their sense of wonder. Consider, for example the case of Elizabeth Griffin. A veteran photo editor and photographer for publications such as Esquire magazine, Elizabeth has also been gardening since childhood at her 4
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parents’ retreat in Old Chatham, New York. This combination of interests served as a natural stepping stone to the nearby Berkshire Botanical Garden, where she has been consulting on social media, and taking lots of photographs, since spring of 2018. Recently, Elizabeth told me about how the one interest serves the other. In part, she says, she has come to rely on gardening as an antidote for the “ridiculous pace of media in New York City.� This, though, underlines an important distinction. The tendency of the human eye, Elizabeth explains, is to scan, moving back and forth, and only occasionally stopping to focus on some particular detail. This is especially true in our too-busy contemporary life. The camera, however, by its very nature is detail focused. Certainly, it helps Elizabeth to look
in greater detail and more deeply at a garden. Framing the shots helps to determine what are the best views of a planting, to identify which are the most interesting angles and perspectives. You start editing right away, deciding what you want to include and what you want to leave out, decisions that have an obvious impact on garden design. Looking through a lens, you become absorbed in contrasts and harmonies of colors and textures, the contrasting heights of different plants, the variety in the shades of green. Her own impulse as a gardener, Elizabeth admits, can be too inclusive. She becomes intrigued by all different sorts of flowers and tends to just throws them all together in the beds. Thinking about how the camera will see the results has become a useful discipline for achieving a more calculated and
PHOTO BY SUSAN LIBSCH
visually powerful arrangement. This is definitely a technique that would help me to tame my own excesses as a plant collector, to cultivate a simpler
but aesthetically more powerful landscape. Ever since she was a child, Elizabeth has been inventing stories about what she sees in the garden. Photography takes her to a similar place. While she is composing a photograph, there is always a dialogue going on inside her head. “What is the story I want to tell? What is the story I should be telling?” These are useful questions for the gardener, too. Above all, a photograph is a recording of light, and looking through a camera can bring the gardener to a better understanding of this critical resource. Gardeners generally qualify light only crudely, as ‘full sun’, ‘partial shade’, or ‘shade’. Photographs, though, reveal precisely the quality of the light and how it changes from moment to moment throughout the day and the seasons. In that respect, a camera can teach us to look more discriminatingly.
A broader initiative, a group endeavor, is the Photography Group that members of the BBG founded in the spring of 2019. This was originally the inspiration of Steven Glicksman, a psychologist and BBG member, who found himself missing the photographic exhibitions that at one time had been a feature of The Grow Show, the floral, fruit and vegetable competition that the Garden hosts every summer and in which Glicksman and his wife routinely participate (once, memorably, winning “Best of Show”). Glicksman resolved to do something about this, and after retiring recently, he had the time to make his move. With the help of Director of Marketing Communications Robin Parow, he sent out a general call to photographers in early 2019. The response was a group of 15 or so individuals of all skill levels, and with diverse backgrounds. Some, for example, came to the Group from an interest in nature photography.
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Others were passionate cultivators who were committed to documenting what they grew. All were amateurs in the original sense, lovers of the craft for its own sake, who were united by an impulse to share their skills and learn from each other. The first meeting came in May, right at the beginning of the Berkshire growing season; additional meetings followed thereafter at two week intervals until October. Group activities included shooting photographs of the Botanical Garden – a slide show of 60 of these was presented at this year’s Grow Show – and five photographic expeditions to other gardens public and private. In addition, a local photography instructor, Thaddeus Kubis, taught two workshops in smartphone photography to the Group. Activities are currently suspended until next spring, but Glicksman is consulting with the membership to 6
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PHOTO BY BARBARA CHRIST
see what directions they would like to pursue in the future. Suggestions under consideration include exercises such as photographing a line, a curve, a particular flower, night photography, and taking photos in the snow. One member, Barbara Christ, feels that the question should be what can the Group do for the Botanical Garden; she’s promoting proposals that include creating a portfolio of photographs of the displays and beds at different seasons, or possibly documenting the plant collections. The Group agrees that its photographs should be at the disposal of the Botanical Garden. One thing that seems clear is that the activity of looking at gardens through a lens is already changing how the Group members perceive the Botanical Garden and their own landscapes. Group member Harriet Wetstone, for example, has become enamored of the view through a
macro lens: “I love the intimacy of the macro shot, the exquisite detail, and the very different perspective. It certainly is a whole new game, it changes the way you walk through a garden.” To Barbara Christ, the experience of garden photography is a “meditative” one. She finds in it “a way of stopping time, of diving deeper into the moment.” “It’s focusing in two different ways,” she adds. “You’re focusing the camera, but you’re also focusing yourself.”
The BBG Photo Group is open to Garden members and meets biweekly throughout the spring, summer and fall. For more information, contact Steven Glicksman at glicksman@aol.com.
Meore assisting her mother, who suffers from Parkinson’s, in the garden. Gardening has been shown to have a variety of benefits for those managing Parkinson’s symptoms. Photo credit: John Meore
STEP INTO MY GARDEN THE HE ALING POWER OF NATURE “My father once told me,” wrote the late Dr. Oliver Sacks, “that the very word ‘paradise’ meant garden, spelling out for me the four letters (pe resh dalet samech) of pardes, the Hebrew word for garden.”
Sacks, who was a neurobiologist, often spoke of his enchantment with plants and gardens and his belief in their power to heal. In a posthumously published collection of his writings, Everything In Its Place, he described taking his patients to gardens, “whenever possible….In 40 years of medical practice, I have found only two types of non-pharmaceutical ‘therapy’ to be vitally important for patients with chronic neurological disease: music and gardens.”
By Elizabeth Griffin
Since the dawn of humankind, plants have been essential to our survival, but they have also provided a form of treatment for mental and physical conditions. Gardens as a healing tool can be traced all the way back to 2000 B.C.E. in Mesopotamia, where it is said gardens were used to “calm the mind” and provide escape from the searing sweltering heat. The first documented use of horticulture as a therapeutic modality occurred in ancient Egypt in the form of palace garden walks that court physicians
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would prescribe to beleaguered royals. In the late 18th century in the United States, Dr. Benjamin Rush, the “Father of American Psychiatry” began looking at how “digging in the garden” improved the lives of his patients living with mental illness. He perceived a noticeable difference between those who worked in gardens and those who did not, and in 1812 published his findings in “Medical Inquiries and Observations Upon Diseases of the Mind.” In it, he shared the story of one of his patients who had been suffering from mania. Despite all traditional treatment offered by Dr. Rush, the patient was not improving. “My prescriptions relieved, but did not cure him,” he confessed. But when the patient returned to his family in Maryland, “in the time of hay harvest he was allured into a meadow and
prevailed upon to take a rake in his hands and assist in making hay. He worked for some time and brought on a profuse sweat, which soon carried away his disease.” By the end of the 19th century, the first American hospital had built a greenhouse specifically for use in patient rehabilitation, largely inspired by Dr. Rush’s observations. Over the next 100 years, the field of what came to be called ‘horticulture therapy’ (HT) continued to develop. In 1973, the Council for Therapy and Rehabilitation through Horticulture (NCTRH), later renamed the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), was founded and the field began to grow (so to speak). Defined as “a process through which plants, gardening activities, and the innate closeness we all feel
toward nature are used as vehicles in professionally conducted programs of therapy and rehabilitation,” horticultural therapy is now employed in leading hospitals and rehabilitation centers around the world. NYU’s Rusk, one of the first HT programs in the United States, provides adults and children with horticultural therapists to design programs tailored to their specific needs, be they “physical, cognitive, social [or] emotional.” In the spring of 2020, Berkshire Botanical Garden will be offering its first-ever HT class, which will be an introductory course led by Anne Meore, MA, LMSW, and registered horticultural therapist. Meore, who has served as a therapist and Garden Projects Director for Bon Secours Charity Health System and who is a faculty member at both New
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York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and Manhattanville College, says students can expect to learn the “foundational concepts that are the underpinning of horticultural therapy, but also, through a number of multi-sensory experiences and activities, firsthand knowledge and firsthand differing perspectives” on how horticultural therapy addresses varying conditions. “We look at how the different senses affect us and how they tap into our feeling mode,” Meore explains. “We can look at senses at face value and that’s fine; but in this class, we take it a step further and think about how a feeling affects the rest of someone’s life, someone’s day, where they are in that moment.” “One of the things I’ve done in this course when I’ve taught it in the past,” Meore says, “is that I take the class out into the garden. I want students to be able to look at horticulture from the lens of a horticultural therapist and to be able to see a natural space or a garden and the potential therapeutics that are right there.” But the perspective, the ability to see those available therapeutics, she says, “needs to be awakened or ignited.” “After you took this course at NYBG,” (confession, I did and I loved it!), “you were able to go to your garden and say, ‘Ah! This is why I’m drawn here, this is why I’m fascinated by, say, that gorgeous symmetry of the dahlia.’ You figure out what impact it’s having and why. It’s all coming from the awe and fascination we experience in nature.” Throughout the class, offered on April 25, students will learn about the variety of forms that HT can take, whether as “memory gardens”, which are gardens designed specifically for dementia and Alzheimer patients or as basic garden maintenance and horticultural projects to assist veterans
APR
25 Horticultural Therapy: The People-Plant Partnership Saturday, April 25, 10am – 2:30pm BBG Members: $75/Non-Members: $90 Read more on page 20!
HT students often participate in sensory deprivation (like loss of sight via blindfold or loss of touch via gloves) exercises to develop an understanding of what feelings are elicited when engaging with a particular sense.
with PTSD symptoms. They will also learn the theories and ideas that are at the core of horticulture therapy. Biophilia, for instance, is a term popularized by American biologist, Edward O. Wilson. Literally translated as ‘love of all things living’, Wilson evolved the understanding of the word to mean humankind’s need and tendency to connect with nature and suggested that that need may indeed be built into our DNA. At the Garden of Hope at Good Samaritan Hospital, where Meore works at the Garden Projects Director, she sees that innate draw to being in a green space among the patients. “Even in this medical model, people will walk out into the garden and I’ll ask them why and they’ll say, ‘Well, I needed to escape’, and I say, ‘Okay, let’s talk about what’s happening here and about the physiological workings of your brain and once I describe and talk to them about neuro transmitters and sensory receptors and bring it into
their language, it’s like a lightbulb goes on and they see that the healing tools have been here in nature all the time. We’ve just been migrating out of it.” Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and director of New York Presbyterian’s Integrative Medicine seems to agree with this point. When reached for comment, he offered the following insight, “Our brains are designed for the sensory input of nature. Conditions prone to overstimulation like migraines, autism spectrum, and depression, appear to do better when sufferers are freed to spend time in nature.” Recently, Meore took some of her HT students out for a walk around the grounds of NYBG and they came upon an old oak tree. “We stopped,” she recalls, “and I asked everybody to feel the tree, a tree that’s hundreds and hundreds of years old, and people started talking about how they’d never noticed it. And I thought, exactly, that is exactly what horticultural therapy is all about: Noticing. Really noticing what something looks like and what feelings it evokes in us and how we can use that to better ourselves, whether psychologically, physically, socially. It’s about being able use that moment of awe, which we hardly ever do as humans anymore, to progress, heal, and grow.” BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
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Thanks for this Special Place on the Planet! — Ramelle Pulitzer, Trustee
I am truly grateful for the Berkshire Botanical Garden in so many ways. Coincidentally, just as I sent off my check of appreciation as is my custom at this time of year, I was asked WHY I give to the Berkshire Botanical Garden? Just a habit, I thought, of showing appreciation for all the wholesome, enjoyable, outdoor and indoor Garden experiences! But in fact, I can think of lots of reasons why I enjoy giving back to the Garden:
Activities: There are all sorts of BBG activities that bring me pleasure. Beyond attending Board meetings, I also enjoy seasonal activities such as wreath making workshops for the annual Holiday Marketplace fundraiser. We are an army of volunteers, a very happy one!
Events: Attending events like the
Harmony: I give to the Garden
Plant Sale and Harvest Festival are fun, enriching and inspiring—and support the Garden!
because it has given me hours of delightful views: fresh blooming bulbs in February; spring tarragon for vinaigrette to sell in the gift shop; manicured perennial gardens on an open landscape; raised vegetable beds both beautiful and healthful; and the Center House gallery with its yearround rotation of inspiring art exhibits.
Friends: I love the Silent Auction! We enjoy giving a dinner party so we have boldly entered the opportunity to dine “chez nous”. And BBG guests certainly add zip to the occasion!
Our Planet: To give to the Garden is one way that I can contribute to the preservation of the very best of the Berkshires’ native plant species and also to enable education about those plants.
Ramelle Pulitzer’s grandchildren, Ayden Mabry, Teddy Pulitzer and Iris Mabry explore the pond during an afternoon at Farm in the Garden Camp.
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Generations: I give to the Garden because it has given to my family. We further support BBG by providing our three grandchildren with their best experiences of the summer—at Farm in the Garden Camp.
So this is a sincere thanks to the BBG staff: the ever resourceful, dedicated people and their families who are making Berkshire Botanical Garden a place I want to return to all year long.
S P O T L I G H T O N S TA F F :
Amy Butterworth Membership and Development Coordinator
Come visit and see what makes Bay State special!
When Amy Butterworth isn’t leading BBG’s Membership, Volunteer and Development efforts, you’ll probably find her happily creating garden-inspired pottery. A potter for over ten years, Amy often roams the grounds of the Garden looking for natural elements to use in her work (with our Director of Horticulture’s permission, of course). “My favorite is the magnolia leaf,” Amy says. “I take that huge leaf and press it into clay I’ve rolled out to make the imprint, turn up the edges, fire it, glaze it, and fire it again and voilà, I have a beautiful serving piece. I’ve done that with quite a few different leaves from BBG but also have started incorporating garden rabbits that are pulling leaves that work as smaller serving dishes.” Amy also looks to her own flower garden for inspiration, gazing out on the dahlias, foxgloves, hollyhocks, peonies and bee balm to incorporate in her work. She even makes vases to hold them just right. “I love finding the perfect cut flowers” she says, “and then displaying them in a vase I’ve made specifically for them.” Creating stoneware has provided an opportunity for creative expression in a community of like-minded artists. As most of her work is born at IS 183 Art School, where she throws pieces on their wheel and fires them up in their kiln, she has become part of their creative and inspired community. “It’s a very active, social thing: to be at the studio, creating pottery,” she explains. “But then, when I bring that piece home to decorate it and to glaze it, that’s a very quiet time and a very reflective time; it’s just me and my work. It’s very peaceful. I love it!” You can see Amy’s work at various art shows around the area … and you can find her spreading her special charm and creative spirit at BBG, to the delight of our Garden members and volunteers.
Open through September BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
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The Boston Globe
EDUCATION
DECEMBER 2019 – MAY 2020
Education
Photo by Mike Beck
Our education program offers a diverse selection of learning opportunities taught by experts in their fields. Winter and spring are an ideal time for enrichment — whether through advanced learning offered in our popular Horticulture Certificate Program or by attending classes and workshops on topics such as seed starting, cultivating mushrooms, or botanical drawing. Our Center House teaching kitchen will be in full swing during the winter months, with hands-on workshops on pie making for families, cheese making, and gluten free baking with alternative grains. A highlight of the season will be the Garden’s annual Winter Lecture on February 22, featuring Tom Coward, Head Gardener at Gravetye Manor and Gardens. We look forward to seeing you at the Garden! For more information on classes and events, visit berkshirebotanical.org.
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EDUCATION
Classes, Lectures, and Workshops Science of Plant Propagation
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Saturday, January 11 – Sunday, January 12, 9am – 4pm (2 days) BBG Members: $180/Non-Members: $195 Find out about the art and science of plant propagation from Broken Arrow Nursery’s Container Production & Horticulture Manager, Adam Wheeler, who will focus on the basic botany needed to understand and successfully propagate plants. Sexual and asexual propagation methods including sowing seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, and division will be covered. Students will learn the fascinating science behind propagation along with the various techniques used to create new plants. Please bring a bag lunch.
Planting Plan Design Studio
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Wednesdays, January 15 – March 4, 5:30 – 8:30pm (8 weeks) BBG Members: $350/Non-Members: $385 Learn how to design a planting plan for private and public garden spaces. Landscape Architect and fine artist David Dew Bruner will teach students to explore the manipulation of space by using plant material through a series of exercises dealing with form, color, and texture. Students will consider the nature of plant characteristics in specific design settings. Home architecture will be used for a source of inspiration while honoring the horticultural needs of each plant. Students will make presentations for each project, and class critiques will be positive, instructive, and essential to the learning process. This is a participatory class. Required text: Professional Planting Design by Scott Scarfone. Prerequisites: Herbaceous Plants, Ornamental Woody Plants, Drafting for Garden Design. For materials list visit: berkshirebotanical.org
CREATING BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES 413-448-2215 churchillgardens.com
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New England and Hudson Valley Heirloom Grape Varieties for the Home Garden Saturday, January 18, 1 – 3pm BBG Members: $30/Non-Members: $40 This class will cover how to grow locally developed heirloom grapes (1840-1890) in your own backyard to produce eating grapes, juices, jellies, and wines. Grape vines can also be used for landscaping purposes to create arbors, establish fence lines, and attract wildlife. Topics covered include grape variety selection, how to establish a vineyard in your backyard, pruning techniques, and trellising systems. Most of these grapes can be grown in an ecologically sustainable manner and become part of your edible landscape. Locally produced wines from the Hudson-Chatham Winery, made from these heirloom grapes by the speaker, will be sampled during the class. Afterwards, there will be a book sale and signing of J. Stephen Casscle’s book, Grapes of the Hudson Valley and Other Cool Climate Regions.
Sustainable Garden Care & Maintenance
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Tuesdays, January 21 – February 11, 5:30 – 8:30pm (4 weeks) BBG Members: $180/Non-Members: $195
est
1998
Learn about the maintenance considerations that should be integrated into every garden design process. Students’ horticultural knowledge will expand to factor sustainable maintenance concerns with cost effectiveness into plant selection. Learn procedures for perennials, woody plants, and lawns, including transplanting, staking, fertilizing, winterizing, mulching, plant pathology, and pest control with an emphasis on deer control. Taught by Brad Roeller.
This symbol denotes HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM classes, workshops, and lectures open both to students seeking credit towards one of BBG’s five acclaimed horticulture certificates as well as the general public. Please visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-357-4657 for additional information.
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EDUCATION
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Greenhouse and Conservatory Management
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Thursdays, January 23 – February 13, 4 – 7pm (4 weeks) BBG Members: $180/Non-Members: $195 Taught by William Florek, this course will focus on the fine points of controlling the greenhouse environment. Whether maintaining a conservatory collection of ornamental plants or producing greenhouse crops, participants will learn how to grow, care for and maintain plants in a greenhouse setting. The relationship between temperature, water, light, fertilization, plant health and diseases will be covered, with a strong emphasis on IPM (integrated pest management). This program is appropriate for homeowners with conservatories, glassed-in porches and greenhouses.
Cheesemaking at Home Sunday, January 26, 1 – 4pm Members: $55/Non-members: $65 Learn how to make simple, delicious cheese in your own kitchen. BBG’s own Chris Wellens will cover equipment, supplies, and basic techniques used in making nearly all types of cheese. While creating three types of cheese, fresh from start to finish, an emphasis will be on making a unique cheese unlike any at your local grocery store. After enjoying the fresh-made cheeses, each person will take home instructions and a set of ingredients to make a batch or two at home. This workshop is for beginners, and participants will learn by doing. Sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace
Bringing the natural beauty of the Berkshires to homes and offices since 1979. (413) 442-4873 energeticlandscaping.com
Savory and Sweet Hand Pies Saturday, February 1, 1 – 4pm BBG Members: $55/Non-Members: $65 *One child free with each adult registration. Additional children: $25/each Making hand pies is fun! Let’s roll up our sleeves and get messy. In this class led by food educator, Anna Gershenson, participants will learn how to make an easy cream cheese dough that is perfect for making hand pies. The fillings will be mushroom, spiced pumpkin apple butter and cranberry maple cream cheese. There is nothing like popping a hot hand pie into your mouth! Families and Individuals are encouraged to attend this class. Sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace
Kitchen classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace with stores located in Great Barrington and Pittsfield.
TO R EG IST E R, V IS IT W W W.B E RKS H IRE B OTANICAL.O RG
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EDUCATION
Tree Care for Gardeners
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Fridays, February 21 – March 6, 1 – 5pm (3 weeks) BBG Members: $180/Non-Members: $195 Whether you are an amateur or professional horticulturist, you are a steward of the landscape, and probably spend more time than anyone among the flowers, shrubs, and trees. This course is designed for those who might not necessarily be the first to climb 100 feet up a Northern Red Oak or wrangle the chainsaw to fell a 36” dead American elm. The goal of this class is to empower horticulturist to better understand the largest plants in the landscape. Learn from certified arborist, Tom Ingersoll, the basics of tree biology and identification, the tree’s role in the ecosystem, proper selection, siting, planting considerations, pruning of young trees, fertilization, pest identification and when to call in the certified arborist.
Landscape Design I
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Tuesdays, February 25 – April 7, 5:30 – 8:30pm (7 weeks) Members: $310/Non-Members: $330 This design course will introduce students to the design process—the systematic way designers approach a site and client. The course, taught by landscape architect and fine artist David Dew Bruner, will include a series of simple projects that will end with a garden designed by the students. Learn design principles such as form, balance, repetition, line, texture, color, and spatial relationships. Additionally, students will be introduced to history and how it helps the designer resolve and inspire garden design. As the adage goes, we cannot escape our history so we have to understand where we came from.
Goodbye Gluten! Baking with Alternative Grains Saturday, February 29, 10am – 1pm BBG Members: $55/Non-Members: $65 If there’s one thing we all have enough of in our diet, it’s wheat: it’s everywhere, one of the 4 pillars of baking, along with eggs, butter & sugar. It can be destabilizing when you take wheat out of the equation. Either for health or dietary reasons, baking gluten-free has become a challenge and a need for many people. Join pastry chef Rachel Portnoy to discover new grains, new techniques, and new flavors, by moving away from wheat in your baking. In this class we will make sweet and savory recipes, all designed to highlight the fun and flavorful ways that gluten-free baking can take you in new and delicious directions. We will cover a wide array of possibilities including French and American classics.
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The Perennial Plant Palette — Combinations for Every Garden Saturday, February 29, 2 – 4pm BBG Members: $25/Non-Members: $35 With so many plants to choose from, how can one be sure of creating successful perennial garden designs? Analyze the site, pick the right plants for that habitat and create winning combinations based on growth habit, foliage, and flowers. Need some help? Join perennial plant expert, Robert Herman, as he provides inspiration through examples of wonderful combinations for every type of gardening situation.
Designing with Native Plants
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Saturdays, March 7 & 14, 10am – 2pm (2 weeks) BBG Members: $120/Non-Members: $130 Led by Drew Monthie, this survey plant identification class covers horticulturally significant North American native plants that thrive in the Berkshires and surrounding tri-state region. Both herbaceous and woody plants will be covered, with special focus on plant communities and garden worthy, low maintenance plants that work well in the managed landscape. Information on cultural requirements, maintenance, plant combinations and associations will form the framework of this course.
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Expert Honey Tasting Saturday, March 7, 1 – 4pm BBG Members: $55/Non-Members: $65 Every taste of honey is an opportunity to learn something about its floral source, region and even the beekeeper’s practices. Tasting and evaluating honey is a skill learned through formal sensory training along with experience. Join honey connoisseur and beekeeper, Carla Marina Marchese, to learn the methods of sensory analysis used by sommeliers to taste and evaluate honey like an expert. The art of honey tasting is as complex as skills used by a wine or olive oil sommelier. If you are looking to improve your knowledge of honey and your tasting skills you should attend this workshop, which is appropriate for those who appreciate honey and beekeepers alike. Copies of The Honey Connoisseur will be available for purchase and signing by Marina.
Container Garden Design
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Wednesdays, March 11 – 25, 5:30 – 8:30pm (3 weeks) Members: $135/Non-Members: $145 Acquire a knowledge of the skills required for beautiful and successful container gardens with Jenna O’Brien, owner of Viridissima Horticulture and Design. Start with techniques for overwintering tropicals, tender perennials, bulbs, annuals and more without a greenhouse, through storage of dormant plants, seed collection, cuttings, divisions and other simple techniques. Get to know the plants that thrive in containers and how to care for them. This class will cover practical aspects of gardening with plants that do double duty as housescape plants in the winter and container plants in summer. Consider container selection, siting, planting, growing, controlling pests, and maintaining moveable gardens.
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The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants Saturday, March 14, 4 – 5pm BBG Members: $25/Non-Members: $35 Focus in a wholly unique way on how horticulture intersects with our everyday world, and on women whose work has enriched and expanded these intersections in the last 25 years. The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants by Jennifer Jewell explores and celebrates how the plant world is improved not only by greater representation of women, but also by diversity amongst those women. It chronicles how working in the world of plants is a more viable and creative career path for women than ever before and how the plant-work world is demonstrating greater social and environmental responsibility, in large part due to women’s contributions. Walking through profiles of women doing current and innovative work in all fields horticultural – botany, environmental science, landscape design and architecture, floriculture, agriculture, social justice, plant seeking and breeding, seed science, gardening, garden writing and garden photography, public garden administration, research, and public policy – we see how they often represent larger issues or shifts in our world. The work of these women illustrates how the many challenges of our world environmental, economic, cultural/societal, individual - can be met through cultivating an interdependence with plants. The group of 75 includes representatives from the United States, England, Ireland, Wales, Canada, Australia, India, and Japan. These paradigm-shifting women range beautifully across race, ethnicity, socio-economic and religious backgrounds, sexual orientation, and age - in a way that transcends preconceived notions of what horticulture/gardening is and what plantspeople/gardeners look like. These women and their work have profoundly positive impacts on the larger world aesthetically, environmentally, culturally, and economically — making them joyful and encouraging role models and inspirations for us all. Following the lecture will be a book sale and signing of The Earth in Her Hands.
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Bird Nests: Rendering Their Unique Beauty Wednesday, March 18 – Friday, March 20, 10am – 4pm (3 days) Members: $340/Non-members: $375 How many times have you looked in wonder at a bird’s nest and marveled at its construction? Drawing a bird’s nest will invite you to look even closer and discover what nest materials the bird chose to create their unique design and shape. In this class with botanical illustrator Carol Ann Morley, you will learn how to ‘map out’ the nest construction to keep track of where you are. Through close observation you will discover the pattern of the weave as you identify horse hair, grass, twigs and other plant materials. Have fun bringing to life one of nature’s wonders, in your choice of mixed media with colored pencils, pen and ink, and gold paint on toned papers. The instructor will supply the bird nests to draw. Some drawing experience suggested. Supply list available at berkshirebotanical.org.
Ready, Set, Grow: Starting Seeds for Plants That Will Hit the Ground Growing!
What Linnaeus Saw: A Scientist’s Quest to Name Every Living Thing
Saturday, March 21, 10am – 1pm BBG Members: $45/Non-Members: $55
Saturday, March 21, 2 – 3:30pm BBG Members: $15/Non-Members: $20 *Free to students with ID
Learn vegetable and flower seedstarting and plant-growing techniques that result in vigorous plants from organic grower Maureen Sullivan of Left Field Farm, in Middlefield, MA. This workshop will focus on indoor sowing and growing-on practices, including preparation of an effective seed-sowing schedule, techniques for successful germination of challenging seeds, and management of plants at various stages of growth. Workshop participants will practice seed sowing and transplanting a variety of plants to take home for the spring and summer growing season. All supplies included in cost.
Join Karen Beil, author of What Linnaeus Saw, through a true adventure story about an intriguing, world-renowned scientist who revolutionized the way we study plants and animals. The globetrotting naturalists of the 18th century were the plant geeks of their day. Foremost among them was Carl Linnaeus, a radical thinker who transformed biology. A medical doctor, botanist and enthusiastic professor in Sweden, he encouraged his devoted students to search the world for species. Now, more than ever, we need to learn about and value the world’s plants, animals, and habitats—both for the crucial roles they play in nature and for the benefits they provide to humankind. What Linnaeus Saw gives us a chance to examine the past and see what it can teach us for the future. A book sale and signing will follow the talk.
Serving the Berkshires since 1981
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Spring Pruning of Woody Ornamental Plants Saturday, March 28, 10 am - 2 pm Members: $30/Non-members: $40 Spring is a great time to assess woody shrubs for shape, structure, and winter damage. This workshop will focus on learning by doing. Ron Yaple, owner of Race Mountain Tree Services in Sheffield, MA, will demonstrate how to renovate, rejuvenate, and shape shrubs and small ornamental trees for structure, health, and optimal growth. Plants covered will include viburnums, lilacs, witch hazels, deciduous azaleas, sweetshrubs, crabapples, and ornamental cherries. Participants should dress for the weather, bring pruners, work gloves, and a bag lunch.
Handmade Filled Pasta for Spring Saturday, April 4, 10am – 1pm Members: $55/Non-Members: $65 Join the chef/educator team of Stephen and Julie Browning of Prairie Whale restaurant for a garden-inspired, hands-on workshop making a variety of homemade filled pastas including tortellini, ravioli, and agnolotti. Pastas will be incorporated into dishes emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients. Selecting quality ingredients and pasta-making equipment will also be discussed. Sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace
Cultivating Mushrooms at Home: Winecaps, Oysters, and Shiitakes Sunday, April 5, 1 – 3pm BBG Members: $45/Non-Members: $55 Come explore the fascinating realm of growing mushrooms with Willie Crosby of Fungi Ally. Learn about the basic mushroom life cycle and the important ecological roles that fungi fill. Discussion will focus on several different methods of mushroom cultivation on wood, including shiitakes on logs, oysters on totems, and wine cap mushrooms on wood chips. Leave with the tools and knowledge to start cultivating mushrooms in your garden! All participants will take home an inoculated log.
C u s to m H o m e s – A r t i s a n a l D e t a i l s Crafting Beautiful, Energy-Efficient Spaces using Micro-local Materials. Zero net energy homes • Passive House
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Transplanting Shrubs and Planting Small Ornamental Trees Saturday, April 18, 10am – 1pm Members: $25/Non-members: $35 Learn by doing in this hands-on shrub and tree planting/ transplanting workshop led by arborist Ken Gooch. All aspects of successful planting will be demonstrated, and participants will assist in transplanting a multi-stem shrub and planting a small tree. Learn how to successfully transplant shrubs through correct timing, placement, and techniques designed to create minimal disturbance and ensure a smooth transition to a new site. Consider the differences between bare-root, container-grown, or balled-and-burlapped trees, and understand the importance of siting. Participants should dress warmly and bring pruners and work gloves; dress for the weather.
Beekeeping 101: An Introduction to Backyard Beekeeping Saturday, April 18, 9am – 4pm Members: $65/Non-Members: $75 Led by BBG Director of Education Chris Wellens, this all-day program will give first-year beekeepers the tools they need to start off their new hobby on the right foot. Topics will include honey bee biology, equipment, hive installation methods, basic pest management, honey and wax harvesting, and hive management through the seasons. Suggested supplementary texts: The Beekeeper’s Handbook by Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile, and The Backyard Beekeeper by Kim Flottum. Bring a bag lunch.
Horticultural Therapy: The People-Plant Partnership Saturday, April 25, 10am – 2:30pm BBG Members: $75/Non-Members: $90 Horticultural therapy uses the cultivation of plants and plantrelated programs to heal, rehabilitate and improve the overall well being of the population it serves. Often referred to as “the new health care tool,” horticultural therapy is effective in achieving therapeutic, rehabilitative and vocational outcomes. Registered Horticultural Therapist Anne Meore will lead participants through experiential activities that will deepen their understanding of this therapeutic modality and enhance perspective on the benefits of our relationship with plants and the natural environment.
Spring Wildflower Field Study
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Saturday, May 2, 10am – 4pm BBG Members: $85/Non-Members: $95 Join ecologist Ted Elliman for a lecture highlighting wildflowers of New England’s natural habitats, including alpine summits, forests, meadows, wetlands, and coastal environments. This program will focus on spring-flowering plants that will be (or almost be) in bloom in the forests and meadows of the Berkshires. After an introductory lecture, Elliman will lead a walking field study at BBG as well as at an off-site location. Optional transportation to the off-site location will be provided by BBG. Wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather.
New England Plant Communities Building a Dry Stone Wall Saturday, April 25, 9am – 3pm Members: $80/Non-Members: $95 Join stonemason artist Mark Mendel for a hands-on program covering the basics of dry stone wall building, including planning, layout, and demonstrations on cutting and fitting. The morning will consist of a lecture, a walk through the garden to view a variety of stone walls, and site preparation. Students will learn how to set up a batter frame and cut stone, and will practice laying stones to create structural integrity through interlocking placement. Following the demonstrations, students will work on a dry stone wall and practice wall-building. The workshop will pay special attention to building a freestanding wall using field stone. Dress for outdoor work and bring safety glasses, heavy gloves, sturdy, waterproof footwear and a bag lunch.
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Friday, May 15, 6 – 8pm (lecture) & Saturday, May 16, 10am – 4pm (field study) Full Course: Members: $120/Non-Members: $135 Friday Lecture only: Members: $25/Non-Members: $35 Join ecologist Ted Elliman for an exploration of native New England plant communities. A Friday lecture will cover many of the forest, meadow, and wetland habitats found in Berkshire County, discussing their physical and ecological features— topography, geology, soils, and moisture— as well as their characteristic plant associations, including both common and rare plants. The Saturday field trip will take us to a variety of forested, open, and wetland habitats, and we will take a close look at the flora and features of each of them. Ted will also discuss the impacts of invasive species, and possible changes to natural communities in response to climate change. We will travel in BBG’s passenger van. Please dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes (we will be walking nearly the entire day) and bring a bagged lunch if attending the Saturday field study.
Enrollment in many classes is limited. Early registration is encouraged. Some course details may have changed since printing and others may have been added. Visit berkshirebotanical.org for the most up-to-date program information. Withdrawals: To withdraw your registration from a class, please contact us as soon as possible so we can make your space available to others. Please note: we cannot offer refunds for withdrawals less than 7 days prior to a class.
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WINTER LECTURE WITH TOM COWARD:
THE LEGACY OF WILD GARDENER WILLIAM ROBINSON Saturday, February 22, 2 pm Duffin Theater at Lenox Memorial Middle/High School Members: $35/Non-Members: $45 Group discounts available
Tom Coward has worked as a gardener from the age of 15 at various gardens, but it was at Great Dixter (as Fergus Garrett’s assistant) that he believed he really honed his horticultural skills and style. In 2010, Coward joined Gravetye Manor in Sussex, England and set about the restoration of the garden, a project that has been extremely rewarding for him as a gardener. The historic gardens of Gravetye Manor were established in 1885 by writer and gardener William Robinson. Situated in the Ashdown Forest of Sussex— the basis of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books— this would become Robinson’s inspiration for the creation of the English natural or wild gardens. The English Flower Garden and The Wild Garden were Robinson’s most notable books on the topic. The meadows of Gravetye’s wild garden are composed of naturalized bulbs and perennials mixed with native wildflowers. Building off his experience restoring the wild gardens of Gravetye, and drawing from the inspiration of North American meadows, Coward will describe his process of how he continues to develop the wild garden at Gravetye and how the concept might translate to our own gardens.
Copies of the newest version of The Wild Garden along with other horticulture books and gifts will be available for sale.
Post-Lecture Cocktail Reception with Tom Coward Saturday, February 22, 5 pm BBG Members: $45 (Members Only Event)
Please join the trustees and staff of BBG in welcoming Winter Lecture Speaker Tom Coward to the Berkshires at this festive cocktail reception in the BBG Center House. This is your chance to meet our speaker in an intimate setting and to hear more about his work, while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.
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Great Gardens of Scotland: Edinburgh & The Borders May 21–28, 2020 Arranged by Classical Excursions Join us on this exclusive tour of the gardens, houses, and castles of Scotland near Edinburgh and the Scottish borders, expertly arranged by Lani Summerville of Classical Excursions. T R IP HI G HL I G H TS Calton Hill, ‘The Athens of the North,’ with its famous landmark buildings. Edinburgh Botanical Garden with a talk about the history of the gardens. Luncheon at Manderston House, home of Lord Palmer, with tour of the grand Edwardian home and gardens. Floors Castle & Gardens in Roxburghshire, seat of the Dukes of Roxburgh. This country house was built in the 1720’s by William Adam for Duke John, and later embellished with turrets and battlements by William Playfair for Duke James. This category A building has grounds listed in Scotland’s national inventory of significant gardens. Luncheon at Balcarres House & Gardens. This ancestral home of the Earls of Crawford lies north of the village of Colinsburgh, eastern Scotland. Based around a mansion built in 1595 by John Lindsay, 9th Earl of Crawford, it includes early 19th century extensions. Balcarres is a category A building, with grounds listed in Scotland’s national inventory of significant gardens. We are invited to this private home as guests of Lord & Lady Balniel; luncheon followed by a private tour of the gardens. Pitmuies House, home of the Ogilvie family. We will take refreshments in the house, which is private. This beautiful 18th century house is known for its exceptional walled gardens and herbaceous borders. Jeanette Ogilvie will be our guide for the afternoon. For further information, and to register, contact Classical Excursions at contact@classicalexcursions.com or (413) 446-8728. You may also contact Chris Wellens at cwellens@berkshirebotanical.org or (413) 357-4657 to speak to a Berkshire Botanical Garden representative. Or visit our website at berkshirebotanical.org.
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The Archer, 2014, Egg tempera and 24 karat gold on panel
UNBORN SUN T H E PA I N T I N G S O F J O H N G O R D O N G AU L D
December 14 – February 7 Opening Reception in the Center House Leonhardt Galleries Saturday, December 14, 4 – 6:30pm “Meet the Artist” Gallery Presentation and Tea Service Sunday, January 19, 2 – 4pm Gallery Hours: Weekdays: 10am – 4pm, Weekends: 11am – 3pm The Galleries will be closed from December 24 through January 1.
B E R K S H I R E B O TA N I C A L G A R D E N P E R E N N I A L S O C I E T Y
“My deep connection to the Garden began by taking classes and volunteering. I recently ascertained that I am able to focus on a legacy to help fund the Garden’s future. I can only hope that others who also believe in BBG and its mission will have a ‘wake-up call’, like me, and provide legacy support.” — Kathi Cafiero, Perennial Society Member Join Kathi Cafiero in supporting the future of the Garden by including BBG in your estate plans or other planned giving through the Perennial Society. Kathi’s involvement with the Garden began in 2013, when she moved to the Berkshires after retirement from a corporate position with AT&T. “I find much joy in volunteering at places dear to my heart,” she says. Kathi found in the Garden a rich, like-minded, preservation-conscious community and dove in head first, enrolling in classes and offsite field studies and trips. A certified Master Gardener and energetic volunteer, she works with the horticulture
group, at special events, and has even taught a complimentary yoga program in the Garden. She is also a generous member and donor. “Now, focusing on the future, and where to do the most good, BBG is at the top of my list. Besides being very well managed, BBG provides varied landscape activities and volunteer opportunities, as well as community-rich educational programs and trips, not to mention a host location for the Master Gardeners in the Berkshires for all community horticultural questions and concerns. BBG has a mission I strongly believe in, and want to support, now and in the future.”
If you would like to find out more about joining BBG’s Perennial Society, please contact Michael Beck, Executive Director at (413) 320-4772 or mbeck@berkshirebotanical.org for a confidential conversation.
NOW ON VIEW
FINDING
HOME
Four Artists’ Journeys FRANCES JETTER DAVID MACAULAY JAMES MCMULLAN YUYI MORALES
NRM.org • Stockbridge, MA • 413.298.4100 • KIDS & TEENS FREE! David Macaulay, Ships crossing the Atlantic Oceans were powered by the wind in their sails, 2017; James McMullan, The Bombing Scare, 2014; Frances Jetter, Abe and Eva Became American Citizens on February 20, 1917, 2018; Yuyi Morales, Migrantes, you and I. 2018. All artists, all rights reserved.
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Library Corner
by Gay Tucker
Located in the Garden’s Center House, the botanical library comprises over 1,500 volumes organized by a master inventory list of nearly 40 categories. The collection includes botany and horticulture titles ranging from a hand-written 1897 herbarium to the most recent releases available. Through the efforts of the Garden’s committee of library volunteers and supported by generous grants, this unique library will soon receive new laptops, a catalog system and web tools to provide easier access to BBG’s collection as well as contact to regional horticultural societies. Additionally, a ‘Special Feature’ corner is being created to contain works by speakers of the annual Ecological Gardening Symposium, Rooted in Place, and BBG’s annual Winter Lecture. Here are some highlights:
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At 2019’s Rooted in Place, Doug Tallamy provided the keynote address for the fourth symposium previewing themes in his forthcoming book, Nature’s Best Hope (pub. date Feb. 2020). He focused on the plant/insect interface: a key aspect of biodiversity. Bringing Nature Home (2007) was his first publication to suggest ways home gardens can contribute to the wider environment. His next book, The Living Landscape (2014) provided greater detail about how landscape ‘layers’ work and support wildlife. Every year, BBG’s Rooted in Place invites one or more researchers to explain the role of a specific component of the natural world, whether soil-based fungi, bees, or birds, and its relationship to plant health. Unfortunately, most of that research is not readily available in retail bookstores, which makes access via BBG’s library collection all the more important. If you have not been able to attend these meetings, consider browsing our new ‘Special Features’ corner to find guidance on ecological gardening. The volumes listed below are examples of some valuable references with which to frame your understanding.
PLANT PROPAGATION & SEED COLLECTION: Lee Buttala & Shanyn Siegel, editors. The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving. The Seed Savers Exchange, Inc.: Decorah, IA, 2015. In addition to explaining the art (processes) and traditions of seed collecting with exquisite photography, each chapter of the ‘process’ portion provides one or two ‘master class’ projects similar to those in BBG horticulture certificate program and workshops. William Cullina. Guide to Growing & Propagating Wildflowers of the United States & Canada. New England Wildflower Society: Boston, MA, 2000. Similar to The Seed Garden, this is organized to explain how to classify, care for and identify plants which thrive in specific regions. Its encyclopedia of plants provides the bulk of information, with appendices to guide gardeners seeking specific regions or purposes.
PLANT SELECTION: HOW TO IDENTIFY PLANTS THAT ARE APPROPRIATE (BY REGION): Ted Elliman & New England Wildflower Society. Wildflowers of New England. Timber Press: Portland, OR, 2016. An exhaustive reference about this region’s wildflowers. As plant ecologist at the New England Wild Flower Society, Elliman provides identification keys and photographs for more than 1,000 species commonly found in six New England states. The key is based on flower color, petal arrangement, and leaf characteristics. An introduction explains plant parts and information on plant naming conventions. If this were smaller, it would be ideal to take on walks. Dan Jaffe & Mark Richardson. Native Plants for New England. Globe Pequot: Guilford, CT, 2018. A more portable volume, i but more general. It explains why certain plants (native to New England) thrive locally, often surviving harsh conditions. Consider this a primer for getting started as it suggests 100 options which prosper in low maintenance gardens and support biodiversity.
ECOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The next two books both elaborate on native plant attributes, which make them practical garden choices and responsible ones as well, if we want to support a biodiverse planet. Both works demonstrate how entomology impacts horticulture and helps create better designed gardens where bugs and companion planting support each other and create wildlife habitat. Jessica Walliser. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control. Timber Press: Portland, OR, 2014 Tallamy, Douglas W. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens. Portland, OR, Timber Press, 2007. Finally, Rick Darke & Doug Tallamy, The Living Landscape. Timber Press: Portland, OR, 2014. Provides examples of how plant knowledge, design and landscape management are all interrelated.
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Welcome Nancy Hickey We are delighted to welcome Nancy Hickey to our Board of Trustees. Originally from Boston, MA, Nancy later moved to New York City with her husband, Rod, where they lived and worked, Nancy in retail and Rod in real estate, for 40+ years. After retiring from Tiffany & Co., which she was a part of for 30 years, and following the passing of her husband in 2004, Nancy moved from NYC to her farm in St. Michael’s, MD. She has served on the Board of Governors of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael’s and on the Board at Adkins Arboretum in Ridgely, MD. She is also the President of the Talbot County Garden Club in Easton, MD. Since retirement, Nancy has been involved with garden clubbing and traveling with a group that visits gardens around the world. She cherishes the “joyful, peaceful feeling” of walking through a garden and values the “ideas and knowledge passed along by the garden owners or head gardeners.” “It’s priceless,” Nancy says, “and it’s enriched my life! Working with BBG will do the same.” Recently, Nancy bought a beautiful home in Tyringham, MA and is pleased to be in the Berkshires and back in New England. Welcome, Nancy! We are so happy you’re here!
Welcome Jane Iredale We are thrilled to welcome Jane Iredale to BBG’s Board of Trustees. Jane has been a Berkshire devotee since 1974 when she bought her first house in Austerlitz, NY, where she also founded her company, Iredale Cosmetics, in 1994. In that same year, Jane was introduced to the Garden and has “always loved it. I can’t count the number of Christmas wreaths I’ve bought at BBG,” she continues. “I even took a class at the Garden once in wreath-making. Then, I met [BBG Board Members] Madeline and Ian Hooper and their enthusiasm for how the Garden was positively affecting the lives of young people got me hooked and I wanted to get involved.” Jane’s residence and corporate headquarters are now on Church Street in Great Barrington, where she moved in 2000. Jane has served on the boards of Shakespeare & Company, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, and Berkshire Grown. Her interests in the Berkshires range from supporting the farming community, improving community support with such organizations as LitNet, the Berkshire South Community Center, Railroad Street Youth Project, Elizabeth Freeman, Construct, Habitat for the Humanities and others. Her interests also include sustainable gardening and supporting the Berkshire Humane Society. “Nowhere else in the country,” Jane insists, “can you find the mix of culture, agriculture, environmental concern, history and generosity that is found in the Berkshires. It is a gift that deserves our protection.”
Sopring-Summer Cuttings: 4.75”W x 3.5 “H
Indeed! Welcome to the Board, Jane!
WINDY HILL FARM NURSERY • ORCHARD • GARDEN SHOP
SUPERB PLANTS, EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OUTSTANDING QUALITY, SELECTION & VALUE
We offer our own Berkshire field-grown specimens, including Chinese or Kousa dogwood; the native Berkshire strain of Cornus florida; American and European Green, Tricolor and Copper beech; native birch; hybrid lilacs; hydrangea paniculata selections; American Fringe trees; witchhazels, blueberries, viburnums; winterberries, espaliered fruit trees; mature apple, peach and pear trees; herbaceous and tree peony selections. 686 STOCKBRIDGE ROAD, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230 WWW . WINDYHILLFARMINC . COM (413) 298-3217 26
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Farm Camp News! Has your child participated in BBG’s Farm in the Garden Camp and wants to do more? Or are you new to the Garden and curious about Camp? We’re excited to announce a unique new camp program during 2020’s spring break that will focus on the amazing process of the Garden waking up after a long winter. Spring Break Farm Camp is scheduled for Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24 and is appropriate for campers ages 6–14. Based on our camp mission of community building and stewardship, we will share experiences in and around the Garden, including care of our farm camp animals, maple syrup making, planting the summer vegetable garden, exploring the Garden’s unique ecosystems in early spring and much more. Registration will open concurrently with Summer Farm Camp in January 2020. Our Farm in the Garden summer camp begins June 29, with week-long sessions offered through August 14. Preregistration for Garden members and returning campers begins January 8th — visit berkshirebotanical.org for updates. For more information about spring and summer farm camps, contact BBG’s Camp Director, Melvin Jenkins at mjenkins@berkshirebotanical.org or 413-931-3194.
Advertise in Cuttings and Watch your Business Investment Grow! When you advertise in Cuttings, you join a community of businesses and cultural organizations that successfully reach BBG’s 7,000+ members and loyal followers. Published three times a year in April, August and December, Cuttings is the go-to publication for BBG news, upcoming events and education listings. The magazine also provides engaging articles on gardening and garden-related activities written by both Garden staff and guest contributors. In addition to reaching thousands of garden devotees throughout the year, advertisers receive many other valuable perks. Based on ad size, businesses are given between two and five individual Garden memberships to keep or give as gifts to clients, customers or friends. And as a Cuttings advertiser, your commitment is also acknowledged at our annual Winter Lecture in the preprogram digital slide show, featuring BBG’s season in pictorial highlights along with the new year’s lineup of advertisers. This gives you multiple exposures to a large audience of garden enthusiasts.
I S SUE S PU B L IS H E D PE R Y E A R W I T H OV E R
7,000
F O LLOWE RS !
The next ad contract cycle begins in January 2020, with media kits available upon request. Please contact the Communications Office at 413-320-4795 for information on advertising, and build your business while supporting one of the Berkshires’ key cultural attractions!
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AROUND THE GARDEN
enjoy the Benefits of your memBership w h i l e e a r n i n g g a r D e n r e wa r D s Ask In-store for More Information on How to Join
Volunteer News The Garden is for Everyone! Opinion: I think Volunteers are very lucky people. Because when you volunteer, you’re doing something that you find personally meaningful – not because you have to as part of a paying job. So if you are lucky enough to have time to volunteer, please consider our many options! Fact is, you don’t have to be a gardening enthusiast to enjoy volunteering at BBG. The pleasures of this place extend to many other facets. If culture is your thing, our art galleries are a beautiful spot to volunteer as a Docent. If you enjoy teaching, you’re a natural to be a Tour Guide. Like cooking? You might help our Herb Associates concoct their tasty treats. Or if retail intrigues you, our Visitor Center is a lively environment for greeting our public and assisting with sales. And that’s just to name a few Volunteer opportunities. What else? If you’re a party animal, you can help us host some of our delightful Special Events. If you have computer skills, we have office projects that need you – and that let you work “backstage” at BBG, assisting our delightful staff. Even if you only have limited time to volunteer, you can pitch in for Harvest Festival, a once-a-year extravaganza that needs lots of helping hands. Of course, there are opportunities for hands-in-the-earth, as part of our trusty troupe of Volunteer gardeners. Which, incidentally, is a great way to learn from our talented horticultural staff. Volunteering will stimulate your brain, enhance your social life and support your community. At BBG, it’s also a way to connect with nature, and support what may be our planet’s most vital cause: protecting our environment. So if you are lucky enough to have the time to volunteer, please consider the many possibilities at BBG. It’s a wonderfully rewarding way to make use of your special skills. To learn more, visit the Volunteer page at www.berkshirebotanical.org. Or send a note to our Volunteer Manager at abutterworth@berkshirebotanical.org. We’d love to have you join us! Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association
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CUTTINGS
WINTER/SPRING 2020
Ward’s Where Gardeners Grow
Wa r d ’s N u r s e r y & G a r d e n C e n t e r 600 S. Main Street - Gt. Barrington Open 8am-5:30pm; winter hours start Dec. 27, 9am-5pm 413-528-0166 www.wardsnursery.com
THINK SPRING! SAVE THE DATES!
THREE AREA GARDEN SYMPOSIA offered by the
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION
“Gardening in Changing Times” FRANKLIN COUNTY: March 21, 2020 Frontier Regional High School, South Deerfield
“Spring into Gardening!”
BERKSHIRE COUNTY: March 28, 2020 Lenox Memorial Middle/High School, Lenox
“How’s it Growing? 2020 Gardening Visions” HAMDEN COUNTY: April 4, 2020 Holyoke High School, Holyoke
Look for our online flyers after February 1
wmmga.org
A Gift of Membership Lasts All Year! Giving a BBG membership is a wonderful way to acknowledge the gardeners in your life! Give the perfect gift — membership to Berkshire Botanical Garden! Our Membership levels provide a variety of benefits including: n Unlimited free admission to the Garden n Special members-only events n 10% discount at the Garden’s Visitor Center Gift Shop n Early buying privileges and 10% off all purchases at the annual Plant Sale n Free subscription to Cuttings, the Garden’s magazine n Advance notice and discounts on classes, lectures and workshops n Free or discounted reciprocal admission to participating gardens, arboreta and conservancies throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean n Discounts on purchases at local and online nurseries, garden centers and retailers n Based on Membership level, benefits in NARM and ROAM programs n Free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens or Martha Stewart Living
Memberships support the Garden while enriching lives. Place your gift order today — discounts apply to multiple orders! New! Portrait photographer and Corporate memberships are now available. Contact Amy Butterworth, Membership Director, abutterworth@berkshirebotanical.org or call 413 298-4532.
berkshirebotanical.org BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
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5 West Stockbridge Road Stockbridge, MA 01262 413-298-3926 • berkshirebotanical.org
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Qualprint
RD
ANNUAL
PLANTS & ANSWERS
Plant Sale
FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAY 8 & 9 (MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND) Early buying for BBG members Friday 9 – 11am Hours for the general public: Friday 11am – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 5pm
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expected
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