Summer 2024

JUNE 7 TO AUG. 4

“Microcosms” in the Leonhardt Galleries

Through mixed-media artworks, Peter D. Gerakaris seeks to mend society’s fragmented relationship with the environment.

JUNE 1 TO OCT. 6

“The

Lost Bird Project”

Todd McGrain’s artworks recognize the tragedy of environmental destruction by immortalizing North American birds that have been driven to extinction. Includes outdoor sculpture exhibit and an indoor exhibition that opens Aug. 10.

JULY 1 TO AUG. 5

Music Mondays

Six consecutive Mondays of live music featuring great regional talents. NEW this year: We will have food trucks each Monday night!

This page: Our popular Family Fridays series runs from July 12 through Aug. 23, 11 a.m. to noon. Come see presentations and performances focusing on wildlife and the natural world.

JULY 12 TO AUG. 23

Family Fridays

For students and nature stewards of all ages! Programming is focused on the natural world and promotes a deeper connection to our Berkshire landscape and the world at large.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Matthew Larkin, Chairman

Madeline Hooper, Vice Chairman

John Spellman, Treasurer

Janet Laudenslager, Secretary

Adegboyega Adefope

Nicholas Arienti

Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo

Mary Copeland

Adaline Frelinghuysen

Lauretta Harris

Nancy Hickey

Ian Hooper

Tom Ingersoll

Jane Iredale

Daniel Kasper

Scott Lambert

Joanna Miller

Jenna O’Brien

Linda O’Connell

Ramelle Pulitzer

Mark Walker

Robert Williams

Suzanne Yale K. K. Zutter

Trustees Emeriti

Jeannene Booher

David Carls

Cathy Clark

Craig Okerstrom-Lang

Jo Dare Mitchell

Judie Owens

Martha Piper

Jean Rousseau

Gail Shaw

CUTTINGS

Felix Carroll, Editor

Ruth Hanavan, Assistant Editor

Julie Hammill, Designer

JULY 27

Fête des Fleurs: Lost and Founders’ Gala

A fun and fanciful evening awaits attendees of our annual fundraising event here at BBG as we celebrate our 90th anniversary with live music and dancing under the stars.

STAFF

Co-Executive Directors

Mike Beck and Thaddeus Thompson

Camp Director

Margaret Leahy

Director of Education

Jennifer Patton

Director of Horticulture

Eric Ruquist

Director of Marketing

Communications

Felix Carroll

Director of Special Events

Rachel Durgin

Facilities Assistant

Sean McKenney

Horticulturists

Kessa McEwen

Shannon Welch

Manager of Buildings and Grounds

Kurt Dietrich

Manager of Membership and Development

Megan Weiner

Manager of School Programs

Arielle Coon

Marketing and Communications Assistant

Ruth Hanavan

Operations Manager

Amy Butterworth

Seasonal Gardener  Kevin Johnson

Visitor Center Manager

Kristine Romano

Volunteer Coordinator/ Operations Associate

River Begas

AUG. 10–11

The Grow Show

Floral designers and backyard gardeners are the celebrities at this annual, judged event in which beautiful floral arrangements and the peak summer harvest are spotlighted.

On the cover: “Peregrine Icon,” gold leaf and gouache on panel, by Peter D. Gerakaris.

WHARTON’S HOME

Book online at EdithWharton.org Lenox, MA • 413-551-5111

For advertising opportunities, please call 413-298-3926.

DIRECTOR’S CORNER THADDEUS THOMPSON

‘Lost and Found’: Let’s Explore!

We’ve all heard the expression — and most have experienced the phenomenon — of “getting lost in your work.” It isn’t always viewed as a positive state of affairs, but we here at BBG revel in the opportunity. There is arguably no better place than a garden to get lost — and there is maybe no better place to find oneself.

This season, the Garden’s 90th, BBG is exploring the theme of “Lost and Found” through the lens of the garden, our art exhibits and a wide variety of educational programs. This theme is expressed perhaps most explicitly in Todd McGrain’s celebrated “The Lost Bird Project,” featuring majestic, large-scale sculptures that pay tribute to lost bird species. It is also reflected in a range of programs, such as our monthly series of Farm-toTable lunches, where you can join accomplished chef and author, Miriam Rubin, in preparing delicious meals from vegetables and herbs found in BBG’s own garden.

In the world of gardens and horticulture, the theme of lost and found embodies a recurring narrative of growth and senescence, discovery and renewal. Gardens reflect the ephemeral and cyclical nature of life, where plants flower and fade, only to return with vibrance in the following season.

Horticulture itself is a testament to the art of restoration and the power of regeneration. Through careful cultivation and nurturing, what was once lost can be reclaimed, rejuvenating not only the garden but also the spirit. This may account, in part, for the surging popularity of gardening today. During times of uncertainty and growing concern for the health of our planet, we can all learn about and appreciate the many ways that a welltended garden can contribute to resilience and renewal — for our environment, our communities and ourselves.

So, if you are feeling that you’ve lost a little spring in your step, come visit. Whether you come just to stroll or for a purposeful foraging walk for edible plants, to attend a workshop on crafting ephemeral flower mandalas, to find ideas on what to plant in your garden, or to view the “The Lost Bird Project,” there is a wealth of inspiration to be found at BBG this spring and summer. I look forward to finding you in the Garden!

EDITH

Speaking of “Lost and Found,”

on this, the 90th anniversary of the founding of Berkshire Botanical Garden, we pulled out the following from the dusty annals — what likely is the first newspaper mention of the Garden, known then as the Berkshire Garden Center, in the Friday, Nov. 16, 1934 edition of The Berkshire Evening Eagle:

MUSIC MONDAYS

Join us for our popular outdoor concert series. Find the perfect spot to picnic amidst the Garden’s beauty while enjoying performances from some of our region’s most talented performers. Barefoot dancing on the lawn is always encouraged. Exciting news: This year, we’re introducing food trucks in the Garden every Monday night! Performances run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

JULY 1 | MISTY BLUES

Classic rock and folk tunes infused with a healthy dose of the blues.

JULY 8 | WANDA HOUSTON

An impeccable blend of 1940s through 1960s R&B and jazz.

JULY 15 | THE LUCKY FIVE

A hard-charging, foot-stomping blend of swing and jazz.

JULY 22 | BOSTON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF TANGLEWOOD

Showcasing talented instrumentalists, singers and composers.

JULY 29 | BROTHER SAL’S BLUES BAND

Straight from the heart of old Chicago!

AUGUST 5 | ZIKINNA

East African folk music with flavors of reggae, rock and Caribbean dance beats.

SPECIAL GARDEN EVENTS

Here are a few distinct happenings this season:

JUNE 1 THROUGH SEPT. 1 | GUIDED TOURS

Guided public tours are offered daily, at 11 a.m., weather permitting. A showcase of horticulture and garden design and a “museum of living things,” Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 24 acres feature dozens of display areas that are educational, functional and highly ornamental. Come. Explore.

JUNE 24 | FARM IN THE GARDEN CAMP Farm in the Garden Camp begins.

JULY 27 | FÊTE DES FLEURS: LOST AND FOUNDERS’ GALA

We will welcome you and your guests to cocktails, followed by a delicious meal under a festive tent, and capped by a glorious night of dancing under the stars to the strains of The Beantown Swing Orchestra. Marking BBG’s 90th birthday celebration, the gala runs from 6 to 11 p.m.

AUGUST 10 | CONTAINED EXUBERANCE WALKABOUT TOUR

This season, we’ve brought together some of the region’s most talented designers and invited them to create individual container gardens displayed throughout the grounds. Join in on this guided tour from 3 to 5 p.m., and hear from the designers themselves as they describe what inspired them and how they make their containers look their best.

AUGUST 10-11 | THE GROW SHOW

Floral designers and backyard gardeners are the celebrities at the Garden’s annual Grow Show, where beautiful floral arrangements and the peak summer harvest are spotlighted in this upbeat, judged event featuring five design and nearly 80 horticulture classes on display in the Exhibition Hall. You grow it, and we’ll show it!

AUGUST 18 | DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

In partnership with the Berkshire Humane Society, BBG is once again opening its gates to all canine visitors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring your furry friends for fun in the Garden, including dog-related workshops, vendors, demonstrations, and a food truck.

AUGUST 29 | MEMBER POTLUCK: CELEBRATE THE HARVEST

Members are invited to the Center House from 5 to 7 p.m. to meet and share a family-style meal. Drinks will be provided courtesy of BBG. We look forward to meeting you and showing our gratitude for your support! RSVP to mweiner@ berkshirebotanical.org.

STAY CONNECTED!

Visit BerkshireBotanical.org or follow us on social media to stay up to date on our events!

FAMILY FRIDAYS

Join us as we inspire curiosity about the natural world and promote a deeper connection to our Berkshire landscape through workshops, demonstrations and hands-on experiences for the young and young at heart. All programs are free with Garden admission. Each hour-long event begins at 11 a.m. Sponsored by Lee Bank.

JULY 12 | Combining Mr. Rogers’ gentle spirit and the unbound creativity of Jim Henson, Tom Knight brings a puppet show unlike any other, with science themes and songs.

JULY 19 | Tom Tyning will teach the fascinating natural history of Berkshire reptiles and bring along a few live examples to emphasize their particular behaviors and the pressing need for their conservation.

JULY 26 | Rona Leventhal joins us for an “Earth Celebration,” including tales and songs about environmental awareness, personal action and responsibility, conservation, independence, and our animal friends.

AUGUST 2 | Jen Leahy will explore our relationships and connection with animals, both wild and domestic. She will bring along a diverse collection of “animal educators.”

AUGUST 9 | The New Hampshire-based Caterpillar Lab will teach us about the lifecycles and essential conservation needs of butterflies, moths and other insects!

AUGUST 16 | Joy Marzolf brings some wonderful scaly friends and reptile special guests to teach how we may better conserve these important creatures.

AUGUST 23 | Davis Bates will share stories about the diverse heritage of our area and the environment around us. Hear how coyotes got their howl, how foam came to be in the ocean, and more — and be prepared to sing, move and clap your hands.

Schulman

‘MICROCOSMS’

Into the Wild: Peter D. Gerakaris Shares a Grander Scheme of Things

From inside his art studio in an old farmhouse he rents in Cornwall, Conn., Peter D. Gerakaris recently witnessed for the first time the power and poise of a bird that, for good reason, has been a recurring theme in his many works: the falcon, this one a peregrine falcon.

In a burst of brutal purpose, it swooped from a misty hilltop down to a field beside the Housatonic River, snatched a rodent with its talons and soared off into the vanishing point.

“It blew me away,” Gerakaris recalled.

In Greek, his family name, Gerakaris, translates to “falconer.” His Greek grandmother, YiaYia, would have visions and dreams about flying, he said. “So, I personally regard the falcon as her presence.”

Top: “Coral Oculus Tondo” pays homage to the undersea world Peter Gerakaris witnessed during a scuba expedition to study damaged coral reefs.

©2024 Peter D. Gerakaris

Bottom: Peter Gerakaris was inspired to create “Orchid Oculus Tondo,” by firsthand encounters with endangered species of flora and fauna in St. Lucia.

©2024 Peter D. Gerakaris

Cornwall, Conn.,

For an artist whose work draws attention to — and seeks to mend — the fundamental interconnectedness of all living things, this ephemeral grab-and-go served as a good sign. Gerakaris, 43, clearly had found a healthful location to encamp and begin arguably the most profound and prolific period of his artistic career.

His creations here over the span of three years have transcended conventional boundaries, bushwhacking instead along the enigmatic contours between the ethereal and physical, all underscored by his singular resolve to enlighten, delight and incite.

These efforts — these discoveries culminate this summer with “Microcosms,” his solo exhibition of mixed-media artworks in Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries from June 7 through Aug. 4.

A ‘Part,’ Not ‘Apart’

A journey of reverence and wonder, “Microcosms” includes dynamically colored icons and mosaics created by means of old-world techniques as rare and endangered as the flora and fauna they depict. Gerakaris also includes several of his botanical/topographical works in tondo (circular paintings), origami sculptures and hand-embellished prints and works on paper.

“Each work functions more like its own miniature world, or microcosm, while simultaneously sharing a strong common thread with all the other works,” said Gerakaris, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Cornell University and a master’s degree in fine arts from the City University of New York Hunter College. His works over the years, including large-scale public installations, have

a set of handembellished prints. The prints are among the many works included in his exhibition, “Microcosms,” which runs from June 7 through Aug. 4, in the Leonhardt Galleries.

Peter Gerakaris in his studio in

with

been exhibited around the world. They are showcased in various permanent institutional and private collections.

The creator of the “Spotted Owl Mosaic,” an installation that has resided in BBG’s Vista Garden since 2021, Gerakaris sees “Microcosms” as a bit of a homecoming.

“BBG and I of course share the philosophy that humanity is not apart from nature but rather a part of nature,” he said. “As soon as that philosophical shift happens on a grander scale, we are less likely to destroy nature, less likely to destroy ourselves.”

‘Free-Range’

His esteem for the beauty, complexity and vulnerability of the natural world was ingrained from the start. The only child of professional artists and avid gardeners, Gerakaris describes his upbringing in the New Hampshire woods just outside the cultural hothouse of Dartmouth as “free range.”

He was delivered into this world on the barter system; his parents paid the doctor with artistic metalwork his father had hand forged. Craftsmanship, resourcefulness and the human touch were essential elements of his

upbringing. Playing on the family drafting table as a child, he learned to draw and improvise through a surrealist call-andresponse “doodle game.” (Incidentally, the family took numerous trips to BBG.)

Gerakaris wanted to be a professional baseball pitcher, but an injury scotched that dream. His “fallback plan” was art. Drawing and art making had always been an outlet for him. He discovered he could create his own worlds that he could inhabit and explore.

“I’m living the fallback plan, a far different pay scale,” he said with a laugh.

Following his undergraduate work, the natural world would become the central theme in his art all due to “a startling slap in the face” in an unlikely setting: Beijing. He had received an artist’s grant and residency in China in 2005. He had imagined he would step off the plane in Beijing immersed in a paradise of red lacquered pagodas, lush landscapes and rivulets of rickety bicycles. Instead, coal smoke was everywhere. The roads were car-choked. His assumptions of ancient paradise were smothered in freshly minted high rises and asphalt.

“I was desperately looking for a touchstone,” Gerakaris recalled, “and I found myself wandering into some of the

“Microcosms” will include both “Moon” and “Sun” — works of origami flattened out like topographical maps.

©2024 Peter D. Gerakaris

few preserved historic sites in Beijing, like the garden at the apex of the Forbidden City. There, I just had this profound awakening: Wherever I find nature, I feel at home. I realized I had taken for granted the environment I’d grown up in, of having a garden, eating your own vegetables, living amidst nature.”

Up until that point, his art had focused on geometric forms, urban spaces and playful shadows — nothing at all resembling the luminous, mysterious, nature-based work that was to come.

Preparing for ‘Microcosms’

In his studio in early spring, Gerakaris was in typical form: a multi-tasking maestro of spontaneity and experimentation. He sorted through completed projects while beginning new ones for “Microcosms,” each destined to be adorned with intricate details: delicate tendrils, floral weaves, vibrant blooms, stoic birds, and flitting insects — new worlds!

His tondos blur the line between a telescope’s magnification and a microscope’s scrutiny. Each fold of his origami sculptures contributes to a cohesive narrative inspired by natural cycles.

All his works pay solemn fidelity to the obligations we owe to the earth and

its inhabitants, but none more so than his icons. He learned the ancient art form as an undergraduate while briefly studying in Rome. One workshop focused on the creation of a religious icon in the traditional style that emerged during the Byzantine Empire in the 4th century. Equipped with a wooden board, egg tempera, white gesso, rabbit skin glue, and gold leaf, he created a tender portrait of Madonna and Child that he would later gift to his grandmother, YiaYia. She had a priest bless it. She would cherish it — by her bedstand — until her death in 2015.

Despite being agnostic, Gerakaris felt an immediate connection to Byzantine religious iconography. He appreciated its historical and cultural significance, careful and precise artistry, vibrant colors, and symbolic imagery. His visit to his great-great grandparents’ home in Crete and nearby austere monasteries ornamented only with icons, filled him with awe and wonder — and an idea that later would become a central theme in his work.

Instead of depicting religious figures, Gerakaris turned to iconography beginning in 2017 to honor endangered or rare flora and fauna, taking these species and their habitats and transposing them as tangible, wondrous representations in a neo-Byzantine icon context. This unconventional approach infuses his work with a timeless, transcendent quality grounded in urgent, earthly concerns. He forces us to question our assumptions. He blends tradition. He bends tradition.

Much like how religious icons historically have sought to make the divine tangible and relatable,

GERAKARIS’ ICONS EVOKE A SENSE OF CONNECTION AND DUTY TOWARDS

SAFEGUARDING

OUR PLANET’S ASTOUNDING KALEIDOSCOPE OF INTERWOVEN LIFE.

Gerakaris’ icons evoke a sense of connection and duty towards safeguarding our planet’s astounding kaleidoscope of interwoven life.

“Microcosms” also will include mosaic icons translated into cut glass and presented like gemlike fragments as if unearthed from ancient

ruins. These pieces are the result of collaboration with mosaicist Stephen Miotto, who helped translate Gerakaris’ original “Spotted Owl” icon into the “Spotted Owl Mosaic” at BBG. Back in his studio, time is ticking. Gerakaris has an exhibition to continue preparing for. Next up: creating an icon depicting the rusty patched bumblebee, a species in precipitous decline since the 1980s due, at least in part, to pesticide use and habitat destruction.

“The rusty patched bumblebee is the first bumblebee to be added to the list of endangered species,” Gerakaris said with a sigh.

He has prepared the board in the manner ancient monks would have prepared a board for iconography — every painstaking step a form of meditation. If a peregrine falcon is circling overhead, he hasn’t the time to look now. And he doesn’t need to.

Would his devout Greek Orthodox grandmother, YiaYia, approve of his recent work?

“I could hear her saying, ‘Now that’s really different. Look at all those colors!’ Gerakaris said. “Yes, I really believe she’d approve.”

Join us in the Leonhardt Galleries from 5 to 7 p.m. ‘Microcosms’ will be on view through Aug. 4. JUNE 8

‘Microcosms’ Opening Reception

“Peregrine Icon,” gold leaf and gouache on panel, by Peter D. Gerakaris.

THE LOST BIRD PROJECT

With a Fist Full of Clay, Todd McGrain Began His Own Exploration

Acenterpiece in Berkshire Botanical Garden’s “Lost and Found” Art/ Garden theme this season is Todd McGrain’s “The Lost Bird Project” consisting of both indoor and outdoor artwork. Since 2000, McGrain has created permanent memorials to birds driven to extinction in modern times. Collaborating with local communities, he’s placed memorials at sites with direct significance to the life of each species. In most cases, these sites are the locations where the birds were last seen in the wild.

The outdoor exhibit at BBG runs from June 1 through Oct. 6, and consists of large-scale bronze sculptures that are castings of those original memorials. They include monuments to the passenger pigeon, the Carolina parakeet, the Labrador duck, the great auk, and the heath hen. The indoor exhibit in the Leonhardt Galleries runs from Aug. 10 through Oct. 6, and consists of photographs, drawings and paintings McGrain created during his research at several museum collections. As he prepared for his exhibition, McGrain, a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship recipient who lives in Richmond, Ore., took time to answer some questions from Cuttings:

How did you come to focus on vanished species in general and these species in particular?

My first real introduction to these lost birds came from John James Audubon’s illustrations. Audubon’s compassionate image of the passenger pigeon has had a particularly lasting impact. There are many birds in the world, birds that we can hear and see, count and study. I am a casual birder and enjoy watching migratory visitors. These living birds, however, have never found their way into my imagination quite the way the lost birds have. Perhaps it was their absence that led me to them, that compelled me to shape my first small model of a preening Labrador duck. Perhaps it was the challenge of finding form for the formless. I have always turned to the studio to find purpose for complex thoughts and emotions. And so, with a fist full of clay, I began my own exploration.

Ideally, what reaction do you hope to elicit with your work?

One of the wonderful things about the visual arts is that each viewer brings with them their own perspective, which shapes the collective meaning of the work. My interpretation of the Lost Bird sculptures is that they are, as a group, melancholy, yet affirming. They compel us to recognize the finality of our loss. They ask us not to forget them, and they remind us of our duty to prevent further extinction.

Is there one species represented whose story particularly breaks your heart or that you are particularly moved by?

To me the narrative of each of these bird’s decline is compelling. Before I heard or read the stories of the lost birds, I did not know to miss them. I had no sympathy for them or for any of us who have lost the opportunity to witness the vitality of their lives.

What we can know of these birds comes to us now through history, literature, scientific inquiry, and art. From

pioneering ornithologists, we learn that the passenger pigeon flocks were once so vast that they darkened the midday sky, and that the Labrador ducks’ wings whistled when they flew. In paintings we see the Carolina parakeet, vibrant as a tropical flower, and the heath hen, tawny to match the colors of a New England autumn. Excavated bones of the great auk help us piece together its rather unlikely posture. We struggle to imagine the wonder of seeing flocks of this penguinlike bird scrambling across the rocks of our rugged northern coastline. It is perhaps this bird, the great auk, that I currently find most compelling.

Todd McGrain in his studio working on pieces included in his exhibition this season at Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Why this particular art show at this particular location, Berkshire Botanical Garden?

The Berkshire Botanical Garden is an ideal location for The Lost Bird Project exhibit. The passenger pigeon and the heath hen would have both been common birds in this region. In a way it is a homecoming. Perhaps the memorials’ presence here will help us imagine this garden cast in shadow by a great flock of passenger pigeons. Perhaps we can still bring ourselves to conjure the sound of a flock of heath hens welcoming the dawn with its haunting, cooing morning choir.

Why are you drawn to bronze?

Though bronze casting is an ancient process, it remains one of the most pliable and durable sculpting materials. The cast form flawlessly captures the subtlety of my original clay figures.

Is there a reason why have you chosen to make the works’ surfaces smooth?

For me, this smooth surface, like a stone polished by sea and sand, conjures the effect of memory and time. The gestural forms contain a taut equilibrium, a balanced pressure from outside and from inside — like a breath held in.

Since these works were created as memorials, would you explain why you chose the scale you did — essentially making them about human height?

The human scale of each sculpture elicits a physical sympathy. They are too big to completely possess, but not so big as to dominate.

‘The Lost Bird Project’ June 1 through Oct. 6 (outdoor sculpture exhibit); Aug. 10 through Oct. 6 (indoor exhibition).

Start Small, Dream Tall

The Mighty Virtues of Bareroot Shrubs and Other Small Beginnings

It’s common to have garden envy this time of year. Drive around and you’ll pass garden upon garden of blooming flowers, lush plants and impossibly vigorous trees. A quick glance into these yards reveals large flowering bushes, apple trees, ground covers, and towering hedges.

At this point, your car might drive itself to a garden center, depositing you there to try and replicate these mature garden plantings. But if you have patience and an eye for the future, there’s a better, more cost-effective way. By purchasing bare root shrubs, plugs and liners, a savvy gardener can save money while also designing the garden of their dreams.

“I like to think of it as gardening for the future,” says Matt Larkin, chairman of Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Board of Trustees and owner of Black Barn Farm in Richmond, Mass., which specializes in topiary and garden design. “Plus, it’s so much easier to get something to grow the way you want it if you start small.”

Purchasing several large container bushes to fill out your garden can be costly. However, by purchasing bareroot plantings, gardeners can get more bushes for less money, albeit on a smaller scale. Bareroot boxwoods about a foot tall can go for as little as a dollar each, which is affordable enough for an entire hedge. Larkin likes to purchase bareroot for larger installations and privacy hedges and advises personal gardeners to go in on these purchases with neighbors and friends.

“Bareroot works wonderfully for trees,” he notes. “You can get an 18-inch beech hedge for next to nothing, and in seven to nine years it will be fully grown. You just have to

be patient and remember the old adage: The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap.”

Berkshire Botanical Garden opted for bareroot beech when planting a hedge behind the Rose Garden in 2014 and selected European Hornbeams for the newly installed labyrinthine hedge at Lucy’s Garden. By selecting smaller, bareroot bushes in both cases, the horticulture team was able to plant more easily and design the area while planning for future growth.

Another option for the patient home gardener is to plant with plugs or liners. Plugs are young plants grown from seed,

while liners are grown from cuttings. Larkin recently purchased 200 plugs to use as groundcover at a client’s house; using plugs, which cost 60 cents each, he was able to plant them exactly the way the client wanted them to grow. Within a season or two, those plugs will fill in the entire space.

“I could either buy fewer plants in containers, and wait for them to spread in the area, or buy hundreds of plugs and design the area so that I know what it will look like in a couple of years. Buying plugs for this project made sense, and cost less.”

Mixed plug trays are a great way to purchase bulk plants and have variety

Our Director of Horticulture Eric Ruquist’s most recent bareroot project consists of several hundred European Hornbeams, planted in the fashion of a labyrinth to elevate the sense of whimsy and to link our topiary collection in Lucy’s Garden.

“I

could either buy fewer plants in containers, and wait for them to spread in the area, or buy hundreds of plugs and design the area so that I know what it will look like in a couple of years. Buying plugs for this project made sense, and cost less.”

Discover

too. Many nurseries will allow to you design your own mix-and-match flats. In addition, planting plugs is less intrusive in a gardening bed; with larger container plants, there is the danger of the new plant competing for water and damaging existing roots. Plugs are smaller and more easily incorporated into the soil. And as opposed to starting plants from seeds, you don’t need a greenhouse to get plugs started; the nursery has done that for you.

Plugs are usually available from nurseries after the last frost. Plugs can also be hardened off in cold frames until you’re ready to put them in the ground. Planting early in the season will allow plugs to be well-established by the time the cold weather arrives, but even late August/early September is enough time for planting late-season perennials. Bareroot trees and hedges can be planted if the ground is still workable, even into the colder months.

While some nurseries only sell plugs and bareroot wholesale, there are places, both locally and online, to find the garden of your dreams. Nasami Farm in Whately, Mass., is the garden shop of the Native Plant Trust and offers individual plugs that you can combine to make a whole tray. Prairie Moon Nursery’s online store offers a wide variety of both plug trays and bareroot plants for retail sale. Also, any local home gardening business can likely get plugs and bareroot wholesale for garden design.

It’s worth it to garden for the future and start small.

The Garden Conservancy O pen Days 2024

Our 2024 season includes many exciting garden-visiting opportunities, Digging Deeper programs, and extensive educational offerings in Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts.

Walford, located in West Stockbridge, MA

Visit America’s most interesting, creative, and inspiring private gardens through Garden Conservancy Open Days!

STOCKBRIDGE, MA

Are You Trying to Find Your Way?

By Thomas Christopher

As you probably are aware, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published an update last November of a standard gardening tool, its “Plant Hardiness Zone Map.”

This map is the most popular guide about whether a particular type of plant will or won’t survive in your garden. You’ll find the USDA map in most gardening books and referred to on most plant labels at your local garden center, and in plant descriptions in nursery catalogs.

The changes you’ll find when comparing the new edition of the map to its predecessor, the 2012 edition, are interesting. They provide, for instance, unmistakable evidence that the climate throughout most of the U.S. is changing. Personally, I do not think the changes made by the USDA go far enough, that they don’t accurately reflect the accelerating speed with which the climate is changing in most regions of the country. What’s more, because of the map’s premise that the degree of winter cold is the primary challenge to a plant’s survivability, the Plant Hardiness Zone Map does not reflect at all many of the other stresses that our increasingly erratic weather is having on plant survival from year to year.

The emphasis on winter cold marks the influence of the map’s birthplace. The first hardiness zone map was developed in the 1920s at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, a place where winter cold was, arguably, the most serious threat to plant survival from year to year. The USDA chose to follow this example when it began publishing its own versions of a plant hardiness zone map in 1960 and has

maintained this as the principal criterion of plant survivability ever since.

The problem is that many other factors also determine whether a perennial plant, tree or shrub is going to survive from one year to the next. In the southeastern states, summer heat and humidity often pose a bigger challenge to plant health, and in the western ones, seasonal drought is often the critical factor. Even in the Northeast, other factors besides winter lows are important and, I believe, becoming more so as our weather becomes more unpredictable.

The USDA map divides the geographical area it covers into zones based on 10 degrees Fahrenheit changes in the winter

lows, further dividing each zone into two sub-zones, “A” and “B.” My region of southwestern Massachusetts, for example, has been assigned to zone 6a, an area where the average winter low is supposed to be between -10 degrees Fahrenheit and -5 degrees Fahrenheit. In the previous edition of the map, my garden was included in zone 5b, where the winter lows are supposed to be between -15 F and -10 F.

I believe the new map is already out of date because, to minimize the impact of freak weather events on the average low, the USDA chose to average together 30 years of weather records (1991-2020). This means that the winter temperatures of 1991, when New England was significantly

USDA’s Latest Plant Hardiness Zone Map

colder, is given as much weight as those of winter 2022-2023, which was tied with 2015-2016 for the warmest winter on record in Massachusetts.

Paradoxically, warmer winters, which typically produce less snowfall, can prove more challenging for cold-sensitive plants. When I was a student at the New York Botanical Garden almost 50 years ago, I spent winter days shoveling snow onto the beds because snow provides very effective insulation, protecting dormant perennials from temporary plunges in air temperature, as well as from brief thaws that may lure perennials out of dormancy prematurely. Today’s lack of consistent winter snow cover in southern and central New England and other parts of the Northeast means that dormant plants commonly lack this protection. A lack of snow also exposes perennials to dehydrating winter winds.

Other threats to plant survival that are currently increasing in our region, and which are ignored by the USDA hardiness map, include less reliable precipitation, as our weather is tending to veer from drought to flood, and greater summer heat which increases plants’ need for moisture. Where does that leave the gardener? We must rely to a greater extent on personal experience when it comes to plant choices. Read the map, in other words, but with a grain of salt.

Thomas Christopher is a BBG volunteer and the 2021 Garden Club of America’s National Medalist for Literature. His podcast, Growing Greener, is available at BerkshireBotanical.org/GrowingGreener.

IN THE SCHOOLS

BBG Expands Educational Outreach to Crosby Academy

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s newest educational partner is Crosby Academy in Pittsfield, Mass., a public elementary school with 26 students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

Crosby’s raised beds on their school grounds are a perfect place for the education team to introduce flowers, vegetables and native plants, developing a productive garden for the students and staff. Once the garden is established, our educators will visit once a week as part of the school’s science curriculum. The students engage with the garden by weeding, watering, planting, and harvesting, getting hands-on learning and experience in the garden.

Our educators also run programs in the Berkshire Hills Regional School District and at Richmond School for kindergarteners through eighth graders. Often, the schools’ garden harvests go directly into the kitchen for school lunches and snacks.

Director of Education Jennifer Patton is excited about BBG’s new partnership with Crosby Academy, which began in April.

“Our goal is to provide educational programming in the spring and summer months for grades K-8 in as many schools as we can reach,” she said. “The BBG Education Department enriches local students’ learning experiences with a blend of education and enjoyment. Through collaborations with nearby schools, Berkshire Botanical Garden delivers engaging, hands-on programs to students both during and after school hours. Our aim is to spark curiosity and delight, nurturing a deeper connection with the plant world and instilling a sense of environmental stewardship and appreciation.”

The BBG Education Department also runs the popular Farm in the Garden camp on the BBG grounds during school vacations and summer months and welcomes homeschool groups year-round to the Garden for tours and field trips that include inquiry-based instruction and hands-on activities.

For more information, contact Jennifer Patton at jpatton@berkshirebotanical.org.

Director of Education Jennifer Patton, Horticulturist Shannon Welch and Garden Educator Liz Sayre at Crosby Academy Garden

Congratulations, Madeline!

Madeline Hooper, our Board of Trustees’ vice chair, has launched the second season of her TV series “GardenFit.”

This season features 13 episodes highlighting well-known artists who share a passion for gardening.

Premiering in 2022 on public broadcasting, “GardenFit” showcases Hooper’s conviction that the human body is the most vital gardening tool and emphasizes techniques to alleviate discomfort.

Each episode offers a glimpse into Hooper’s joy: beautiful gardens and the dedicated individuals behind them.

Season one explored the lives of professional gardeners and farmers from around the United States, including Matt Larkin (BBG’s chairman) from Black Barn Farm, in Richmond, Mass. The new season, filmed last summer and airing since March, focuses on artists across the country who love gardening. Episodes feature visits to pioneers like Alice Waters and local talents such as Jenny Elliot of Tiny Hearts Farm and James Gop of Heirloom Fire.

In this new season, Hooper is joined by personal trainer and author Adam Schersten.

The show also streams online at GardenFit.fit.

Yep, this is what we’re taking about. Here’s Madaline Sparks Garden Design’s contribution to our 2020 “Contained Exuberance.” Madaline said at the time, “My inspiration is the book ‘Elegant Silvers: Striking Plants for Every Garden,’ by Jo Ann Gardner and Karen Bussolini. I have always loved silver, gray and glaucous-leaved plants.”

‘Contained Exuberance’ Let the Experimentation Begin

Get ready for a blooming extravaganza as Berkshire Botanical Garden presents the return of “Contained Exuberance,” a season-long showcase that unites the creative genius of the region’s top designers in crafting unique container gardens.

Inspired by our 2024 art theme, “Lost and Found,” these botanical art-like installations will grace the garden from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Join us on Aug. 10 for a special “Walkabout” event, where designers will mingle with visitors, sharing insights into their imaginative creations.

Madeline Hooper is joined in the new season of “GardenFit” by personal trainer and author Adam Schersten.

Fond Farewell to Margaret “Skippy” Nixon

April 6, 1938 — March 18, 2024

Margaret “Skippy” Nixon joined the Board of Trustees at Berkshire Botanical Garden in 2004. She loved the Garden, and we loved her. Infusing the board with her blend of southern charm and New York sophistication, Skippy also contributed her expertise in fashion and marketing, tirelessly dedicating herself to the garden’s endeavors.

Alongside her late husband, Vaughn, their elegant Pittsfield home became a cherished venue for a variety of garden gatherings, ranging from formal dinners to casual cocktails with friends. Skippy’s commitment extended to chairing BBG’s annual Fête, where she helped orchestrate every detail, from recruiting committee members to crafting her famous chicken salad sandwiches for volunteers. Whether facing grand tasks or small requests, Skippy’s response was always an enthusiastic leap into action.

Even after relocating to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in 2014, her loyalty and support for the Garden never wavered. Her presence will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

The Nixons — Skippy and Vaughn.

You May Enter Indeed, Step Right Up

Maybe it looks off-limits, employees-only. It’s not.

During your explorations at Berkshire Botanical Garden this season, please note that the greenhouse you see between the Barbara Euston Visitor Center and the Education Center is (and has always been) open to the public.

Depending on the season, it’s a must-see, particularly for the plant nerds among us.

The 24-by-40-foot Lexan Greenhouse dedicated in 1986, donated by General Electric Co. and covered with Lexan profile sheets produced by GE — is, indeed, a workspace, where thousands of annuals and vegetable plants are grown each year from seeds, cuttings and plugs for our display gardens and plant sales.

But it’s also home to an ever-evolving, ever noteworthy collection — what we like to call “Kessa’s Counter of Curiosities.”

The Kessa in question is BBG’s horticulturist Kessa McEwen.

Step right in.

On any given day, likely she’s jazzed about some horticultural oddity that may or may not have a determinate objective beyond the sheer delight gifted by the natural world.

Of late, she’s exploring biological control methods in the form of praying mantises raised from poppy-seed-sized eggs to control greenhouse pests such as aphids, mealybugs and white flies.

And she loves her lithops, ancient succulents often called “living stones.” Presently, five of them share a single pot. She hopes to expand the collection and give them a permanent home within the gravel beds of the Fitzpatrick Conservatory.

“These are the first ones that we’ve ever had,” Kessa said. “In the wider world, I

don’t think they get the appreciation they deserve, maybe because they are so slow to grow, and people may want more instant gratification. These will look the same in three months from now. In three years from now, you’ll have seen some growth.”

She has cacti seeds sprouting.

“You seal them in bags and then you leave them alone for four months,” she said.

Why cacti?

“They’re really slow growing as well,” she said. “It tests your patience.”

Kessa’s Counter of Curiosities also includes plants recently purchased to add to BBG’s collection because of some quality that simply strikes her fancy, like Monstera ‘Thai Constellation,’ a stunning climber with yellow and white splattered leaves, and one of Kessa’s favorite plants. “Quite, quite rare,” she said. “Quite, quite expensive.” (Recently, one sold on e-Bay for $600.)

And then over here, a two-toned, polkadotted plant called Begonia maculata, the plant cited as inspiring Christian Louboutin’s signature red-soled stilettos.

Beside the Begonia maculata is a wax plant or Hoya carnosa ‘compacta,’ a vining native to Asia and Australia, where it traditionally grows in jungles alongside orchids. Its blooms look so perfect you could confuse them for plastic.

“This Hoya carnosa ‘compacta’ is an example of how our collection includes gifts or generational plants,” said Kessa. “They get handed on to us either from cuttings or whole plants that some of our friends think are special but don’t necessarily have the time to care for. It’s

Did you know Fuchsia procumbens exhibit three distinct flower forms: those with fully functional male parts, those with fully functional female parts, and hermaphroditic flowers containing both male and female reproductive structures?

great that we can give them a home.”

Beside that is a Fuchsia procumbens, a.k.a. the creeping fuchsia, an otherworldly plant whose flowering strategy could serve as a plot in a sci-fi horticultural thriller directed by Luther Burbank (that’s for all you Luther Burbank fans out there). Endemic to some coastal areas of New Zealand, Fuchsia procumbens is listed as a threatened species.

“They’re very rare and very special,” said Kessa.

The Counter of Curiosities also includes a Rhaphidophora korthalsii, another rare Southeast Asian species that can grow 40 feet tall.

“The leaves lay flat against a surface and then start climbing,” Kessa said. “They might someday grow up the walls of a future conservatory here.”

Future conservatory? Yes, it’s true. Lots of discussions here these days about a larger, more practical, glass conservatory to replace the Lexan Greenhouse.

No worries: It, too, will be a working space, home to a curious cast of plant characters —and open to the public.

The term “Lithops” originates from Greek, combining “lithos” for “stone” and “ops” for “face.” That’s one way of looking at them.

Surround Yourself with Beauty — Volunteer!

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place to spend time than Berkshire Botanical Garden. And that makes it an especially wonderful place to volunteer.

All it takes is a few hours a week to become part of our welcoming volunteer family. There are all kinds of ways you can get involved, from hands-on gardening to assisting in our Visitor Center, Art Galleries, at special events, or on administrative projects that require a helping hand.

Spending time at BBG not only surrounds you with the physical beauty of our gardens, it also connects you with people like you who feel they have something to offer, who want to contribute to their community and maybe even to the world at large.

Our volunteer schedule is flexible and the perks are many, including special classes offered free to volunteers, and fun events that celebrate the volunteer contribution.

Perhaps the greatest perk of all is knowing that you are making a real contribution to our mission of environmental stewardship.

Beauty, meaning, friendship. Not a bad exchange for a small portion of your time!

To learn more, go to the volunteer page on our website at BerkshireBotanical.org/volunteer and register as a volunteer. You will get on our mailing list and receive e-news about upcoming volunteer jobs and events. Or reach out to River Begas at rbegas@berkshirebotanical.org.

See you at the Garden!

Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association

music direction by Eric Svejcar choreography by Gerry McIntyre directed by Stuart Ross

Meet Some Garden Members

Adegboyega Adefope

SHEFFIELD, MASS.

Gardens are maninfluenced nature, connected out to the larger natural world and the universe itself. When I was a kid, my mother was very strong about us getting our hands dirty and getting us in the garden. I was very interested in gardens and very active in growing. As I went through my educational period, though, I kind of lost touch with that because I was living in cities. I’m trained as an architect. I’ve done a lot of my practice in interior design. One of the things I do when I design a space, I always make some connection to nature. That’s very critical. Whether it’s gardens, whether it’s the sky, whether it’s the wind, whether it’s shadows on a wall. My wife and I moved to Sheffield, Mass., about a year and a half ago, and so now we finally have space for a garden. Getting involved with Berkshire Botanical Garden is partly due to my love for nature and partly due to my long-held efforts to help to unearth the history of communities and make this history alive again for everyone. I want to help encourage those people who have not been “at the table” to come and get involved. We all need to be connected or reconnected with nature. Back to the source!

Cynthia Tindale

COPAKE, N.Y

When my husband and I moved up here to the Berkshires from New York City in 2018, I just wanted to get involved and volunteer in the places where I’d meet like-minded people. Berkshire Botanical Garden was the first stop because I knew I’d find two things important to my happiness: gardening and community. I was so used to that after being in the city for so long. And I sort of joke about coming from big BBG [Brooklyn Botanic Garden] to little BBG [Berkshire Botanical Garden]. I immediately loved the scale of it here. It’s all very warm and welcoming, and you really feel like you can make an impact and be helpful. You can come here and just feel better. I think everybody needs that. It’s cheaper than therapy.

Frank Walton

GREAT BARRINGTON, MASS.

In 40 years in New York City, I lived about five blocks from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. For all the years I was raising my kids, it was just a routine place to go. The Garden played a crucial part of my and the neighborhood’s life. And so when I got here to the Berkshires, I saw that Berkshire Botanical Garden does a very similar kind of thing — a combination of horticultural sophistication and a community of people who are involved in gardening and landscape and art. It’s a place where you can get an enormous bang for your buck. The courses are economical as compared to taking a college or a university course, and they’re taught by really experienced people. Once you’re a member, you can come here all season long. You can take free tours. You can talk to the gardeners whenever you have questions. It’s just a really sophisticated and an amazingly economical resource.

Jackie Del Rossi

LENOX, MASS.

One of my favorite places to bring people on a tour here is the Procter Mixed-Border Garden because it was designed to feel like a comfortable, enclosed room, with its upper canopy, understory and herbaceous layers. What I explain to people is how they, too, can create an “enclosed room” in their own backyard or garden, even if it’s a small space. You can make these spaces comfortable and create these natural walls as opposed to a typical fence. There are a lot of little lessons in the Garden. You know what else I love? Maybe it’s a silly little thing, but I love the narrow entrance from the Center House to the Vista Garden, where it’s just kind of a cut out in the shrubbery. I love how the entrance is simply this inviting path that draws you in with an air of mystery.

I call BBG “my garden.” The big thing for me is, it’s all about community here. There are so many of us who volunteer, and we get to know each other. It’s an important community base for many of us. We all enjoy the outdoors. We share a certain aesthetic about manmade landscape — that we want it to be done as naturally as possible — and we all want to give back.

Jake Damrow

STOCKBRIDGE, MASS.

I’m 10 years old and I’ve been doing Farm in the Garden Camp here now for six years. It’s fun. Someday I want to be a camp counselor. My dad has gardens, and I help him out. He’s got one big vegetable garden and one big flower garden. He pays more attention to the vegetable garden, and I take care of the flower garden for him. I prefer flower gardening to vegetable gardening. It’s prettier to work in. I think about how good it’s going to be when the flowers are all grown and ready to put in vases. You have to be patient. It takes a long time for flowers to grow. Tulips are my favorite.

Liz Leonard

PITTSFIELD, MASS.

I grew up in Richmond, right by Bartlett’s Orchard, and my mom, Barbara, was the librarian in Richmond. It was a patron of hers at the library who told Mom about BBG’s Herb Associates in the 1980s, and Mom came down. I was a teacher, so she convinced me to come in the summer to spend time here, and I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the people. Along the way, Mom became a master gardener. That just motivated her even more, and she just fell deeper and deeper in love with herbs. When I retired in 2009 from teaching, it was just a joy to be able to come here every Tuesday with her. Through her, I developed a love for herbs and have been coming ever since. We just would just giggle and have fun out there. Lavender is my favorite herb, by far. That was the first one Mom bought.

Sally Soluri

PITTSFIELD, MASS.

I started coming to BBG on a regular basis following the death of my husband in 2006 because I was looking for things to do to get my mind off my loss. I’ve always loved gardening. I come from a long family line of gardeners. I love this place — for two reasons. The environment here — I just think it’s gorgeous. And I also love the staff. They are just very friendly and open and fun. It just gives me a wonderful sense of relaxation and a sense of purpose because I feel like I’m contributing something valuable. I also like watching the Garden grow. It keeps expanding. I have met people from every single state in the United States here. I had no idea that BBG attracted people from all over. And in addition, I’ve met people from Australia, I think almost every country in Europe. Hmm, let me think — maybe not Norway.

GREAT HOUSES AND GARDENS OF IRELAND

Majestic Estates, Enchanting Gardens, Exquisite Architecture, Opulent Interiors, and Fascinating Tales!

JUNE 2-8, 2025

Embark on a captivating journey through the lush landscapes and rich history of Ireland. Highlights include visits to:

County Kilkenny

• Ballysallagh House and Gardens

• Dangan Cottage

County Waterford

• Tourin House & Gardens (home to the famous Jameson Whiskey family)

• Dromana House & Garden (including tour and lunch with the owner, Barbara Villiers-Stuart, whose family has lived on this site for more than 800 years)

• Kilshannig

• Lismore Castle (since the mid-18th century, the Irish residence of the Dukes of Devonshire)

• Cappoquin House & Gardens (home to Sir Charles Keane and his wife Corinne)

• Curraghmore Estate (home to the ninth Marquess of Waterford and his wife)

County Cork

• Kilshannig

County Offaly

• Gloster House & Gardens

• Birr Castle (including lunch and a tour with the Earl and Countess of Rosse)

County Kildare

• Burtown House & Garden (former home to Ireland’s finest botanical artist, Wendy Walsh, and the current home to her daughter, landscape artist Lesley Fennell)

• Irish National Stud & Gardens (home to equine royalty and stunning Japanese Gardens)

COST

$4,975 per person for six nights, including a $500 donation to BBG. (An additional $1,500 charge will be applied to a single traveler using a room that could sleep two or more.)

REGISTRATION

Please contact office@classicalexcursions.com or call Lani Summerville at 413-446-8728 or visit BerkshireBotanical.org.

It’s not just the bees that are buzzing during the summer months at BBG. Everywhere you turn you’ll find activity during all times of the day: children running around at camp, visitors on our daily tours, students engaged in classes, community members doing sunset yoga on the lawn, painting students set up with their easels, and many more. There’s something for everyone. Whether you’re visiting for a day or the whole summer, learning opportunities abound here at BBG.

For more information on classes and events happening at the Garden, visit BerkshireBotanical.org.

JUNE 15

Want to learn about the principles and practices of biological farming?

Dan Kittredge (shown here), the executive director of the Bionutrient Food Association, will lead a class on Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to noon, here at BBG. That’s just one of the many classes and workshops we are offering this season.

Classes, Lectures and Workshops

JUNE

Farm-to-Table Lunch Series

IN-PERSON at BBG

Five-Month Series (the first was held May 12)

For the four remaining classes, Members: $340/Non-Members: $370; Individual Class Fee: Members: $90/Non-Members $110 Classes will be held May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11 and Sept. 15

Join chef and author Miriam Rubin for this Farm-to-Table cooking class series. Working with the BBG’s vegetable garden, participants will harvest fresh veggies, then head into the kitchen with Miriam to make a multi-course meal.

June 9: June brings us beets, sweet peas, greens, garlic scapes, green garlic and sweet strawberries. We’ll quick pickle some beets for a salad. Planned is a casserole or savory pie or an easy hand pie with Swiss chard, green garlic and feta. Strawberries will star in our dessert.

July 14: Celebrate cucumbers, fresh onions, zucchini and summer squash and beans, such as Dragon’s Tongue and Amethyst. We’ll whip up a refreshing cold soup with summer squash and herbs, and make dilly beans or another easy refrigerator pickle. For the main event, chicken salad with a snappy herb dressing and gorgeous pink celery, a special treat from the Garden. A blueberry galette for dessert, perhaps with sour cherries.

August 11: August brings plentiful bounty including new garlic, tomatoes, and light purple Fairytale eggplant. Plans include a roasted eggplant dish and a tomato bread salad with creamy mozzarella and tons of basil. We’ll make our dessert from summer’s sweet peaches or plums.

September 15: With September comes corn, sweet and hot peppers, late lettuce, zucchini, butterscotch butternut squash, shelly beans, Christmas Limas and the first tart apples. We’ll make a soup or maybe a casserole with corn, a pasta and a late-season greens salad. Dessert will most likely be an apple tart.

IN-PERSON The location of onsite classes is subject to change in accordance with state and federal regulations. Students will be notified as soon as possible if classes require a change in location.

OFFSITE These classes are held off-site.

This symbol indicates classes, workshops and events that underscore BBG’s “Lost and Found” theme for our 90th anniversary year. Please join us on a journey of discovery, rediscovery and exploration in our ongoing quest as stewards and lifelong learners.

Composting Workshop

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 1, 10 a.m. to noon Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Join Linda Murray, BBG student and composting instructor, for a workshop on the basics of vermiculture and how to maintain the bin. At the end of the day, students will walk away with their very own vermicompost bin they make themselves complete with 250 mini composters (a.k.a. worms). Materials fee is $25. It’s a great way for people to start composting at home and can be done virtually anywhere, even in the smallest apartment. Worm castings are an excellent soil amendment that can be applied to soils or made into a worm tea.

Forest Bathing

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 8, 2 to 4 p.m. Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Forest bathing, or Shinrin Yoku, is centered around opening oneself to the healing power of the natural world. Studies have shown that forest bathing helps lower stress and anxiety, strengthen immune function, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, and boost overall well-being. Through a twohour guided session, led by Zach Rissman, participants can slow down and experience deep rest, relaxation, presence, and healing. Come join us to connect more deeply with yourself, other like-minded people and the natural world.

Kitchen classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace with stores located in Great Barrington and Pittsfield.

Robin Hill and Good Dogs Farm Day Trip IN-PERSON OFFSITE

Tuesday, June 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members: $90/Non-Members: $110 (plus the cost of lunch)

Hop on the BBG van, or make your own way, down to Norfolk, Conn., where you will enjoy a tour led by head gardener James McGrath of the beautiful Robin Hill

Discover the 20-plus acres of landscape designed by British landscape designer Dan Pearson. Enjoy the meandering braided paths throughout the garden, surrounded by 6,000 acres of nature preserve, as well as a meadow sprinkled with native plants, such as fragrant, lavender-hued bergamot and the pale joe-pye weed. The next stop will be at the Southfield Store to purchase your lunch and on to Good Dogs Farm in Ashley Falls, Mass., for a tour with the owner, Maria Nation. In contrast to Robin Hill’s professionally designed landscape that focuses on naturalistic perennials, Good Dogs Farm is not a “landscape,” but a garden that reflects the aesthetic, whims, and thoughts (and second thoughts) of its sole gardener and caretaker. With few perennials and no attempt to be naturalistic, Maria’s gardens mainly are clipped boxwood and shrubs with various elements that invite visitors to sit, eat, drink, and enjoy life. The contrast of the two gardens provides an informative yin/ yang, demonstrating the wonderful breadth of possibilities inherent in the concept of the garden. Please reserve your spot on the BBG van; there are 10 seats available.

Cross Talk: Byzantine and Nature

IN-PERSON at BBG

Friday, June 14, 6 to 7 p.m. with reception to follow  Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

According to the Icon Museum and Study Center, “An icon is an image of a holy person or event created by an iconographer who follows the strict standards of the Orthodox Church.” Peter D. Gerakaris, artist on view at BBG, and Kent dur Russell, Russian iconography scholar, will talk about their individual areas of expertise and then converse on what becomes the shared meaning between them. While showcasing many timehonored processes — such as Byzantine painting and gilding with gold leaf on panel — Peter’s artwork shifts our focus toward luminous images of the natural world. Motifs such as endangered flora and fauna are filtered through his artwork’s kaleidoscopic lens to create contemporary nature-based icons. He and Kent will explore iconography as it relates to traditional art history and the natural world.

Plant and Place: Integrating a Botanical Still Life Foreground and Background

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Members: $100/Non-Members: $120

Using a selection of potted plants from Berkshire Botanical Garden’s greenhouse, Ann Getsinger will demonstrate the act of combining perspectives to create a cohesive connection between near and far, foreground and background, to create engaging compositions. The class will examine ways to create the appearance of space and relationship using light and dark forms, repeated shapes and colors, shadows, soft and hard edges, and chromatic layering. The emphasis will be on experimentation, imagination and play. A materials list will include colored pencils or a water-based medium of your personal preference (watercolors, acrylics or gouache); a surface to paint on; a palette; a variety of brushes, including a small mop brush; and a fine pointed brush. Bring along any materials that you enjoy working with.

Principles and Practices of Biological Farming

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Join Dan Kittredge for an overview of the principles and practices of biological farming. Build your knowledge and experience to find ways to increase the health of your soil. Participation-based with questions and answers, the workshop is designed for growers and gardeners. Participants will grasp and apply innovative, reliable principles and practices for producing healthier, better tasting food.

The Veggie Specialist’s Garden IN-PERSON OFFSITE

Saturday, June 22, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Ron Kujawski starts seeds in the basement where he’s set up benches, heating mats and florescent lights. Then he moves the seedlings of cool season vegetables to his unheated greenhouse while the warm season vegetables are placed on benches in south-facing windows in his house. As the weather improves, he sets them out on the deck before moving them to the garden under row covers. Come see where these starts end up at this teaching garden in West Stockbridge. You will learn first-hand about different planting strategies for crops using raised beds, mounding and vertical space. We will explore in-garden composting and pest management and how to adapt to no-till gardening. Join BBG for an afternoon exploring Ron’s vegetable garden, and learn the tricks and methods he has acquired along the way.

Evening Firefly Watch  IN-PERSON at BBG

Friday, June 28, 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Members: $15/Non-Members: $25 per adult, children under 12 free

Experience a magical summer firefly light show. Learn about the lives and habitat needs of fireflies, and view their ephemeral glowing light. After a brief indoor introduction, we’ll take a twilight stroll around the gardens and meadows for firefly viewing while keeping our eyes open for the stars and planets, and listening for twilight birds and mammals. Participants will also learn ways to support firefly health in their yard and community.

Photo credit: Kristin Foresto

EDUCATION

Bandana Block Printing IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $150/Non-Members: $170

Block printing is one of the oldest types of printmaking. Developed in East Asia, the technique spread throughout China and into India during the 7th century. The earliest form of block printing used wooden blocks with patterns carved into them and were used on fabric and paper alike. In this class, students will design and print on a naturally dyed cotton bandana. The first hour will be dedicated to carving a stamp design on rubber Speedy-Carve. Students will also use wood blocks that Maggie Pate has collected throughout her time in India and Southeast Asia. Together we will mix a mordant paste, create a neutralizing bath, then watch as the color attaches to the applied block printed design and stained fiber.

Native Plants with a Twist; Unexpected

Excitement from our Native Flora IN-PERSON at BBG

(Collaboration with Berkshire Community College) Registration berkshirecc.edu/workshops

Saturday, June 29, 10 a.m. to noon Members: $90/Non-Members: $110

Native plants don’t have to be boring! Horticulture Manager Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery explores the unique and exceptional aspects of our native flora. Adam will present his current favorite native trees and shrubs for general garden use, including design considerations, cultural requirements and other critical details. A special emphasis will be given toward unusual variation and unexpected use.  Adam will bring along an assortment of fun plants and offer a mini plant sale.

Summer Tree Identification

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 29, 1 to 4 p.m.

Members: $90/Non-Members: $110

Led by Tom Ingersoll and Melissa LeVangie-Ingersoll, participants will revisit trees through the seasons (this class will look at the spring season) and witness their unique characteristics. Identify species of trees, ID a tree by its bark and understand which trees flower in spring. Come join in the journey of the magic of trees, starting with how to identify them in the landscape and forest settings.

JULY

Sunset

Yoga in the Garden

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursdays, July 11 through Sept. 12, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.

Members: Free/Non-Members: Free

This free outdoor program, held on the Great Lawn, is appropriate for all skill levels and a perfect way to end the day. Classes are led by Kathi Cafiero, a Kripalu-certified yoga instructor who has been teaching the physical and mental benefits of yoga for over 20 years. Please bring your own mat and props. No bathroom facilities are available. Classes will be canceled for inclement weather. Please check the programs page on our website for updates.

Botanical Oil Painting

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursday and Friday, July 11 and 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Members: $ 235/Non-Members: $255

Join Casey Krawczyk for an exciting summer class and delve into selected botanicals with a comprehensive study of their intricate color, form and shape while creating a unique and beautiful oil painting.

Wild Edibles

IN-PERSON OFFSITE

Saturday, July 13, 1 to 3:30 p.m.

Members: $40/Non-Members: $65

Join Russ Cohen at River Walk, a project of Great Barrington Land Conservancy, for a walk focusing on edible native plant species, including species that you might like to plant in your own yard. Russ will share some samples of foraged treats made from wild edible plants, to taste at the beginning or end of the walk. River Walk project is a remarkable, community-driven transformation of a rubble and invasive plant dominated Housatonic riverbank eyesore to the predominantly native-plant showpiece it is today, with an expertly designed and constructed footpath running through it.

Two Mindful Outdoor Experiences

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursday, July 18, 9 a.m. to noon

Thursday, August 22, 9 a.m. to noon

Members: $90/Non-Members: $110

Join author and founding director of the Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership, Micah Mortali, for two experiences of mindful immersion in the beauty of the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. Explore mindfulness as a simple, yet powerful tool for unplugging from the stress and overstimulation of our day-to-day lives and stepping into the restorative wonder of the “more than human world.” In these guided workshops, Micah will offer nature meditations, mindful movement, and time to notice, appreciate and connect with the spirit of place. Leave feeling renewed, refreshed and re-connected. All levels are welcome. No previous meditation experience needed.

Re-Centering through Mandalas

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, July 20, 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $40/Non-Members: $60

Re-centering is a powerful and vital practice done routinely to make sure we are not getting distracted from what is important in our lives. This workshop led by Beth Adoette holds space to explore what is calling us in the present moment through the creation of beautiful, individual nature mandalas. Find support from a group of curious, like-minded people as we explore boundaries and intentions, and allow nature and art to help reset in a creative, intuitive way.

Cut Flower Farm Field Study

IN-PERSON OFFSITE

Wednesday, July 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Members: $90/Non-Members: $110 (does not include cost of lunch)

Watercolor: Explore What is Lost and Can Be Found

IN-PERSON at BBG

Wednesdays, July 24 through Aug. 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $265/Non-Members: $285

Brush up on your watercolor skills! In this class we will focus on lost and found edges and negative space. Join us in the studio with our favorite subject: fresh flowers from the BBG gardens and beyond!

Hop on the BBG van for a field trip to two working cut flower farms in Sheffield, Mass., and Salisbury, Conn. Join Elisabeth Cary, BBG’s former education director, for a walk through her micro flower farm in Sheffield. She will share lessons learned over her seven-year journey turning her six-acre home and garden into a small, productive flower farm. We will stop for lunch at White Hart Provisions in Salisbury, followed by a visit to Pom Shillingford’s flower garden, English Garden Grown in Salisbury, where she grows a host of perennials, tulips and dahlias, as well as forced winter bulbs for event work, florists and seasonal subscribers.

AUGUST

The Magic of Origami

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $40/Non-Members $60

Learn one of the greatest origami projects of all time, a “new” classic: The Butterfly Ball. Easy to fold, slightly challenging to assemble, it looks great all by itself, but then when you toss it in the air, 12 paper butterflies float to the ground. Spectacular! Benjamin Levy uses this model in both magic shows and executive trainings. He’s performed on “The View,” “The Martha Stewart Show” and (twice!) at the White House.

The Lost Bird Project Film and Discussion

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursday, Aug. 8, 6 to 7:30 p.m. talkback

Members: $25/Non-Members $40

New Day Films presents “The Lost Bird Project,” a film on sculptor Todd McGrain and the outdoor sculptures he created to memorialize five extinct North American bird species. After the film, learn from the artist about the birds’ extinction. Also learn about regionally endangered birds by Daniel Shustack, expert in ornithology and nature of New England and a professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Caterpillar Lab IN-PERSON

at BBG

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Aug. 9, 10, 11 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free with Garden Admission

Among the art installations, Grow Show and public programs recognizing the vulnerabilities of nature, experience an extraordinary immersion into the world of caterpillars. The Caterpillar Lab provides the opportunity for visitors of all backgrounds and interest levels to drop in often to see what’s happening in the Lab, as the exhibit changes and follows the lives of our local caterpillars. The Lab’s professional education staff can teach you about caterpillar biology and help you safely touch (and maybe even hold!) a caterpillar. Participants will witness the enormous diversity of native caterpillars as they explore the multitude of sizes, colors and forms displayed in this exhibit. Behold the process of metamorphosis in real time, explore microscopic stories of hidden insect lives within leaves, and discuss the nested ecological connections between caterpillars, their host plants, their predators and parasitoids. Stop by to chat about gardening for native pollinators, meet a big, bubbly caterpillar, discuss ongoing ecology research, or just marvel at the magic of the natural world! Installed concurrent with “The Lost Bird Project” exhibition and outdoor sculptures, the Lab promotes the importance of birds and caterpillars, encouraging visitors to support our host environment.

SEPTEMBER

Trip To Ireland Q&A

IN-PERSON at BBG

Wednesday, Sept. 4, 6 to 7 p.m.

Gather in the Center House for a short presentation by Lani Summerville of Classical Excursions to learn more about our Spring 2025 trip to Ireland. After the presentation, Lani will answer any questions you might have about the logistics of the trip and the gardens we will explore.

Asters and Goldenrods

HYBRID IN-PERSON at BBG and OFFSITE

Saturday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Members: $80/Non-Members $100

The many kinds of goldenrods and asters are a visually striking and ubiquitous feature of our late summer and fall landscapes. However, since many of them look much alike, they can be a challenge to identify. This class, led by Ted Elliman, will focus on the identification features and habitats of about 40 species of goldenrods and asters, looking closely at the characteristics that help to distinguish them in the field. Begin with a talk at BBG for an overview of these species and their identification features, followed by a field trip to a location rich in both asters and goldenrods to see many varieties in natural conditions. (Rain date for field day is Sunday, Sept. 8, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.)

Overwintering Your Garden

ONSITE at BBG

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Fall doesn’t have to mean a final goodbye! In the North we have a short growing season. But winter shouldn’t rob us of the tender plants we love best. Some make happy houseplants, while others can sleep in a dark basement. Many summer-blooming plants can be stored indoors as root stock: corms, tubers, rhizomes, and bulbs. Some annuals are easy to propagate from stem cuttings, but they require optimal indoor lighting. And all need a plan for how to use your precious indoor space! Chris Ferrero will lead this class.

The Art of Saving Birds: Mass Audubon’s Anti-Plumage History and the Museum of American Bird Art IN-PERSON at BBG

Friday, Sept. 20, 6 to 7 p.m. (with reception to follow)

Members: $25/Non-Members: $40

Join Jennifer Tafe, director of the Museum of American Bird Art (MABA) to learn about the history of Mass Audubon’s mission to prevent bird extinction during the 19th century, and see how they continue to inspire their art collection. In this lecture, she will share some of the museum’s fascinating artworks and discuss how artists have engaged with birds over time and how we can harness the power of art to inspire action.

The Inner Harvest: A Meditation Gathering for the Autumnal Equinox IN-PERSON at BBG

Sunday, Sept. 22, 5 to 6 p.m.

Members: $15/Non-Members: $25

Experience the turn of the season at the equinox, with a contemplative process to cultivate the “inner harvest” with mindfulness facilitator Sandrine Harris. Through a fluid mix of outdoor walking, quiet sitting and guided moments for reflection, you are offered an opportunity to be with the seasonality of your life and energy in relationship with the rest of the natural world. All adults are welcome, and no experience with mindfulness or meditation is needed. Please bring your yoga mat or blanket for outdoor sitting in the grass. In case of rain the event will take place inside the Center House.

OCTOBER

Make a Wander Book: Floral Dyes on Paper IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Members: $170/Non-Members: $190

Capture the color and contour of BBG’s gardens in autumn in our dynamic, hands-on workshop with Suzi Banks Baum. In this two-day intensive, we will brew dyes and learn three different ways to capture color on the page. Participants will first harvest from the BBG gardens for the dyes. On the second day, we will create a “wander book,” a small, folded book form sewn with threads we will dye. Expect to immerse in the world of natural dyes and leave with a set of materials to keep your creative practice inspired in the winter months. Along with the harvesting and preparation of dyes, participants will be offered daily centering meditation and writing prompts. A short materials list will be provided with registration. Participants should bring an apron and their lunch.

LANDSCAPES

Photo by Dani Fine Photography

cocktails in great gardens

BBG’s Cocktails in Great Gardens series provides a rare opportunity for guests to savor a drink and a nibble in some of the finest private gardens in the region. Book early, as tickets may be limited, and they always go fast!

Church House with Page Dickey and Bosco Schell

Wednesday, June 19, 5 to 7 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $55

Join us for a unique opportunity to tour Church House, Page Dickey and Bosco Schell’s gardens and surrounding 17 acres of fields and woods located in Falls Village, Conn. Ideally situated with a view of the Berkshire Hills, it is a gardener’s classroom with groves of shadblow (Amelanchier), a saltwater pool accented by hydrangeas and flowering shrubs, and a small cottage garden surrounding the house. Meadow paths rich in native flowers lead to a lime rockstrewn woodland and ravine with a vernal pool.

The Gardens of Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King

Thursday, Aug. 15, 5 to 7 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $55

This magical garden, hidden from street-view in the hamlet of Claverack, N.Y., has been evolving with devotion and care for the last 30 years. This 2.5-acre garden feels much larger because of its division into many garden spaces — spaces designed with a careful eye to structure, form, and texture. Among the features are the sunk garden (with topiary and surrounded by architectural yew hedges), a hydrangea walk, conifer garden, the greenhouse herbaceous borders, a “Nearly-native” garden, and many unusual trees and shrubs.

Kingsmont with Sherry and Dan Kasper

Friday, Sept. 13, 5 to 7 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $55

Kingsmont is located on a 12-acre site in the Berkshire Hills near the border with New York State. The land, once part of a summer camp, is terraced down the eastern side of Harvey Mountain. Gardens surround the striking house on all sides with banks of mixed plantings of trees, shrubs, perennials and floral carpet roses, a trellised garden with raised vegetable beds and apple trees, and a large pond designed by Anthony Archer-Wills.

Visit BerkshireBotanical.org/CIGG for more information and to register.

Spring-Summer Cut tings: 4.75”W x 3.5 “H

WINDY HILL FARM

NURSERY • ORCHARD • GARDEN SHOP

S uperb p lant S , e xten S ive K nowledge o ut S tanding Quality , S election & v alue

We offer our own Berkshire field-grown specimens, including Chinese or Kousa dogwood; the native Berkshire strain of Cornus florida; American, European Green and Copper beech; native birch; hybrid lilacs; viburnums; hydrangea paniculata selections; American Fringe trees; witchhazels; blueberries; winterberries; espaliered fruit trees; mature apple and pear trees; herbaceous and tree peony selections.

O pen D aily 9 – 5

686 Stockbridge Road, G reat Barrington, MA 01230 www.windyhillfarminc.com • (413) 298-3217

Horticulture Certificate Program

Fall 2024 — Winter Spring 2025

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Certificate Program is a non-credit, adult enrichment program designed for the professional, aspiring professional or serious home gardener. Students can choose to either take classes towards receiving a certificate or audit individual classes of interest. Taught by inspiring horticulturists and landscape designers, these in-depth classes provide a strong foundation for all horticultural pursuits, whether you are exploring or advancing career goals or simply acquiring or expanding your knowledge, skills and enjoyment of gardening. Classes include lectures and hands-on workshops.

Visit BerkshireBotanical.org for more information or to register.

Level I Certificate In Horticulture

Level I courses cover material essential for a foundation in good gardening practices. This certificate provides a strong foundation for all horticultural pursuits, whether exploring or advancing career goals or simply expanding knowledge skills and enjoyment of gardening. The Level I Certificate in Horticulture requires completion of all seven Level I courses and a garden practicum. Certificate requirements: 90 hours plus 15 practicum hours. Members: $1,550/ Non-Members: $1,700 (students may also sign up for individual classes)

Fall Semester 2024

Herbaceous Plants

Tuesdays, Sept. 3 through 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Ornamental Woody Plants

Tuesdays, Oct. 1 through 22, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Soil and Soil Amendments

Tuesdays, Oct. 29 through Nov. 19, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Plant Health Care

Tuesdays, Nov. 26 through Dec. 17, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Spring Semester 2025

The Science of Plant Propagation

Saturday, Jan. 4 and Sunday, Jan. 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Sustainable Garden Care and Maintenance

Tuesdays, Jan. 14 through Feb. 18, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Landscape Design I

Tuesdays, March 4 through April 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (18 hours)

Members: $310/Non-Members: $350

Advanced Certificates

Upon completing the Level I Horticulture Certificate Program, students can work towards additional advanced certificates.

Advanced Horticulture and Design

An Advanced Certificate in Horticulture and Design expands a student’s horticulture knowledge and can be customized to the individual needs of the advanced student. Elective courses cover specific topics and vary from year to year. Prerequisite: Level I Certificate in Horticulture Certificate Requirements: 105 hours. Members: $2,000/NonMembers: $2,280 (students may also sign up for individual classes)

Fall Semester 2024

Drafting for Garden Design

Thursdays, Sept. 5 through 26, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Rendering

Thursdays, Oct. 3 through 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

New England Native Plant Design

Thursdays, Oct. 31 through Nov. 21, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Rooted in Place:

Ecological Gardening Symposium

Sunday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (6 hours)

Members: $100/Non-Members: $130

Planting Plan Design Studio

Saturdays, Dec. 14 and 21, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Spring Semester 2025

Business of Gardening

Friday, Jan. 3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (7 hours)

Members: $130/Non-Members: $150

Invasives: Plants and Insects

Saturdays, Jan. 11 through Feb. 1, 9 a.m. to noon (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Tree Care for Gardeners

Fridays, Feb. 7 through Feb. 21, 1 to 5 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Container Garden Design

Thursdays, Feb. 27 through March 20, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

Landscape Design II

Thursdays, March 27 through May 1, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (18 hours)

Instructors: Chuck Schnell and Walter Cudnohufsky

Members: $310/Non-Members: $350

Changes to the class schedule may occur, and additional qualifying courses may be added. Classes may qualify for Continuing Education Credits. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org for the most up-to-date information.

Discounts on merchandise from BBG’s gift shop and plant sale and at participating garden centers

Unlimited free admission into the Garden

Entrance into the American Horticulture Society: free admission into 300+ botanical gardens

Member rates for adult and youth programming and select events

Free subscription to BBG’s magazine, Cuttings, and a digital subscription to Better Homes & Gardens

413-298-4532 membership@berkshirebotanical.org

Host your next wedding or event at Berkshire Botanical Garden! Now booking for 2025 and 2026. Please call our director of special events: 413-944-8504.

413-298-3926 • berkshirebotanical.org

berkshire botanical garden • Fête des Fleurs 2024 July 27, 2024 • 6 to 11 p.m. SAVE THE DATE FOR BBG’S 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION COCKTAILS & DINNER • BEANTOWN SWING ORCHESTRA • AFTER PARTY BERKSHIREBOTANICAL.ORG/FETE

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