Winter/Spring 2021

B E R K S H I R E B OTA N I C A L G A R D E N

WINTER/SPRING 2021

WINTER/SPRING 2021

FEB

20 Online Winter Lecture Make Visible, Instill Value and Engage the Public in Our Shared Landscape Heritage Presenting Charles Birnbaum, President and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation

JAN 12 – FEB 16

JAN 23

S TA R T S F E B 5

Sustainable Garden Care & Maintenance

An Introduction to Koji and Miso-Making at Home

Expand your horticultural knowledge of maintaining a sustainable garden.

An online primer on home and restaurant-scale koji-making and its uses.

Winter iPhone and Digital Camera Garden Photography Compose beautiful landscape and garden images in this three-part class.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

S TA F F

Matt Larkin, Chair Madeline Hooper, Vice Chair Janet Laudenslager, Secretary John Spellman, Treasurer

Anne Albert Visitor Center Manager

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

Dana Audia Director of Special Events

Trustees Emeriti

On the cover: Tulipa ‘Pink Impression’ and Kalanchoe tomentosa take center stage at the Bulb Show in BBG’s Fitzpatrick Conservatory.

Jeannene Booher David Carls Cathy Clark Craig Okerstrom-Lang Wendy Linscott Jo Dare Mitchell Judie Owens Martha Piper Jean Rousseau Gail Shaw Jack Sprano Ingrid Taylor

Photo courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Michael Beck Executive Director Amy Butterworth Membership and Development Coordinator Christine Caccamo Senior Gardener Ryan Campbell Gardener Gillian Culff Communications Coordinator Duke Douillet Senior Gardener Rachel Durgin Education Coordinator Kevin Johnson Seasonal Gardener Robin Parow Director of Marketing Communications Hunter Phillips Buildings and Grounds Assistant John Ryan Seasonal Gardener Samantha Ross Camp Director Bridgette Stone Director of Education

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Matthew Turnbull Director of Horticulture

Robin Parow, Editor Julie Hammill, Hammill Design, Design

Elizabeth Veraldi Office Manager

Photo by Mike Beck

This page: Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield, MA

James Atwell Director of Operations

MAR 12–13

MAR 1–14

APR 10

Extending the Harvest: Growing Early Spring Vegetables

The Bulb Show

Spring Pruning of Woody Ornamental Plants

Extend the season’s harvest to enjoy your own garden greens in the early spring months.

Featuring New England favorites and a growing collection of South African bulbs on display in The Fitzpatrick Conservatory.

Learn by doing as arborist Ron Yaple demonstrates pruning techniques for health and optimal growth.

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DIRECTOR’S CORNER MICHAEL BECK

Cuttings

The winter of our discontent... made glorious summer

Photo by Tricia McCormack

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

Sculptor Daniel Chester French’s home, studio and gardens www.chesterwood.org

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Wrapping up another growing season is always an opportunity to take stock of what has gone well in our collective gardens, and what can be improved on in the future. But with 2020 being the crazy year that it was, this task is somehow more formidable than usual for us here at BBG. We began our spring season with closures, quarantines, lots of uncertainty and some fear. But then we quickly pivoted (excuse the most overused word of the year!) to a visitor season like no other. Despite public health restrictions that kept BBG shuttered all through May, and even with many preregistration rules, mask requirements and capacity controls in place once we did reopen, we saw record numbers of visitors take in the restorative beauty of our grounds. Tourists from afar may have not made it to our region in large numbers, but our local community was certainly more than happy to explore what the Berkshires have to offer, as we saw many new faces among the appreciative crowd. With every new visitor, we have an opportunity to share our love and excitement of horticulture and the natural world even more broadly. Perhaps that first-timer will hear about an upcoming class, or see some of the fun interactive activities our educators are providing for kids, or even come back for an open air music performance. Hopefully, they will consider becoming a BBG member to take advantage of members-only discounts and special events, or sign up for a volunteer activity.

Our unusual season began cautiously, with a drive-through plant sale and shuttered buildings, and it ended optimistically, with a month-long fall celebration taking the place of our usual Harvest Festival. Of course we missed the excitement of hosting a crowd of thousands for hay rides and haunted houses, tag sales and silent auctions. But we were more than happy to showcase our grounds in their brilliant October splendor, with socially distanced kids’ activities, live music, hands-on workshops, food trucks and local brews, and even a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt on the very last day of the season.

And now the planning starts for 2021. Will BBG, and all of our peer cultural destinations in the region, be back to “normal” next year? Will tourists be allowed across state lines? It is challenging to predict when the pandemic will finally subside and people will feel comfortable leading a more socially interactive life again. We have learned so much this year, and we are so grateful for the significant support we received from our members and other donors. I feel confident we can adapt to whatever the new year brings. We are optimistic that very soon, we will reopen our beautiful Center House galleries to bring back world-class “Art in the Garden.” Our Mothers’ Day plant sale will be back better than ever. “Farm in the Garden” camp will take place next July and August, with a first-ever spring break camp added to the calendar. And rest assured that the beauty and inspiration of Berkshire Botanical Garden will continue to be there for you no matter what.

WINTER LECTURE

MAKE VISIBLE, INSTILL VALUE AND ENGAGE THE PUBLIC I N O U R S H A R E D L A N D S C A P E H E R I TA G E

EDITOR’S NOTE: Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Winter Lecture marks its 24th year with “Make Visible, Instill Value and Engage the Public in Our Shared Landscape Heritage” an online presentation on Saturday, February 20, 2 p.m. by Charles Birnbaum, founder of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.

Mr. Birnbaum received the President’s Award of Excellence from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) as well as the ASLA Medal, the Society’s highest award. In 2020, he received the Landezine International Landscape Honour Award as well as the Garden Club of America’s Historic Preservation Medal.

Drawing heavily on both the work of The Cultural Landscape Foundation and its collaborators, the Winter Lecture will highlight a diversity of resource types throughout the U.S., emphasizing stewardship strategies and opportunities for public engagement in the Berkshires. In advance of February’s Winter Lecture, the Foundation has provided an overview of its initiatives, emphasizing four programs setting the gold standard in education and advocacy of shared public spaces. Links to the many references made in this overview are included here.

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WHAT’S OUT THERE ABOUT THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATION The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), a Washington, DC-based education and advocacy organization established in 1998, connects people to places by making visible, instilling value, engaging the public with our shared cultural landscape heritage. TCLF is a non-membership organization and virtually everything the organization does is available free on its website: www.tclf.org. TCLF was founded by Charles A. Birnbaum. He is trained as a landscape architect, spent eleven years in private practice in New York City working on iconic parks including Prospect Park in Brooklyn and the Emerald Necklace in Boston, among others. From 1992 to 2007, Birnbaum was the Coordinator of the Historic Landscape Initiative at the National Park Service where he authored the Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes. He created TCLF while a Loeb Fellow at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and ran the foundation as a volunteer for nine years before leaving the Park Service.

TCLF HAS FOUR MAJOR PROGRAMS: Q WHAT’S OUT THERE Q PIONEERS OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN Q LANDSLIDE Q OBERLANDER PRIZE

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...is a carefully vetted, profusely illustrated online database of cultural landscapes throughout the U.S. (and some in Canada, France, Great Britain and Israel) that currently has more than 2,100 sites, 11,000 images and 1,100 designer profiles. The What’s Out There database currently includes more than 175 sites in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including Naumkeag, The Mount, and others in the Berkshires.

Within the database there are currently seventeen online city and regional guides. Five city guides, including one for Boston, were produced in partnership with the National Park Service. TCLF has also produced nineteen print guidebooks that are available for purchase in printed versions and free as downloadable PDFs, including guidebooks to Boston and the Berkshires.

The database and the online guides can be accessed on your smartphone using a GPS-enabled function called What’s Nearby that locates all landscapes within a given distance of the user and allows for creating customizable itineraries by mileage or walking time.

It is TCLF’s intent that What’s Out There will serve as a reference for students and teachers of design and history, enthusiasts, and professionals, provoking interest, informing stewardship decisions, and enriching our understanding of our designed landscape history.

PIONEERS OF AMERICAN LANDSCAPE DESIGN This initiative chronicles the lives and careers of those who have designed our gardens, parks, streets, campuses, cemeteries, suburbs, and the innumerable other environments in which we live. This dynamic, ongoing series utilizes multiple formats— including biographical profiles, tours, and print publications—to educate, inspire, and promote the active sharing of information.

There are also sixteen videotaped and transcribed oral histories with notable practitioners including Lawrence Halprin, Laurie Olin, Harriet Pattison, James van Sweden and others.

The Pioneers initiative has expanded rapidly over the last decade. The goal of the initiative has always been to provide much-needed information on the visionaries, both well-known and understudied, who have had a significant impact on the designed American landscape.

LANDSLIDE This is the advocacy part of TCLF’s work and it aims to bring attention to nationally significant landscapes and landscape features that are threatened and at-risk. TCLF’s advocacy has been instrumental in saving threatened icons such as the Frick Collection’s viewing garden on East 70th Street, the only public commission in New York City by the influential postwar British landscape architect Russell Page; the Charlottesville Mall in Virginia by Lawrence Halprin; and, very recently, the mid-1930’s era Dolphin Square Gardens in the Pimlico section of London by Richard Sudell.

TCLF is currently monitoring proposed changes associated with: [a] a renovation of the Hirshhorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden, designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft in 1974, with a subsequent overlay by landscape architect Lester Collins; and, [b] the McGinley Garden in Milton, MA, designed by Ellen Shipman during the apex of her career.

As part of the Landslide initiative, TCLF has also organized and curated traveling photographic exhibitions that have been hosted by museums, university galleries, and cultural institutions throughout the U.S. These include The Landscape Architecture of Lawrence Halprin and The New American Garden: The Landscape Architecture of Oehme, van Sweden, both of which debuted at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. In addition, each year TCLF produces a thematic Landslide report.

Landslide 2020: Women Take the Lead, recently profiled in the New York Times, features landscapes created by women landscape architects over the past century as well as other influential women. The exhibition is

timed to the centennial of women achieving the right to vote. Included are Dumbarton Oaks Park by Beatrix Farrand, the only woman founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, John F. Kennedy Park, by Boston-based landscape architect Carol Johnson; the Lynchburg, VA garden of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer; and the work of another Bostonbased landscape architect, Susan Child, at South Cove in New York City. It’s worth noting that Child worked on the restoration of Edith Wharton’s The Mount, among other projects.

Accompanying the report and exhibition are Landslide Conversations, featuring more than twenty short (four- to eight-minute) videos with landscape architects and others who discuss the sites and their designers as well as present-day challenges and opportunities for women in the profession.

There are two Landslide Conversations about Susan Child, one with Anita Berrizbeitia, professor and chair, Department of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design, and the other with Douglas Reed, founding principal of Reed Hilderbrand in Cambridge, MA. Doug Reed was the project leader on South Cove, working with Susan Child and Mary Miss.

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OBERLANDER PRIZE The Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize is a new international honor that will be awarded every other year, beginning in 2021. The Oberlander Prize will include a monetary award of $100,000 and two years of public engagement activities that will raise the visibility of the honoree’s work and of landscape architecture more broadly.

The announcement of the Oberlander Prize is the beginning of a longterm campaign to: [a] establish the import and renown of the Oberlander Prize on par with the Pritzker Prize in architecture, the Nasher Prize in sculpture, and other internationally prestigious, influential, and desirable prizes and awards; [b] elevate the art and profession of landscape architecture; [c] promote informed stewardship among landscape architects, architects, and the arts and design communities more broadly, for works of landscape architecture by the Oberlander Prize recipient, and works of landscape architecture generally; and [d] elevate the level of critical discussion about designed landscapes to increase public appreciation for the role of design.

The Oberlander Prize will be administered by TCLF. Overseen by a dedicated, independent curator, the historian and author John Beardsley, the Oberlander Prize program will also be integrated with TCLF’s three core programming initiatives discussed above.

An inaugural Oberland Prize forum will be held on June 18, 2021 in New York City. Courageous by Design: Landscape Architects Confronting the Climate Crisis in New York City will be a daylong symposium that focuses on

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New York City just as the city’s Department of City Planning (DCP) is actively engaging with communities throughout the five boroughs to advance their own zoning and land use strategies in an effort to “reduce flood risks and support the city’s vitality and resiliency through long-term adaptive planning.” The symposium will feature leading women landscape architects, as well as allied professionals, whose work is creative, courageous, and timely. These practitioners are inventing and deploying new tools, techniques, and technologies to meet the challenges of the current climate crisis in New York City and beyond.

In addition to these initiatives, TCLF also organizes and hosts conferences and symposia throughout the U.S. and Canada that feature many of the world’s leading practitioners and other experts. Many of these conferences can be viewed on TCLF’s YouTube channel, providing technical assistance to city, state and regional bodies, non-profits, and others.

THE DIRT ON THE BULB SHOW

By Gillian Culff

Grape Hyacinthus Muscari armeniacum ‘Big Smile’ in good company with Hyacinth orientalis ‘Woodstock,’ Narcissus ‘Cha Cha’ and Tulipa ‘Alibi.’

Every year in March, BBG’s Fitzpatrick Greenhouse bursts with the colors and fragrances of hundreds of spring bulbs in bloom. As Senior Gardener Duke Douillet puts it, after a long New England winter, “it’s a jolt of springtime when you’re really desperate for it.”

Perhaps you’ve visited the show yourself and have wondered what goes into preparing it. If so, you’re in good company. On a sunny fall day, the BBG Marketing Communications department set out to get the dirt on this beloved BBG tradition from Duke and his fellow Senior Gardener, Christine Caccamo.

Unsurprisingly, preparing the Bulb Show is labor- and time-intensive; Duke and Christine work together doing a lot

of work behind the scenes to create the magic we enjoy during those few short weeks in late winter.

The first order of business? Ordering.

The Garden’s South African bulb collection blooms year after year, so they don’t need to be re-ordered like the hardy bulbs. As far as choosing which hardys to order, says Duke, “A lot of it is learning through trial and error what works.” Some plants that look great in

the catalogs are disappointing, with unimpressive blooms or foliage or vulnerability to pests like aphids. Last year’s big winner? Muscari, or grape hyacinth. “They’re reliable, they bloom for a long time, and they look nice,” Duke enthuses. Tulips and daffodils are always popular, and with so many varieties, it’s easy to strike a balance between the tried and true and some new choices.

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Left: Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’ is lovely when forced for early blooms or naturalized in a landscape, where it is deer resistant.

Above: From the South African bulb collection, Clivia miniata, Natal Lily.

This year’s show will feature 70100 containers and a total of 1,400 bulbs. Christine ordered all of the hardy bulbs from Brent and Becky’s in Gloucester, VA, on September 1. Worth noting: “Things can be out of stock,” she informs me, “so the earlier you order, the better.” BBG participates in Brent and Becky’s “Bloomin’ Bucks” fundraising program, which allows any purchaser to designate BBG as a recipient for a percentage of each purchase they make.

For this spring’s show, Christine and Duke selected some unusual and

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beautiful bulbs, among them a striking dark purple tulip with fringed petals named ‘Vincent Van Gogh’; a diminutive pink-orange tulip called ‘Salmon Gem’; a trio of new daffodils; and two exquisite dwarf irises, ‘Harmony’ and ‘Pauline,’ with flowers of brilliant blue and deep purple, respectively. But the star of the show might just be the enchanting Fritillaria meleagris, or Guinea Hen Flower, in a mix of colors. Its nodding, bell-shaped flowers vary from reddish purple checkered to black, to faintly checkered green, to pure white.

Once the order is in, Christine needs

to sterilize those 100 containers. She also makes a written record of each bulb’s cold storage requirements, which can vary from seven to nine weeks for dwarf irises to 16-18 weeks for tulips, with other bulbs falling somewhere between these extremes.

When the bulbs arrive—about five to six weeks after ordering—Christine spends hours in the Lexan Greenhouse—across a small lawn from the Fitzpatrick—filling containers with potting mix and planting them. The process is precise: the bulbs must be planted at least a finger width apart—for some, 2-4 inches—at the proper depth for their size. Tiny ones get buried, while larger ones stick out a bit.

Deeper pots are needed for plants that grow tall so that the roots don’t push the bulbs out of the pot.

Each container is carefully labelled with the variety, date planted and anticipated pull date—when it must come out of cold storage in order to bloom in time for the show. For each type of bulb, Christine creates two rounds, a week apart, to extend the show; a newlyblooming pot will take the place of one on the wane. “Christine has to be pretty spot on with all the record-keeping,” Duke points out. This year’s show is

scheduled to last two weeks—three, if the plants continue to bloom.

Once all of the bulbs are potted, Christine hauls them in batches by wagon from the Lexan Greenhouse to the basement cooler in the Center House, located on the other side of the Garden, across Route 102. Since the building is built into a hill, the basement door sits at ground level, so there’s no need to navigate any stairs.

The cooler is kept at 41-46 degrees, and as Christine brings the bulbs inside, she organizes them by pull-date.

While in cold storage, the containers are checked weekly and kept moist.

Location in the cooler affects soil moisture; a container situated by a vent will dry out more quickly, requiring more frequent watering. Mice and chipmunks find the bulbs tasty, so the ones they like are covered with cloth.

Meanwhile, Duke handles the South African bulbs, which follow a somewhat different process. “They go dormant in response to dryness instead of cold,“ Duke explains. “Once they stop blooming they stay green for

a while, but then the foliage withers away, and we keep the plant in a cool, dark place until they start sprouting.

That’s the signal to water them again.

It’s a whole different regimen than the hardy bulbs.”

Most of the South African bulbs were donated to the Garden in 2018, and the collection expanded with the acquisition of a few varieties. “They’ve been a bit hard to figure out,” Duke adds. “Some bloom early, some bloom late. There are a lot of variables. You’re talking about a two-week window; it’s hard to get them to bloom in those two weeks out of 52.” But their often-tubular blooms, welcoming to hummingbirds when grown outdoors, are captivating and striking next to the hardy varieties. Duke’s favorite is the Veltheimia bracteata, commonly known as Forest Lily or Cape Lily, which he calls “spectacular” with its light pink flowers that bloom for months.

When the hardy bulbs come out of cold storage, they are returned from the Center House cooler to the Lexan Greenhouse, where they can acclimate

MAR

1-14 2021 Bulb Show This year’s Bulb Show will run from March 1 – 14 and is open daily, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Reserved, timed admission is required, and capacity controls will be in place. To reserve your free admission, visit: www.berkshirebotanical.org/visit

gradually before taking up residence in the warmer Fitzpatrick. By now, it’s winter, and the ground is often snowcovered, so instead of a wagon, the bulbs ride back across the road on a sled.

Once in the warmth of the Lexan, it takes up to two weeks for the plants to “green up” and produce flowers, at which point Christine top-dresses the pots with moss, pine needles or nut shells before sending them off to Duke in the Fitzpatrick, where he handles set-up and care of the show.

First, the greenhouse has to be cleaned, benches brought in and the South African bulbs moved in

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from storage, all of which takes Duke a few days. With so many plants overwintering in the Fitzpatrick, there’s always some shuffling and relocating of plants to make room for the bulbs.

Duke creates the displays intuitively, experimenting with size and color and tucking bulbs in around the remaining succulents, whose soft greens, browns and silvers provide visual contrast for the brightly-hued bulbs. Duke also collects stumps, branches and other natural props to add variety and visual appeal to the displays. For the duration of the show, he cares for the plants— watering, dead-heading faded blooms, adding trellises to prop up drooping stalks and removing plants when they’re no longer fresh. He also observes performance. “Duke keeps track of what bulbs we should repeat,” says Christine.

“He does an evaluation with comments

home by staff and replanted in their gardens, where they will bloom again in another year or two. Benches are returned to wherever they came from, and the succulents and other plants that were moved out are returned to their home in the Fitzpatrick.

Christine says her favorite part of the show is coming into the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse early in the morning and inhaling the fresh fragrance of the bulbs.

“All the flowers, the colors; it’s really satisfying to see it after all that work,” she says, smiling.

Duke agrees. ”I’ve been in there countless times when visitors are there, and they get so much delight and comfort out of it. You’re doing something that other people enjoy, and it’s nice to see that your efforts are appreciated.”

on each bulb, so we always have good records for the next year.”

Both gardeners admit to feeling a bit anxious in advance of the show. “There’s so much you don’t have control over,” says Duke, “there’s always a certain tension until they start blooming.”

Christine agrees, “On warmer sunny days, it gets hot in the Fitzpatrick, and sometimes the flowers start to bloom faster than we want.” On occasion, fast-bloomers have been removed to a cool, dark space under the tables in the Lexan in an effort to slow them down.

Even cleaning up the show when it has ended is a process. The South African plants are removed to a hot, dry location in one of the other greenhouses for the summer, where they are kept under cover. Tulips— which can only be forced once—are composted, and daffodils are taken

Back from the 6-City International Tour

Norman Rockwell

Imagining Freedom Through Spring 2021 Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), The Right To Know, detail, 1968. Look. Norman Rockwell Museum Digital Collections. ©Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All rights reserved.

Explore compelling expressions of freedom from the past and present with the homecoming of Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings in this expansive exhibition of historic and contemporary illustrations.

National Presenting Sponsor:

International Media Sponsors:

Media Sponsor:

Norman Rockwell Family Agency

Stockbridge, MA 10

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413.298.4100

WINTER/SPRING 2021

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Kids & Teens FREE!

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Advanced Tickets Required at NRM.org

Focus ed on mal .. . r o N f o d in K w e AN

Camp is Back!

We eagerly await the return of campers to the Garden campus! Over the years, many hundreds of children have enjoyed BBG’s Farm in the Garden Camp which is offered in July and August each summer. From the smallest five to sevenyear-old “Planters” to the seasoned 11-14 year-old “Farmers,” children attending the popular camp experience a hallmark of learning based on purposeful play and activities in an energizing and kind

garden community. After a hiatus in 2020, the Garden is pleased to announce this tradition continues in 2021 and is adding one week to the summer camp season and a brand new Spring Break Camp in April. Both camps will have guidelines in place for safe experiential learning.

Spring Break Camp will be held April 19-22, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for children ages 5-10. The joy of being

in the Garden as it wakes up in early spring brings with it opportunities for plenty of hands-on projects that help prepare for the growing season ahead.

Over a period of four days, campers will create a garden community as they start seeds, make maple syrup and botanical crafts, play games, and much more. The opportunity to see the Garden come alive after a long winter brings with it the joy of being outdoors

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and experiencing the different garden ecosystems as the new growing season begins. We look forward to welcoming our first group of Spring Break campers to the Garden!

This season’s Farm in the Garden Camp begins on June 28. The Garden welcomes Planters (age 5-7), Harvesters (age 8-10) and Farmers (age 11-14) to enjoy high summer in the Garden, shared with gentle livestock and a flock of laying hens. Tucked in between the camp’s opening circle and afternoon farewell, campers dive into the garden experience engaged in meaningful projects for a full day of hands-on fun and sharing. Ageappropriate activities connect campers

to the world around them through gardening, animal care and crafts in the friendly, nurturing environment of the garden.

Both spring and summer camps are focused on safety while providing fun learning experiences that nurture lifelong learning and stewardship.

Camps follow all necessary precautions based on COVID regulations, including capacity controls, mandatory masks, social distancing and a low studentto-teacher ratio, ensuring the safety of campers, their parents and staff.

Financial assistance is available for families in need. Please see the Garden’s website for details.

GROUND/WORK

THE CLARK’S FIRST OUTDOOR EXHIBITION OPENS IN SEPTEMBER 2020

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS CLARKART.EDU Major support for Ground/work is provided by Karen and Robert Scott, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and Paul Neely.

Analia Saban, Teaching a Cow How to Draw, 2020. Cedar wood, 620 ft.

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Register!

Registration for both the Spring Break and Farm in the Garden Camp begins on January 13 for 2020 registered camp families. BBG Member registration begins January 27, followed by registration for the general public on February 3. Both camps will fill quickly — register early to ensure enrollment! Please visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413 931-3194.

EDUCATION

JANUARY – APRIL 2021

Education

APR

11 Seed Starting for the New Cutting Garden Join Colie Collen of Flower Scout and learn the best ways to start your own seeds at home. See page 22.

As temperatures begin to drop, and our gardens sleep, we look for areas of connection and celebrate the brightness in this dark season. As gardeners, this often takes the form of a well earned rest, piles of seed catalogues, and the hope of bulbs we buried in the warm autumn sun. We lean into the season, appreciating its gifts and lessons. At BBG, while our gardens rest, we busy ourselves with bringing you classes to inform and inspire. We are delighted to feature a variety of voices as we make our way through this season.

We hope they will bring you enjoyment and help prepare you for spring. For those seeking more self- reliance, there are online workshops on homesteading. For those looking for inspiration, we bring voices of horticulturalists from across the country. Professionals will find workshops to help hone and expand their skills. At Berkshire Botanical Garden, our intent is for our classes to serve our community, to be both useful and compelling. We want them to serve our planet by encouraging all of us to be better stewards of the land we share. We hope you’ll join us.

For more information on classes and events happening at the Garden, visit our website at berkshirebotanical.org.

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

Classes, Lectures, and Workshops ONLINE Classes Our online classes are offered over Zoom. Students receive class login information and materials lists, when applicable, once they’ve registered.

The Science of Plant Propagation

IN-PERSON Classes at BBG 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. Masks required.

HYBRID Classes These classes are held both online and in person. They feature the lecture portion of class online and a hands-on component in-person and outdoors.

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In-person at BBG Saturday, January 9 – Sunday, January 10, 9 am – 4 pm (2 days) Members: $185/Non-Members: $200 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.

The New Cutting Garden

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Online Sunday, January 10, 1 – 3 pm Members: $15/Non-Members: $20 Dreaming of a luscious cutting garden that produces blooms all season long? Join Colie Collen, the grower and designer behind Flower Scout, for this comprehensive course on planning, starting, troubleshooting and maintaining a prolific cut flower garden.

Sustainable Garden Care & Maintenance

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Online Tuesdays, January 12 – February 16, 5:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $185/Non-Members: $200 Learn about the maintenance considerations that should be integrated into the garden design process. Students’ horticultural knowledge will expand to consider sustainable maintenance concerns alongside cost-effectiveness when selecting plants.

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 Daryl Beyers.

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Organic Vegetable Gardening

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Online Wednesdays, January 13 – 27, 4 – 5 pm Members: $50/Non-Members: $65 Led by Maria Zordan, co-owner and operator of MX Morningstar Farm, a diversified organic vegetable farm in the Hudson Valley, this class is designed for those starting or caring for a vegetable garden. This online course will include discussion of seed selection, seeding schedules, bed preparation and successful planting practice. During the first two sessions, students will learn about these practices, as well as what different vegetable families need to be successful. For the third class, students will demonstrate their learning by completing a vegetable garden design to be implemented at their own homes. An optional “field day” will be offered at MX Morningstar Farm in Claverack in early March (requires separate registration).

This symbol denotes HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM classes, workshops, and lectures open to both 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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Botanical Latin: An Introduction

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Online Thursday, January 21, 6 – 7 pm Members: $11/Non-Members: $16

Water Conservation in the Face of Climate Change: A Talk by Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, Denver Botanic Garden

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Online Thursday, January 14, 6 – 7 pm Members: $10/Non-Members: $15

Botanical Latin becomes less intimidating once you understand the history and rationale for botanical plant names. Join Jennifer Bakshi for a brief history of botanical terminology from the time of the Roman empire through the development of binomial nomenclature

by Carl Linnaeus. Jennifer will provide clarification on the meanings of botanical terms, genus, species and family, how the names are formed and the conventions for writing them. You’ll also learn the correct pronunciation of Latin plant names and explore the hidden meanings of favorite plant names that every gardener should know.

An Introduction to Koji and Miso-Making at Home Online Saturday, January 23, 10 – 11:30 am Members $20/Non-Members: $30

This lecture features Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, Director of Marketing and Social Responsibility at Denver Botanic Garden. Like much of the West, Denver has a unique and evolving relationship to potable water. Outdoor water use accounts for more than half of Denver’s water consumption. Learn how Denver Botanical Garden is committed to showcasing beautiful gardens appropriate for a semi-arid climate while advancing water-efficient gardening and agriculture principles through educational programs and partnerships with like-minded organizations. Jennifer will discuss Denver Botanic Garden’s work on water conservation in the face of climate change and their missiondriven approach to community impact.

Join Mark Phillips of @EarthCultures for an introduction to Aspergillus Oryzae, or Koji, the fungus responsible for miso, soy sauce, sake and other traditional Japanese fermented foods and beverages. Using Miso, Tempeh, Natto, and Other Tasty Ferments (Storey Publishing, 2019) as a guide, this workshop is a primer on home and restaurant-scale koji-making and its many uses in ancient foodways and contemporary culinary techniques.

Kombucha at Home with Yesfolk

Explore the healing properties of wild and cultivated medicinal mushrooms that grow in the Northeast with herbalist Hannah Jacobson-Hardy, owner of Sweet Birch Herbals. Hannah will explain how to identify mushrooms in the wild and ways to preserve them. Handouts will be provided with recipes for mushroom teas, tinctures and edible varieties.

Online Saturday, January 16, 11 am – 12:30 pm Members: $10/Non-Members: $15 Learn the basics of making kombucha at home from Adam Elabd of Yesfolk. In addition to the nuts and bolts, tips and tricks for brewing kombucha, Adam will also provide a wealth of background, including the impact and importance of tea, sugar and water selection; how to infuse your kombucha with herbs and fruits; the basic science behind kombucha fermentation; the benefits of kombucha and other fermented foods and beverages and how to share your kombucha with others. Be ready to take notes so you can get started with your own kombucha fermentation at home right away!

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Medicinal Mushrooms Online Thursday, January 28, 5:30 – 7 pm Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Dutch Tulips in Colored Pencil Online Mondays, February, 1 – 22, 2 – 4 pm Members: $125/Non-Members: $150 Learn how to recreate the stunning tulips painted by Dutch artist Jacob Merrell 1614-1681.

Working with colored pencils, you will be guided by botanical artist Carol Ann Morley, step-by-step from sketch to finished tulips. This class will include live instructional time and class critique and will focus on observing the underlying form of colored subjects, beginning with tonal graphite studies; how to select the right colors to create a colored palette and techniques for layering colored pencils to achieve the glowing colors of Dutch tulips. Once registered, attendees will be provided with a photograph of the Dutch tulips along with a materials list.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Winter iPhone and Digital Camera Garden Photography Hybrid Class Online/In-person Friday, February 5; Saturday, February 6 and Monday, February 8 Members: $30/Non-Members: $45

Birds in the Landscape Online Wednesdays, February 3, 10 and 17, 5:30 – 6:30 pm Members: $30/Non-Members: $45 Each landscape invites its own unique collection of plants and animals. In this three-part online class with Zach Adams, learn about three native New England landscapes and the birds that call them home. Bird identification, habitat and conservation will be addressed as we explore woodlands, wetlands and grasslands.

Asian Garden Styles, Two Traditions in Two Sessions

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Online Thursdays, February 4 and 11, 3:30 – 5:30 pm Members: $35/Non-members: $45 Explore some of the traditional garden styles of China and Japan in this two-part class with garden historian Marta McDowell. We will study the stylistic elements and horticultural practices of the traditional Chinese scholar garden and the Japanese meditation garden, stroll garden and tea garden. The interactive online sessions will include lectures, video clips, class discussion and small group activities via “breakout groups,” so please be prepared to participate and learn.

In this three-part class, held both online and at Berkshire Botanical Garden, learn how to compose better landscape images and photos of your garden with professional photographer Thad Kubis, who will provide a hands-on, application-based introduction to all aspects of garden-based photography. Each two-hour session will focus on specific, essential photography skills, discovering the various options that smartphones, DSLRs and filmbased cameras offer and how they can be used to create beautiful and unique garden-based photographs.

Introduction, Online, Friday 3 – 5 pm: Current smartphones and tablets offer simple-to-use, dynamic, professional-level camera systems, as do DSLR’s. Learn the basics of your device’s camera functions and expand your knowledge of your DSLR in order to take better pictures.

Photography, In-person at BBG, Saturday 10 am – 12 pm: This two-hour walk through the gardens at BBG will assist you in developing your composition skills, working with light, shadow and tones and becoming a better garden and landscape photographer.

Photo Editing, Online, Monday, 5 – 7 pm: This final session will be an exploration of the many editing functions available, including the editing tools contained within your smartphone or tablet. Thad will also review cloud-based editing systems like Photoshop and Lightroom.

Serving the Berkshires since 1981

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Landscapes in Time and Space: A Historical Overview of American Horticulture and the Immigrants, Plants and Systems that Continue to Alter this Land H Online Sunday, February 7, 1 – 2 pm Members: $12/Non-members: $15 In her lecture, Wambui Ippolito tells the story of European, African and new immigrants and their relationship with American plants and soil, with the aim to birth a new perceptivity and embrace of nature stewardship. This program is presented in partnership with VIM, Volunteers in Medicine, and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to VIM to support their mission of providing health care services in the Berkshire region.

Galantine’s Day Flower Workshop Online Saturday, February 13, 6 – 7 pm Members: $12/Non-Members: $15 What is Galentine’s Day? In the words of Lesley Knope, “only the best holiday ever!” Get ready to celebrate, grab your bestie and BYOB to this online flower arranging workshop with Colie Collen of Flower Scout.

Learn some tips and tricks to make arrangements that make perfect gifts, for a friend or for your own enjoyment.

Beekeeping 101: An Online Introduction to Backyard Beekeeping Online Thursdays, February 18 – March 4, 6 – 7:30 pm Members: $45/Non-Members: $65 In this three-part online class, beekeeper Chris Wellens will teach you the fundamental skills you need to begin keeping backyard bees. Start off your 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.

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Design & Native Plant Palette WINTER LECTURE 2021:

“Make Visible, Instill Value and Engage the Public in Our Shared Landscape Heritage,” Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR, President + CEO, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Washington, D.C. Online Saturday, February 20, 2 -3 pm Members: $15/Non-Members: $20 What is the foundational knowledge that informs stewardship and interpretation of our shared landscape legacy?

How do we assign value and assess significance for our cultural landscape legacy? How can we work (and communicate) holistically across multiple disciplines? How do we make a landscape’s layers of history (a.k.a. “palimpsest”) at a cultural landscape like Naumkeag, The Mount or Elm Court understood?

Then, armed with this foundational knowledge, how can we tell these stories to the broadest possible public? Drawing heavily on both the work of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) with many of our collaborators, this lecture will highlight a diversity of resource types throughout the U.S., emphasizing stewardship strategies and opportunities for public engagement in the Berkshires region. Finally, the interface between history/historic preservation and natural systems/ecology in weighing decisions will provide an armature for new ideas and strategies.

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In-person at BBG Wednesdays, February 17 and 24, 2 pm – 5 pm Members: $45/Non-Members: $60 This two-part design class led by Bridghe McCracken, the founder of Helia Land Design, will introduce students to native plants and their effective use in the residential garden. Part I of the class will focus on perennials and grasses. Learn about our gorgeous native perennial plant palette from rare beauties to classic stand-bys, as well as what plants to add to your garden to attract pollinators, provide butterfly habitat and enhance visual interest throughout the season. Class two will focus on designing with woody plants and ferns. Learn what shrubs to use for screening, habitat creation and four-season interest. Delve into the world of ferns, how to integrate them into your garden design and which native ferns thrive in our region. Students enrolled in this class are encouraged to also participate in Stewardship in your Gardens and Land.

The New Heirloom Garden Online Thursday, February 25, 6:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $10/Non-members: $15 Enjoy a virtual lecture and Q&A session with author Ellen Ecker Ogden about her new book, The New Heirloom Garden. Join the delicious revolution by learning about heirloom vegetables, forgotten fruits and fragrant flowers. Discover what to grow for the best-tasting vegetables and dig deeper into the diverse world of open-pollinated seeds to become a seed saver. Learn how to grow something new that is old and revel in growing your own seeds to sow each year in your own garden, and to share with friends. During this Author Talk, Ellen will share her six steps to successful kitchen garden design based on productivity and beauty, with designs and photographs from her book. Be inspired to plant varieties that add forgotten charm to your own heirloom garden and serve up good food.

Bark and Buds – Using a Tree Key

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In-person at BBG Saturday, February 27, 10 am – 2 pm Members: $25/Non-Members: $35 Discover the many plants that lend bark, buds, fruit and structural interest to the garden in fall and winter. Under the expert guidance of certified arborists Melissa LeVangie and Tom Ingersoll, students will develop the ability to identify winter trees by twig and bud anatomy, bark features and plant architecture while practicing their skills with winter tree dichotomous keys.

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Postpartum Cooking: Plant-Based Foods for Supporting New Families In-person at BBG Sunday, February 28, 11 am – 2 pm Members: $50/Non-Members: $60 Whether you or someone you love is expecting, food can be one of the best ways to support postpartum recovery and nourish new families. Led by Sandra Antunes, a classically trained French chef and mother of twins, this class will cover a variety of nourishing plant-based meals made up of healthy and healing recipes you can create for yourself or the ones you love. Focusing on postpartum cooking for recovery, lactation enhancing baked goods and infusions.

An ecological landscape company

Maximizing Space in the Garden: Creating More of a Good Thing Online Sunday, February 28, 2 – 3 pm Members: $12/Non-Members: $17 This lecture will share how layering a garden works to serve our needs as well as the needs of pollinators and other creatures. Whether gardening in a close-knit neighborhood or a sprawling estate, learn to garden efficiently, prolifically, sustainably and beautifully while making smart choices and conserving resources. This lecture by Tovah Martin will share innovative ideas, addressing all of the points on a gardener’s checklist. Layering a garden maximizes space and creates hardworking habitats. In her garden, called Furthermore, Tovah creates layers everywhere, including the perennial, berry and vegetable gardens. The result is visually fulfilling, low maintenance, and mulch-eliminating.

Landscape Design & Construction | Stonework | Fine Gardening Organic Lawn Care | Food Systems | Natives & Restoration

www.natureworkslandcare.com | 413-325-1101

The No-Till Garden Online Tuesday, March 2, 6 – 7 pm Members: $12/Non-Members: $15 Learn from organic farmer Corinne Hansch how to set up no-till beds in your garden, no matter what the size. Humankind is very attached to the necessity of the plow or rototiller for soil prep, yet forests, grasslands, and wildflowers thrive in nature without tillage. No-till emulates nature by keeping the soil covered, adding organic matter and keeping the soil intact. Class will cover the ecological benefits and climate resiliency of no-till and how to set up a no-till system in your garden or small farm. It’s easier than you think and will set you up for huge yields, few or no weeds, and super healthy soil!

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Stewardship in Your Gardens and Land

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In-person at BBG Wednesday, March 3, 2 pm – 5 pm Members $20/Non-members $35 Discuss the importance of creating native habitat in your backyard, no matter how small or large. Learn how to maintain your gardens, native plantings, meadows and woodlands for biodiversity.

Stewardship of these plantings is one of the best ways to create sustainable systems for both the gardener and pollinator community. We will look at how our maintenance practices affect the number of pollinators and birds in our yards and communities, as well as the simple changes we can implement to make our properties pollinator havens. Taught by Bridghe McCracken, this class pairs well with The Native Plant Palette.

Landscaping Your Historic Home

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Online Sunday, March 7, 1 – 3 pm Members: $15/Non-Members: $25 Whether your house was built in the 17th century or the 21st, you can create a garden to suit its style. This lecture by author, horticulturist and landscape historian Marta McDowell covers American residential gardening fashions from the Colonial period to the present. In this online class you will learn design basics and the steps to take to create an authentic, appealing landscape for your home.

Landscape Design I

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In-person at BBG Tuesdays, March 9 – April 20, 5:30 – 8:00 pm (7 weeks) Members: $310/Non-Members: $330 This course will introduce students to the design process—the systematic way designers approach a site and client. Taught by landscape architect and fine artist David Dew Bruner, this course will include a series of simple projects, ending 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.

Come visit and see what makes Bay State special!

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Extending the Harvest: Growing Early Spring Vegetables

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Hybrid Class Lecture Online Friday, March 12, 6 – 7 pm Site Visit Saturday, March 13, 1 – 3 pm Members: $30/Non-Members: $45 In this hybrid course, held online and in-person, learn how to extend the season’s harvest to enjoy your own garden greens in the early spring months. Friday evening, Molly Comstock of Colfax Farm will lead students through a discussion of successful early planting. The lecture will cover growing undercover, in cold frames and in low polytunnels, as well as crop selection and timing.

Saturday, join us on the farm to see these principles in action. Get hands-on experience with proper soil cultivation and learn about a variety of techniques for producing early season crops.

Tree Care for Gardeners

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In-person at BBG Fridays, March 12 – March 26, 1 – 5 pm (3 weeks) Members: $185/Non-Members: $200 Whether you are an amateur or professional horticulturist, you are a steward of the landscape and probably spend a great deal of time 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 horticulturists 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.

Turning Lawns into Meadows

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Hybrid Online/In-person at BBG Online, Wednesday, March 17, 5 pm – 7 pm In-person at BBG, Saturday, March 20, at 1 pm – 3 pm Members: $55/Non-Members: $65 Owen Wormser will discuss the effect that lawns and meadows have on the environment. Collectively, mowed turf throughout the United States covers an area the size of Washington State.

This makes lawns the largest irrigated ‘crop’ in the country, and the adverse impact of their ecological footprint is truly staggering. Meadows offer the opposite effect, providing myriad ecological benefits–including ongoing sequestering of carbon and significantly increased biological diversity. Meadows are more affordable than lawns, and with the right know-how, they’re long lasting, low-maintenance and very beautiful. Owen will discuss the benefits of native meadows while also explaining how to create thriving meadowscapes, sharing tips and strategies drawn from research and over 20 years of on-the-ground experience.

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Clean Composting 101

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Online Saturday, March 20, 10 am – 12 pm Members: $15/Non-Members: $25 Compost is the answer to most soil problems, such as compaction, poor water-holding ability and low fertility. In this online class with instructor Daryl Beyers, students will discover why compost is the key to gardening sustainably and how to use it effectively to improve their garden ground to grow healthy plants. Learn the basics of composting and the techniques to create your own compost at home, using bins, tumblers, heaps or pits or directly on garden beds.

Dumplings from Scratch In-person at BBG Sunday, March 21, 11 am – 2 pm Members: $40/Non-Members: $55 This unique class will take you from the traditions of Asian farmers to the scenic woods of Italy and all points in between. Join Carrie Chen for a hands-on tour through a three-course dumpling meal. Learn how to use authentic Chinese recipes, enhanced with Western ingredients, for universal skills that you will apply to your cooking forever after. Once you learn the basic techniques, the possibilities are unlimited! We’ll begin by creating the wrappers from scratch. We will cover traditional fillings, super green vegetarian options and even dessert. Discover the versatility of dumplings in a few easy steps through this one-of-a-kind course. You’ll never look at dough the same way again.

Ready, Set, Grow! Starting Seeds for Plants That Will Hit the Ground Growing In-person at BBG Saturday, March 27, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $45/Non-Members: $55 Learn vegetable and flower seed-starting and plant-growing techniques from organic grower Maureen Sullivan of Left Field Farm in Middlefield, MA that result in vigorous plants. 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.

How to Use Your Tools the Right Way

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In-person at BBG Friday, April 9, 2 – 4 pm Members: $20/Non-Members: $25 Expand beyond the spade. A wide variety of tools exist on the market for modern gardeners. But what is really essential and how can you feel confident and competent using the tools you have on hand? Learn about the different tools used for planting, garden maintenance and invasive removal, considering the pros and cons to different tools for particular tasks. Proper tool use and maintenance will be addressed. Students will receive hands-on experience with the tools presented. Led by Bridghe McCracken and Calisha Croney of Helia Nursery.

Spring Pruning of Woody Ornamental Plants In-person at BBG Saturday, April 10, 10:30 am – 2:30 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 and bring pruners, work gloves, and a bag lunch.

Serving the greater Berkshire area since 1992; providing cross disciplinary expertise in design, horticulture, arboriculture, irrigation and excavation for both residential and commercial clients.

Countrysidelandscape.net 413.458.5586

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Spring/Summer Hive Management In-person at BBG Saturday, April 10, 11 am – 1 pm Members: $15/ Non-Members: $20 Join 6th-generation beekeeper Ken Warchol for an in-depth program on spring honeybee hive management. This lecture and demonstration will focus on how to open up your hives from the winter, including feeding and pest control. Ken will provide beekeepers with critical information and, most especially, timing of important management techniques to prepare hives for the spring and summer. Weather permitting, he will do a hive inspection in the BBG apiary. Bring protective equipment.

Seed Starting for the New Cutting Garden In-person at BBG Sunday, April 11, 11 am – 12:30 pm Members: $12/Non-Members: $18 Seed starting can be intimidating stuff, with calendar complications and lots of equipment. Streamline your process in this course from Colie Collen of Flower Scout, who will review the optimal start dates and conditions for a wide range of cut flowers, herbs and veggies, and guide you through the best ways to start your own seeds at home.

Container Garden Design

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In-person at BBG Wednesdays, April 14 – 28, 5:30 – 8:30 pm (3 weeks) Members: $140/Non-Members: $150 Acquire 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.

energetic landscaping, inc. expert design, construction & year-round maintenance

Landscape Design II

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In-person at BBG Thursdays, April 15 – May 20, 4:30 – 6:30 pm Members: $250/Non-Members: $275

Bringing the natural beauty of the Berkshires to homes and offices since 1979.

(413) 442-4873 energeticlandscaping.com

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Learn skills essential for an effective functional garden design that honors the site and meets client needs. Each week, instructor David Dew Bruner will cover a different topic or technique focusing on the importance of getting to know the client and site as a basis of effective and appealing design. Essential and easy-to-grasp design principles for those who design or install gardens will be introduced throughout the course, with the goal of practicing a formfinding approach to garden design. The tools taught will provide a vocabulary essential for assessing a property’s potential and problems, and for asking the right questions to realize a client’s wishes while avoiding common design mistakes. Learn how to make well-considered and sustainable choices for the elements and materials commonly used in the residential-scale garden.

Students will select from instructor-provided projects and take one from creative concept to completed design plan, including site assessment diagrams, conceptual sketches, schematic drawings and rendering of color and form. Each class will involve instruction and evaluation of projects in progress and will include both class instruction and studio time. Frequent group discussions and exercises will put the skills learned into action. Students will make a formal presentation at the final class with the primary goal of conveying a coherent design narrative.

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Home Orchard Care

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In-person at BBG Saturday, April 17, 9 am – 5 pm Members: $80/ Non-Members: $100 Learn from expert instructor Michael Phillips how to manage your own orchard. Successfully growing fruit for your family becomes straightforward when you narrow the big picture down to getting the basics right. Fungal and bacterial disease can be successfully managed with deep nutrition and competitive colonization. Major insect challenges can be resolved safely when you perceive who, what and when. This overview of complementary sprays backed by biodiversity and soil health will set the stage for successfully growing tree fruit in New England.

Transplanting Shrubs and Planting Small Ornamental Trees In-person at BBG Saturday, April 17, 10 am – 1 pm 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 and balled-and-burlapped trees, and understand the importance of siting. Participants should dress for the weather and bring pruners and work gloves.

Chainsaw Skills Workshop

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In-person at BBG Sunday, April 18, 10 am – 4:30 pm Members: $110/Non-Members: $135 Are you interested in learning to use a chainsaw but feel intimidated to do so? This workshop taught by certified arborist Melissa LeVangie is designed for the novice to beginner chainsaw operator who wishes to gain greater confidence with this powerful tool. The class will combine lecture and handson learning. Topics will include personal protective equipment, the anatomy of a chainsaw, reactive forces, basic chainsaw maintenance and additional tools for use with a chainsaw.

Techniques will include holding and starting a saw, hazard ID, escape options, log analysis (binds), planning cuts, overall plan and bucking and limbing. Attendees will cut logs on the ground and/or elevated on sawhorses and will leave with a better understanding of the safety features of a chainsaw and able to operate a chainsaw based on safety fundamentals. No experience necessary. Note: Equipment will be provided; if you have your own chainsaw or personal protective equipment, please bring it with you. Dress and prepare for the weather including long sleeves, pants and boots. Bring a bag lunch.

Sopring tings: 4.75”W

WINDY HILL FARM NURSERY • ORCHARD • GARDEN SHOP

Superb plantS, extenSive Knowledge outStanding Quality, Selection & value

1815 N. Main St, Rte 7, Sheffield, MA 413.528.1857 Open Daily 10-5

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.

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686 Stockbridge road, great barrington, Ma 01230 www . windyhillfarMinc . coM (413) 298-3217 BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Spring Sausage Complete Guide to New England Wildflowers

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Hybrid Online/In-person at BBG Wednesdays, April 21 – May 5, 5:30 pm – 7 pm Saturdays, May 1 – May 8, 10 am – 2 pm Members: $130/Non-Members: $145 This five-part class with botanist Ted Elliman will cover the incredible variety and beauty of spring-blooming wildflowers in Berkshire County. The three online evening sessions will present the particular spring flora you can expect to find in different kinds of forest communities, such as sugar maple forest and oak forest, and in wetland habitats. In the two Saturday field sessions, we will explore all of these natural communities, identifying and photographing spring flora along the way. Recommended for field sessions: hand lens, camera, clothing/footwear suitable for trails.

Natural Dyes Rendering Color From Kitchen Scraps In-person at BBG Saturday, April 24, 10 am – 4 pm Members: $105/Non-Members: $125 Natural dyes can be created from scraps you might send to your compost pile. Learn about the techniques and processes that allow you to render beautiful color from kitchen scraps. This class with fiber artist Nicole Campanale will cover the basics of natural dyeing. Participants will work with wool and cotton and bring home samples of their work. Learn how to prepare fabric for dyeing and dyes themselves. Experiment using different mordants, overdyeing and resist techniques. Students are encouraged to bring a notebook in which to record their process and results.

In-person at BBG Sunday, April 25, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $40/Non-Members: $55 This hands-on workshop takes the participants through the process of making sausage at home, incorporating seasonal botanicals. Jake Levin is a Berkshire-based butcher, educator and artist empowering people to connect more deeply with the food they eat. Learn the history and process of sausage making. From the right cuts to the correct ratios, stuffing and linking, you’ll be along for every step of the process. Not only will students get a chance to participate, they will walk away with samples to try at home, a set of recipes and the frameworks needed to create their own seasonal recipes.

Off-site Field Study: Drifts of Daffodils at the home of Jeffrey Steele Thursday, April 29, 2 – 4 pm Members: $40/Non-members: $60 Daffodils are some of the earliest blooms in the garden.

During this off-site field study, participants will learn about the history of this plant and how to use it effectively in residential plantings, creating long-lasting spring impact for years. Enjoy the impressive private collection of daffodils at the Sheffield Home of Jeffrey A. Steele.. His woodland garden demonstrates extensive plantings using contrasting methods for naturalizing daffodils. Participants will learn the history of the house, garden and daffodils. Nomenclature and cultural requirements of the daffodil will be discussed. Enjoy a behind the scenes tour of Jeffery’s private collection and insight into his design process in creating a naturalized daffodil woodland.

Planning your Herb Garden In-person at BBG Saturday, April 24, 1 – 3 pm Members: $20/Non-Members: $30 Get a jump start on your garden this spring with medicinal herbs, which are highly adaptive and forgiving.

Herbs have their own immune systems to ward off pests, which also supports our immune functions.

Herbs attract pollinators, provide you with antiviral and antibacterial cooking ingredients and are much less difficult than vegetables to cultivate. In this on-site class, herbalist Hannah Jacobson-Hardy will discuss the benefits and uses of medicinal herbs and how to grow them yourself. Thrive and stay healthy with your own herb garden!

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EDUCATION

Welcome Back, Campers!

Spring Break Camp 2021 In-person at BBG Monday, April 19 through Thursday, April 22 9 am – 3 pm Extended care hours available Members: $320/Non-members: $350 Welcome back, campers! This spring break we are inviting a small group of campers back to the garden for fun, friends and gardening. Come help us prepare the garden for the growing season. Participants will start seeds, make maple syrup, turn compost, create botanical crafts and more! Space is very limited due to COVID regulations. BBG is working closely with the health department to implement significant new safety measures including limited capacity, masks, distancing, limited group mixing, enhanced cleaning procedures and variations on activities. At Farm in the Garden Camp, participants are invited to be part of a community that is committed to educating and inspiring others. We hope to see you this spring! There will be two age groupings available: Planters: Ages 5-7 and Harvesters: Ages 8-10.

Summer Camp 2021 In-person at BBG Monday June 28, through Friday August 20, 9 am – 3 pm Members: $380/Non-members: $415 BBG is thrilled to welcome campers back for the 2021 season!

We are planning for a fun-filled summer, where participants will have space to explore and discover in the garden. Farm in the Garden Camp provides time and guidance for children to do meaningful work and play in a nurturing garden community.

Campers experience the inherent pleasure and personal agency that comes from making things by hand. Their time in the garden will be spent caring for the plants and animals that sustain us and making good use of the harvest. Camp will look a little different than it has in the past, but there will still be plenty of opportunity to grow, harvest and play. BBG is working closely with the health department to implement significant new safety measures including limited capacity, masks, distancing, limited group mixing, enhanced cleaning procedures and variations on activities. At Farm in the Garden Camp, participants are invited to be part of a community that is committed to educating and inspiring others. We hope to see you this summer! Available age groupings: Planters: 5-7, Harvesters: 8-10 and Farmers: 11-14.

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

Registration Timeline for spring and summer camps January 13, 2021: 2020 Registered Camp Families January 27, 2021: Registration for BBG Members February 3, 2021: Registration for the General Public

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AROUND THE GARDEN

Welcome James Atwell!

In joining BBG as the new Director of Operations, Jim Atwell faces a big change in scale. For 34 years, he worked for the YMCA summer camps, most recently the 1,350-acre Becket Chimney Corners YMCA, and prior to that, Frost Valley YMCA Camp in Claryville, NY, one of the largest independent Ys in the US, located on 5,500 acres in the Catskill Mountains.

Jim worked at each location for 17 years, starting out as a logger at Frost Valley, then eventually moving into auto mechanics and building maintenance, which he continued at the Becket location. His wife, Sharon, worked with him at both locations in the food service department. Jim and Sharon were among a large group of YMCA employees laid off when the camps were forced to close this summer because of the COVID pandemic. Though the couple hadn’t been seeking a fresh start, Jim isn’t complaining. “The main difference between working at the Y and working at BBG is size. Instead of 150 camper cabins to maintain, there are just a handful of buildings. Instead of 85 acres to mow, it’s 15. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Jim was raised in Bridgewater, a small town in Central New York State 20 miles south of Utica. He attended the SUNY-ESF Ranger School in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, receiving an A.A.S. in forestry.

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

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-5pm; winter hours start Dec. 27, 9am-5pm 413-528-0166 w a r d s n u r s e r y. c o m 26

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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

What do these people have in common?

Their love of gardens. Their appreciation of community. Their belief in education. Their support of an organization that has helped to inspire visitors and residents of the Berkshires for 86 years.

Will you join them as members of Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Perennial Society?

By including BBG in your estate planning today, you can help us thrive and grow into the future. Now, more than ever, your planned gift in any amount will make all the difference to the Garden, for the next 86 years and beyond.

Please contact BBG’s Executive Director, Michael Beck, at (413) 320-4772 for a confidential conversation.

Thank you for your support of Berkshire Botanical Garden!

CREATING BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES design • installation • maintenance 413-448-2215 churchillgardens.com

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1998

Christine Ashburn Photography

Since 1989, the Garden Conservancy has been preserving, sharing, and celebrating America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions for the education and inspiration of the public.

www.gardenconservancy.org BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Volunteer News Keeping the Faith – in Gardens and Volunteers!

As I write this, I am just finishing up the one garden task I dread every year: cutting back. It’s not that it’s the most arduous task (although maybe it is!) – it’s the nature of the task. I use a scythe to cut armloads of spent iris and daylily fronds, swaths of coreopsis, tall stands of decorative grasses. I pull up all the annuals, and cut back every perennial except those that demand to be left alone. And when I’m done, I survey the wreckage I have wrought!

Although my end goals are creative, the cutting back feels destructive. It is an act of faith to believe the plants will burst through the soil next spring, even after this rough treatment and the battering of winter winds at our mountaintop home.

I was thinking how this faith also applies to the BBG Volunteer community. It has been a very different type of Volunteer year, to say the least. So many of our usual opportunities for engagement were eliminated by the pandemic. Not only our Volunteer ‘jobs’, but also our times to congregate and celebrate all that is beautiful and important about BBG and each other.

But, just as I have faith my ruthlessly scythed plants will come back in full flower, so do I know the amazing corps of BBG Volunteers will be back as soon as they hear the starting bell! I can tell by the wonderful response we got to our Great Cake Giveaway – a fabulous treat provided for us by Trustee and baker extraordinaire Janet Laudenslager. I can tell by the ‘outpouring of response’ we received when we opened up a few Volunteer slots for the re-imagined Harvest Festival Month. And I can tell by the enthusiasm of every Volunteer I happen to meet when I pay a visit to BBG. I would like to invite any of you readers who are not yet Volunteers but who are lucky enough to have some free time on your hands, to consider sharing your time and your talents with us. We have so many opportunities (under normal conditions!) for people to find meaningful, enjoyable work. You can be a tour guide, a greeter in Admissions, a docent in our art galleries, an administrative aide, or of course, a hands-on gardener. So many ways to be involved.

If you go to the Volunteer page on the BBG website (at berkshirebotanical.org), you’ll see where to register. Then you’ll start receiving our e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all Volunteer events and opportunities. It is so much fun and so rewarding to be part of our Volunteer family. I hope you will join us.

Wishing you health and tranquility, Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association

PS – Volunteers, be on the lookout for an enews announcement about a free Zoom class we’ll be offering this winter, courtesy of our wonderful BBG Volunteer and Master Gardener, Chris Ferrero!

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2021

Bulb Show Please Join Us as We Welcome Spring in the Fitzpatrick Conservatory

March 1 –14 9 am – 4 pm

New England favorites, lesser-known hardy and half-hardy bulbs and cacti growing alongside unusual South African bulbs in our beautiful Fitzpatrick period conservatory.

Admission is free and timed ticketing is required. Visit often as springtime’s palette evolves over a period of two weeks!

New! Professional Level Garden Membership BBG is excited to announce a new membership level for professional horticulturists and gardeners!

For 86 years, our mission has been to “fulfill the community’s need for information, education, and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of our local environment.” Our new Professional Level membership was created to best serve professional gardeners and horticulturists by fostering connection, supporting small businesses and offering affordable, high-quality professional development.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE: n Exclusive professional member networking events.

n Exclusive access to professional member-only workshops.

n Discounts for all BBG workshops, classes and events, including

group rates for employees to BBG’s Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium and iconic Winter Lecture.

n Reduced vendor rates for Harvest Festival and Holiday

Marketplace.

Professional Level membership rates are based on business size and will be available beginning January 2021.

Category 1: 1-4 employees $50 Category 2: 5-10 employees $100 Category 3: 11-20 employees $120 Category 4: 21+ employees $150

Please contact Amy Butterworth at abutterworth@berkshirebotanical.org or 413.298.4532 for additional information and to register.

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Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Qualprint 5 West Stockbridge Road Stockbridge, MA 01262 413-298-3926 • berkshirebotanical.org

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ANNUAL

SAVE THE DATE!

PLANTS AND ANSWERS PLANT SALE Friday and Saturday, May 7–8 (Mother’s Day Weekend)

Annuals • Perennials • Vegetables • Herbs Containers • Woodland Plants Rare Trees & Shrubs • Expert Gardening Advice Answers to your Garden Questions Early Buying for BBG members: Friday 9–11 am.

Hours for the general public: Friday 11 am – 5 pm, Saturday 9 am – 5 pm.

www.berkshirebotanical.org

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