Cuttings Winter/Spring 2025

FEBRUARY 16

28th Annual Winter Lecture

Featuring Jacqueline van der Kloet, an internationally acclaimed garden designer and one of Holland’s best-known gardening authorities.

FEBRUARY 21 TO ABOUT MARCH 23

The Bulb Show

BBG’s annual springtime gift to the community in the Fitzpatrick Conservatory.

This image, taken over a span of two-and-a-half hours, shows the arching trails of light from stars as the earth rotates. In the Berkshires, we’re still fortunate that light pollution hasn’t obstructed our stargazing opportunities. See story on page 4.

This page: A scene from last year’s Annual Plants-andAnswers Plant Sale. This year’s sale will be held on May 9 and 10. Curated by BBG’s horticulture staff, the sale will feature hundreds of perennials, annuals and vegetables with a focus on nature-based landscaping, welcoming to birds, bees and butterflies.

MAY 4

Spring Fest

A community celebration steeped in history and tradition that honors one of BBG’s most influential past directors.

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

STAFF

Executive Director

Mike Beck

Assistant Manager, Volunteers and Operations

River Begas

Buildings Supervisor

Austen Dupont

Camp Director

Margaret Leahy

Director of Education

Jennifer Patton

Director of Horticulture

Eric Ruquist

Director of Marketing Communications

Felix Carroll

Director of Special Events

Danielle Pellerin

Facilities Assistant

Sean McKenney

Horticulturist

Kessa McEwen

Manager of Buildings and Grounds

Kurt Dietrich

Manager of School Programs

Arielle Coon

Marketing and Communications Assistant

Ruth Hanavan

Operations Manager

Amy Butterworth

Seasonal Gardeners  Kevin Johnson

Claire Lynch

Visitor Center Manager

Kristine Romano

MAY 9-10

48th Annual Be-a-Better Gardener Plant Sale

Our Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale featuring thousands of plants and plenty of helpful advice.

Photos by Felix Carroll

On the cover: Star trails over Center House on Dec. 26.

DIRECTOR’S CORNER MIKE BECK

Light Persists

On Dec. 21, at 4:21 a.m., the sun stood

still. Well, not really, but our word solstice means just that:

The sun seemingly stopped its southern path in our northern sky and then reversed course. By the time you read this, we will already be well on our way towards astronomical spring in the northern hemisphere, with days lengthening noticeably. As gardeners, however, we will need to be patient until our weather catches up with our roaming planet.

A few years ago I spent some time in London, where even the coldest winter days barely dipped below freezing. But boy, was it dark in December! There, plants awoke from their winter rest just as soon as the solstice passed, despite constant temperatures. By February, red shoots had emerged on tightly clipped hedges, and even peonies began poking out of heavy clay soils. Back home in the Berkshires, where arctic blasts persist well into March, our wily local flora knows not to mess with sporadic days of false spring temperatures. But then, when April weather brings more consistent warmth, it’s all hands on deck for the plants. Seemingly overnight, every bud breaks and every leaf unfurls. It’s fun to think of April in the midst of winter!

In April, we should also start to see the benefits of our newly installed solar array on the Education Center roof. By then, the 102 panels will be interconnected to the local utility grid, creating clean energy out of sunlight, helping us shrink the Garden’s carbon footprint, and saving us significant operating costs to boot. It will be exciting to share this project with our many visitors this upcoming season, including the hundreds of young Farm in the Garden campers who will be able to see the array from the Camp headquarters, BBG’s Mother Earth Lodge. We have been so fortunate in our efforts to fundraise for this project, with many in our community contributing to our effort to “go solar.” Thank you!

This issue of Cuttings is all about the anticipation of spring. We will have lots on offer while it’s still hat-and-mittens weather. Start dreaming about bold springtime colors when Jacqueline van der Kloet shares her striking modern bulb designs at this year’s Winter Lecture. Read about our plans for a Spring Fest in May. And perhaps consider joining our June exploration of Ireland, our first international garden trip in several years. By then, the sun will be slowing down again in our early summer sky.

For now, I will enjoy the cozy aspects of winter in a cold climate, and think of the Mahatma’s words: “In the midst of darkness, light persists.”

SHEDDING LIGHT

on the Dark Side of Artificial Illumination

Here beside the Center House on a moonless night, beneath the twinkle of a trillion mysteries, we can be reminded that the universe is huge and old. Preserving the visibility of the night sky through minimizing light pollution not only enhances our sense of connection to the universe, it supports plant and pollinator health.

The night view of Earth from space is one of Edison-inspired incandescence. It all resembles a tangle of monochromatic Christmas lights knotted in the shrubbery of the continents.

Back here on Earth, all this artificial light — illuminating our streets and interstates, shopping plazas, homes and businesses — not only blocks the night sky from view and wastes energy and money, but a growing body of evidence concludes it disrupts the life cycle of plants and wildlife.

“We often call light pollution the fastest growing environmental problem,” said Tim Brothers, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomer and co-founder of the Massachusetts chapter of Dark Sky

International, which works to protect the night sky from unnecessary artificial light. “In North America, light pollution in the form of sky glow is growing at 10.4 percent a year, on average.” The problem is similar across the globe where humans have settled.

Brothers was among the featured speakers at Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 10th Annual Rooted in Place ecological gardening symposium on Nov. 10. The manager of MIT’s Wallace Astrophysical Observatory in Westford, Mass., near the New Hampshire border,

Brothers arrived in the Berkshires — a region still ideal for stargazing — to share a sobering message. On the eastern side of the state, the glow of artificial light from development has erased the night sky in many communities.

Across the United States, roughly 85 percent of people live in areas where they can no longer see the Milky Way, the shimmering band of stars that once served as a nightly reminder of the vast, ancient universe we inhabit. Gone is the chance to

peer through a hobbyist’s telescope and glimpse Andromeda, or to stand beneath a clear sky filled with a trillion flickering mysteries.

This is no minor loss. For billions of years, life on Earth has depended on the natural cycle of light and dark. Now, humangenerated light pollution is profoundly disrupting that delicate balance.

“About 85 percent of people in the United States live in communities where they cannot see the Milky Way at night.”

—Tim Brothers, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomer and manager of the Wallace Astrophysical Observatory in Westford, Mass.

Too Much Light, Too Many Problems

Sources of light pollution — the excessive or misdirected artificial illumination at night —include streetlights, illuminated billboards, architectural lighting, household fixtures, and landscape lighting.

This constant over-lighting impacts not just stargazers like Brothers, but “also creates confusion” in the natural world, he said.

Pointing to a study published in 2019 by researchers at Northeastern Illinois University, he said nocturnal animals — such as bats, moths and frogs — are especially vulnerable, as their behaviors depend on darkness.

A study published in 2017 in Nature highlighted the toll on pollinators: Heavily light-polluted areas see 62 percent fewer nocturnal pollinator visits, with 29 percent fewer species present. This “pollination gap” ripples through the ecosystem, diminishing the ability of plants to produce fruit and reproduce, Brothers said.

In agriculture, crops like soybeans have long been known to experience stunted growth and reduced yields in proximity to streetlights, Brothers said. A study published last year in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science underscored that artificial light may be affecting the natural ecology of plant life. It can do so by extending the duration of photosynthesis, causing leaves to become so tough that insects cannot eat them.

“Decreased herbivory can lead to trophic cascading effects in ecology,”

the study’s author, Dr. Shuang Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told The Guardian. “Lower levels of herbivory imply lower abundances of herbivorous insects, which could in turn result in lower abundances of predatory insects, insect-eating birds, and so on. The decline of insects is a global pattern observed over recent decades. We should pay more attention to this trend.”

Brothers also pointed to a recent landscaping trend, the uplighting of trees, which can delay the vegetative state of a tree, causing it to expend energy at inappropriate times and leaving it vulnerable to disease and pests.

Migratory birds are another casualty. These species rely on moonlight and starlight for navigation. Bright urban landscapes, often with improperly shielded lights, disorient them. Over one billion birds die annually in the United States alone in collisions with illuminated buildings and towers, according to research published last year by scientists at the American Bird Conservancy, Fordham University, NYC Bird Alliance, and Stony Brook University.

The United States is not alone grappling with the effects of light pollution. This image taken from the International Space Station shows artificial lights from Spain and Portugal. Image courtesy of NASA

“We’re not asking for no light — just smarter light.”

—Tim Brothers

The impact extends to humans. Disrupted circadian rhythms — our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle — are linked to health problems ranging from sleep disorders to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and depression.

Moreover, while satellite images of Earth are stunning, the light we see in those images is streaming wastefully upward into the atmosphere instead of specifically lighting roads or walkways, wasting an estimated $3 billion per year in the United States alone, reported The New York Times in 2019.

Conversely, Brothers explained that advances in technology have made lighting the night increasingly affordable from early incandescent bulbs that used carbon filaments to fluorescent bulbs and now widely used LED bulbs. This lower cost, he said, has led to complacency about turning off lights at night.

Solutions:

Lighting the Way to Change

Despite the alarming information, Brothers said he is optimistic that a little education can go a long way.

“The technology we have today — like LEDs — isn’t the problem,” he explains. “It’s about using it responsibly.” He advocates for “dark sky-compliant” lighting, which adheres to five principles: that it be useful, targeted, kept at low levels, controlled, and consist of warmercolored lights (see sidebar).

For individuals, the solutions start at home. Simple changes, such as installing

shielded fixtures, using lower-wattage bulbs and turning off lights when not in use, can reduce light pollution significantly.

On a community level, residents can influence municipal and state projects, like relighting streets or schools, by advocating for responsible outdoor lighting during public comment periods. Some towns have already adopted

ordinances to curb excessive lighting, though state-level regulations remain elusive. Massachusetts is the only state in the Northeast without regulations restricting outdoor lighting.

“We’re not asking for no light — just smarter light,” Brothers said. “Every little change can make a big difference.”

Farmers long have understood the effect of artificial light on crops. Here, a soybean field in Lincoln, Neb., shows the effect of nighttime lights. The lights delay maturation of late-season soybean. Photo by Paul Jasa, published on cropwatch.unl.edu

Why We Garden

It’s Real. It’s Restorative. It’s Rewarding.

In a world increasingly consumed by screen time, diminished face-to-face social interactions and a relentless flow of global unrest, the humble act of gardening offers a refreshing antidote.

In this issue, we asked some dear friends of Berkshire Botanical Garden — seasoned gardeners who lead classes and workshops here — to uncover the reasons why they cultivate their plots, however large or small. From the physical benefits of bending, planting and weeding to the mental clarity that comes from tending to nature and fostering connection, gardening proves to be a transformative practice.

Meet the Plant Chaser

Rob Gennari is the owner of Glendale Botanicals in Stockbridge, Mass. He teaches an introduction to succulents class at BBG.

In the small village of Glendale, Mass, on the very land where he grew up, Rob Gennari ducks out of the cold on a December day and into one of four greenhouses he manages — “a little slice of the Caribbean in New England,” he says. His greenhouses provide shelter to what he calls “a hobby gone awry.”

Settled now on an overturned garden bucket, he explains, “I started off as a plant collector, and then I thought, ‘I can use this in my landscapes.’ So I started growing bigger, funkier stuff.”

That “stuff” includes palms from Malaysia and Thailand, which thrive in the tropical house’s 100-degree heat and 100 percent humidity, and a rare cycad called Cycas debaoensis, native to Yunnan, China. For three years, the cycad sat in the greenhouse, leafless and dormant, before finally bursting to life. For the owner of “one of the world’s most expensive compost piles” — comprised of his failed plant experiments — Gennari was amazed and relieved.

His journey into plants started serendipitously. After returning from college in the 1980s with a degree in environmental studies, he took a summer job at Ward’s Nursery, in Great Barrington, Mass. He eventually was promoted to run Ward’s installation division before he branched out in 1994 to start his own business, now called Glendale Botanicals, which designs, installs and maintains gardens throughout the region.

Landscaping introduced Gennari to the joys of plants, and it was orchids that first captivated him. At one point, his tropical greenhouse housed nearly 9,000 orchids. “Back then, you couldn’t just go to a store to buy them,” he recalls. Indeed, you had to attend Orchid Society

meetings or visit specialty growers. His pursuit of rare species took him on global adventures, from Hawaii to Hong Kong. His favorite orchid? The tropical lady slipper (Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum), which he first encountered at a nursery in Swansea, Mass.

Today, Gennari’s focus has widened to include growing larger, statementmaking plants for his landscaping clients. This pursuit has taken him to the mountains of Myanmar and beyond. He laments the rapid loss of biodiversity in these regions. “So many rare plants are being bulldozed for palm oil plantations or mining,” he says. “A lot of these places haven’t even been botanized yet.”

Yes, there’s plenty of matters in the world to be disturbed about. When Gennari is flustered, he says, “I come up here, wander the greenhouses, do nightly slug hunts. These greenhouses are my sanctuary. It’s calming. It’s like a mini vacation in here. Some people have service dogs; I have service plants.”

And while his greenhouses offer tranquility, they also demand vigilance. He likens the maintenance of his tropical oasis in the harsh New England climate to running a dairy farm: The work never ends. The plants all need different care, temperatures, watering schedules, and humidity levels.

His love of plants runs in his blood. His great-grandfather, William E. Cummings,

was one of Berkshire County’s most renowned early horticulturists, serving as the superintendent and gardener of the Stockbridge estate Ingleside in the 1930s.

“Growing up, we always had a big garden,” Gennari recalls. “We’d have to get up at 7 a.m. to weed before we could do anything else. It stuck with me.”

Now, Gennari is passing that legacy forward — not just through his landscapes, but by encouraging others to garden. “Take a class. Join a plant society,” he advises. “The plant world is so giving.” And the joy of plant caretaking is simple. “If you treat them right, they reward you,” he says.

Making the Plant-and-People Connection

Jen Werner is a Northeast Organic Farming Association certified organic landcare professional and recently earned a University of Massachusetts Invasive Plant Management Certificate. She teaches classes at BBG in plant health care and invasive plants and insects.

For Jen Werner, gardening is a way of life embedded in stewardship and connection.

“When things are hard, beauty helps us stay grounded in the present,” she says. Gardening offers that beauty in abundance, she says.

Gardening runs deep in her family roots. Her father’s grandparents tended a lush garden on their corner lot in Erie, Pa. As children, Jen and her siblings would navigate the garden’s winding paths, pushing each other in a garden cart. It was there that she first learned about birds and the simple pleasures of the outdoors.

Her great-aunt, a florist in Pittsburgh, also played a role. Her shop, with its attached greenhouse, left a lasting impression. “The smell of a greenhouse and a floral shop — it’s visceral,” Werner said. “It brings me home.”

By high school, Werner was certain about two things: She wanted to attend college, and she couldn’t imagine a career confined to an office. Her love for being outdoors led her to horticulture — a field that combined her passions with purpose. She went on to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in horticulture and horticultural science.

On her small city lot in Northampton, Mass., she works to restore native habitats by planting trees and shrubs that support pollinators, frogs, snakes, and dragonflies. But gardening, for Werner, is also about people. She grows much of her own food, sharing the harvest — especially berries — with neighbors and friends. Her own yard has become a gathering space where neighbors — toddlers included — come to pick berries, fostering “simple, nonplugged-in interactions.”

Beyond food production, as a member of Northampton’s Urban Forestry Commission, she’s helped lead a tree-planting initiative that has added over 2,000 trees since 2016. Through this program, volunteers bond over shared goals. “The more we connect with other human beings, the better we’ll weather hard times,” she says.

Beyond its communal and ecological benefits, gardening is a source of vitality. It keeps her moving, provides moments of meditation and offers endless opportunities to learn.

Her favorite plant? The blueberry, because it encompasses her love of edible

PLANTS

Friday and Saturday, May 9 & 10

GLENDALE

landscaping, fall colors and native species. Even in the depths of winter, Werner’s mind stays in the garden. She pores over seed catalogs, plans next season’s crops and experiments with winter gardening techniques like raised, covered beds for spinach and arugula. Her home is filled with houseplants, and she’s successfully propagated natives, like Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus) and a black gum tree (Nyssa sylvatica), from seeds.

“My ultimate goal,” she says, “is I want to make the world a better place through horticulture.”

Resilience in Tough Conditions

Lee Buttala is a writer and organizational consultant. He is the former executive director of Seed Savers Exchange, an Emmy Awardwinning television producer of Martha Stewart Living and the creator, producer and director of Cultivating Life, a PBS series on outdoor living and gardening. He teaches BBG’s class on herbaceous plants.

For Lee Buttala, gardens are places of transformation, offering solace in hard times and joy in good ones. They hold the power to remind us of our ties to the earth and to each other.

“When I look at Berkshire Botanical Garden and the classes and programs here, I realize that gardening helps create community,” says Buttala, who lives in Ashley Falls, Mass. “It connects us to a network of fellow gardeners, where we share ideas and some values — though, importantly, not all values. This allows us to see others more fully. If anything,

gardens encourage us to understand where people stand, how they approach things and to embrace the idea that it’s OK to be different.”

He acknowledges these are difficult times globally but rejects the notion of living in a world divided. For him, gardening — like food — can be a bridge that brings people together. Ultimately, he hopes this shared influence can contribute to building a better, more united world.

“In reality, we all have common bonds,” he says, “and plants can certainly be one of those.”

His love for gardening began in childhood. Growing up in Chicago, the family tended a small urban garden, but many days were spent at a lake house. It was there that his father shared a vegetable garden with a neighbor whose love for gardening went beyond vegetables to include shrubs, trees and a greenhouse.

The lake house garden was a magical space — a tapestry of fruit trees, grapevines, a fernery, and a rock garden. Buttala recalls trimming lilac hedges with family, swimming in the afternoons and wandering into nearby woods to discover trilliums and squirrel corn. These early encounters sparked not only a love for plants but also a curiosity about their intricate relationships with the

world around them. Gardening became a way of living in tune with the seasons and the soil.

When it comes to favorite plants, he points to blue false indigo (Baptisia australis). These members of the pea family are not just beautiful but also remarkable in their resilience, he says. They enrich the soil with nitrogen while thriving in tough conditions, embodying the idea of giving back while finding a way forward. For Buttala, Baptisia symbolizes hope — a plant that thrives even when the world around it is challenging. When he first paired them with bold white peonies, their spiky forms contrasting against soft petals, that was a revelatory moment.

“It made me realize the artistry of putting plants together,” he says.

Just as the larger world is constantly changing, so too is the world of gardening, Buttala notes. And, in this case, undoubtedly for the better, he says. Gardens used to be tightly controlled spaces, shaped by a near-godlike hand. “But now, gardening has shifted toward a more naturalistic approach, embracing plants and ecotypes native to our regions,” he says. “It’s about recognizing our shared connection with nature and the land we inhabit, which I find endlessly fascinating.”

“In reality, we all have common bonds, and plants can certainly be one of those.”

—Lee Buttala

‘Because

It’s Tangible

Recently retired as the education manager at Mt. Cuba Center, a public garden in Delaware devoted to native plant advocacy, Duncan Himmelman is a frequent teacher at Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Duncan Himmelman recalls a tiny balcony garden he tended in Delaware, where the blooms of a lone obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) attracted a hummingbird. He spied the tiny, iridescent bird outside his kitchen window one day. It was a magical-like interruption of the ordinary.

“I was living in a rental complex with a large asphalt parking lot, but even there, a native plant brought wildlife,” he says, still amazed. With 28 hummingbird species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered or critically endangered, moments like that reinforce the power of small, intentional actions in connecting with nature and helping to sustain native biodiversity.

Himmelman’s journey into gardening began in childhood with wonder, beauty and dirt under his nails in his grandfather’s greenhouse and market garden in Haydenville, Mass. He said he vividly recalls his grandfather’s mountain laurel (its star-shaped blooms and evergreen elegance), yucca (its spiky foliage and towering flower stalks) and an old-fashioned climbing rose called Blaze (its cascading fragrant blooms).

“I was immediately engaged with plants at a very early age and kind of grew up walking around the woods at my grandpa’s place,” he says.

He would eventually earn his doctorate in ornamental horticulture at Cornell and teach college for 24 years. All the while, he has remained steadfast in viewing gardening as an endeavor far beyond simply creating beautiful spaces. It’s a way to connect with the rhythms of the natural world and a way to foster life.

BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES

Photo by Dani Fine Photography 2024 © Classical Tents & Party Goods

Indeed, at the core of his advocacy is the powerful message that gardening, especially with native plants, is an act of environmental care. “Native species support pollinators, birds and the larger ecosystem,” he says. “Planting them is a simple but impactful way to make a difference in the world.”

One of his favorite plants is the trumpet honeysuckle vine (Lonicera sempervirens), an ideal choice for small gardens. “It blooms just as the hummingbirds arrive in late spring, offering beauty and purpose,” he says. Another standout is the red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), beloved for its vibrant red stems in winter, springtime flowers and fiery autumn foliage.

“Gardening is uniquely rewarding because it’s tangible — you see your effort bear fruit,” he says. “It teaches patience and perseverance. For me, it’s also about appreciating all four seasons — each offering something unique, even winter, when the bare trees and shrubs reveal the garden’s architectural ‘bones.’”

He encourages new gardeners to start small. “Gardening doesn’t have to be complicated,” he says. “Begin with one plant. Once you have success with one plant, it builds confidence to try more.”

“Gardening is uniquely rewarding because it’s tangible—you see your effort bear fruit.”

—Duncan Himmelman

Gardening for Life: My Journey of Discovery

By Chris Ferrero

“How old are you?”

It’s an exclamation that frequently ricochets among volunteers at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Many of us retired to the area in our 60s and are still amazing friends and family with our vigor in our 70s and 80s.

What is it about gardening that seems to be a fountain of youth for so many of us? It’s true that just being outdoors is an elixir, but it’s more than that.

Is it the health benefits of physical exercise? Movements like lifting and carrying, getting up and down from our knees, stretching our arms and legs to reach plants, tools and hoses certainly do constitute healthy exercise. Those activities tone muscles, oil joints and sustain dexterity. Then there are the thousands of steps it takes to plant, prune, harvest, and then view and appreciate all that we’ve created. That mileage builds endurance for sure. But at some point, it takes more than the edge of a pail to help us to our feet. Often this is when we look to simplify our gardens, so we can manage all those tasks but on a smaller scale. How in the world do we do that?

That’s when another aspect of gardening kicks in: brain work. The process of reworking our home landscapes calls for constant analysis and problem solving.

Over the years, our garden wisdom has regularly demanded to be refreshed. It may have been an increasing canopy of maturing trees that gradually robbed our sun-loving plantings of their light. Or new ponds of standing water that surprised us a couple years ago when climate change dumped a record amount of rainfall. The fun never ends.

The Mental Calisthenics of a Gardening Journey

For me, it’s the mental and emotional benefits of gardening that provide the biggest energy surges. No matter how long I’ve been at it, or how accomplished I feel, there is always another challenge to dig into.

In fact, there are a few topics of endless pursuit that will keep me problemsolving into my dotage. Pollinators are an example. A decade ago I was still gardening as if butterflies and bees existed for my personal entertainment. I planted waves of bee balm and pulled up a lawn chair to watch the hummingbirds dance. I trained a trellis full of coral honeysuckle to attract them to my kitchen window.

But along the way, it was clear this was more about conservation than eye candy. Pollinators are not here to entertain us; instead, it’s in our best interest to serve them. A third of our food depends on pollination. And every time a species is lost from an ecosystem, says ecologist Doug Tallamy in “Bringing Nature Home,” that ecosystem is less able to support us.

That was the point in my journey when native species took center stage. Sustaining wildlife with native plants brings the responsibility of conservation to our doorstep. It’s not up to Big Ag, but to us, because 60 percent of the United States landscape is privately owned.

That learning really drives up the stakes in a gardenupgrade journey. It gives new urgency to wiping out our invasives, but also an invigorating sense of purpose. How to replace the burning bushes and Japanese barberries we planted in the 1990s? Let’s plant native flowering shrubs that are more gorgeous, and also better manage water, sequester carbon and serve wildlife. Tallamy suggests an achievable goal: 70 percent of our home landscapes should be native.

Now when I look at ways to solve issues in my yard, I have higher standards: How to incorporate and support native species is top of the list. I also continue to learn things about pollinators that provide new challenges every season.

For example, pollinators have greater requirements in the “shoulder seasons,” the early and late bookends of the growing season, when it takes more creativity to plant for their needs. In earliest spring, overwintering bee species are building and provisioning their nests. Pollen and nectar are hard to find (I was crushed to learn daffodils aren’t good sources of either). Now I’m researching early ephemerals, good fodder for another few years.

Then, at the other end of the season when the bloom is literally off the rose, it’s time for monarch butterflies and other pollinator species to fuel up for their astonishing migration journeys and overwintering rituals. Fluffy mums don’t serve their needs, but native asters and goldenrod do.

But back to the BBG volunteers. A particularly delightful discovery is that gardening together promotes a higher level of well-being. Especially once we retire from work “families,” it’s important to find community with others. Looking around at other BBG volunteers gives me hope for many more years of gardening.

Chris Ferrero is a gardening speaker, writer, consultant, Cornell Master Gardener, and a Berkshire Botanical Garden volunteer tour leader extraordinaire.

Volunteering is Good For Your Health Yes, Really!

I always talk about how much fun it is to volunteer. Now I have a new and exciting angle. Health specialists agree it is healthy to volunteer. It can actually boost your immune system!

According to these experts, “social health” — the quality of your relationships and connections — is as important for your well-being as physical and mental health. There are simple steps you can take to improve your social health, with benefits extending to your family, friends and the broader community.

That’s the gist of a recent blog by Dan Harris (no relation!), former ABC journalist, anchor for “Nightline” and author of “10% Happier,” a number one New York Times bestseller. His list of simple ways to enhance your social health includes:

• Make a list of your favorite people to stay in touch with regularly.

• Put recurring friend dates on your calendar to make connection a habit.

• Do What You Love...With Others: Join a book club or hiking group to meet like-minded people.

Volunteering at Berkshire Botanical Garden has the added benefit of instantly making you part of a welcoming new family. You’ll not only find meaningful volunteer work, but you’ll be doing it in one of the most beautiful locations in the Berkshires, with a greater purpose — environmental awareness — that truly serves the social good.

So c’mon in! Go to the Volunteer page on the BBG website at BerkshireBotanical.org, register to be a Volunteer, and you’ll start to receive our e-newsletter about upcoming Volunteer opportunities. Our Volunteer manager will also reach out to you personally to welcome you and find out what kinds of things you’d like to do, from hands-on gardening to greeting visitors, giving tours, being an art gallery docent, and more. All it takes are a few clicks to improve your social health!

Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association

‘You Never Stop Learning’

An Interview with Jacqueline van der Kloet

Jacqueline van der Kloet, the internationally acclaimed garden designer, author and one of Holland’s best-known gardening authorities, will be our featured speaker at the 28th Annual Winter Lecture on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m., at Lenox Middle and High School. We recently spoke with her about her far-ranging career and her love for gardening.

What attracted you to gardening in the first place?

As a child, I was never interested in gardening, but I loved drawing and designing. After high school, I wanted to attend art school, but my parents did not allow that. Around the same time, a friend of mine applied for the School for Garden

and Landscape Architecture in Boskoop, in the Netherlands. She told me about it, and I thought, “It has something to do with designing, so that sounds good,” so I applied, too. When I learned about the various classes, it was love at first sight. It was the best choice I ever made.

Which of your many projects are you most proud of, and what makes them stand out to you?  Difficult question because there are so many projects, and I’ve loved doing each of them. I started with private gardens, and later on, larger projects came my way. One of the first was the World

Photos courtesy of Jacqueline van der Kloet

Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, and because of that, I moved to the project at Ippenburg Castle, also in Germany, where I designed parts of the park for many years. After that, the renovation of a part of Keukenhof, the famous bulb garden in the Netherlands. Some of my more recent work includes the Shinko Central Park in Yokohama, Japan, and the bulb design for the Lurie Garden, Millennium Park, Chicago. My latest one is Wonderwoods, a project of two high rises in the center of Utrecht, the Netherlands, where there are green areas on every level, either as part of the balconies or as a huge roof garden between the various levels. For me, all these projects stand out, as they all are the results of good collaboration between various groups of people. Sometimes architects and landscape architects are involved, but in other projects, it is only me as the designer and specialist on the plants together with the contractors and/ or the caretakers. If there is a “click” during the whole process, from the preliminary phase up to the final stage, you know it’s going to be a success. A good example is the Lurie Garden, where I’ve been working with the staff for many years now and the results are still outstanding.

For the uninitiated, would you please explain your “scattering the bulbs” method of planting?

That is an easy one: I make a plan for the area in the garden where I want to plant bulbs. This plan always includes bulbs with different times of flowering. For instance, from early till late spring: crocus, early flowering tulips and ornamental onions. That way the same area will flower in different stages in spring. I put all the bulbs together in a wheelbarrow then take a handful of mixed bulbs, which I scatter over the area mentioned before. I plant the bulbs where they fall. Sometimes bulbs are close together, sometimes there is just a single bulb, but that is what creates a “natural” effect, and that is just what I am looking for.

Your work is often celebrated for its color palettes. What is your process for selecting and harmonizing colors in a space? I hardly ever plant bulbs on their own. They are always related to neighbor plants like shrubs or perennials. I am looking for harmony between the colors and appearances of these background plants and the bulbs I use. Of course, other circumstances are also essential: in darker areas, I like to use bulbs/colors that give light, like white, pale yellow and pink, while in sunnier areas, I like to use bolder combinations in orange, purple and deep red.

You often combine unexpected plants in your designs. Can you share a memorable plant pairing that has worked exceptionally well?  I remember from my time at Keukenhof that I made a border with bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis) and pink and orange tulips, with the occasional yellow one in between. Some people were shocked, but most of them, especially the younger visitors, loved it. (See photo.)

As a garden designer, how have your tastes and practices changed (or evolved) over time? And to what do you attribute these changes?  The more your knowledge grows, the larger the assortment of plants and bulbs you can pick from. But, it also makes it more difficult. All my life, I have traveled as much as possible to see new gardens and nurseries and to speak to the people who own and run them. Also, I created my own trial garden because it is so important to see plants and bulbs evolve through the years. Museums, art shows and keeping a close eye on fashion also help me develop my work as a designer, because the use of color, especially in fashion, is often very surprising. As a garden designer, you never stop learning, and that is what influences your taste and practice.

’An

Entirely New System’

The following, by Roy Diblik, is from the foreword of Jacqueline van der Kloet’s latest book, “My Garden: A Year of Design and Experimentation” (Timber Press):

As I watched Jacqueline prepare herself to begin the bulb planting at Battery Park, I realized she was assessing the complexity of the plants already in the garden into which she was going to interplant the bulbs. This was a major feat: Jacqueline not only had to interpret [Piet] Oudolf’s diverse perennial pattens already in play — which meant both understanding seasonal growth rate and each plant’s growth habits — she also had to work within the density of perennial plant development both seasonally and annually. I watched her work masterfully, placing groups of bulbs together within those already-complex patterns, and later witnessed them emerge and flower at different times, April through June, enhancing and never inhibiting the growth of the perennials around them.

Jacqueline took this complex process of interplanting bulbs with perennials and applied it in all the various patterns in Piet’s design plan. It had become clear to me that I was witnessing an entirely new system emerging in horticulture. Jacqueline was using plants that I’d previously given little attention to; I had thought I was viewing bulbs in gardens at their best, but clearly this was far from the case. Witnessing Jacqueline’s practice was a significant moment for me in my professional and personal development. I’ve always been influenced by the year-long seasonality of a plant, and suddenly bulbs had gotten my full attention.

What do you see as the future of garden design, particularly in relation to climate change and biodiversity?

That would definitely be the use of more indigenous plants. Besides having their own beauty, they are very important for all kinds of insects and biodiversity.

Are there specific artists or art movements that have inspired your garden designs?

Almost too many, but I will mention a few in random order: Antoni Gaudí, Gustav Klimt, René Lalique (jewels and glass), Iris van Herpen (fashion designer), H. P. Berlage (Dutch architect), Arthur Erickson (Canadian architect), Frank Lloyd Wright, and Anselm Kiefer.

What current trends in garden design do you find most exciting and relevant today?

I hate the word “trend” when it comes to gardens, because “trend” assumes something volatile, and in my opinion, a garden only becomes better through the years. But if I had to mention something that currently is relevant, it is the incorporation of indigenous plants in today’s plant schemes.

What advice would you give amateur gardeners looking to create or to incorporate replicating wild spaces into home gardening?

Make sure you choose wild species that you can handle. Your first choice will be based on color, height or texture, but do also look at other characteristics of the chosen species, like: Do they match with existing plants, how fast will they grow without overgrowing other plants, and will they add a positive influence on the whole picture? And make sure to ask for advice from the nursery that sells these plants.

Much has been written in recent years about gardening’s positive effects on people’s health and wellbeing. Would you share thoughts on “why gardening is good for us”? And after many years doing this work, what does gardening do for you?

I definitely think it is true because gardening has many positive sides: being outside in fresh air; letting your muscles work (I never go to the gym); being aware of nature and getting a better feeling for the various seasons; creating something and enjoying the result, and even being proud of it; getting to know other people who have the same hobby; broadening

your horizon by going to visit other gardens. So, you see, almost too many advantages to mention here. And as for me personally, it is quite simple: Gardening is my life, and I could not live without it.

FEB

16

28th Annual Winter Lecture: Jacqueline van der Kloet Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m.

Lenox Middle & High School Coffee/tea reception to follow. (Snow Date: Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m.)

Members: $40/Non-members: $55

Visit BerkshireBotanical.org or scan this QR code to register:

The Bulb Show is Back!

Our annual Bulb Show — a celebration of beauty, renewal and the magic of nature’s rhythms — is back, and it’s free and open to all.

From Feb. 21 to approximately March 23, visit the Fitzpatrick Conservatory, open daily between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., to experience a spectacular preview of spring, a warm, enchanting escape in the depths of winter. This sensory delight features hundreds of flowering bulbs, including classic favorites like tulips, daffodils and grape hyacinths, as well as lesser-known varieties.

Eric Ruquist, BBG’s director of horticulture, calls the Bulb Show the Garden’s annual “gift to the community,” blending artistry and horticulture.

The public agrees.

“I have to say my favorite part of Berkshire Botanical Garden is the Bulb Show,” says Lily Turovsky, a horticulture student at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. “It feels like such a gift in the dead of winter.”

The journey to this vibrant display begins in late summer, as our horticulture team selects and orders a wide array of bulbs. In the Lexan Greenhouse, planting starts in the fall — beginning with tulips, then daffodils and finally smaller bulbs.

The bulbs are tucked away in cool rooms in the basement of the Center House, where temperatures hover around 42°F — mimicking the natural rhythms of winter. Tulips chill for about 15 weeks, daffodils 12 and grape hyacinths 10, with staggered planting dates to guarantee continuous blooms throughout the show.

When the time is right, the bulbs are moved to the Lexan Greenhouse to “wake up.” Over the next few weeks, they green up, stretch and bloom. Before the big reveal at the

FEB 21

The Bulb Show Opens

February 21 to about March 23 Daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Fitzpatrick, each pot is dressed with moss, pine needles or nut shells, and the display team adds creative touches like succulents, branches and stumps for visual variety and contrast.

When the show opens, the Fitzpatrick Conservatory transforms into a colorful, fragrant oasis. Thanks to the intimate setting, visitors can get up close and personal with the blooms — an immersive, “face-in-flowers” experience.

Come see it for yourself!

Berkshire Botanical Garden Is Going Green(er)

Berkshire Botanical Garden is taking a significant step toward sustainability: the installation of a state-of-the-art solar panel system.

“We are thrilled to announce this project as we close a milestone year in our history,” said BBG Executive Director Mike Beck. “This initiative underscores the Garden’s commitment to environmental stewardship and reducing its carbon footprint, while inspiring visitors to embrace sustainable practices.”

Slated for installation early this year, the new system will consist of 102 solar panels. Once completed, these panels will begin generating power to offset more than 67 percent of BBG’s current electricity use, in a carbon neutral way.

The project involves a significant upfront cost of $121,000, but BBG qualifies for a 30 percent IRS credit for this environmentally sound investment. In addition, BBG has announced a generous $45,132 contribution from Tern Foundation’s TernSOLAR Challenge Grant Program. The Program is designed to expand renewable energy use in Massachusetts communities, making solar energy more accessible to nonprofits. Since TernSOLAR is structured as a challenge grant, BBG has begun a fundraising initiative to raise the remaining $45,132 to match the Tern Foundation grant.

The TernSOLAR grant program has funded 25 solar projects and associated environmental education initiatives throughout the Commonwealth.

BBG’s project calls for installing the photovoltaic system on the metal roof of its existing Education Building near the southern edge of its property. The roof is ideally situated with southern/western exposure that will not require the removal of any trees. BBG has contracted with solar provider Northeast Solar for the planning, permitting and installation of the system. The project includes a utility interconnection agreement with utility provider National Grid that will allow any excess electrical production to offset electrical use throughout BBG’s grounds and buildings.

Once the system is live, BBG will realize about $13,000 in annual savings, at current electricity prices.

Please consider donating to our solar panel project. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org/solar or use the following QR code:

Coming to the Leonhardt Galleries

Berkshire Botanical Garden kicks off our 2025 Art/Garden exhibitions with a line-up of winter and spring shows featuring local and regional artists with a shared mission: to cultivate a deeper sense of community by showcasing the profound relationship between art and the natural world.

‘Dreamscapes: Journeys into Nature’

February 7 through Feb. 23

In this juried show featuring artwork by the Guild of Berkshire Artists, nature serves as the muse. That includes Berkshire Botanical Garden itself, which hosts the Guild’s plein air group. The Guild’s work covers a wide range of visual media, including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, textiles, wood, glass, and mixed media. The Guild was formed in 2014 to support and promote its members through education, exhibits and community events while contributing to the cultural life of the Berkshires. Opening reception is Friday, Feb. 7, 5 to 7 p.m.

Leonhardt Galleries Hours

February through May 1 — Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. From May 1 through Oct. 31 — seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Paper Whites,” mixed media by Nancy Harrod.

Ethan Margolis’ “Flowers” (2024), tempera on paper

‘Seeds of Connection: An Exhibit by CATA Artists with Disabilities’

February 28 through March 23

Community Access to the Arts (CATA) presents an exhibit of paintings and drawings by artists with disabilities. Each work was created through CATA’s year-round workshops serving children, teens and adults. Some of the works were created on-site at Berkshire Botanical Garden as part of an ongoing partnership between CATA and BBG, while others were created by CATA artists at day programs and residences serving people with disabilities, as well as in CATA’s studios in Great Barrington. The exhibit includes botanical studies, landscapes, abstract paintings, and photographs each ranging widely in stylistic expression and scale of size. Opening reception is Friday, Feb. 28, 3 to 5 p.m.

“Boundless,” photography/substrate by Richard James.

‘Artscheming, Daydreaming’

March 28 through April 20

The grounds and offices of BBG are filled with staff members and volunteers during the busy season and in the quieter times, too. Our members and visitors will have an opportunity to see our creative side with this second annual exhibition. Featuring botanical bas relief, ceramics, concrete leaf sculptures, acrylic, oil and watercolor paintings, photography, and fine needlework, the exhibition will highlight work from staff and volunteers. Opening reception is Friday, March 28, 5 to 7 p.m.

‘Lucid Illusions, Richard James’

April 25 through June 1

Lucid Illusions is “the space between reality and dreams,” says fine-art photographer Richard James about his upcoming exhibition at the Leonhardt Galleries. For the better part of 15 years, James has traveled the United States and Europe in search of perfect, realworld florals and landscapes to playfully, almost romantically, blend with his unique imagination and creativity. Opening reception is Friday, April 25, from 5 to 7 p.m.

“Drifting,” a botanical bas relief by Krissy Romano.

Green Thumbs and Heartfelt Care: A Brief History of the Herb Gardens and the Herb Associates

By Barbara F. Smith

The “Berkshire Garden Center” idea came to life in 1935 when Bernhard and Irene (Botsford) Hoffmann donated a 1790 farmhouse and six acres of land as the site for this new project: the dream of local garden clubs and civic organizations — to establish a permanent institution to provide information and a place for all things garden-related. Not only to create a meeting place, but also a reference library, a resident horticulturalist and trial gardens to showcase plant materials and horticultural experiments.

Two years later, the Herb Garden was designed and built on a terraced rocky slope, planted with varieties of hardy and tender herbs, displayed according to use, plant family and ornamental value. It remains the oldest existing garden area within BBG. This terraced planting area was most unusual for the times. Perhaps no other early feature of the Garden Center created more general interest and admiration, appearing on the cover of “Horticulture” magazine, and referred to by other magazines, herb books and seed catalogs.

The Herb Garden inspired “The Book of Herb Cookery,” written by Irene Botsford Hoffmann and published in 1940. Royalties from sales of that cookbook benefited the Garden. Hoffmann, the Center’s “First Lady of Herbs,” dedicated the book to the “members of the Berkshire Garden Center in response to their interest in the herb garden and desire to learn the practical uses of the plants grown there.”

Some years later, in 1957, a group of Garden Center volunteers decided to bring herbs from their home gardens to make products like herb vinegars and jellies to sell at the annual Harvest Festival. The very next year the Garden Center created a cutting garden for herbs, now referred to as the production garden. This area helped supply the herbs needed to make the products.

The group of volunteers overseeing the herb gardens came to be known as the Herb Associates, the first regular volunteers at the Garden Center (known today as Berkshire Botanical Garden). In the ensuing decades, they gathered every Tuesday to work the garden and the kitchen. They planned symposiums on herb topics, as well as trips, luncheons and lectures, with great success. One memorable luncheon in 1972 was given by Euell Gibbons, a naturalist and authority

on healthy eating and foraging who wrote “Stalking the Healthful Herbs,” among other books. Gibbons ended up giving a second lecture to overflow crowds.

One veteran Herb Associate fondly recalls that for several years, the Herb Associates sponsored a Herb Fair, inviting speakers for a luncheon under a tent on the Garden grounds. The garden director at the time, Roy Boutard, would strew mint stems on the floor to create a heady fragrance for participants.

At the opening of each Garden season, the Herb Associates serve a “Mai Bowle” (a herbal beverage) along with herbflavored cookies.

Today’s Herb Associates have built on the ideas of the last 70 years. The “Herbies” number 20 to 30 members. Some tend the production and display gardens; others manage the kitchen duties, including drying or cooking,

The Herb Associates will be pouring servings of their famous Mai Bowle on Sunday, May 4, as part of the event Spring Fest.

preserving, bottling, and labeling the products. A great variety of herb-based dressings, dried herb blends, jellies, herbal vinegars, syrups, shrubs, sachets, and catnip-stuffed mice are produced annually, which may be found in the Garden’s gift shop or at its events. Of all the products, herb mustard has been the customer favorite. Earnings from last year’s sale of these items were about $8,000, funds used to support the work of the Garden.

In 2009, marking the 75th anniversary of the Garden’s founding, the Herb Associates issued “The Garden Cookbook,” celebrating growing and cooking with herbs.

What makes the Herb Associates so special is their love of cooking with herbs, the sharing of recipes and willingness to experiment with new ingredients. Through the decades, that spirit has flourished.

The “Herbies” would like nothing better than to inspire others (you!) to grow herbs and cook with them. Try new recipes, experience new flavors — and enjoy!

How to Prepare a Mai Bowle:

1 orange slice, rind left on

1 tablespoon sugar

1 quart Rhine or Moselle wine

Handful of woodruff blossoms and leaves

1 pint champagne

Place woodruff blossoms and leaves in a punch bowl. Add orange and sugar. Pour in wine or Moselle and let stand for two hours. Add a chunk of ice and the champagne just before serving. Wild strawberries may be added to give a delicious flavor.

Visit

our gift shop!

Here you can find gifts, garden-related items and tools, souvenirs, Herb Associates oils, vinegars and jellies, plus snacks and cold beverages. The Gift Shop is open Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May through October.

BBG’s oldest garden, the Herb Garden, gets weekly care and attention during the season from the Herb Associates.

Located in the BBG Visitor Center.

Reviving the Land

Berkshire Botanical Garden Rounds Up the ‘Usual Suspects’

A rectangular meadow along Route 102, just west of the Berkshire Botanical Garden, has been designated for an ambitious ecological restoration. In late autumn, BBG staff began the meticulous process of removing invasive species to transform this 3.46acre site into a thriving sanctuary for native plants and wildlife.

Recently acquired by BBG, the meadow — located at the corner of West Dale Road — serves as a parking area once a year during the Harvest Festival. For the rest of the year, it has stood as a cherished, though ecologically challenged, greenway at Stockbridge’s western edge.

The property’s history is deeply personal. Donated in 2022 by Scott Lambert and his five siblings in memory of their father, William Lambert, the first-ever landscape architect at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, this meadow is a living tribute to legacy and land stewardship. Scott, now a BBG trustee, has planted native shrubs and trees on his adjoining property, designed to attract native songbirds and support local ecosystems. His efforts mirror those of the BBG team, who have begun the labor-intensive work of removing invasives and nurturing what remains of the native habitat.

is a pile of invasive honeysuckle and bittersweet that they removed from a stand of trees.

“This land is like so many postagricultural areas in New England,” explains Kurt Dietrich, BBG’s manager of buildings and grounds. “Overrun with invasives, it needs careful, consistent management to bring it back to life.” What staff has found on the property are what Dietrich calls “the usual suspects” of invasives, including glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) and species of invasive honeysuckle.

A War of Attrition

Managing invasives, as Dietrich puts it, “isn’t a one-and-done thing.” It’s a battle that requires ongoing vigilance,

Gardeners Claire Lynch and Kevin Johnson on the property along Route 102 that BBG staff has begun to restore. In the foreground

particularly in sensitive areas like wetlands. The team’s strategy includes the removal of plants that produce fruit and seeds, such as mature bittersweet vines, honeysuckle bushes and buckthorn trees. Left unchecked, these plants choke out native species.

“We’re focusing on mechanical removal,” says BBG Horticulturist Kessa McEwen, noting the importance of avoiding chemical treatments in the wetland-adjacent area. “It’s time-intensive, but it’s the best option here.”

The process began with cutting back invasive plants during the cold months when their berries and vines are most visible. These efforts will be repeated throughout the growing season, tackling regrowth before it has a chance to establish. Waste material is carefully piled in designated spots, concentrating seeds where they can decompose safely.

“Piling might sound counterintuitive,” says Dietrich, “but it prevents the seeds

from spreading across the acreage. Eventually, the seeds rot, and the material starts breaking down.”

For honeysuckle, which has shallow roots, warm days offer the chance to pull entire plants from the soil. Buckthorn, however, requires more finesse. “We cut it to the base but leave a little visible,” McEwen explains. “That way, we can track it and treat as needed.”

Unearthing Hidden Gems

As the BBG staff began cutting back invasives in December, a landscape long buried under thickets began to emerge.

One standout discovery: an American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), also known as musclewood. This slow-growing native understory tree, nearly crushed by a fallen white pine, is now getting the breathing room it needs to recover.

“It’s a handsome tree,” says Dietrich, pointing to its smooth, greenish-gray bark. “By removing the invasives around it, we’re

“This land is like so many post-agricultural areas in New England. Overrun with invasives, it needs careful, consistent management to bring it back to life.”

—

Kurt Dietrich, BBG’s manager of buildings and grounds

opening up space for seedlings and creating habitat for species that will use this tree.”

The team, which includes BBG gardener Kevin Johnson, has also uncovered stands of red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) and great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), all native species with immense ecological value. Alongside these, old apple and crabapple trees — likely remnants of a forgotten orchard — are being carefully preserved.

“They’re not native, but they’re not invasive either,” McEwen notes. “And they’re beautiful. We’re giving them space to thrive.”

The team’s ultimate goal is ambitious but clear: to amend this land with native plants suited to the local ecosystem. The soil already has native seed banks that “can persist for up to a century,” Dietrich explains. “When given the right conditions, plants that have been cut back or stunted can flourish.”

This is not about starting over but building upon what already exists. The land’s natural resilience is a guiding force, as BBG works to restore balance.

“There’s so much hope here,” says McEwen. “We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re simply adding to what’s already present, making space for native species to thrive.”

Horticulturist Kessa McEwen and Manager of Buildings and Grounds Kurt Dietrich stand near a copse where they recently uncovered one of many healthy signs: an American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). “It’s something that we want on our property, something we’ll be looking after,” Dietrich says.

Come Celebrate Spring Fest!

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Spring Fest will be held Sunday, May 4. Admission to the Garden is free all day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors can stroll the 24-acre grounds, enjoy the spring blooming bulbs and trees, visit the Visitor Center Gift Shop, and attend the Horticulture Certificate Program graduation, followed by a reception hosted by the Herb Associates, a volunteer group that, for more than six decades, has created herbal products from the Garden’s 1937 herb garden. Members of the Herb Associates will serve an assortment of herbinfused cookies and Mai Bowle, a May wine punch (see related story).

The day also includes plenty of kids’ activities. There will be horseback rides, face painting and lawn games, including a traditional Maypole dance. The award-winning arts ensemble Armof-the-Sea Theater will perform in our outdoor amphitheater. Through live music, puppets and masks, it will explore

relations between humans and the lifesupport networks of the planet.

Hilary Collingwood, from Moonflower Farm in Sheffield, Mass., will lead a youth workshop on making flower

Our spring celebration will include a performance by the award-winning arts ensemble Arm-of-the-Sea Theater.

SUPERB PLANTS, EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OUTSTANDING QUALITY, SELECTION & VALUE

We offer hardy field-grown plant materials, including Chinese or Kousa dogwood; the native Berkshire strain of Cornus florida; native birch; hybrid lilacs; viburnums; hydrangea paniculata selections; American Fringe trees; witchhazels; blueberries; winterberries; espaliered fruit trees; mature apple and pear trees; extensive selection of herbaceous, tree and Itoh or intersectional peonies.

OPEN DAILY 9-5

crowns using in-season blooms.

Vendors will include Rolling Rock Salts and Best Damn Espresso.

Always held on the first Sunday of May, our spring celebration also honors Roy Boutard, the Swedish horticulturist who came to the United States from Canada in the 1950s after graduating from England’s Royal Horticultural Society Gardens. He served as the Garden’s venerable executive director from 1955 to 1985. Boutard wrote a regular gardening column for The Berkshire Eagle and hosted a gardening show on WBEC. Under his direction, the Garden expanded its grounds and educational offerings and won numerous gardening awards.

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

Photo courtesy of Arm-of-the-Sea Theater

Discover the Emerald Isle

A Botanical Garden Adventure

Berkshire Botanical Garden invites you to embark on a journey this June through the lush landscapes of Ireland. Designed for plant lovers and garden enthusiasts, this curated adventure explores about a dozen of Ireland’s most enchanting estates and gardens, offering a unique opportunity to connect with the country’s rich horticultural heritage.

“The nature of this travel program is that, in addition to renowned public gardens, you’re going to get access to a lot of private homes and gardens. These are, in many cases, aristocratic private homes, in some cases just private individuals’ homes, but people who are very active on the gardening scene in Ireland,” said Lani Summerville, founder and CEO of the Berkshires-based Classical Excursions, who will lead the tour.

“Ireland has fantastic gardens,” Summerville said. “With the microclimate that comes in from the coast, you find species of flowers, plants and trees that you wouldn’t necessarily expect in a northern European country.”

The six-day adventure begins at Ballysallagh House and Gardens in County Kilkenny, an idyllic retreat offering an inspiring introduction to Ireland’s vibrant gardening tradition. The journey concludes in County Kildare at Burtown House and Gardens, the former home of Ireland’s celebrated botanical artist Wendy Walsh and now the residence of her daughter, landscape artist Lesley Fennell. A visit to the Irish National Stud & Gardens follows, where you can explore

the serene Japanese Gardens, symbolizing life’s journey, and St. Fiachra’s Garden, a tribute to Ireland’s monastic past.

In the days in between, you’ll discover architectural grandeur and curated landscapes, including tours along the dramatic southern coast in County Waterford and County Cork.

“In many cases, our visits will be either to gardens that were created over generations, started by someone’s ancestors, carried on now by the younger generation, or it’s someone who has bought an 18th century home and created incredible gardens out of their own love and passion,” Summerville said.

A favorite stop of Summerville’s will be Birr Castle in County Offaly. That will include lunch and a tour with the Earl and Countess of Rosse.

“I’ve been doing tours for 26 years all around the world, including to some of the best gardens in the British Isles and South Africa, and I can say this is one of the most phenomenal gardens I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.

The Ireland tour is just the latest overseas trip hosted by Berkshire Botanical Garden and expertly guided by

Classical Excursions. Key features of these journeys include exclusive access to rare or restricted gardens and conservation sites; expert-led educational enrichment; pairing plant exploration with local traditions, cuisine and heritage; and tailored experiences that appeal to ecoconscious travelers, gardening enthusiasts and those seeking meaningful, enriching travel experiences.

“That’s our specialty,” Summerville said, “opening doors to wonders.”

When Monday, June 2 through Sunday, June 8

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.

BBG in the Schools and in the Gardens

BY ARIELLE COON

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Education Department had a busy fall as we returned to teaching in Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Pittsfield School District, Southern Berkshire School District, and Richmond Consolidated. We taught about 140 students this fall in our school programs. Our educators worked with children to put the gardens to bed — pulling out all plant material, making final harvests, planting garlic, and covering

the beds in compost donated by Laurelbrook Natural Resources. When students were not out in their school gardens, they were making candles, identifying leaves, making applesauce and cranberry jam, soil testing, carving pumpkins, seed saving, and learning about dairy cows through making butter and trying cheeses donated from High Lawn Farm. Students also created wreaths for our annual Holiday Marketplace to raise

money for youth programming.

We are now planning our spring school gardens as we look through seed catalogs. This involves talking to the children about what the children and school cafeterias can use. Children love using seed catalogs to create a collage of their perfect garden or find other plants and vegetables that they are interested in growing and trying.

Richmond fourth graders harvest carrots and kale for use in their school cafeteria.

We taught about 140 students this fall in our school programs.

Field Trip Updates

We welcomed our final group of students for our hands-on field trip programming in October, closing out our field trip season with more than 500 kids visiting us last year. We are already looking forward to this year’s field trip programming and are accepting inquiries now.

Teacher Professional Development Day:

On Nov. 5, we hosted a teachers’ workshop for Berkshire County Professional Development Day. It was a fun-filled day “teaching the teachers.” Our youth educators spent the day with 15 teachers from across the county, showing them around our gardens while sharing some simple and effective ideas they could bring back to their classrooms to share with students.

“I try to connect my own students with the garden, encouraging them to eat more healthy,” said Betlinn YoungTaft, a preschool education teacher at Berkshire Hills Regional School District. “We’re going to make a garden bed in the spring, so one of the lessons I learned today was how to start seeds. It was great. The kids will enjoy it.”

We loved sharing our day with the teachers and learned so much from having them here.

Clockwise from above, students at Reid Middle School make cranberry jam to share with their families for Thanksgiving; Sheffield students work to compost their school garden; and BBG Director of Education Jennifer Patton works at Blue Q’s garden shoveling compost donated by Laurelbrook Natural Resources.

Farm in the Garden Camp

Registration is now open for this year’s Farm in the Garden Camp. That includes our February break, April break and summer break camps. Held here at Berkshire Botanical Garden, these day camps provide time, space and guidance for children to engage in purposeful play in an energizing and kind garden community. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org/camp for more information and to register.

Family Fridays

Speaking of camp, we are pleased to announce “pop up” Family Friday events during our school vacation weeks in February and April. These events are geared both for our day campers and the general public.

On Friday, Feb. 21, from 11 a.m. to noon, we will welcome Mass Audubon to give a program titled, “The Superpowers of Winter Birds.” Have you seen any birds around you that never flew south for the winter? From tiny chickadees to massive hawks, these hardy animals have special ways to find food and shelter in the bitter cold. At this indoor program with Mass Audubon, get to know your feathered neighbors, which birds stay, why they don’t migrate, and their amazing strategies (or clever tricks) to brave the cold. A mix of short, interactive presentations and hands-on family activities will inspire you to look for wild birds in your backyard or beyond. The presenter is Nicaela Haig, a teacher-naturalist with Mass Audubon.

On Friday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., we will welcome Piti Theatre and its puppets to share “Story Wizards,” featuring bees and pollinators in an environmentally themed celebration of Earth Day.

Arielle Coon is BBG’s manager of school programs.

At Farm in the Garden Camp, we nurture the seeds of stewardship by connecting children to the Garden, our food system, the environment, and one another.

February and April Vacation Camps: Feb. 18-21 and April 22-25

Summer Weekly Sessions: June 23-Aug. 15

Contact Camp Director Margaret Leahy at mleahy@berkshirebotanical.org

berkshirebotanical.org/camp

Our Wildflower Meadow was designed by Larry Weaner, who will lead a workshop on Friday, May 23, titled Planting and Stewarding Native Meadows. Learn more on page 40 MAY 23

Planting and Stewarding Native Meadows

JANUARY THROUGH JUNE 2025

Berkshire Botanical Garden’s winter and spring classes include arts and science-based classes, cooking, botanical cocktails, wine tasting, and experiential learning. Please join us for one or more of these exciting classes.

Scan now to explore our program listings online and to register or visit BerkshireBotanical.org.

Classes, Lectures and Workshops

ONLINE Our online classes are offered over Zoom. Students receive class log-in information and materials lists, when applicable, once they’ve registered.

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

HYBRID 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.

OFFSITE These classes are held off-site.

JANUARY

Writing the Garden of Your Life: A Memoir Workshop Series IN-PERSON at BBG

Wednesdays, Jan. 29 through Feb. 19, 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $200/Non-Members: $220

HHORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

This symbol denotes Horticulture Certificate Program classes, workshops and lectures open both to students seeking credit towards one of BBG’s horticulture certificates as well as the general public. Please visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-357-4657 for additional information.

ADVANCED HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

a HThis symbol denotes Advanced Horticulture Certificate Program classes, workshops and lectures open both to students seeking credit towards one of BBG’s horticulture certificates as well as the general public. Please visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-357-4657 for additional information.

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

FEBRUARY

Native Plants for Every Corner of the Garden Class Series ONLINE

Saturdays, Feb. 1 through 22, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Series Cost: Members: $50/Non-Members: $70

Individual Class Cost: Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Join veteran teacher, awardwinning memoirist and avid gardener Jennifer Browdy for a series of six wintertime workshops using gardening as a theme for personal writing. You can write about your gardening experiences and/ or write about your life using gardening as a metaphor. Sessions will be organized around the following themes, with writing prompts that can be taken literally or metaphorically: designing with vision and intention; composting, pruning and deadheading; preparing new beds; planting seeds and bulbs; welcoming the sap and new shoots; and cultivating, weeding and fertilizing. Along the way, you’ll learn about Browdy’s “elemental journey” framework for writing memoirs. Come meet other writer/ gardeners and brighten up the winter season with the creative bloom of memoir writing.

This series, taught by Duncan Himmelman, is suited to gardeners of all levels, from novice to experienced. Sign up for individual classes or the whole series. Series topics include:

Native Bulbs

Supplement daffodils, crocuses, and tulips with native North American bulbs that will be great additions to your garden as well as provide important ecological benefits.

Native Vines

Add height, structure, and visual interest to your garden, balcony or patio with a diversity of native vines.

Native Groundcovers: Living Mulch

A beautiful tapestry of native groundcovers is more visually dynamic and ecologically valuable than ordinary bark mulch.

Native Plants for Container Gardens

From shade to sun, perennials to shrubs, spring to fall, many native plants make great choices for container gardens.

Kitchen Witch’n

— Herbal Remedies from Your Kitchen IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, Feb. 8, 1 to 3 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $60

Your kitchen is more powerful than you think! In this workshop led by Kim Geisler, discover how common herbs and ingredients from your pantry, fridge and spice cabinet can be made into natural remedies for everyday ailments. We’ll explore kitchenbased solutions for cold and flu relief, stress, headaches, first aid, digestive upsets, and other ailments. Join us to unlock the healing potential hidden in your kitchen, and support wellness from the heart of your home.

Tree Care for Gardeners  a H

IN-PERSON at BBG

Fridays, Feb. 14, 21 and 28, 1 to 5 p.m. (12 hours)

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

This course, taught by Tom Ingersoll, is designed for those who might not necessarily be the first to climb 100 feet up a northern red oak or wrangle a chainsaw to fell a 36-feet-tall dead ash tree. The goal of this class is to empower horticulturists to better understand the largest plants in the landscape. Participants will learn 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.

Container Garden Design a H

IN-PERSON at BBG

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

Members: $215/Non-Members: $240

This four-week course, taught by Jenna O’Brien, will teach the skills required for beautiful and successful container gardens. Get to know the plants that thrive in containers and how to care for them, and consider container selection, siting, planting, growing, and maintaining moveable gardens. This class will cover practical aspects of gardening in containers with style throughout the New England garden season.

Let it Snow! Watercolor Series with Pat Hogan IN-PERSON at BBG

Wednesdays, Feb. 26 through April 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $265/Non-Members: $285

Bring your curiosity to participate in this six-week watercolor class. We’ll stay warm and dry in the studio painting the Garden at rest, a welcome and well-earned respite from the hustle and bustle of the growing season.

MARCH

Landscape Design I H

IN-PERSON at BBG

Tuesdays, March 4 through April 8, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members: $310/Non-Members: $350

Taught by Tyler Horsley, this design course will introduce students to the design process — the systematic way designers approach a site and client. The course will include a series of simple projects that will end with a garden designed by the students. Learn design principles such as form, balance, repetition, line, texture, color, and spatial relationships. Students will also be introduced to landscape history and how it helps the designer resolve and inspire garden design.

First Friday Passport Kitchen with After Hours’ Kevin Kelly

IN-PERSON at BBG

Fridays, March 7, April 4, May 2, and June 6, 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Each Program: Members: $100/Non-Members: $120

Series: Members: $385/Non-Members: $410

Led by After Hours founder Kevin Kelly, this four-session series is designed to bring excitement and invite curiosity about the culinary world. Through hands-on, experiential learning, we’ll cover the basic techniques and flavor affinities from across the globe. In each of the four sessions, we will work with local and seasonal produce to explore internationally-influenced cuisine. Each session will focus on two to three curated dishes and will conclude with a family-style meal for all participants. The series will cover cuisines from the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East that we will bring to life with locally sourced ingredients.

Introduction to Succulents

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 8, 1 to 3 p.m.

Members: $30/Non-Members: $45

This interactive talk with Rob Gennari of Glendale Botanicals will include considerations such as seasonal water needs, temperature ranges, air movement from dry to wet periods, growing mediums, sun exposure, flowering and fruiting patterns, and succulent enemies: insects, bacteria, fungi, animals, and others. Learn how these considerations relate to your succulents and their overall growing environment.

Spring Pruning of Woody Ornamental Plants

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $60/Non-Members: $80

Spring is a great time to assess woody shrubs for shape, structure and winter damage. The arborist Kieran Yaple will demonstrate how to renovate, rejuvenate and shape shrubs and small ornamental trees for structure, health and optimal growth. The class will cover viburnums, lilacs, witch hazel, deciduous azaleas, sweetshrubs, crabapples, and ornamental cherries. Participants should dress for the weather and bring pruners, work gloves and lunch. Some pruners, provided by BBG, will be available for use

Seed Starting

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $50/Non-Members: $70

Learn vegetable and flower seed-starting and plant-growing techniques from organic grower Maureen Sullivan of Left Field Farm. This lecture and hands-on workshop will focus on indoor sowing and growing 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 will transplant a variety of plants to take home for the spring and summer growing seasons. All supplies are included in the class cost.

Aerated Compost Tea Demo and Discussion

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $45/Non-Members: $60

Join Monique Bosch as she shares methods for brewing aerated compost tea, used to add beneficial microbes and plant-available nutrients directly to plants throughout the growing season. This hands-on workshop will involve starting a batch of compost tea and looking at the biological diversity using microscopy. The discussion will include various methods that help promote the vital living ecosystem in our soils and composts. This workshop is for gardeners and farmers who want to focus on working “with nature” to build healthy living soil to grow healthy resilient plants.

Crafting Wellness from Nature: Fire Cider and Elderberry Syrup Make-and-Take Workshop

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 29, 1 to 3 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $60

Join herbalist, artist and ritualist Nicole Irene for a delightful, hands-on workshop featuring the enchanting world of herbal medicine. Embark on a journey to create two powerful plant remedies, fire cider and elderberry syrup, time-honored elixirs celebrated for their immune-boosting properties. This immersive experience combines traditional herbal medicine’s rich lore and wisdom with the joy of creative expression.

Kyla Stone, Linda Neel, Matthew Hyzdik, Veanne Cox & James Romney in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein, 2024. Photo by David Dashiell.

Spring Equinox Meditation Walk IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, March 22, 4 to 5 p.m.

Members: $20/Non-Members: $30

Join meditation-in-nature facilitator Sandrine Harris for an outdoor experience designed for you to take in the wonders of the spring equinox. This time of the year marks a shift in seasonality, light and our internal body clocks. Come awaken your mind and body to spring’s freshness and share in the joy of appreciating nature mindfully. No prior experience with meditation is required.

Landscape Design II a H

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursdays, March 27 through May 1, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members: $310/Non-Members: $350

In this class led by landscape designer Chuck Schnell, participants will learn skills essential for functional garden design that honor the site and meet client needs. Essential and easy-to-grasp design principles will be introduced throughout the course, with a form-finding approach to garden design. Acquire the vocabulary essential for assessing a property’s potential and problems, and the right questions to realize a client’s wishes while avoiding common design mistakes. Students will make a formal presentation at the final class with the primary goal of conveying a coherent design narrative and process leading to proposed solutions.

APRIL

Ikebana: A Four-Session Series

IN-PERSON at BBG

Fridays, April 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1 to 3 p.m.

Members: $285/Non-Members: $310 (includes cost of supplies and tools)

Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, has been practiced for more than 500 years and was originally a part of Buddhist altar decorations. Today, ikebana maintains its connection to traditional arranging but also engages with flowers using modern styles that enable a wide range of expression by the practitioner. This course, led by multimedia artist Brian Mikesell, will explore several modern styles, with historical information provided to contextualize the modern practice within the tradition. In addition, we will learn about kado, “the way of flowers,” which engages the arranger’s approach, attitudes, and appreciation as part of the practice of ikebana. Apart from the satisfaction of creating a beautiful floral composition that can be shared and appreciated as an artistic expression, Ikebana can contribute to individual wellness through mindfulness, enhanced creativity, connection to nature, and appreciation for imperfection, minimalism and humanity. The registration fee includes a beginner supply set (kenzan, vase and ikebana scissors), as well as flowers for each class.

Tony Avent, A Rock and Roll Gardening Life

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, April 5, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Members: $30/Non-Members $45

Join Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery and Juniper Level Botanic Garden as he retraces his evolution as a 67-year-old rock gardener and renowned plantsman. Avent’s gardening journey has taken many twists, turns, climbs, descents, and yields — all without encountering a slow down or stop sign. Learn about his favorite rock garden-sized plants, his failure-derived cultivation insights and his salute to those on whose shoulders he has been blessed to stand upon. This program is in collaboration with the Berkshire Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society.

Cultivating

Mushrooms Outside IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, April 5, 1 to 3 p.m.

Members: $45/Non-Members: $60

Start spring early with a dive into the fungal kingdom. Instructor Willie Crosby will teach participants how to inoculate logs, wood chips and stumps for mushroom cultivation in your backyard. Learn the basic information everyone should know about fungi and get hands-on experience doing these easy-to-replicate growing methods. By the end of class, you will be familiar with six different wild mushroom species and three cultivation techniques and have loads of new fungal lore to share with your friends.

Serving the Berkshires since 1981

Fuss-Free Plants, Designs and Money-Saving Tips for Savvy Gardeners

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, April 12, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Members: $60/Non-Members: $80

Join Kerry Ann Mendez as she covers design tips in this workshop. The program consists of three lectures with handouts: Design Tips for Traffic-Stopping Curb Appeal: This eye-opening presentation will cover easy-to-implement design steps for enhancing your home’s curb appeal. Learn about top-performing perennials, flowering shrubs, evergreens, and ornamental trees for head-turning foundation beds.

Time-Saving, Mighty-Mite Shrubs that Outshine Perennials: Shift your focus from perennials to shrubs that provide months of radiant color but are far less maintenance. Learn about remarkable shrubs for front to mid-border gardens, as well as their pruning requirements. These stunning beauties also are ideal for over-wintering in containers.

Plant the Best for Less — Money-Saving Tips for Purchasing Plants and Growing Beautiful Gardens: Discover a wealth of ideas for getting the best price and value for exceptional plants. The plant sources and strategies will surprise you! Learn about superior groundcovers for living mulches as well as time-saving design ideas. Container gardening takes on a whole new spin with these cost-effective, creative ideas!

Private Tour at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Bridge Park

OFFSITE Trip in the BBG Van

Wednesday, April 16, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Members: $120/Non-Members: $140

Visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a private tour during cherry blossom season, then enjoy lunch on your own at the Yellow Magnolia Cafe. Spring cherry blossoms are cherished for their ephemeral nature and are believed to represent the impermanence of life. An individual tree may only bloom for a week or two, depending on the weather; other types of trees may bloom for five to six weeks. After the Brooklyn Botanic Garden tour, we will visit the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Brooklyn Bridge Park has evolved from the grassroots community that passionately and successfully advocated for the park’s creation into a dynamic force that fills the waterfront gem with exploration. BBG will drive participants to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, to Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and then back up to Stockbridge.

Springtime Centerpiece Workshop IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to noon

Members: $90 /Non-Members: $110 (includes cost of supplies)

Join us to embrace spring by creating a beautifully unique floral centerpiece. Whether celebrating for the holidays or just needing some floral cheer, Hilary Collingwood of Moonflower Farm will guide you through the process. What could be better than a morning filled with flowers, creativity and togetherness? Vessel, flowers and all materials provided.

Painting the Colors of Spring

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturdays, April 19, May 17, and June 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Individual Classes: Members: $110/Non-Members: $140 Series: Members: $320/Non-Members: $350

Capture spring unfolding in the garden with a heightened awareness of color during this three-session watercolor series focusing on color exploration, experimentation and practice. Led by artist and educator Jean Mackay, we’ll paint flowering trees, perennials and bulbs concentrating on a specific color in each session so you can get to know your palette and gain confidence with mixing clean, vibrant colors. Each class will include an overview of pigments, color play and mixing, and a focal piece that showcases the dominant color. We’ll sketch outside for part of the time, if weather permits, and bring nature inside if it doesn’t, so please dress accordingly. Instruction will be tailored to various skill levels. Materials list provided upon registration. This series gives you the flexibility to sign up for one or more sessions, with a discount for choosing all three.

Top 40 Plants for the Naturalistic Garden

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $50/Non-Members: $70

Many gardeners are experimenting with the more natural style of planting popularized by the “Dutch Wave” and New York City’s High Line, but most of the plants that work best for these designs aren’t as familiar as our classic border perennials. Join plantsman Robert Clyde Anderson as he guides you through his best recommendations, a list distilled from over 20 years of nursery and planting experience. This three-hour session will include an illustrated lecture, handouts, an on-site walkabout on the BBG grounds, and time for questions and shared experiences.

upcoming shows

Earth Day Forage and Feel with Chef Tracy Hayhurst and Meditation Leader Sandrine Harris

IN-PERSON at BBG

Sunday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $110/Non-Members: $140

An Earth Day foraged feast for the senses with farm-to-table chef and educator Tracy Hayhurst and meditation leader Sandrine Harris. Fully engage all of your senses while enjoying a guided curated meal of foraged foods. Learn about plant identification, harvesting tips and cooking techniques. Explore your relationship with mother nature and how our senses interact with her gifts of wild foods.

billy f gibbons

sat feb 15 at 8pm

patton oswalt

sat mar 22 at 8pm

fri apr 11 at 8pm josé gonzález

MAY

Botanically Infused Craft Cocktails

IN-PERSON at BBG

fri apr 25 at 8pm

fri mar 28 at 8pm pilobolus

sat may 3 at 3pm & 8pm

paquito d’rivera quintet

sat apr 5 at 8pm del mccoury band

sat may 10 at 8pm

Saturday, May 3, 6 to 8 p.m.

Members: $60/Non-Members: $80

Join mixologist Billy Jack Paul to guide you through creating seasonal and classic craft cocktails. Explore harnessing the flavors of seasonal botanicals to create inspired and delicious drinks. Learn techniques to make them at home for yourself or your friends. Paul will provide instruction and take questions from students. This will be a unique opportunity to learn from one of the Berkshires’ best and most creative cocktail artists!

Pilobolus

Spring Blossoms in Watercolor

IN-PERSON at BBG

Wednesdays, May 7 through June 11, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $285/Non-Members: $310

Join us for six fabulous weeks of watercolor fun with beloved artist Pat Hogan, painting gorgeous spring blossoms in the comfort of the studio. We will hone our skills in mixing colors capturing the beauty of blooming peonies, bulbs and apple blossoms.

Farm-to-Table Lunch Series

IN-PERSON at BBG

Sunday, May 11, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Mother’s Day)

Five-Month Series: Members: $420/Non-Members: $480

Individual Class Fee: Members: $90/Non-Members $110

Classes will be held May 11, June 8, July 13, Aug. 10, and Sept. 14

Join farmer, chef and educator Tracy Hayhurst for this farm-to-table series. Every week, participants will harvest from the BBG vegetable garden, then head into the kitchen with Hayhurst to make a multiple-course meal. In our May class, held on Mother’s Day, we will enjoy the first harvest of the season and prepare delicious dishes with asparagus, radishes, tender spring greens, herbs, and more. In June we will cook with newly grown fresh herbs. In July we will harvest and prepare lush salads. August will include a bounty from our summer harvest. September will offer a tomato extravaganza.

Spring Botanical Spa Day

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, May 17, 1 to 4 p.m.

Members: $60/Non-Members:$75

Treat yourself to a beautiful afternoon of fun and pampering inspired by May’s flower moon and discover the world of herbal skin care. In this workshop, led by Nicole Irene, we will go through a full, plant-based facial routine after creating products that you will take with you to continue your spa day in the comfort of your own home. Our day will start with creating an aromatherapy candle, bath salt, salve, and infused oil that you will take home with you after we cleanse, exfoliate, steam, mask/treat, moisturize, and massage our faces step by step together using everyday ingredients infused with herbs and essential oils while enjoying herbal tea and infused detox water. Please arrive with a freshly washed face and no makeup products. You will leave glowing and refreshed!

Left to Right: Javier David, L. James, Madeleine Rose Maggio, David Gow, Naire Poole, Sharmarke Yusuf and Evan Stevens, The Comedy of Errors 2024. Photo by Nile Scott Studios.

Planting and Stewarding Native Meadows: An Intensive One-Day Workshop with Larry Weaner IN-PERSON at BBG

Friday, May 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Members: $200/Non-Members: $230

Grass Menagerie IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 7, 1 to 4 p.m.

Members: $50/Non-Members: $70

Demand for native meadows, particularly as an alternative to lawn, is increasing dramatically. That said, few planting types are more misunderstood. Many failures are a result of inadequate planning and management, as well as the use of plants that are poorly adapted to the site and unable to survive in a highly competitive meadow environment. Far better results can be obtained when the plants and processes used reflect the ecological character of our native meadow communities. More than “one-year wonders,” meadows modeled on these ecosystems can provide long-term, easily managed landscapes that harbor a myriad of wildlife and provide color and texture throughout the year. The program will begin with landscape designer Larry Weaner discussing the design, implementation and management of native meadows on a variety of scales and in residential and public settings. The remainder of the day will include viewing on-property meadows including a meadow-in-progress and an area of BBG with high potential for a future meadow planting.

JUNE

Magic and Mystery of Our Natural World: Dan Hinkley RECORDED PRESENTATION with a LIVE ZOOM Q&A

Saturday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with short lunch break Members: $60/Non-Members: $80

Plant explorer Dan Hinkley is a teacher, author, lecturer, consultant, nurseryman, naturalist, and gardener. Above all, he is committed to solid and sustainable horticultural practices, above-average garden plants, landscapes of distinction, and raising the collective awareness of the diversity of plant life on Earth as well as the magic and mysteries of our natural world. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost modern plant explorers and one of the world’s leading plant collectors. He has created two outstanding private gardens — Heronswood and Windcliff. The Monrovia’s Dan Hinkley Plant Collection features the most spectacular plants he has discovered during the decades he has spent traveling around the world in pursuit of nature’s most beautiful botanical treasures. This program is a collaboration with the Berkshire Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society.

Grasses are an integral component of naturalistic plantings, the garden style popularized by New York City’s High Line and the “Dutch Wave.” But with names like Schizachyrium, Spodiopogon, and Hakonechloa, they can be bewildering to even experienced gardeners. Join plantsman Robert Clyde Anderson for an overview of the most useful and beautiful species and cultivars for our climate, with an emphasis on their ecological value, distinguishing characteristics, and design possibilities. This three-hour session will include an illustrated lecture, handouts, and an on-site walkabout on the BBG grounds, as well as time for questions and shared experiences.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Cooking Class

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday, June 21, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Members: $90/Non-Members: $110

This classic sweet-tart fruit pairing is one of the joys of late spring and early summer. The Berkshires has a perfect climate for rhubarb and it also produces superb, deeply flavored strawberries. In this demo class, Chef Miriam Rubin will simmer up an easy strawberry refrigerator jam—no pectin needed, a luscious rhubarb-strawberry galette with a mixed grain crust and a sparkling salad of strawberries in pomegranate molasses.

Wine Tasting and Cheese Pairing

IN-PERSON at BBG

Thursday, June 26, 5 to 7 p.m.

Members: $70/Non-Members: $90

Join us for this immersive Wine Tasting and Cheese Pairing class, where you’ll explore the art of pairing fine French wines with gourmet cheeses. In this guided tasting experience, participants will sample a curated selection of wines, ranging from crisp whites to bold reds, each expertly paired with artisanal cheeses that complement and enhance their flavors Instructor Philippe Jeanjean will provide insights into the origins, production, and unique characteristics of each wine and cheese, teaching participants how to identify flavors, textures, and aromas. This class is perfect for both beginners and connoisseurs looking to deepen their appreciation of wine and cheese in an enjoyable, interactive setting. Philippe is a certified WSET-Level 3 sommelier from Paris, France.

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

5 West Stockbridge Road

Stockbridge, MA 01262

413-298-3926 • berkshirebotanical.org

PLANTS & ANSWERS

Friday and Saturday, May 9 & 10 (MOTHER’S