Winter/Spring 2023

On the cover: “Hug,”

Two necks

FEB 18

26th Annual Winter Lecture

“Discovering Tokachi,” an online event featuring Midori Shintani.

FEB 24 – MAR 10 The Bulb Show

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

STARTS MAR 8 March Online Series: Native Plants for Every Corner of the Garden

Four online weekly classes for gardeners of all levels.

created by Karlene Kanter, is pit fired earthenware with touches of crunchy ash deposit and coloration from smoke and flame.

of tiny spikes hold an arrangement of clover, chicory, salvia, bolted broccoli and cauliflower. Photo by Karlene Kanter

Coming to the Center House

Leonhardt Galleries

Karlene Jean Kantner’s “Volumes”

Jan. 20 through Feb. 26

Community Access to the Arts’ “The View from Here” March 3 through 26

Elizabeth Cohen’s “Nest/Emerge” March 31 through April 30

Anastasia Traina’s “Alchemy and Innocents” May 5 through June 25

Cynthia Wick’s “Flora Borealis” June 30 through Aug 13

This page: Opening night in the Center House Leonhardt Galleries

Photo by Robin Parow

APR 8

Spring Hoppening

A jumpstart to spring in the Garden, with egg hunts and springtime surprises for all ages.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Matthew Larkin, Chairman

Madeline Hooper, Vice Chairman

John Spellman, Treasurer

Janet Laudenslager, Secretary

Nicholas Arienti

Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo

Mary Copeland Adaline Frelinghuysen

Maura Griffin

Lauretta Harris

Nancy Hickey

Ian Hooper

Tom Ingersoll

Jane Iredale

Daniel Kasper

Scott Lambert

Joanna Miller

Linda O’Connell

Ramelle Pulitzer

Elizabeth Roberts

Mark Walker

Robert Williams

Suzanne Yale

KK Zutter

Trustees Emeriti Jeannene Booher

David Carls

Cathy Clark

Craig Okerstrom-Lang

Wendy Linscott

Gloria McMahon

Jo Dare Mitchell

Judie Owens

Martha Piper

Jean Rousseau Gail Shaw

Jack Sprano Ingrid Taylor

CUTTINGS

Robin Parow, Editor

Julie Hammill, Hammill Design, Designer

APR 15 Cultivating Mushrooms Outside

Start spring early with a dive into the fungal kingdom!

STAFF

Mariah Baca

Manager of Membership & Development Operations

Amy Butterworth Office Manager

Christine Caccamo

Senior Gardener

Felix Carroll Director of Marketing Communications

Shaun Colon

Manager of Facilities and Operations

Duke Douillet

Senior Gardener

Rachel Durgin Camp Director

Kevin Johnson Gardener

Margaret Leahy Educator

Kessa McEwen Education Coordinator

Sean McKenney

Facilities Assistant

Kristine Romano

Visitor Center Manager

Eric Ruquist

Director of Horticulture

John Ryan Gardener

Bridgette Stone

Director of Education

Thaddeus Thompson

Interim Executive Director

MAY 12–13

46th Annual Be-a-BetterGardener Plant Sale

Our annual Plants and Answers Be-a-Better-Gardener Plant Sale featuring thousands of plants and helpful advice.

That was a topic we dug into recently at our annual Board and staff retreat. It was an inspiring and remarkably energetic conversation — and one in which everyone present eagerly participated.

Botanic gardens are places that naturally thrive on diversity. As a “museum of living things,” we attempt to showcase the fullest range of suitable plants, including all those that are most representative of the regions we occupy. We actively seek to build and nurture our collections, and to provide all our plants with the conditions that will allow them to thrive. In turn, we share the bounty of that cultivation, knowing that the garden is a place that may provide joy, healing and inspiration to anyone in equal measure. Dedicated as we are to horticulture, we also recognize that plants are of equal value to all of us, regardless of whether someone can tell a daisy from a rhododendron. In effect, plants provide the basis for all that sustains and enriches each and every one of us — not least the air we breathe and all the food we eat. As a botanic garden, part of our mission is to educate people about the universal value of plants (as much as the particulars of any one plant), and to share that knowledge as widely as we are able with all to whom it matters — which is to say, anyone and everyone in our communities.

From those perspectives, it seems only natural that a botanic garden would be an ideal place to embody social diversity and inclusion. Yet, we must also recognize that botanic gardens have occasionally been viewed by some segments of the population as exclusive places — designed and maintained chiefly for those who have the “luxury” to indulge in the pastime of gardening. In actuality, the botanic gardens I have known well have each taken their role as “public gardens” very seriously and have worked hard to shed the air of elitism. That is most certainly the case at BBG, where we strive to be a welcoming place and to serve our entire community, whether it be through our programs, our outreach, our interpretive materials, or the gardens themselves.

Based on the conversations at our recent retreat, I can affirm that we as an institution are even more committed than ever to fulfilling that potential to become the most inclusive garden we can be — for everyone. There is much work to do, and it is work that may never be “finished,” yet it is a goal we embrace. We invite you to join us on that journey in the months and years ahead, and please know that we welcome your thoughts and support along the way.

I hope you, whoever you are and whatever your background, will feel welcomed here. I look forward to seeing you at the Garden!

What does it mean to be a garden for everyone?

DIRECTOR’S

‘Growing Greener’

Thomas Christopher embraces a two-part mission

By Felix Carroll

Thomas Christopher, the soft-spoken horticulturalist whose career has served as a decades-long rebel yell, clears his throat. Then … three-two-one: Recording in progress.

“Leigh, how are you?” he asks, speaking into a honeycomb-shaped microphone set two feet from his face.

“Hello, I’m fine,” comes the voice of Leigh Whittinghill, a scientist with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station who promotes urban, rooftop farming and food security. She’s speaking via video link.

“Well, first of all, welcome to ‘Growing Greener,’” says Christopher.

And so it begins — a latest episode of Christopher’s weekly radio show and podcast. Produced in collaboration with Berkshire Botanical Garden, “Growing Greener” broadcasts on 16 radio stations and receives about 10,000 downloads a

month on podcasting platforms, including through berkshirebotanical.org.

In the span of 27 minutes and 30 seconds each, the episodes typically feature an interview with an expert engaged in some form of enlightened gardening practice.

In his stockinged feet, in his loft office at his home in the deep woods of Sandisfield, Mass., Christopher is unshackled. At 68, retired (sort of), no longer in need of having to draw a salary following a successful career as a writer and lecturer, he’s relishing the role of proverbial man on a mission, with a microphone. It’s a two-part mission. With a heavy emphasis on ecology, the first is to make the latest gardening research and

innovations known and readily accessible. The second is to change the world.

“I think that the biggest challenge we’re facing today is the need to come to a healthier relationship with nature,” he says. “With things like climate change, extinctions and environmental degradation, we really have to learn how to be better actors.”

“Growing Greener” began in 2020. For Christopher, the retiree, it’s merely one of several self-imposed obligations that awaits an eager audience. He’s also the author of the “Be a Better Gardener” column for BBG, now syndicated in 26 newspapers. He writes a separate column for Horticulture Magazine. He is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books. He is the 2021 Garden Club of America’s National Medalist for Literature, a distinction reserved to recognize those who have left a

profound and lasting impact on issues that are most important to the GCA.

This all follows a career as a columnist for magazines such House & Garden and Martha Stewart Living.

That’s not to say that his retirement has been all work. He and his wife, Suzanne O’Connell, share an extensive vegetable garden that has since been appended with an apple orchard for recreating vintage New England hard ciders. But their work remains their center point, one full of wellresearched prescriptions for a larger world in turmoil. (O’Connell serves as chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department at Wesleyan University, and she’s writing a book on melting glaciers.)

“Growing Greener” requires significant preparation. Christopher has a journalist’s sense of discipline and curiosity, which should come as no surprise. His father, Robert, was an author and former editor at Time and Newsweek magazines and served as chairman of the Pulitzer Prize Committee.

“He was like a carpenter, putting together pieces to build a house,” Christopher recalls, referring to his father’s writing method. “And so, I learned writing as a craft.”

His mother, June, taught him to garden. Christopher, who grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley, eventually cobbled together his parents’ passions, making them his own. He graduated from New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture and has spent the better part of 45 years designing and tending gardens, and writing and lecturing about it all.

To a certain extent, his podcast serves as a form of penance for the many poor, common gardening practices which he and previous generations once embraced. Indeed, one of his first horticultural jobs was overseeing a garden of heirloom roses at an historic New York property.

“Which meant,” Christopher said, “suiting up in rubber and a mask once a week to spray a systemic pesticide on

the roses and a fungicide to keep away black spot. What I noticed over a period of a couple of years was that the soil went from a nice loam to it just collapsing, and I ended up with this kind of impoverished clay. I thought, ‘Good God.’ That started me thinking about things like the life of soil.”

With the click of the Record button, Christopher now purveys and prompts a new environmental consciousness, for himself and his listeners.

A pile of notes perpetually before him, he sweats the details. Before making that call to Leigh Whittinghill to talk about sustainable urban gardening, he slips on his headphones and detects a slight buzz emanating from a certain kitchen appliance 40 feet away on the ground floor.

“Oh, Suzanne,” he calls down to his wife, “can you turn off the fridge?”

“OK, I just did,” she says.

“Thank you,” he says. “OK, let’s talk to Leigh.”

KARLENE JEAN KANTNER SPEAKS ‘VOLUMES’

By Felix Carroll

Recently, a young woman was wandering Berkshire Botanical Garden doing the very thing she has done since she was a child: She was at purposeful play in the natural world.

Karlene Jean Kantner is her name. With the help of BBG Director of Horticulture Eric Ruquist, she was collecting end-of-season stalks, seed pods, grasses, and amaranth, all to be incorporated into her upcoming art show — BBG’s first exhibition of 2023.

Kantner’s show, “Volumes,” featuring nearly two dozen of her works, runs in the Leonhardt Galleries from Jan. 20 through Feb. 26.

Rainbow, a vessel of unique form, allows for playfulness in the floral arrangements.

Photo by Karlene Kanter

“I’m thrilled. I’m flattered,” said Kantner, 32, a ceramic artist whose textured, painstakingly rendered works serve as objects to be venerated as much as they do vessels to hold plant life and floral design.

Raised in Montana, a denizen of the outdoors, Kantner began her artistic undertakings as a child making fresh batches of hand-pressed, sunbaked “mud cookies” that looked good enough to eat. After earning her bachelor’s degree in fine arts at the University of Montana and teaching art to children for several years, she came East with her partner, Chris Powell, a West Stockbridge native.

Once settled in the Berkshires, among her first acts was digging out a pit fire oven — that is to say, an openair fire pit about a foot-and-a-half deep by four-feet wide in which she bakes much of her artwork, turning clay to

ceramic. Her pit-firing is limited to Massachusetts’ open-air brush-burning season (from Jan. 15 and May 1). The rest of the season, Kantner uses an electric kiln.

But she prefers the pit fire process, in which she places her clay creations directly onto burning coals before she slowly builds the fire again until it’s raging. The process requires care, patience and the thoughtful tolerance that everything could go horribly wrong. Indeed, not all pieces survive the firing process.

“My first lesson, really, in ceramics was how to accept loss and then relate it to your life,” Kantner said. “Yeah, there’s a lot of loss in ceramics.”

But over the years, she has learned to improve her control of the merciless variables. “During the firing,” she said, “I need to pay attention to all of the signs

GALLERIES

Karlene Jean Kantner’s “Volumes” Jan. 20 through Feb. 26

Community Access to the Arts’ “The View from Here” March 3 through 26

Elizabeth Cohen’s “Nest/Emerge” March 31 through April 30

Anastasia Traina’s “Alchemy and Innocents” May 5 through June 25

Cynthia Wick’s “Flora Borealis” June 30 through Aug 13

that the pit is giving me.” Those signs include what the coals look like, their height in relation to the artwork and their temperature.

“The clay bodies,” she said, “once they start to glow a little bit, they glow orange and then they get hotter and hotter and turn white. There’s a particular smell that I look for.”

When she’s not engaged in artwork, Kantner often is engaged in gardening, a similar devotion full of hard lessons, trials and triumphs. Her gardening informs her art, and vice versa. Some of her garden harvest she’ll dry for use as decorative elements in future ceramic works.

As for her ceramics, she considers her individual works “sisters” of a kind, created under control and under chaos.

Like she did as a child, she rolls clay out into sugar-cookie-like sheets. But these days, from there, anything can happen. Her work, built by hand without the use of a wheel, becomes elaborate, sculptural, delicate, and whimsically asymmetrical. Textured with sand, it all still looks good enough to be eaten.

“I think that I’m more like my childhood self now than ever before,” she said.

Karlene loads greenware onto a bed of coals.

Photo by Chris Powell

COMING TO THE CENTER HOUSE LEONHARDT

Like she did as a child, she rolls clay out into sugarcookie-like sheets. But these days, from there, anything can happen.

Karlene Kanter in the studio.

Photo by Chris Powell

The Pocket Lady Returns!

Back in 2019, Berkshire Botanical Garden received a call from a woman who made an offer we had no intention of refusing.

“I sure as heck wasn’t going to lose somebody who wanted to be the Pocket Lady,” said Dana Audia, BBG’s recently retired events producer.

The call came from Rebecca Walsh, a therapist from Lenox who wished to cross something off her bucket list: Indeed, she wanted to be the Pocket Lady.

For generations, the Pocket Lady has symbolized BBG’s Harvest Festival. In grainy photos dating back decades, inevitably, there’s a lady (the Pocket Lady!) surrounded by inquisitive children. Here at BBG, Pocket Ladies have come and gone, but the character remains the same: The Pocket Lady wears an elaborate hoopskirt bedecked with pockets. For one ticket, a child is invited to reach into a pocket (any pocket) and pull out a toy, a game — a surprise!

But by 2012, the tradition had died off. “Every Harvest Festival since then, people were asking, ‘When are you going to bring

back the Pocket Lady?’” Dana said. “I couldn’t find anyone to do it.”

Then came that cheerfully curious call from Rebecca in late 2019. Due to the pandemic and Harvest Festival cancellations in 2020 and 2021, Rebecca’s dream would be deferred.

Late last summer, she received an unexpected call. “Are you the one who wanted to be the Pocket Lady?” said a voice on the other end. It was from BBG.

“I couldn’t say no to something I had so clearly asked for,” Rebecca later explained.

We here were thrilled. But there was work to be done. Namely, the last known Pocket Lady gown had been given away to a local theater company. We needed a gown. We turned to an upholsterer who doubles as a seamstress, Bonnie Conner of Hinsdale, Mass.

“Let’s just say this project was a little different,” Bonnie said.

At 11 a.m. sharp on Saturday, Oct. 8, Rebecca stepped out from BBG’s Center House in a vintage-looking Gingham Plaid Skirt with sunflower print pockets.

“Look,” Rebecca said. “I’m poofy! I’m really poofy!”

The children immediately gathered around her as she strolled the grounds like a one-woman parade float. Many older folks shared with her fond memories that starred the Pocket Lady.

“The older people were as sweet as the children were,” Rebecca said. So, why this? Why become the Pocket Lady?

Rebecca explained that when her children were little, they were mesmerized by the Pocket Lady, viewing her as a benevolent beauty of sorceress proportion. “I have worked with children a lot,” she said, “and I think what the Pocket Lady is, foremost —she’s a giver who delights children. The thought of that makes me very happy.”

By noon on the first day of the Harvest Festival, Dana finally had a moment’s rest to get her first glimpse of the Pocket Lady, resurrected.

“Oh,” she said, her eyes wide. “She’s a great Pocket Lady.”

On a day

like this, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing,”

said Rebecca Walsh, who premiered as the Pocket Lady at the annual Harvest Festival on Oct. 8-9.

How Our Flora Survive Each Winter

By Stewart Edelstein

As the Earth tilts on its axis away from the sun, cold, blustery weather sets in, at times blanketing the Berkshires with snow, glistening in the bright sky. The trees here at Berkshire Botanical Garden and beyond have strategies to survive the winter, relying on stored resources until the spring thaw.

Winter at the Berkshire Botanical Garden is a place of tranquility and contemplation.

Deciduous trees, their leaves having fallen to the ground in autumn, display in winter the magnificence of their structure, their branches forming an exquisite form inspiring awe. Conifers, retaining most of their needles throughout the year, display a most pleasing cone shape, while their very greenness creates a lovely contrast to the surrounding whiteness.

How do trees survive the winter?

They must combat threats of cold, lack of water, and heavy snow and ice loads, especially taller trees more exposed to extreme winter conditions. In winter, animals can seek shelter — even hibernate — but trees cannot move, and so they have devised strategies to persevere through even the harshest of winters. To start with, bark provides insulation and protection against freezing and cracking.

Deciduous trees are so named from a Latin word of the same spelling, meaning “that which falls down,” with reference to their leaves falling to the ground each autumn. In preparation for winter, these trees pull nutrients from leaves and then form a thin layer of cells where the leaf eventually breaks off. Even though the process of photosynthesis by which these trees get energy is thereby discontinued, losing leaves reduces water loss.

This survival mechanism is beneficial because photosynthesis requires water transported up the tree’s vascular system — precious water not nearly as available in the winter. To retain water, the tree retrieves water otherwise used for photosynthesis back into its wooden parts. Deciduous trees each spring expend a lot of resources to

grow new leaves.

Conifers, on the other hand, photosynthesize all year long because they retain needles, which are, in effect, rolled up leaves. Needles retain water better than leaves because of their small surface area and waxy outer coating, thereby reducing evaporation.

How do perennials survive winters?

Sugars and salts in their roots act as a natural antifreeze by lowering the freezing point below 32 degrees. Before the onset of winter, roots release water into the surrounding soil, allowing for some freezing and expanding without rupturing cell walls.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An Alphabetical Romp Through the Flora of Berkshire Botanical Garden, from Agave to Zinnia is available on the web at berkshirebotanical.org/giftshop or by calling BBG’s Visitor Center at (413) 354-8408, and at The Bookstore in Lenox, The Bookloft in Great Barrington, Windy Hill Farm in Great Barrington, and shops in Stockbridge — Township Four, Williams & Sons Country Store, Stockbridge Coffee & Tea, and Sidetracks. All proceeds from the sale of this book (less merchants’ commissions) benefit the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Winter-Time,

by Robert Louis Stevenson

Late lies the wintry sun a-bed, A frosty, fiery sleepy-head; Blinks but an hour or two; and then, A blood-red orange, sets again. Before the stars have left the skies, At morning in the dark I rise; And shivering in my nakedness, By the cold candle, bathe and dress. Close by the jolly fire I sit To warm my frozen bones a bit; Or with a reindeer-sled, explore The colder countries round the door. When to go out, my nurse doth wrap Me in my comforter and cap; The cold wind burns my face, and blows Its frosty pepper up my nose. Black are my steps on silver sod; Thick blows my frosty breath abroad; And tree and house, and hill and lake, Are frosted like a wedding-cake.

Education

During winter and spring, we turn our attention towards new pursuits, including gathering for classes around gardening, crafts and cooking. We look forward to our annual Winter Lecture on Feb. 18, featuring Midori Shintani, head gardener of Japan’s Tokachi Millennium Forest, who will introduce Tokachi, which has inspired a unique garden movement in Japan. We welcome you as we embark on another wonderful season of learning at the Garden!

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

26th Annual Winter Lecture: Discovering Tokachi

Midori Shintani, head gardener of Tokachi Millennium Forest, will introduce Tokachi, which has inspired a unique garden movement in Japan. Learn more on page 13.

Classes, Lectures and Workshops

JANUARY

Crisp and Clear: A New Year’s Meditative Journey

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, Jan. 14, 2 to 3 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

With the turning of this New Year, we have the opportunity to explore and clarify what’s important and how to move towards more meaning in our lives. This guided process is a mix of talking, walking, quiet moments, and welcoming all that we are holding, into deepening and energizing focus. Within the beautiful landscape at Berkshire Botanical Garden, we are called to reimagine possibility and new beginnings, threading in wonder and delight. All adults (18-plus) are welcome, and no experience with mindfulness or meditation is needed. Please wear clothing and shoes suitable for winter walking. In the event of inclement weather, this will be held inside the main building. If the weather invites some outdoor walking, it will include 20 minutes of this 60-minute experience. Chairs will be provided indoors.

DIY Herbal Spa Day

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, Jan. 14, 3 to 5 p.m.

Member: $65/Non-Members: $75

Treat yourself to a beautiful afternoon of fun and pampering! Relax, meet new friends and discover the world of herbal skin care. Led by herbalist Nichole Irene, we will go through a full facial routine using natural, handcrafted skincare products to rejuvenate and restore skin, body and mind. Make some time for self-care and learn how to make your own herbal spa products! Learn about different exfoliants, serums, carrier oils, and essential oils that support skin health for your individual needs. Each participant will make and take home a nutritive facial oil and exfoliating sugar scrub. Our in-class facial routine will include a gentle cleanser, purifying facial steam, addressing impurities with a spot treatment, and restoring skin with the deep hydration of a facial serum and nourishing facial oil. You will leave glowing and refreshed! Herbal tea and infused refreshing water included.

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 in accordance with state and federal regulations. 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.

HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

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

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

Organic Vegetable Gardening

ONLINE CLASS

Wednesdays, Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Members: $55/Non-Members: $65

Led by Bridgette Stone, this class is designed for those starting or maintaining a vegetable garden. This online course will include discussion of seed selection, seeding schedules, bed preparation, and successful planting practice. During the first two sessions, students will learn about these practices, as well as what different vegetable families require to be successful. For the third class, students will demonstrate their learning by completing a vegetable garden design to be implemented at their own homes.

Sustainable Garden Care & Maintenance H

ONLINE CLASS

Thursdays, Jan. 19 to Feb. 23, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Members: $190/Non-Members: $205

Learn about the maintenance considerations that should be integrated into the garden design process. Students’ horticultural knowledge will expand to factor sustainable maintenance concerns and cost-effectiveness into plant selection. Learn procedures for perennials, woody plants and lawns, including transplanting, staking, fertilizing, winterizing, mulching, plant pathology, and pest control with an emphasis on deer control. Taught by Daryl Beyers.

Plant-Based Cooking for the Planet in the New Year

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, Jan. 21, 2 to 5 p.m.

Members: $55/Non-Members: $65

How would you like to integrate more plant-based cooking into your diet for the New Year? Whether it’s a vegan-once-a-week commitment or a full-fledged lifestyle, plant-based dishes are always going to be delicious, satisfying, nutritious, and creative. In this class, led by Rachel Portnoy, we’ll explore ingredients, balance menus and build flavor. Let’s celebrate plant-based ingredients with ideas for everything from snacks to sides to main dishes, and, of course, don’t forget the sweets!

The New Cutting Garden

ONLINE CLASS

Saturday, Jan. 28, 10 to 11 a.m.

Members: $15/ Non-Members: $18

Dreaming of a luscious cutting garden that produces blooms all season long? Join Colie Collen, the grower and designer behind Flower Scout, for this comprehensive course on planning, starting, troubleshooting, and maintaining a prolific cut flower garden.

Botanical Wellness: Fire Cider Make + Take

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, Jan. 28, 11 to 1 p.m.

Members: $30/Non-Members: $37

Come see how fun and easy herbology can be with this introductory herbal extraction workshop. Fire cider is a beloved traditional herbal folk remedy that is gaining mainstream notoriety. Known for its immuneboosting and digestion-boosting effects, this savory DIY infusion is made with wholesome ingredients and steeped over time, creating a bright and spicy tonic used to invigorate one’s whole being. Simple to make, fire cider adds a healthful ritual to one’s repertoire. Learn how everyday food and culinary herbs, when chosen and prepared wisely, can help us improve our wellbeing. Leave this class revitalized — and with a recipe and jar of finished fire cider. Come prepared to chop ingredients and get a little messy! Taught by Nicole Irene.

FEBRUARY

Landscape Design II

H

Thursdays, Feb. 9 to April 13, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members: $400/Non-Members: $450 This course meets for 10 weeks

Learn skills essential for functional garden design that honors the site and meets client needs. Led by Chuck Schnell and Walter Cudnohufsky, this course will cover a different topic or technique focusing on the importance of getting to know the client and site as a basis of effective and appealing design. Essential and easy-to-grasp design principles 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. Learn how to make well-considered and sustainable choices for the elements and materials commonly used in the residential-scale garden. Students will complete a instructor-provided project and take it from creative concept to completed design plan, including site assessment diagrams, conceptual sketches and schematic drawings. Each class will involve instruction and evaluation of projects in progress. Group discussions and exercises will put theory into action. 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.

In Unison: Creating Harmonious Combinations for Pollinators and You ONLINE CLASS

Saturday, Feb. 11, noon to 1:30 p.m.

Members:$14/Non-member: $16

Your garden has so much potential. It could become a haven where pollinators thrive, dine and reproduce. How do you create such a place? With flowers. And while bulking up on the blossoms, you might as well make every moment beautiful. Led by garden author Tovah Martin, this lecture provides ideas for a pollinatorpleasing place where colors echo while textural themes reverberate and weave in and out throughout the growing season. Photographed at Furthermore — the instructor’s garden — this lecture is an intimate chronicle of a community of plants and their interrelationships. Steal these ideas! Co-hosted with New England Botanical Garden.

Houseplant Healthcare Clinic

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, Feb. 11, 1 to 3 p.m. Members: $25/Non-Members :$30

As the days begin to lengthen and our thoughts turn toward spring, our beloved and sometimes bedraggled houseplants also yearn for more light and warmth. The pressures of being inside can take a toll on even the most robust plants. In this workshop, led by Jenna O’Brien, you’ll learn the basics of good house plant health care, from identifying pests and problems to the preventive steps you can take to ensure your prized plants make it through the winter healthy and happy! Students are invited to bring along a house plant they have questions about or one to which they’d like to give some extra TLC. Consider this a spa day for your houseplants!

Turning Lawns Into Meadows

ONLINE CLASS

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

In this online class, landscape architect Owen Wormser will discuss the effect that lawns and meadows have on the environment. An area the size of Washington State is presently mowed turf in the United States. This makes lawns the largest irrigated “crop” in the country, and the adverse impact of their ecological footprint is staggering. Meadows offer the opposite effect, providing myriad ecological benefits including ongoing sequestering of carbon and significantly increased biological diversity. Meadows are more affordable than lawns, and with the right know-how they’re long-lasting, low-maintenance and very beautiful. Owen will discuss the benefits of native meadows, explain how to create thriving meadowscapes, and share strategies drawn from research and over 20 years of experience.

Composting for Beginners

ONLINE CLASS

Saturday, Feb. 25, 11 to 12:30 p.m.

Members: $10/Non-Members: $12

This introductory course will cover the basics of successful composting and its use in the garden. Styles of composters will be addressed as well as the tools needed to create and use this “black gold” in the garden. Led by Bridgette Stone

26th Annual Winter Lecture: Discovering Tokachi

ONLINE

Saturday, Feb. 18, 5 to 6 p.m.

Members: $30/Non-Members: $35

Join us online for our 26th annual Winter Lecture as we proudly present Midori Shintani, head gardener of Tokachi Millennium Forest, who will introduce Tokachi, which has inspired a unique modern garden movement in Japan. Midori will share how she and her team have nurtured the native forests and cultivated garden areas through the seasons. She will also explain how her gardening methods are rooted in the accumulated wisdom of the ancient Japanese belief of mother culture, and how she has built a solid partnership with garden designer Dan Pearson and her garden team.

The Tokachi Millennium Forest is located at the foot of the Hidaka Mountains in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.The project was originally started in 1990 by a local newspaper company that acquired about 990 acres there to create a carbon-offsetting forest. Eventually this became a project to restore the natural forest ecosystems, to share with the public and be sustainable for the next 1,000 years. The garden project of the Tokachi Millennium Forest began in 1996. In 2008, the forest officially was opened to the public, and has continued to evolve.

MARCH

Tree Care for Gardeners H

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Thursdays, March 2 through 23, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members $200/Non-Members: $225

Whether you are an amateur or professional horticulturist, you are a steward of the landscape. This course is designed for those who might not necessarily be the first to climb 100 feet up an Eastern White Pine or wrangle the chainsaw to fell a dead American elm, but want to better understand the largest plants in the landscape. Learn from arborist Tom Ingersoll the basics of tree biology and identification, the tree’s role in the ecosystem, proper selection, siting, planting considerations, pruning of young trees, fertilization, pest identification, and when to call in the professionals!

An Introduction to Greenhouse Management

IN-PERSON AT MONUMENT MOUNTAIN

REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GREENHOUSE

Saturday, March 4, 9 to noon

Members: $60/Non-Members: $65

This compact course, led by landscape designer Bill Florek, will focus on the fine points of controlling the greenhouse environment. Whether maintaining a conservatory collection of ornamental plants or producing greenhouse crops, participants will learn how to grow, care for and maintain plants in a greenhouse setting. The relationship between temperature, water, light, fertilization, plant health and diseases will be covered, with a strong emphasis on integrated pest management. This program is appropriate for homeowners with conservatories, glassed-in porches and greenhouses.

Rock Mosaics for the Garden

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, March 4, 10 to 3 p.m.

Members: $55/Non-Members: $65

Led by artist/educator Beth Klingher, students will create an outdoor rock mosaic to brighten their garden. Learn how to cut glass, ceramic and other materials and to adhere them to a large garden rock or cement block using colored thinset cement. Your mosaic may represent a flower, a plant, a tiny animal, or an abstract design. These rock mosaics will weather the New England winters and provide a colorful spark for your garden regardless of the season.

MARCH ONLINE SERIES:

Native Plants for Every Corner of the Garden

Wednesdays, March 8 through 29, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Series: Members: $45/Non-Members: $55

This sequence of classes is suited to gardeners of all levels, from novice to experienced. Sign up for individual classes or the whole series. Led by horticulturist Duncan Himmelman

Native Vines

Wednesday, March 8, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

In this first class in the series, “Native Plants for Every Corner of the Garden,” learn how to add height, structure and visual interest to your garden, balcony or containers with a diversity of native vines. An assortment of woody and herbaceous species with colorful flowers and interesting textures will be presented.

Native Groundcovers: Living Mulch

Wednesday, March 15, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

Although mulch is a commonly used groundcover, a beautiful tapestry of foliage and flowers is more visually dynamic and ecologically valuable. Discover a selection of tough, versatile plants to use as groundcovers in a variety of growing conditions.

Native Plants for the Water’s Edge Wednesday, March 22, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

Help create important bird and pollinator habitats along the edges of any water feature. From ponds to streams and wet meadows, discover a variety of seasonally attractive native trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials that can work for your particular site.

Native Plants for Container Gardens Wednesday, March 29, 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

Many native plants make great choices for container gardens. From shade to sun, perennials to shrubs, spring to fall, there are options that will bring a host of beneficial insects and birds to your yard, patio, deck, or balcony. Led by Duncan Himmelman

Birth of a New Perennial Garden ONLINE CLASS

Saturday, March 11, 11 to 12:30 p.m. Members: $12/Non-member $15

Please join us for a personal introduction to the design principles of Piet Oudolf — one of the world’s leading naturalistic landscape designers. His work includes New York’s High Line, Chicago’s Lurie Garden, the Oudolf Meadow at Delaware Botanic Gardens, and Oudolf Garden Detroit. Deborah Chud’s five years of research on Oudolf’s gardens led to her own Oudolfian garden and the only known database of his plant combinations. Part 1 of this class traces her discovery of Oudolf’s work, her research on his plant combinations and her use of that research to create a garden in his style. Part 2 explores the historical context in which he emerged as a landscape designer. Part 3 provides an introduction to his design principles, particularly his concept of structure and the special balance he creates between coherence and contrast. At the end of the talk, participants will enjoy some practical Oudolfian “do’s and don’ts” for solving the problem of excessive contrast. Co-hosted with New England Botanic Garden.

Landscape Design I H

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Tuesdays, March 14 to April 18, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members: $250/Non-Members: $275

This course, presented by Tyler Horsley, 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. Additionally, students will be introduced to landscape history and how it helps the designer resolve and inspire garden design.

Container Garden Design H

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Wednesdays, March 15 through 29, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Members: $165/Non-Members: $175

Acquire knowledge of the skills required for beautiful and successful container gardens with Jenna O’Brien, owner of Viridissima Horticulture and Design. Get to know the plants that thrive in containers and how to care for them. This class will cover practical aspects of gardening with style in containers throughout the New England garden season. Considerations will include container selection, siting, planting, growing, controlling pests, and maintaining moveable gardens.

Bark and Bud Tree ID H

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $25/Non-Members: $30

Discover the many plants that lend bark, buds, fruit and structural interest to the garden in fall and winter. Under the expert guidance of Tom Ingersol, students will develop the ability to identify winter trees by twig and bud anatomy, bark features and plant architecture, while practicing their skills with winter tree dichotomous keys. This program will be held primarily indoors, and students will work with collected specimens. Bring a lunch and dress for occasional outdoor fieldwork.

Ready, Set, Grow: Starting Seeds for Plants That Will Hit the Ground Growing!

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

BBG Members: $50/Non-Members: $60

Learn vegetable and flower seed-starting and plant-growing techniques that result in vigorous plants from organic grower Maureen Sullivan of Left Field Farm in Middlefield, Mass. This workshop will focus on indoor sowing and growing-on practices, including preparation of an effective seed-sowing schedule, techniques for successful germination of challenging seeds and management of plants at various stages of growth. Workshop participants will practice seed sowing and transplanting a variety of plants to take home for the spring and summer growing season. All supplies included in cost.

The Energy of Spring — A Family Mindfulness Experience

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, March 18, 2 to 3 p.m.

Members: $12/Non-Members: $15

Join in a creative and playful mindfulness walk around BBG’s gardens, guided by facilitator Sandrine Harris. Children and adults of all ages are invited into this time of witnessing and appreciating the new growth and transformation of our plant kin. This is a joyful opportunity to explore the natural world with your whole family! Please wear clothing and shoes suitable for outdoor walking.

Beginners Chainsaw Skills Workshop

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 8, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Members: $155/Non-Members: $165

APRIL

Block Printing Botanicals

IN-PERSON at BBG

Saturday April 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members: $60/Non-Members: $65

Led by artist Dave Lesako, this workshop focuses on design, tool use and printing by hand. This process involves transferring an image to the linoleum, carving out the lines or shapes, inking the plate and printing it to paper to achieve stark black-andwhite or color compositions. Students should come with ideas, photos (of their own making, no copying) and/or sketches. Visit berkshirebotanical.org for a complete list of required materials.

Learn to use a chainsaw safely! Taught by arborist Melissa LeVangie Ingersoll, this popular workshop is designed for the novice-tobeginner chainsaw operator who wishes to gain greater confidence with this powerful tool. The class will combine lecture and hands-on learning, covering topics such as personal protective equipment, the anatomy of a chainsaw, reactive forces, basic chainsaw maintenance, and additional tools for use with a chainsaw. Techniques will include holding and starting a saw, hazard ID, escape options, log analysis (binds), planning cuts, overall plan and bucking and limbing. Attendees will cut logs on the ground and/or elevated on sawhorses and will leave with a better understanding of the safety features of a chainsaw and be able to operate a chainsaw based on safety fundamentals. No experience necessary. Note: Equipment will be provided; if you have your own chainsaw or personal protective equipment, please bring it with you. Dress and prepare for the weather, including long sleeves, pants and boots. Bring a lunch.

Spring Pruning of Woody Ornamental Plants

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 8, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Members: $35/Non-Members: $45 Spring is a great time to assess woody shrubs for shape, structure and winter damage. This workshop will focus on learning by doing. Ron and Kieran Yaple, owners of Race Mountain Tree Services in Sheffield, Mass., will demonstrate how to renovate, rejuvenate and shape shrubs and small ornamental trees for structure, health and optimal growth. Plants covered will include viburnums, lilacs, witch hazels, deciduous azaleas, sweetshrubs, crabapples, and ornamental cherries. Participants should dress for the weather, bring pruners, work gloves, and a lunch.

Advanced Chainsaw Skills — Level 2 H

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 15, (Rain Date May 10), 9 to 5 p.m. Members: $175/Non-Members: $200 Prerequisite: Chainsaw Level I class. Taught by arborist Melissa LeVangie Ingersoll, this Level 2 workshop is designed for the chainsaw operator who wishes to gain greater confidence with this powerful tool. Advanced Chainsaw Skills will combine lecture and hands-on learning covering topics such as PPE and review of safe operations, then move on to advanced bucking and basic felling techniques. Note: Attendees will be required to wear PPE. Please bring your own chainsaw in good working order (running well, chain tensioned and sharpened, fueled and oiled). Dress for safety and the weather including long sleeves, pants and boots. Bring a bag lunch. Scholarships available.

Hydrangea Success for Northeast Gardens

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 15, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Members: $20/Non-Members: $25

“Why isn’t my hydrangea flowering?” is the number one question asked of Northeast Master Gardeners. Answers are complicated, but we simplify things by showing you the six beautiful hydrangea species that thrive in the Northeast. Your challenge will be to limit your choices to your available space! Led by Cornell Master Gardener Chris Ferrero

Cultivating Mushrooms Outside

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 15, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Members: $35/Non-Members: $45

Start spring early with a dive into the fungal kingdom! Learn how to inoculate logs, wood chips and stumps for mushroom cultivation in your backyard. We will cover 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, three cultivation techniques and have loads of new fungal lore to share with your friends. Taught by Willie Crosby, the owner of Fungi Ally.

Remarkable Flora, Memorable Greek Myths and Surprising Etymologies: A Romp through the Berkshire Botanical Garden

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 22, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Members: $10/Non-Members: $12

This talk is chock-full of fun facts about flora — flowers, herbs, shrubs, trees, and veggies — that grow at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Based on the book An Alphabetical Romp through the Flora of Berkshire Botanical Garden: from Agave to Zinnia, this talk will enhance your every visit to our 24 acres of magnificent gardens. Presented by the author, Stewart Edelstein

Get the ‘Dirt’ on Soil

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Soil is alive with microorganisms that help provide garden plants with the all-important nutrients they need. Learn the basics of soil science (texture, structure, pH), how to foster and maintain soil health, and why a soil test is a great starting point. Discover how to create a living soil and reap its benefits for years to come. Led by Duncan Himmelman.

Shade Gardening Basics

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 22, 1 to 3 p.m. Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Wondering what plants to grow in the shady parts of your yard? Fear not. An enterprising gardener can create an attractive, ecologically robust and relaxing garden, even in the shade. This class starts by identifying the various degrees of shade you may have and moves on to presenting the best native plants for those conditions. Don’t let a lack of sunlight hold you back! Led by Duncan Himmelman.

Container Counsel: Tips and Tricks for Creating Successful Container Plantings

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Members: $20/Non-Members: $25

Contained plantings offer the opportunity to introduce focal points of foliage and flowers where there is no ground space, and are particularly useful around a pool, on a terrace or flanking an entranceway. Interest in potted plantings still remains strong even after many years of popularity, but choosing an appropriate container, assembling beautiful and compatible combinations, and avoiding design clichés can be challenging. Led by designer Robert Clyde Anderson.

MAY Spring Wildflowers

HYBRID CLASS (ONLINE AND IN-PERSON)

Thursday, May 4, 5 to 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Members: $55/Non-Members: $65

Led by botanist Ted Elliman, this class will focus on the wildflowers that grace Berkshire County’s spring woods. The evening program will present an overview of native wildflowers found in several kinds of forest communities in the Berkshires, with a focus on their identification features and particular habitats. The Saturday walk will be in woodlands notable for the beauty, abundance and variety of their spring flora.

Gardening in Small Spaces

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, May 7, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Members: $15/Non-Members: $20

Not everyone has acres of land to use for gardens. Learn how to create beauty in a small backyard, walkway or on your deck/patio. We will show you how to plan, choose the right plants and focus on some simple principles that can enhance larger gardens as well.

Led by Cornell Master Gardener Chris Ferrero

The Language of the Flowers

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Monday, May 15 through Tuesday, May 16, 10 to 3 p.m. Members: $225/Non-Members: $250

All flowers hold different meanings, often based on the flower type, the time of year in which they bloom, the flower’s color, or other floral lore that makes them so meaningful to us. This introductory class teaches you fine basic skills in botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite, in hopes of articulating the singular and very brief story of your floral specimen. Led by botanical artist Anastasia Traina

Black Ash Berry Basket

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Members: $165/Non-Members: $175

This workshop, led by homesteader Penny Hewitt, is a great introduction to the extraordinary qualities of the black ash tree. Weave a square to round basket, approximately 6 inches by 6 inches, with optional leather strap. Included is a discussion on how the material is harvested and processed. Registration includes a materials fee. Please bring a lunch.

Mixed Bark Black Ash Basket

IN-PERSON AT BBG

Sunday, May 21, 10 to 5 p.m.

Members: $170/Non-Members: $180

In this hands-on basket course, start with a black ash base and use a variety of native barks including willow, cedar and birch to create your own unique design. This one-day workshop, led by homesteader Penny Hewitt, is appropriate for both adults and teens. Registration includes materials fee. Please bring a bagged lunch.

UPCOMING GARDEN TRAVEL

The Gardens of Houston, Texas

March 14 to 17, 2023 (Tuesday through Friday)

Featuring private spaces and public places Arranged by Classical Excursions

Highlights:

• Tours of private gardens (images above)

• Lunch at home and garden of interior designer Lucia Benton

• A curatorial tour of Bayou Bend Collection and Garden

• Special tour of the Houston Botanic Garden

• A guided tour of Memorial Park

• Visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

• Dinner at the Tiny Boxwoods restaurant, in River Oaks

• An authentic Tex-Mex dinner

Coming up Sept. 7-14: Gardens of the Netherlands led by BBG staff and our friends from Classical Excursions. Visit berkshirebotanical.org for additional information.

Garden Sprouts is a hands-on learning program led by BBG’s youth education staff for toddlers and their caregivers. Your little “sprout” will help care for the garden and learn about the natural world through hands-on exploration. Flowers, planting, insects, and observation are just a few of the themes they will investigate. Activities include crafts, stories, scavenger hunts, and nature walks designed to introduce young children to the wonders of nature in a fun and welcoming environment.

Open daily, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

BBG’s annual springtime gift to the community featuring hundreds of New England spring favorites and rarely seen South African species in the historic Fitzpatrick Conservatory.

SEE MORE INFORMATION AT BERKSHIREBOTANICAL.ORG.

Bayou Bend estate in Houston, Texas

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN PERENNIAL SOCIETY

‘Its mission must be carried on’

Well, who do we have here? Another visitor enjoying the serenity at a favorite gathering place at Berkshire Botanical Garden? That gathering place would be the fountain in front of the Center House, amidst a 4,000-square-foot entry garden marked by small hills, native larches and Winter King hawthorn trees. And that visitor would be none other than Jeannene Booher, the very woman whose financial gift several years ago made that fountain a reality. She loves this spot. Back in 2017, as BBG was putting the final touches on our Center House renovation, Jeannene, a celebrated former New York City fashion designer, learned that funding was still needed for the fountain.

“I said, ‘I’d be happy to give it so that we could have it,’” Jeannene recalls. “And look: It turned out beautifully.” This certainly wasn’t the first time Jeannene had stepped up when needed.

She and her late husband, Doug Latham, bought a home in nearby Otis, Mass., about 45 years ago. Together, at their country home, they built expansive gardens, drawing inspiration from the gardens of BBG. They became volunteers here, then major supporters of the expansion of BBG’s Education Center, back in 2010. Additionally, Jeannene served many years on the Board of Trustees.

“I enjoyed it all. I thoroughly enjoyed it,” she says. “I think the people that I met on the Board of Trustees were the nicest people and best friends that I have had in the Berkshires, so it really meant a lot, personally, to be on the board.”

She takes pride in her role in BBG’s Perennial Society, a group that recognizes the value of the Garden and that helps by contributing to BBG’s long-term health.

“BBG is a place that grows things, grows plants and flowers, and I love plants and flowers, and so it’s so natural that I would want to be a part of that,” she says. “I always want to support the Garden. Its mission must be carried on, most importantly to the younger generations. It’s so wonderful to see young people here, how they, too, find such a thrill to walk through the Garden and see the beauty of it.”

Thank you, Jeannene, for your enduring gifts to the Garden — and for your friendship!

If you would like to find out more about joining BBG’s Perennial Society, please contact Thaddeus Thompson, interim executive director, at (413) 320-4772 or tthompson@berkshirebotanical.org for a confidential conversation.

Join Jeannene Booher in supporting the future of the Garden by including BBG in your estate plans or other planned giving through the Perennial Society.

Seen and Heard: The BBG Orchestra (It’s a Real Thing)

Would it be stating the obvious to say that not too many botanical gardens can lay claim to having a house band? Actually, a quick look around, and it seems no botanical garden has a house band pumping out original music — none except Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Specifically, we’re talking about the “BBG Orchestra,” the namesake for the dynamic duo that’s been serving up a lovely soundtrack of original material since last summer, all spawning from a simple question posed on a whim.

“Do you have any songs about vegetables?” staff member Felix Carroll asked the editor of this magazine, Robin Parow.

“I don’t,” said Robin, a veteran musician and songwriter, “but we could get you one.”

Felix has been creating videos for BBG since last spring, after taking over as BBG’s Director of Marketing and Communications upon Robin’s retirement from full-time work here. Robin took the challenge back to her boyfriend and creative partner, Jeff Dalton.

“That sounds like a fun challenge,” said Dalton, a multiinstrumentalist. (He also plays the bass and sings the Paul McCartney songs in a Beatles cover band, Day Tripper.)

The challenge was made doubly so because the two had to adhere to the strict time limitation set by Instagram for continuous video clips. That means song lengths couldn’t exceed 60 seconds.

Within days, the two responded to the query with their first botanic song “Vegetables!” — its wily lyrics set to a reggae beat recorded at Jeff’s studio in Palm Bay, Fla., where he and Robin live. They soon followed up with “Pollinators,” “Herbs, Not Herbs,” “Autumn in New England,” “The Gardens are Sleeping,” “Baby’s First Christmas,” and more. Once the songs have been completed, Felix films videos at BBG to accompany the music. The videos can be found at berkshirebotanical.org, on social media platforms, and the YouTube channel “Berkshire Botanical Garden.”

“Normally, when you’re writing a song, you have three or four minutes to say whatever it is that you have to say, but with 59 seconds, there’s none of that,” said Jeff. “You have to first get right to the point, and secondly, you have to write something that’s catchy and a little bit memorable and a little bit fun.”

“We’ve had this goal of creating kind of ‘ear worms,’ pleasant little sound bites that you can’t get out of your head,” said Robin, who began playing guitar when she was about 12. She’s been writing songs since she was in her 20s. While living in West Stockbridge and working for BBG, she played ukulele in a busking trio.

She and Jeff met in 2021 through a dating website. Their first exchange began with words from Robin suggesting to Jeff, “I think our guitars should meet.”

They’ve become kindred spirits, producing music and sharing songwriting credits under the name Indigo Beige. Both hail from the Northeast. Retired now in Florida, they carry memories (and twinges of homesickness) of the ecology, weather, sights, scents, and seasons of New England. While definitely digging winters in Florida, they draw upon those deep reserves for their BBG-centered songs.

This issue of Cuttings is Robin’s 27th and final issue as editor. She will be fully retired as of March 31. But, she says, the BBG Orchestra will continue.

“For two creative people who really enjoy making music, it’s been fun to explore a unique brand of songwriting while also still being involved with BBG,” she said. “But now, it’s at a level that I never would have had time for or the energy for when I was working full-time. Retirement has its advantages!”

In other words, stay tuned.

Photo by Linda Roth

“For two creative people who really enjoy making music, it’s been fun to explore a unique brand of songwriting while also still being involved with BBG.”

–ROBIN PAROW

Pollinating bees buzzing around the beauty bush. Monarch butterflies floating among the milkweed. Her orderly and expansive vegetable beds providing food from mid-summer to Winter.

Carol Edelman draws many delights from gardening, having gained ample inspiration through her connection to Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Years ago, as a public school teacher, she would take her students on field trips to BBG to learn about the natural world and where food comes from. In her spare time, she began taking classes and workshops here, at one time even partaking in a gardening class along with Berkshire resident and thenMassachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (and his security detail). Now a dedicated BBG volunteer, most notably a tour guide of the grounds, Carol has found a second home here at BBG. “I just love the classes. I love the workshops,” she said. “I love plants. I love the physical activity of gardening.”

This old house of hers, in nearby Monterey, Mass., dates back to the early 1800s. It has become a showcase of all these interests. Friends have suggested she give public tours of her property. Carol demurs, but in early fall, she gave an informal tour to a BBG friend, at a time when she referred to her garden as “pretty mangy.” (It looked gorgeous.)

Before she bought her home in 1981, the grounds were overgrown. Junk was everywhere. The place had been abandoned. Among its previous lives, the home had been used as an infirmary for a nearby summer camp. “It was the best purchase I ever made,” she said.

Carol and, later, her husband James set about cleaning it all up, uncovering and burnishing its historic character and adding their own personality to it, particularly out on the grounds. She prefers her gardens to be like those of Berkshire Botanical Garden: informal, with flowing lines and gentle contours — and kind-hearted to native pollinators.

Carol Edelman, in one of her favorite places on earth: her vegetable garden (with her dear doggie, Daisy).

Meet a Member: Carol Edelman

‘There’s nothing to not like’

Among her favorite plants here are the hollyhocks, hydrangeas, rudbeckia, coneflowers, zinnias, and that super fragrant beauty bush from which the bee-buzzing gets so loud, she can hear it from inside her house.

“Our yard is like pollinator heaven,” Carol said. She prefers her flora to be colorful, tough and hardy — that is to say, geared to the changeable New England climate.

At BBG, her favorite section of the Garden comprises the many vegetable beds. Ditto at her home. Her vegetable beds are her favorite, and they showcase all the many things she’s learned over the years through trial and error and through BBG classes and workshops.

“I don’t think about anything when I’m out here gardening,” she said. “You’re moving, you’re getting things done, and it’s fun to eat the food you grow.”

This past year, she grew a couple dozen varieties of tomatoes (her favorite thing to grow), along with kale, cucumbers, leeks, lettuces, herbs and pretty much anything else you could think of — much of it grown from her own seedlings. This year she grew Jimmy Nardello Italian peppers for the first time and has been pleased with the results. Inspired by fellow BBG member Kevin West, she also grew Northeaster pole beans, to great success.

Carol doesn’t even mind sharing some of her garden bounty with opportunistic wildlife who make sorties from the deep woodlands behind her home.

“I just don’t like sharing with cabbage butterflies and slugs,” she said, with a laugh.

In addition to all the vegetables that she has managed toward maturation, Carol and her husband raised two children in this home. A tree fort is still intact. A swing set has since been transformed to new use, festooned with bird houses and feeders. As most people who hang around BBG long enough eventually come to experience, Carol was asked to volunteer. This was nearly a decade ago. She had retired from her job as a public school teacher. She said “Yes,” enthusiastically.

“Carol is one of our longstanding and super-dependable Volunteers,” said Lauretta Harris, president of the BBG Volunteer Association. “We can always count on her to lend a hand, and to join in the fun at BBG parties, often with her husband, Jim. And she graces the Garden with her wonderful floral wardrobe — she’s like a walking flower!”

Carol loves giving tours of Berkshire Botanical Garden. “People who come through are always nice,” Carol said. “I mean, what kind of crabby person would come on a garden tour? There’s nothing to not like. It’s a lot of fun — all of this.”

Youth Education

By Rachel Durgin

Traditions are integral to communities and help weave together individuals and groups of people across spaces and time. Traditions are also woven deeply into BBG’s Farm in the Garden Camp, a program that began more than 10 years ago.

What started as a small summer day camp has grown and evolved, and, in 2021, we started a new tradition by introducing week-long February and April school break vacation camps. Campers ages 5-10 explore the Garden, get their hands dirty and celebrate the season during a time when the campus is generally quiet, bringing the Garden alive again with the sound of laughter and life. Activities include tapping trees for sap, starting seedlings for our summer gardens and exploring the Garden. Julian Vallen, one of our veteran counselors, says, “As a counselor for the older age group, I expected the children to have outgrown activities we planned for the younger groups. However, I was surprised at their deep love for camp traditions. Even

as 10-year-olds, they happily built fairy houses and led the camp in traditional songs.” The love for these timeless activities speaks to the lifelong lessons we can provide and the values we can instill in our young stewards.

Many campers come to us with limited access to gardening outside the camp. Using BBG as our classroom, Farm in the Garden Camp works to connect each camper to the wider garden community with traditions like the farm stand and farm feast. These activities are camperled and help to foster social-emotional learning, creativity and problem-solving skills. Above all, they draw the focus to the community around them, whether helping others or creating a welcoming space to share a meal. BBG’s Assistant Camp Director Margaret Leahy says, “Community is a core value at camp. It’s incredible to see what these kids take away after just one week — the farm stand is framed as a community effort in which we work together towards the common goal of providing donations to underwrite a week of camp to other families who might not be able to

participate otherwise. Kids enjoy the fun aspects of running their farm stand and the idea that they’re helping others.”

At Farm in the Garden Camp, we work to create an accessible space for all children in every season. As we continue to grow and celebrate the Gardens’ seasons, we strive for each camper to keep the culture, traditions and community of Farm in the Garden Camp in their hearts, regardless of age.

February and April vacation camps, as well as summer camp, are now open for registration. For more information, please visit berkshirebotanical.org, or email Camp Director Rachel Durgin for details: rdurgin@berkshirebotanical.org.

2023 Camp Schedule:

February Day Camp

Feb. 21 through 24, 9 to 3 p.m.

April Day Camp

April 18 through 21, 9 to 3 p.m.

Farm in the Garden Summer Camp

June 26 through Aug. 18, 9 to 3 p.m.

Jason Danieley and Emily Skinner in A Little Night Music, 2022. Photo by Daniel Rader.

The Secret to Happiness

It’s that time of year when people make their resolutions for the New Year, and then spend the next few months beating themselves up because they didn’t lose weight, start exercising, clean out the garage, or follow through on other odious personal commitments.

Well, I have a better idea for you, one that will make you happy. Simply make a resolution that you will enjoy keeping!

I’ve done this, and I can tell you it works. For example, one year I simply resolved to have more fun. Kind of open ended, but even thinking about more ways to have fun always gave my mood a boost.

Another year, I resolved to become a volunteer, and that’s when I first got involved with Berkshire Botanical Garden. BBG has added so much pleasure and meaning to my life. I have met and made friends with some delightful people, both staff and Volunteers. I have used my skills and energy for good purpose in my community. And I can assure you, I’ve had lots of fun by being a real participant in the life of this amazing Garden.

So, I’m inviting you to make a resolution you will truly enjoy fulfilling. Become a Volunteer at BBG, and dig deeper into all the pleasures this exceptional Garden has to offer. There are many wonderful ways to be involved, and we’ll be delighted to help you find your perfect spot. Be a Tour Guide, a Gallery Docent, a Visitor Center Greeter, a hands-on Gardener, a Plant Sale helper, a special events assistant, an office or computer specialist — and more!

To learn more about volunteering at BBG, check out our Volunteer page on the BBG website (berkshirebotanical.org/volunteer) or contact May Beattie at mbeattie@berkshirebotanical.org. However you choose to be involved, you’ll add more joy to your life ... and feel good about a resolution you are happy to keep!

Sincerely, Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association

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

Become a Part of the Garden, from the Ground Up!

Membership is a wonderful way to honor the gardeners and garden-lovers in your life. Join or renew today!

Give the perfect gift: membership to Berkshire Botanical Garden! Our Membership levels provide a variety of benefits, including but not limited to: n Unlimited free admission to the Garden n Special members-only events n 10% discount at the Garden’s Visitor Center Gift Shop n Early buying privileges and 10% off all purchases at the annual Plant Sale n Free subscription to Cuttings, the Garden’s magazine n Advance notice and exclusive discounts on classes, lectures and workshops including Rooted in Place, Winter Lecture, and Farm in the Garden Camp n Free or discounted reciprocal admission to over 100 participating gardens, arboreta and conservancies throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean n Discounts on purchases at local and online nurseries, garden centers and retailers n Based on Membership level, benefits in NARM and ROAM reciprocal museum admission programs n Free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens Of course, the most important benefit is helping support a treasured community resource and our mission to educate and inspire the public about gardening and the preservation of our environment.

Memberships support the Garden while enriching lives!

Place your gift order today! Portrait photographer, professional level and corporate memberships are also available. Contact Mariah Baca, membership manager, mbaca@berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-4532 for more information.

Are you a BBG member with a story to tell? We love featuring members on our website and in Cuttings magazine. Call 413-320-4795 or email cuttings@berkshirebotanical.org.