Notes

Carol Ann Morley will give attendees a great start and share multiple ways to work with colored pencils. You will learn the art of color mixing and how to control your color choices to achieve harmony, depth and contrast. Gain an understanding of pencil techniques such as layering for blending smooth colors and ways to produce textures and patterns using sgraffito, impressed line, and burnishing to make different surfaces for petals, leaves, bark and more. Students of all levels are welcome. Cost is $275 members, $300 nonmembers.

• “Make Your Own Macrame Plant Hangers,” May 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come create an eco-friendly and natural macrame plant hanger that adds color and texture to your space, with local fiber artist Toula. In this workshop, soft recycled cotton fiber in pleasing neutral tones

Stress

CONTINUES FROM PAGE F2 out the process. Bring plants inside if rain or severe wind threatens during their outdoor time. No worries if there’s no shade in your garden. I harden my plants off under my patio table. Under a tree, shrub or row of hedges would work equally well. If you have none of those, shade plants with an umbrella or floating row cover.

If absolutely necessary, and as long as the weather isn’t hot, you can even plant your seedlings directly in the ground and harden them by covering each individually with a plastic, gallon-size milk container with its bottom and cap removed. Burying the bottom in a few inches of soil will hold the container in place, and you can water plants through the to create a cozy hanging home for 3 to 4-inch potted plants. Plant hangers will be made of a metal ring for added security. Cost is $35 members, $45 nonmembers.

For more information or to register for these programs, visit berkshirebotanical.org; Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road.

WEST SPRINGFIELD Luncheon, meeting

The annual luncheon and meeting of the Wilbraham Garden Club will be held at Storrowton Tavern on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition on June 1. Social hour will begin at 11:30 a.m., followed by the luncheon at noon. Contact Norma Banderra at 413-596-8173 for more information or to make reservations.

Send items for Garden Notes to pmastriano@ repub.com two weeks prior to publication.

pouring hole at the top. Remove the container for each day’s hardening-off session, setting it back into place and securing it into the soil afterward. Be aware that high temperatures and intense, direct sunlight may “cook” your plants, especially in Southern gardens, so gauge conditions and use your judgment before attempting this.

If you started plants in a greenhouse, they’ve already been growing in direct sunlight, so the process is abridged: Open the windows for a few hours each day for about a week, then move seedlings to a sheltered outdoor spot for two hours the first day and four hours the second day. After that, they should be good to go.

Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for The Associated Press. She publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter.