Daily Archives: July 26, 2011

Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Organic Fruit Trees in a Backyard

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Why not grow organic apples in the backyard? This Northeast Organic Farming Association workshop on Tuesday, August 16, from 6 – 8:30 pm, will go over how to plant and care for fruit trees using organic methods. After a pruning demonstration, John Bemis, from Hutchins Farm, will cover materials, varieties, rootstocks, as well as disease and pest management. He will be sure to touch on the likely challenges growers face and variable responses to those challenges. $25 NOFA members/$30 Non-members. The event will take place at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Boston.

John Bemis is a partner at Hutchins Farm in Concord, MA. He has been organically growing vegetables for over 35 years and currently oversees nine acres of apple trees. He studied agriculture and construction in Peru through the Peace Corps and has a degree from MIT in Architecture.

To register for the workshop or for more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org. Ulla Norup Milbrath’s Gravenstein apples below from www.ullam.typepad.com.

Saturday, August 20, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Hot Hydrangeas!

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Join White Flower Farm’s nursery manager, Barb Pierson, at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge, on Saturday, August 20 from 10 – noon, for an in-depth look at hydrangeas, one of the most beloved genus of flowering shrubs. With so many new varieties of hydrangeas available, how can you choose? Learn the differences between them, tips on growing and fertilizing, explore the new exciting ranges in flower color and panicle type and finally, learn the all-important information on how to prune. See White Flower Farm’s favorites, discover the latest information about hydrangea breeding programs and get a glimpse of what’s to come in the wonderful world of hydrangeas.  Below is hydrangea ‘Invincibelle.’

Barb Pierson is the nursery manager for the prestigious White Flower Farm Nursery located in Litchfield, Ct. She holds a degree in horticulture from Cornell University and has worked at WFF since 1998. She is a popular speaker at horticultural conferences and has appeared as a guest on TV and radio. She is quoted widely in the print media and was the lead horticultural resource for a 2010 New York Times garden series.  To register, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.  BBG members $22, nonmembers $27.