Daily Archives: September 24, 2022

Tuesdays, October 4 – October 25, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Understanding Woody Plants

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Taught by Jenna O’Brien, this four-session Berkshire Botanical Garden course will focus on the bones of the garden with a survey of ornamental woody plants for residential landscape design. It will cover ornamental shrubs, small flowering trees, shade trees, and broadleaf and needle evergreens. Students will become familiar with the many garden-worthy woody plants that thrive in Zone 5. The course covers plant identification, selection, siting, cultivation, and possible design uses. Students should dress for outdoor field study. All students participating in this class as part of the Horticulture Certificate Program are required to complete a final project.  $185 for BBG members, $215 for nonmembers. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org

Jenna O’Brien, owner and founder of Viridissima Horticulture & Design since 2003, has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. She specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care and estate garden and conservatory management.

Saturday, October 1, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon – Plants That Pay Their Way

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Resources and time in the garden are limited, so choosing plants that offer more than one attractive feature is a smart strategy. ​​In this October 1 Berkshire Botanical Garden class, we will discuss the best plants for late and multi-season interest and their application in the landscape. Perennials and shrubs don’t have to be done doing their job once their blooms have gone. We will explore perennials that have stunning seed heads, grasses that always offer interest and shrubs that provide berries after their blooms. The class is $20 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plants-pay-their-way

Robert Clyde Anderson found his way to the Hudson Valley after a New York City career in illustration and book design. A native of Louisiana, he is a lifelong gardener and has designed and maintained gardens in nearby Columbia County as well as serving as right-hand man for eight years at the former Loomis Creek Nursery in Claverack, N.Y. From 2012 to 2017, Robert served as creative director for Pondside Nursery in Hudson, N.Y., where he helped launch the business and was the buyer for perennials, annuals, tropicals, and hard goods. He continues to serve as a client consultant and writes about plants and gardening on his personal blog, Sempervivum, at robertclydeanderson.com.

Thursday, September 29, 5:00 am – The 19th Century Garden – The Wild Garden: William Robinson and Alfred Parsons, Online

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The Gardens Trust six part series of lectures on the Victorian Garden continues on September 29 with an online talk by Caroline Ikin on The Wild Garden: William Robinson and Alfred Parsons. The gardener and journalist William Robinson gave voice to the movement towards informality in gardens in the second half of the nineteenth century, promoting the embellishment of woodland to add interest and color, and the creation of naturalized wildflower meadows. His advice was underpinned by the principle of positioning plants in situations where they would naturally flourish. The idea of wild gardening was not concerned with a return to nature; although endorsing the use of wildflowers, Robinson also promoted the introduction of hardy exotics. Art still triumphed over nature in the wild garden, as exemplified in Robinson’s manifesto The Wild Garden, first published in 1870. Subsequent editions included nearly a hundred illustrations by Alfred Parsons, an artist and garden designer, many of them depicting plants from Robinson’s own garden at Gravetye in Sussex. This lecture will assess the impact of Robinson’s and Parson’s contribution to garden theory, through an examination of their writing, art and garden design.

Dr Caroline Ikin is a Curator at the National Trust, with a portfolio including the gardens at Standen and Nymans. She has previously worked for the Gardens Trust and is a writer specializing in nineteenth century art, architecture and gardens. Caroline is author of The Victorian Garden (Bloomsbury, 2012), The Victorian Gardener (Bloomsbury, 2014) and The Kitchen Garden (Amberley, 2017), and regularly contributes book and exhibition reviews to various publications. Her PhD thesis examined the designed landscape created by John Ruskin at Brantwood. £5 each or all 6 for £30. Register on Eventbrite HERE.