Join other enthusiasts in great conversation while immersed in the beauty of the Garden at Elm Bank. The Massachusetts Horticultural Society Book Club meets monthly at 1:30 in the Putnam Building, 900 Washington Street. On May 16, the book to be discussed is Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws. To join the list, visit www.masshort.org.
Come to Berkshire Botanical Garden on May 7 at 3 pm and explore the most popular of natural dyes, INDIGO. From India to Japan to Greece, indigo has been the foundation of century-old textile traditions. Maggie Pate will begin this class with a brief introduction to indigo and then give a demonstration of how the magic of indigo works. Bring your own fiber and dye with our indigo vats. The purpose of this class is for students to repurpose old items, cover up stained pieces or create something original with new purchases. Each student will be asked to bring their own natural fiber items from home – up to 4 pieces. No large items like towels or bedding as it will use up all the indigo.
Maggie Pate is the designer and purveyor of Nåde. She began her career in fashion modeling internationally then retired to work for a label in New York City. Her work in textiles is a cross-section that explores the synthesis of textures, repetition and geometry. It forms a poetic visual language that ignites the potential of figurative rhythm – a visual synesthesia; where shapes, colors and mood transform into a kaleidoscopic canvas. The last few years, her focus has shifted to cultivating a 100% sustainable and eco-friendly studio by capturing color with predominantly food waste collected from local restaurants and farms.
BBG members $25, nonmembers $30. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/bring-your-own-indigo
Saturated colors, intricate patterns, striking architecture: Umberto Pasti’s house and garden in Tangier is the ultimate example of a well-curated Moroccan villa. Set in a lush hillside garden filled with the native flora of northern Morocco, the house offers glimpses of the serene landscapes and fountains through windows, archways and loggias, as well as Pasti’s scholarly collection of tiles and rare textiles from Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe.
In this Garden Conservancy online talk on May 4 at 2 pm Eastern time, writer Umberto Pasti and photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo will talk about their latest book, The House of a Lifetime and explore the subjects of Jbala Berbers, Northern Moroccan flora, and its influence on Moroccan art. $5 for Garden Conservancy members $15 for nonmembers. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org
Umberto Pasti graduated in philosophy of history in his native Milano. After traveling extensively in North Africa and the Middle East, nearly forty years ago he bought a place in Tangier. Now he lives between Milano, Tangier, and Rohuna, a small village on the Atlantic Coast of Northern Morocco. He is a writer, a gardener, and a garden designer. He has published several books, A House of a Lifetime, about his home in Tangier, is published in January 2023.
Ngoc Minh Ngo is a New York-based photographer and author of three books, Bringing Nature Home: Floral Arrangements Inspired by Nature; In Bloom: Creating and Living with Flowers, and Eden Revisited: A Garden in Northern Morocco, all published by Rizzoli. Her work has been the subject of solo shows at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech and Wave Hill Public Garden and Cultural Center in the Bronx, New York. Ngoc received the Land Place Spirit Award from Longhouse Reserve in 2022.
