Daily Archives: May 26, 2025


Saturday, June 7, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Grass Menagerie

Grasses are an integral component of naturalistic plantings, the garden style popularized by New York City’s High Line and the “Dutch Wave.” But with names like Schizachyrium, Spodiopogon, and Hakonechloa, they can be bewildering to even experienced gardeners. Join plantsman Robert Clyde Anderson at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 4 p.m., for an overview of the most useful and beautiful species and cultivars for our climate, with an emphasis on their ecological value, distinguishing characteristics, and design possibilities. This three-hour session will include an illustrated lecture, handouts, and an on-site walkabout on the BBG grounds, as well as time for questions and shared experiences. BBG members $50, nonmembers $70. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/grass-menagerie

Robert Clyde Anderson is a garden designer, consultant and writer who found his way to the Hudson Valley after a New York City career in illustration and book design. A native of Louisiana and a lifelong gardener, he has designed and maintained gardens in Columbia County as well as working in area nurseries, most recently at Pondside Nursery in Hudson for five years and before that, at Loomis Creek Nursery in Claverack for eight years. Robert makes his home in Stuyvesant, where he maintains a two-acre “laboratory” garden that includes shrub borders, a sunny, terraced xeric garden, a shady, wooded streamside area, a moist meadow planting, a kitchen garden, and a small flock of chickens.


Wednesday, June 4, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Gardens on Film: The Most Filmed County in England, Online

Historic parks and gardens play a frequent – and frequently tantalizing – role in films and on TV. Where is the 18th century landscape that forms the background to scenes in Bridgerton? Which English country estate serves as Paris for both James Bond and Sherlock Holmes? Is that really a world heritage site being flooded for a scene in The Secret Garden?

Join The Gardens Trust on Wednesdays in May for behind-the-scenes at some of the locations used in costume dramas, children’s adventures, murder mysteries and much else. We’ll hear from a location manager on choosing the right gardens for shoots and from a garden historian on films in her own county, as well as the experience of three major players who regularly manage film crews in their historic landscapes – the National Trust, the Royal Parks and English Heritage. This ticket costs £35 for the full series of five talks or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8. To sign up, visit Eventbrite UK HERE. Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk.

Buckinghamshire has been described by VisitEngland as the ‘most filmed county in England’. The range of productions in which the county’s historic parks and gardens can be seen is certainly extraordinary, ranging from the perhaps predictable Midsomer Murders and a number of James Bond films, to the less expected, such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Home to 46 registered parks and gardens, including Stowe, West Wycombe and Cliveden, Buckinghamshire does have some fabulous material on which to draw. This June 4 talk will identify some of the many film locations across the county, and explore the featured gardens, along with some garden history and wider context to this county that’s always ready for its close-up.

Dr. Victoria Thomson’s professional background is in town planning and historic conservation, and her work has included stints in local and national government, a government agency, academia, and the third sector. Her personal and research interests are very much focused on historic parks and gardens, and particularly on their protection. A trustee of the Gardens Trust, and a member of the Buckinghamshire Gardens Trust, she’s been interested of late in how often her home county appears on screen.