Experience the intersection of architecture, history and landscape in the evocative paintings of award-winning artist and author Adam Van Doren. Trained as an architect at Columbia University, Van Doren brings a profound understanding of form and design to his impressionistic oil and watercolor paintings, capturing the poetic beauty of historic buildings situated within their natural surroundings from New York to Rome. Van Doren’s work celebrates the dialogue between the built environment and the landscape, translating his love of old buildings into detailed compositions of a particular place, illuminated by strokes of color.
The exhibition at Berkshire Botanical Garden runs June 6 – August 23 in the Leonhardt Galleries. Opening reception is Friday, June 5, 5-7 p.m.
Experience Berkshire Botanical Garden’s second annual Drawing on the Land design symposium at the breathtaking Rockland Farm, in Canaan, N.Y, on Saturday, June 13, from 1 to 5 p.m. (including a tour of the garden). Spend an afternoon immersed in landscape creativity as two distinguished designers share their perspectives, followed by an insightful panel discussion. The day concludes with a guided tour of the gardens at the height of their June beauty followed by a wine reception. Whether you’re a professional designer or an inspired enthusiast, this program will spark new ideas and deepen your connection to design in the natural world.
Featured speaker Preston Montague, PLA, ASLA, is a landscape architect and artist working to strengthen relationships between people and the natural world. His environmental design studio deploys art, horticulture and landscape architecture in the service of building places that have meaning and ecological depth. When not in studio, Preston enjoys teaching landscape architecture at North Carolina A&T State University and hiking the wilder places. https://www.prestonmontague.com. He will speak on Designing for the Experience: Composition in Practice. Choreographing experiences with designed plantings is a feat of art, science, and will. The old adage of “right plant, right place” applies to plant survivability of course, but can also apply to the way we arrange plants to encourage particular reactions from visitors. There’s an art to the design of an experience, and there are also simple tactics that can hasten decision-making and help organize a design process. For landscape architect Preston Montague, those tactics come from composition he learned from an earlier practice as an artist. Join Preston for an examination of planting design strategies he deploys in his studio that are rooted in principles of composition.
The next featured speaker is Tony Spencer, the Canadian writer, photographer, blogger, and planting designer behind The New Perennialist. He is recognized and published internationally in the world of naturalistic garden design. In 2024, Tony won his second top Landscape Design Award of Excellence from the U.S.-based Perennial Plant Association (PPA). He was also named PPA Garden Media Promoter of the year along with a 2024 Silver Medal for Social Media from GardenComm. Day to day, Tony is a puckish ringleader for the naturalistic movement with over 100,000 followers on his various social media channels. He travels extensively to gardens and symposiums in his primary role as a communicator, documenter and sharer of ideas for this movement. Tony is currently at work on an upcoming book for Timber Press with a publishing date of 2027. www.thenewperennialist.com
Tony’s presentation is Wildscaping: Explorations in Naturalistic Planting Design. In the post-wild countryside of Ontario, Canada, Tony Spencer is conducting a series of open experiments to combine naturalistic planting design with Blue-Green Infrastructure into a fluid ecological art form. Working on the local level, he cultivates his universal concept of Wildscaping. This is about using plant-driven landscape design to create and sustain dynamic garden spaces, filled with beauty and wildlife, to rekindle our relationship to the natural world. The focus of this talk is how to link home to landscape in a symbiotic loop to build new nature and adapt to the inevitable extremes of the new climate.
This Berkshire Botanical Garden exhibition at the Leonhardt Gallery showcases Jenine Shereos’ ongoing dialogue with plants and the natural world. Visitors will encounter her dreamlike photographs of floral installations created in France, alongside textiles woven from yarn she hand-dyed using local plants and lichens. Also featured are her intricately crafted leaves stitched entirely with human hair. Shereos, who lives in the Berkshires, is Assistant Professor of Fibers at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Exhibition hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, daily. For more information visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/leonhardt-galleries-2026
Step into a world where clay becomes living form in Grand Gesture: Monumental Vessels in the Garden, an exhibition at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Mass., featuring the striking sculptures of Vermont-based ceramicist Stephen Procter. Placed throughout the Garden, Procter’s works turn simple materials into forms that feel both grounded and expressive.
The exhibition runs May 16 through October. A public reception will be held on Friday, May 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. Garden hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily.
Procter’s large vessels — some weighing up to 250 pounds and standing as tall as five feet — are both monumental and approachable, inviting reflection and a personal response. As physical objects, they draw the eye and shape the spaces around them; as sculptures, they carry a calm, steady presence. Reflecting on the meaning behind the exhibition’s title, Procter explains that a “grand gesture” goes beyond scale. “More important is the inspiration that motivates and justifies the scale. The animating impulse often includes some mixture of generosity, expansiveness, gratitude, compassion, awe, and love,” he says.
Set within the changing environment of the Garden, the works shift over time. “In the Garden, the vessels are constantly changing,” Procter notes. “The surfaces, even unglazed, subtly reflect light. Shadows of leaves play on them, they shine in rain … and take on moss patina over time.”
Procter describes his practice as “a long-term investigation into the mystery of form,” exploring how gesture and volume can evoke emotional responses. Visitors may find themselves forming unexpected connections with the sculptures. According to Procter, the vessels communicate in a non-verbal language that reaches beyond the intellect: “Their mode of communication bypasses the realm of the intellect and goes directly to something deeper.” If they could speak, he adds, “they might be, ‘Be here now. I am with you.’” In addition to the outdoor installation, smaller, classically inspired works by Procter will be on view in the Leonhardt Galleries.
After decades of refining his craft, Procter still finds each installation moment meaningful. “We set it down, and so often someone in the party exclaims words I love to hear: ‘It looks like it has always been here!’”
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 49th annual Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale will be held on May 8, 9 and 10, coinciding with the second annual SpringFest on May 9. This event marks a significant celebration of plants, play and community, with proceeds supporting the Garden’s horticulture and education programs. The sale will feature a diverse selection of perennials, annuals, herbs, and vegetables, all designed to promote nature-based landscaping and attract pollinators.
Traditionally held on Mother’s Day weekend, the Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale began in 1977 as BBG’s harbinger of spring for gardeners in the Berkshires and beyond. This year’s sale continues the tradition of offering the most robust plants for landscape and container gardens, along with a wide selection of organic vegetable and herb plants. Featured are a selection of plants that attract bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. As always, the popular “Ask Me” staff and volunteers will be on hand to provide expert advice.
While the plant sale fills the grounds with gardening excitement, SpringFest brings an added layer of festivity on Saturday, May 9 — a full day of family fun with free admission from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A celebration of the season and of community, SpringFest features food trucks and enough children’s activities to keep the youngest visitors happily busy for hours. Little ones can enjoy a petting zoo, pony rides, face painting, classic lawn games, and more. A traditional Maypole dance adds a whimsical, old-world flourish to the day’s lineup.
Garden members receive early buying privileges and a discount on BBG plant purchases. To become a member, visit BerkshireBotanical.org. Garden members enjoy early buying hours on Friday, May 8, from 9 to 11 a.m., with the sale opening to the general public from 11 to 4 p.m. Weekend hours continue Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and 10 (from 9 to 4 p.m. both days). Free parking will be available to all.
Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, Mass. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org for more information.
Berkshire Botanical Garden is pleased to host the New England Chapter of the American Primrose Society and the Berkshire Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society for their joint meeting and judged primrose show on May 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. BBG values its long-standing relationship with both groups and is honored to provide a home for this annual spring event.
The New England Chapter’s Primula Show will take place in BBG’s Leonhardt Galleries. The program includes two free presentations by Jodie Mitchell, owner of the world-renowned Barnhaven Primroses, in France. Since taking over the nursery from her parents in 2019, Jodie has continued Barnhaven’s 90-year, six-generation history. Her talks — “Auriculas and Other Rock Garden Primulas: How to Grow, Propagate and Create Your Own Varieties” and “Barnhaven Primroses: Ninety Years of Passion and Survival” — will offer both practical information and background on the nursery’s development.
Although primroses have been viewed historically as symbols of protection and healing (Druids, Celts and Norse celebrated the primrose as a sacred and mystical flower), this gathering focuses on the practical side of gardening. Attendees will view judged displays, exchange plants, purchase new varieties, and learn more about growing primula.
The event also includes a guided tour of BBG’s grounds with Director of Horticulture Eric Ruquist, highlighting the primrose area of the Woodland Garden and the Foster Rock Garden. (Chapter members only).
Overall, the day reflects BBG’s ongoing partnership with the two societies and its commitment to supporting the regional gardening community.
Admission: FREE for chapter members and BBG members.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden takes great pleasure to announce the 2026 Fête des Fleurs: Garden Disco to be held Saturday, July 11, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
With light shimmering among the blooms, groovy music filtering through the gardens and scrumptious food served under a festive tent, this year’s Fête will capture the playful spirit of the season. Whether you find yourself exploring our gardens at peak bloom, showing off your fancy floral hat (a Fête tradition!), or boogieing among the flowers, this will be a celebration designed to highlight the beauty of the Garden and the community that supports it.
The funds raised at this year’s celebration support everything we do at Berkshire Botanical Garden — from caring for 24 acres of gardens and natural spaces to welcoming thousands of visitors and offering educational programs for our community. If you’re unable to attend, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to support the Garden and help it continue to grow and inspire. Donate here!
Thank you to the committee members for helping to create this wonderful event: Brett DeRocker, Frank Muytjens and Scott Cole, Lainie Grant and Matthew Larkin, Lauretta Harris, Madeline and Ian Hooper, Joanna Miller, Linda O’Connell, Anne Steward, and Kathleen Zutter.
Thank you to corporate sponsor Classical Tents, and for generous in-kind donations from Qualprint, Berkshire Mountain Distillers, and Antimony Brewing.
Learn how to create a thriving, productive kitchen garden at the Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to noon. Tracy Hayhurst, owner of Undermountain Pantry, leads this hands-on class where you’ll learn how to design a garden that fits your space, climate and culinary goals. Tracy will guide you through choosing the best site, selecting seeds and seedlings, preparing and enriching your beds, and establishing a maintenance routine that keeps your garden flourishing. You’ll also explore strategies for succession planting to ensure a steady harvest throughout the entire season. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your garden skills, this class gives you the practical knowledge and confidence to grow fresh, delicious produce right outside your door.
Tracy Hayhurst began her culinary training in the late 1990s, attending Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland. In 2002, she co-founded Chubby Bunny Farm in Falls Village, Conn. In 2015, she returned to the kitchen in her dual role as chef and community outreach director at Plantin’ Seeds, connecting farmers and the community through meals that highlighted the best of the season. Her passion for sharing both farming and cooking led her to Husky Meadows Farm, first as farm manager and then as culinary director for Husky Meadows’ Seed and Spoon Culinary Farm Stay programming. In 2024 Tracy founded Undermountain Pantry, a farm to table cooking school with its own sourdough micro-bakery and kitchen gardens.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden exhibit features over 40 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures created through Community Access to the Arts’ year-round workshops serving children, teens and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Works were inspired by the vibrant plants, herbs and flowers found at Berkshire Botanical Garden, as well as by the beautiful natural landscapes found across the Berkshires. Each piece was created by artists with disabilities through CATA arts programs at disability agencies, day habilitation programs and schools across our community, as well as in CATA’s studios in Great Barrington.
Opening reception is Friday, March 6, 3 to 5 p.m.
Works are professionally matted, framed and available for sale, with proceeds supporting commissions for the individual artists.
Exhibition hours, through March 29, are Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Annual Bulb Show returns to the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse now through March 20, from 9 – 4. Creating this burst of color begins quietly in late summer, when our horticulture staff selects and orders the season’s bulbs. Planting begins in the fall in the Lexan Greenhouse — tulips first, then daffodils and finally the smaller bulbs that round out the collection.
From there, the bulbs spend weeks in cool rooms beneath the Center House, where temperatures remain close to 42°F to simulate winter. Tulips need about 15 weeks of chilling, daffodils 12, and grape hyacinths 10. Staggered planting ensures a steady succession of blooms throughout the month-long show.
As their chilling period ends, the bulbs move back to the Lexan Greenhouse to “wake up.” Over several weeks they send up shoots, leaf out and eventually burst into color. Before they’re displayed in the Fitzpatrick Conservatory, each pot is topped with moss, pine needles or nut shells, and the display team adds finishing touches, including succulents, branches, even small stumps, to create depth and contrast.
When the show opens, the conservatory becomes a bright, fragrant haven. Its intimate scale invites visitors to lean in close for a fully immersive, “face-in-flowers” moment. For more information visit https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/bulb-show-2026
