Boston Flora

Monday, August 17, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm – Music Monday in Lucy’s Garden

Join Berkshire Botanical Garden among 24 whimsical topiaries for live music presented by local favorites as well as exciting new acts from outside the area. Bring a blanket and a picnic for an enjoyable evening soaking up some great tunes. Admission is free. Big Elm beer and non-alcoholic refreshments will be available for purchase.

On August 17, we warmly welcome The BTU’s performing rock, jazz, blues, and funk.

In accordance with state regulations, masks and online admission ticketing are required. Click here to register.

Dogs other than registered service animals, are not allowed on property or in the gardens.

Saturday & Sunday, August 15 & 16, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – Landscape Tour: The Historic Gardens of Castle Hill

Come explore the gardens and curated landscape of Castle Hill in Ipswich on August 15 and 16. Tours leave every hour on the half hour, last tour at 3:30 pm. This socially distanced outdoor tour of the grounds walks you through the history of the property, the thought behind the gardens and the Grand Allee, and how the Crane family interacted with it all.

Pricing is per family group – no more than 4 people per family. Masks required.

Tours are booked to coincide with a timed parking pass for Castle Hill, which is included in the cost. Your ticket for this tour includes up to 3 hours at Castle Hill (including your tour). Please plan to arrive at the Great House at the top of the hill at least 10 minutes early. Trustees Member carload $40, nonmembers $50. Register at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/northeast/event-56855.html

Saturday, September 12, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Eco-tour of Private Gardens in Rye, New York

The Ecological Landscape Alliance is sponsoring a tour of two responsibly landscaped gardens in Rye, New York on Saturday, September 12 from 4 – 6 pm. The tour will be professionally led by Green Jay Landscaping out of Rye.

Garden #1 is a New American Garden of Egalitarian Elegance. In the midst of habitat loss, it is a welcome relief to see evidence of landscapes that support pollinators and enhance biodiversity – all while providing a restful and rejuvenating space for humans. The image is Old World Tudor meets Contemporary Ecological Playscape at this Rye property.

Garden #2 (pictured below) is The Secret Garden of Celestial Happiness.

These gardens represent a complete landscape renovation. The private property of tour guide and landscape designer, Jay Archer. He refers to his own landscape as an ever-evolving project!

At the heart of this project was the complete removal of the entire backyard – formerly a large lawn.

As with all of Jay’s projects, this design is based in nature-based principles and is rich with habitat features that are anchored with native plant material. This garden is a model of biodiversity, resource conservation and is a pollinator paradise!

Features include:

A native plant garden with stone, gravel and mulched paths
A constructed fish pond, waterfall and stream
A unique wetland boardwalk

Design choices based upon ecological principles, plant selections, and maintenance practices are all critical elements in creating healthy ecosystems. As a landscape ecologist, Jay Archer has successfully combined all three elements and these two resulting landscapes are models of biodiversity and resource conservation.

Another key feature of healthy habitats is the way a property is maintained. Jay’s gardens are completely organically maintained for the health of people, pets, pollinators, and the planet.

Address and directions will be provided after registration. $33 for nonmembers of ELA, and a discount will be provided to ELA members. Sign up at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/eco-tour-private-gardens-in-rye-ny/

Friday, August 21, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Off-Site Field Study of Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King’s Nearly Native Garden in Claverack, New York

Berkshire Botanical Garden will offer an opportunity to tour a celebrated private garden and reflect on the intersection of traditional and regenerative horticulture and garden design. The August 21 event is led by garden and landscape designer Peter Bevacqua, who will highlight the creation of the wild “nearly native garden” and its role in their landscape. Learn how he worked with the existing flora to transform the space, and its continuing evolution. This magical garden, hidden from street view in the hamlet of Claverack, has been evolving with devotion and care for the past 30 years. This 2 ½ acre garden feels larger because of its division into many garden spaces designed with a careful eye to structure, form, and texture. One area unfolds upon the next with its own sense of individuality. Among the features are the sun garden (with topiary and architectural yew hedges), a hydrangea walk, the greenhouse herbaceous borders, and many unusual trees and shrubs. What was once a small orchard is becoming a conifer garden. A boxwood cloud hedge, inspired by the work of Jacques Wirtz, replaces an old rose border, and a border consisting primarily of shrubs and small trees meets the objective of horticultural interest while being low in maintenance. he ‘Nearly-native Garden’, with its thriving honey bee colony, adds another unique space to the mix. Garden designer

Peter Bevacqua has used his governing design principles of structure, form and texture to focus here on native plants, with support from non-natives, creating a unique plant community.

Gardener and landscape designer Peter Bevacqua honed his skills studying with Christopher Lloyd and Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter, and with Helen Dillon in her garden in Dublin. He came to this career after 25 years in advertising, where he was creative director in the New York office of aiglobal ad agency. He feels fortunate to have been able to combine his background in art and design with his life-long addiction to plants. His garden has been twice in the New York Times, a featured garden in The Gardens of the Hudson Valley by Monacelli Press, in the Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley, and the soon to be released Garden Design Master Class by Rizzoli. He lives and gardens in Claverack, New York.

$35 for BBG members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/site-field-study-peter-bevacqua-and-stephen-king%E2%80%99s-nearly-native-garden-claverack-new-york

Tuesday, August 25, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Elements of the Victorian Table, A Virtual Program

The Victorians used a lot of tableware for their meals, often much more than we do today. Etiquetteer Robert B. Dimmick and Gibson House Museum Curator Meghan Gelardi Holmes will use the museum’s collection to set an everyday table in the Gibson House dining room, highlighting things we don’t often use today. Sharing information about Victorian table manners and menus, they’ll explore the dining habits of the Gibson and Warren families and the roles played by servants. The virtual program is $10 for members of the Museum, $12 for nonmembers, and pre-registration is required at https://www.thegibsonhouse.org/events.html

Friday, August 21, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – The Role of Native Plant Cultivars in Landscape Design and Habitat Restoration Webinar

Native plant species are often recommended to provide optimal foraging and nesting habitats for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. The growing demand for native plants, coupled with the horticulture industry’s desire for plants with unique characteristics, has led to the increased breeding and availability of native cultivars or “nativars.” But do native cultivars provide the same valuable habitat as the straight native species? Dr. Annie White will share her field research on this topic and discuss the complex benefits and challenges of using both native species and native cultivars in landscape design. The Native Plant Trust webinar takes place August 21 from 1 – 2 and is $13 for NPT members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/role-native-plant-cultivars-landscape-design-and-habitat-restoration/

Wednesday, August 19, 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Great Garden Tours: Showstopper Perennials Across the US Webinar

Public gardens from different regions across the US share the perennials that make them stop and go “WOWSA!” Summer perennials will be shown in gorgeous combinations and unique landscapes while discussed by horticultural leaders from around the country. You just might be surprised what plants they are loving right now. Join us and prepare to be awestruck!

Presenters include:

Amanda Bennett, Atlanta Botanical Garden

Richie Steffen, Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden

Kelly Norris, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

Andy Brand, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Mary Tipping, The Scott Arboretum

This August 19 webinar is sponsored by the Perennial Plant Association , begins at 3 pm, and is $15 for PPA members, $45 for nonmembers. The event will be followed by a virtual happy hour from 5 – 5:45, $10 for PPA members, $20 for nonmembers. One must register for the webinar in order to register for the happy hour. Register at www.perennialplant.org.

Saturday, August 22, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Mytoi with Marc: Pruning 101

On Saturday, August 22 from 10 – 11:30, you’ll learn the art and science of pruning, overview basics, practice hands-on Niwaki pruning and take a special tour of Mytoi Garden on Chappaquiddick Island highlighting examples of various types of pruning in a wide variety of trees and shrubs. Led by MA certified arborist and horticulturalist Marc Fournier, this program sponsored by the Trustees. $25. Register at https://thetrustees.org/event/mytoi-with-marc-pruning-101/

Advanced ticket purchase required; limited capacity. Masks much be worn when entering and exiting the property or when distancing is not possible.

Wednesday, August 19, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Birding By Ear in the Garden

Hone your birding skills with naturalist Zach Adams. Birding by ear is an effective and exciting tool in bird identification. Join Zach at Berkshire Botanical Garden on August 19 at 5 pm, walk the grounds and learn to identify bird species by call and song. This in-person event is presented in collaboration with Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley. Space is limited, so register early.

Zach Adams has been studying birds since his childhood, when he fell in love with the sounds of wood ducks and redwing blackbirds in the marshes. He holds a BS in Environmental Science from Juniata College and has worked as an educator and program leader since the age of 16. From reptiles and amphibians to live birds of prey, he enjoys teaching on any topic in nature. Since November 2018, Zach has been a Teacher Naturalist for Mass Audubon’s Berkshire Sanctuaries, where he leads programs in birding, hiking, tracking and canoeing. He is passionate about ornithology and the opportunity to share his love for birds with everyone around him. Each bird song is a glimpse into a different world, and you’re bound to smile when you hear your first warbler sing.

Advance registration is required $12 for BBG members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/birding-ear-garden

Tuesday, August 11, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Garden Therapy: Tips for Reducing Stress, Improving Health, and Growing Gorgeous Gardens, Online

Kerry Mendez will speak in a Zoom presentation hosted by the Williamstown Garden Club on August 11 at 1 pm entitled Garden Therapy: Tips for Reducing Stress, Improving Health, and Growing Gorgeous Gardens. Topics will include remarkable plants, time-saving gardening products, and tools that benefit your health, as well as the well-being of the planet, while also beautifying your gardens. Visit www.williamstowngardenclub.org for more information.