Kick off the holiday season at Berkshire Botanical Garden with a night of creativity, connection and seasonal beauty. In this hands-on workshop on Friday, Nov. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. Hilary Collingwood of Moonflower Farm will guide you step-by-step in designing a stunning Thanksgiving centerpiece. Whether you’re hosting dinner or simply want to bring a little autumn magic into your home, you’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind arrangement — and the skills to make more. All vessels and plant materials are provided. $90 for BBG members, $110 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/thanksgiving-centerpiece-workshop
If you have visited the legendary Gallery of Wreaths at the Berkshire Botanical Garden Holiday Marketplace, you may have wondered how wreath designers create their botanical masterpieces and whether you can craft your own. This three-hour program on your choice of Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or Sunday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will combine a classroom introduction with guided hands-on practice using 14-inch balsam wreath forms, after which you will take home your own decorated holiday wreath. Chris Ferrero will lead this class, starting with a slide program introducing principles, techniques and creative ideas. Then participants will be assigned workstations in the same studio used by BBG’s wreath designers, several of whom will be on hand to help you select materials and practice optimal construction skills. Experience with a hot glue gun is recommended. The wreath below is a creation of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, and if you can’t participate in the BBG workshop you may wish to order one at https://bostonflora.com/
Please register here for Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Please register here for Sunday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Rooted in Place will take place on Sunday, November 9 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Berkshire Waldorf High School in Stockbridge. This year the dynamic symposium invites nature lovers, gardeners, farmers, educators, and environmental stewards to explore the intersection of culture and biodiversity — and how stories, seeds and land connect us all. Lunch is included.
Keynote Speaker: Abra Lee — Cultivating the Untold Stories of Black Gardeners and Growers Horticulturalist, author, and storyteller Abra Lee will headline the symposium with a keynote address that brings to life the often-overlooked history of Black Americans in horticulture. Drawing on her forthcoming book, Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country’s Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers (Timber Press), Lee will share riveting narratives — from one of the first Black plant shop owners of the Roaring Twenties to a true tale of espionage with roots in the Harlem Renaissance. Lee, a Georgia native with a degree in ornamental horticulture from Auburn University, has made it her mission to unearth and amplify these hidden histories, connecting cultural heritage to ecological legacy.
Other featured speakers and presenters are K Greene of Hudson Valley Seed Company, Kevin West, whose latest book The Cook’s Garden (Knopf) celebrates the edible joys of homegrown abundance, Sandrine Harris of Emergent Nature, and a screening of Farming While Black,.
Bring your garden designs to life through rendering — a vital drawing skill that adds depth, detail and visual impact to your work. This four-week Berkshire Botanical Garden hands-on course, on Saturdays, Nov. 1 to 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., is ideal for garden designers ready to move beyond basic drafting. Taught by Tom Smith of Springfield Technical Community College, the class focuses on developing lifelike visual representations that help communicate design concepts clearly and persuasively. With the class structured as a studio workshop, students will explore the artistic side of landscape design using B-range pencils and techniques like illustrative rendering, including sections, elevations, and plan obliques. Whether you’re a budding designer or a creative gardener, this class will sharpen your visual communication skills. Completion of Drafting for Garden Design or equivalent coursework is a prerequisite. BBG members $215, nonmembers $240. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/rendering-0
Mark your calendars for the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Harvest Festival, October 11 and 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During these two days, the 24-acre Garden undergoes a remarkable transformation into a vibrant hub for the celebration of community, the natural world and our agricultural heritage. Offering an array of family-friendly activities, live music and a wide selection of regional artisan food and crafts vendors, the Harvest Festival has been a beloved tradition in the Berkshires for generations.
Children’s activities include pony rides; a haunted house; the ever-popular obstacle course; a hay maze, hay jump and hay rides; face painting; a cider press and photo op; plus roving entertainment including interactive music with Robie Bones.
The event is also a prime shopping opportunity with 50 craft vendors, a giant tag sale and the “Accessorize” pop-up shop, offering gently used clothing, jewelry, hats, scarves, and housewares. The Horticulture Tent will offer garden books and tools, bulbs, mums, pumpkins, and other plants for sale.
Admission to the Harvest Festival is $15 for adults; children under 12 are admitted free. https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/harvest-festival-2025. There is no charge for parking in the Garden’s adjacent fields. Dogs (with the exception of registered service dogs) are not permitted. ATMs will be available on-site.
Discover the magic of oxymels with Nicole Irene of The Enchanted Altar Apothecary in this engaging, hands-on workshop on Saturday, October 25, from 1 to 3 p.m. Oxymels — traditional herbal remedies made from raw vinegar and honey — have been used for centuries to boost immunity, ease inflammation, aid digestion, and support the body’s natural balance. In this Berkshire Botanical Garden immersive class, you’ll learn how to craft nourishing blends using fresh and dried herbs, produce, botanical-infused vinegars, and raw local honey. We’ll explore the healing properties of plants, the folklore and seasonal wisdom behind them, and how to create remedies that align with the rhythms of nature. You’ll leave with custom-made oxymels, recipes and the knowledge to carry this beautiful tradition into your daily wellness routine.
As the leaves ignite in fiery reds, golden yellows and rich siennas, Berkshire Botanical Garden becomes a living canvas — just waiting to be captured in paint. Join acclaimed artist Pat Hogan for a six-week immersion into the art of autumn, where you’ll learn to mix the season’s signature hues, explore the power of a limited palette, and master techniques like glazing with transparent pigments to bring glowing depth to your work. Each session invites you to slow down, observe, and draw inspiration from the garden’s ever-changing tapestry. Whether you’re new to painting or looking to deepen your skills, this class is a colorful celebration of nature’s most dramatic season.
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. $215 for BBG members, $240 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 25 years. She specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care and estate garden and conservatory management.
Join Berkshire artist and writer Suzi Banks Baum in Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Mother Earth Lodge for a hands-on art workshop on Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will harvest from the grounds of BBG just as the gardens reach their glorious peak of color. Expect to immerse yourself in the world of natural dyes and make intimate rituals of floral art. You will depart with a beautiful handbound book to inspire your creative practice. Along with harvesting and preparation of dyes, participants will be offered a daily centering meditation and writing prompts. A short materials list will be provided upon registration. There will be a materials fee of $15 per person, payable on the day of the workshop. Participants should bring an apron and their lunch.
Suzi Banks Baum is a protector of imagination, nurturer of attention and devotee to the handmade. Her work dwells at the crossroads of literary and visual art. She creates fresh traditions through the ceremony of daily creative practice. An award-winning author of creative nonfiction and a national workshop leader of book art, Suzi brings an embodied approach to artistic expression with deep respect for land and community.
The winter garden is truly a low-maintenance affair — no weeding, no watering and no dead-heading. The winter landscape may be quiescent, but the garden need not be bleak. Plants with brightly colored berries, twigs, stems, foliage, and even winter-blooming flowers shrug off the snow and cold. They bring cheer, even as the sun enters Capricorn.
Landscape horticulturist Warren Leach, and author of the new book from Timber Press Plants for the Winter Garden, will showcase gardens he has designed that celebrate the winter season as well as planting design ideas for your own garden on Saturday, September 20, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Berkshire Botanical Garden (Book signing to follow the talk)
For more than 35 years, Warren Leach has been creating beautiful landscapes throughout New England as well as making captivating and educational display gardens as co-owner of Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth, R.I., a specialty nursery that is a prominent grower of daylilies, iris and distinctive perennials and woody plants.
