Boston Flora

Tag: Berkshire Botanical Garden

  • Saturday, January 22, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Beekeeping for Gardeners

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop, to be held Saturday, January 22 from 9 – 12,  is for everyone with an interest in honeybees and beekeeping. Learn how to start a honey bee colony, the seasonal management required to keep a healthy hive of bees and the role of pollinators and their relationship to flowering plants. Topics provide an overview of the beekeeper’s job, and will help new beekeepers, or those who are considering becoming a beekeeper, to make the correct choices starting a backyard apiary. Equipment and tools used by the beekeeper will be discussed and step by step instructions for starting a new colony of bees will be covered. At the end of the workshop participants should have a solid understanding of how to successfully begin as a new beekeeper.

    Dan Conlon owns Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. Warm Colors maintains bee yards in western Mass for honey production, and provides pollination services on area farms. As a full-time beekeeper, concerned with the decline of all bees, Dan focuses on management that improves Queen development & health, colony nutrition, and reduces the environmental risks threatening bees. He is President of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association, and was recognized as the Eastern Apicultural Society’s 2004 Beekeeper of the Year, and the Massachusetts 2005 Beekeeper of the Year.

    $37 BBG members, $45 non members. Call 413-298-3926, or email info@berkshirebotanical.org for more information.

  • Saturday and Sunday, January 15 & 16, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Illustration

    Brighten up winter with a colored pencil illustration class at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, Stockbridge, on Saturday and Sunday, January 15 and 16, from 10 – 4. Create a still life of flowers, fruits or vegetables on black paper. This colored pencil technique enables students to achieve a dramatic effect with a deep black background in contrast to the rich bright colors of flowers, fruits and vegetables, resulting in a pleasing still life that glows. Basic colored pencil techniques are taught the first day as well as how to mix colors for light and shade. Beginning students will work on a small study and advanced on to a larger rendering. Work from color photos or bring a variety of flowers, fruits and vegetables to draw.

    Carol Ann Morely is a professional illustrator and dedicated teacher of botanical illustration working in Dover, N.H. She founded the Botanical Art Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden. She currently teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, and the Institute of Ecological Studies. BBG members $150, nonmembers $175. Call 413-298-3926, or email info@berkshirebotanical.org.  Illustration from Decor Arts Now.

  • Saturday, November 20, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm – Woodland Terrarium Workshop

    Create a mini-woodland garden gem to enjoy during the long winter months at this Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop on Saturday, November 20, from 11 – 1, with Elisabeth Cary. Participants will design and construct woodland terrariums using native woodland plants including moss, maiden hair spleenwort ferns (Asplenium trichomanes), downy rattlesnake orchid (Goodyera pubescens) and evergreen ground cover (Gaulteria procumbens or Mitchella repens). You will come away with an understanding of these native plants, their natural histories, life cycles and cultivation requirements. Although all these plants can be found in the woods, students will be using plant material that has been grown by a reliable nursery source. $50 for BBG members, $55 for non-members. Bring garden glove and hand pruners. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926.

    Elisabeth Cary is Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been making terrarium for many years. She is a home gardener and specializes in woody plants, mixed border and vegetable gardening. She is a great lover of nature and when she isn’t in her garden she can be found in the surrounding woods.

  • Saturday, November 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Hardwood and Evergreen Propagation

    Join Adam Wheeler, woody plant propagation specialist of Broken Arrow Nursery for a workshop focusing on hardwood and evergreen propagation, on Saturday, November 13, from 10 am – 12 noon at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This workshop will cover collecting, preparing and propagating evergreens and other woody plants by cuttings. Set at the best time of the year for collecting, participants will learn techniques needed for insuring successful rooting. Cultivation requirements, timing and care of easily propagated varieties will also be covered. Take home a selection of “cool” plant material in a simple propagator.

    Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, Ct. a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants, especially kalmias. He teaches wood plant propagation workshops throughout New England. $40 BBG members, $45 non-members. Log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Saturday, November 6, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Crazy, Mixed-up Border

    This kitchen sink approach to garden making welcomes representatives from every realm of the plant kingdom including trees, shrubs, annuals, tropicals, edibles and perennials. No leaf is left unturned in this search for the best and brightest of forms, foliage and flowers, which are then combined to create garden vignettes whose beauty lasts from spring through fall. The crazy, mixed up border also relies on artful garden framework, inspiration in geometry, contributions of thoughtful hardscape and consideration of a well kept edge. This is a gardening style that celebrates change and experimentation.  Enjoy this Berkshire Botanical Garden lecture on Saturday, November 6, from 10 am – 12 noon.  The cost is $20 for BBG members and $25 for non-members.  You may register at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    Steve Silk is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has worked for at the Hartford Courant, and Fine Gardening magazine. His photography has garnered two Garden Writers of America awards for best portfolio. He collaborated with Sydney Eddison on several projects, is past President of the Connecticut Hardy Plant Society and is the President of the Connecticut Horticultural Society.

  • Saturday, October 30, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Greening with Moss Workshop

    Learn all about moss and how to use this wonderful plant in the home setting at this Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop on Saturday, October 30, from 2 – 4. Moss has become increasingly popular for use in shady areas of gardens instead of grass or ground cover. It can be used indoors as well; for decoration and as a way to bring the woodland inside for the winter months. Learn how to use this fascinating plant in terrariums, at the base of potted plants, for creating wreaths and even as moss covered garden table. This workshop will cover the collecting, care and conditions of working with moss either dry or wet as well as growing your own moss. Participants will construct a beautiful moss wreath and decorate it with bits of the outdoors.

    Marlene Marshall is a painter/collage artist, arts educator, designer, and author of Making Bits and Pieces Mosaics (Storey, 1998), Shell Chic (Storey 2002) and Woodland Style (Storey 2010). She frequently teaches at museums, and art schools along the East Coast. Marshall has appeared on both the Home and Garden and DIY networks. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries and museum shops throughout North America. She lives and teaches in Sheffield, MA.  All materials are included in the cost of the workshop, which is $40 for BBG members and $45 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413 -298-3926.

  • Saturday, October 30, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Energy-Wise Landscape Design

    Learn how to design your landscape so it saves energy and contributes to a healthier environment. Join Sue Reed, a landscape architect with 23 years of experience in ecological design, at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Saturday, October 30, from 10 – 12, for a practical presentation that will help you: lower your home’s heating and cooling costs, minimize fuel used in your landscape construction, and consider maintenance and everyday living products and materials with lower embedded energy costs. Our landscapes are full of opportunities to reduce our consumption of energy. Most of them involve little or no cost, and some will actually save you money.

    Sue Reed is a registered landscape architect who has helped hundreds of homeowners create comfortable, livable and beautiful landscapes that save energy. She has worked in western Massachusetts for nearly 25 years, including twelve years as an instructor at the Conway School of Landscape Design. Her new book, Energy-Wise Landscape Design, was published in April 2010 by New Society Publishers and her recent article, “Sustainable Landscape,” appears in Volume II of the new Encyclopedia of Sustainability from Berkshire Publishing.  The lecture will cost $20 for BBG members, $25 for non-members, and you may register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Saturday, October 23, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Ornamental Grasses with Robert Herman

    The stature, movement and rustling of grasses make them a unique group of plants for the garden. Join horticulturist and educator Rob Herman at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Saturday, October 23, from 10 – noon, to discover the reasons for using grasses, how to place them and how to select the right grasses for any garden. Explore the beautiful grasses, some known and some relatively unknown, for every habitat from sunny, dry locations to wet shady spots. This program is designed for both gardeners new to gardening with grass as well as experts in the field.

    Robert Herman has over 25 years of experience as a professional horticulturist and educator, including seven years in Europe as “Meister” for Countess von Zeppelin Nursery in Germany. He has worked for the Missouri Botanical Garden and as the Director of Horticulture for White Flower Farm. He was recently awarded the 2010 Teaching Award from the American Horticultural Society.  $20 for BBG members, $25 for non-members.  You may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Tuesdays, October 19, October 26 , & November 2, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Sogetsu Ikebana with Kaye Vosburgh

    Sogetsu Ikebana is an internationally recognized school of Japanese flower arranging.  In these Tuesday classes, to be held at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts from October 19 – November 2, you will learn the essentials of this venerable art from Garden Club of the Back Bay member Kaye Vosburgh.  Kaye has, for many years, exhibited and taught Sogetsu Ikebana in Massachusetts, New York, several other states, and three foreign countries. Sogetsu Ikebana is the art of flower arranging in which nature and humanity are brought together. Using creative expression within certain rules of construction learn how to shape living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms into a simple but elegant floral design. Learning how to handle, trim and place plant material to its best advantage is a skill that will be useful in all kinds of arranging. This three session workshop will be for beginners, but continuing students are welcome to work independently and receive critiques.

    Kaye Vosburgh is an Accredited Master Judge in the National Garden Clubs and a First Grade Ikebana Teacher, Komon, in the Sogetsu School. She has been approved as a Design Instructor for Flower Show Schools in NGC, Inc. $40 BBG members, $45 non-members. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.  $40.00 (BBG members) or $45 (non-members).  Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, October 16, 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Pond Plant Workshop

    Join Anthony Archer-Wills, water gardening expert, for a workshop at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on planting formal, and natural ponds and streams. The selection and suitability of plant material for each setting will be discussed. Examples of water gardens during the process and finish will be illustrated. Visit the newly planted pond at the botanical garden and make first hand observations of the plants while discussing their habits and merits. The seminar, to take place Saturday, October 16, from 2;30 – 4, is designed to be a forum for discussion in which all can participate.

    Anthony Archer-Wills has a passion for water gardening and has made it his profession for 40 years. Born in Great Britain, his formal training and early work led him to develop innovative landscaping techniques now used worldwide. His water gardens are found around the world and are featured at Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden in Pawling, NY. $20 for BBG members, $25 for non-members. To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.