Boston Flora

Tag: Berkshire Botanical Garden

  • Saturday, October 9, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Garden Wrap Up

    Assess the year’s gardening successes and failures, review the gardening events of the spring and summer and begin planning for next season at this Berkshire Botanical Garden lecture/workshop, to be held Saturday, October 9 from 1 – 3. Consider winter interest in the garden and understand when to prune perennials. Learn how to prepare gardens for the coming winter season including soil amending, mulching, cutting back, and fall division of perennials. Seed saving for the coming spring, division of plants that require fall planting, and bulb planting techniques will be covered. Take home a variety of seeds, cuttings and perennials for next season’s garden.

    Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been gardening for over twenty years. She specializes in perennial, vegetable and mixed border gardens. She will share some favorite perennials from her own garden. $20 BBG members, $25 non-members. To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926. Dress for outdoors.

  • Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Pruning Shrubs and Small Trees

    Autumn is a great time to assess your woody plants for shape and structure. This demonstration/workshop at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, September 25 from 10 – 1, will focus on pruning, including: when, why and how to shape, renovate, train or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about pruning tools, timing, and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Pruning techniques specifically for both evergreen and deciduous hedges will be covered.

    Ken Gooch Massachusetts Certified Arborist, is the Department of Environmental Management’s Forest Health Specialist for Berkshire County. He is an educator and lectures widely on a variety of topics including forest health, pruning, and arboriculture. Wear waterproof outerwear, boots, and bring pruners. $30 BBG members, $35 non-members. Log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org to register, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Saturday, September 25, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm – Traveling Landscape Design Clinic

    This fast-paced, information saturated clinic sponsored by the Berkshire Botanical Garden will be held at the homes of several of the workshop participants on Saturday, September 25, from 9 am – 5 pm. An active discussion format will focus on common design principles. Problem solving, conceptualizing a landscape master plan and understanding the design process are among the topics to be explored. All attendees will participate in the process of observing and designing. Should time permit, you will visit some of Walter’s projects completed or in-process. This field trip will be held rain or shine. If you would like your property to be one of the site visits, let BBG know. There will be a $40 charge for design visits which may last up to one hour.

    Walter Cudnohufsky is owner of Walter Cudnohufsky Associates Landscape Architects, Ashfield, Mass. He is the founder, and for twenty years the director, of the Conway School of Landscape Design. Mr. Cudnohufsky received his M.L.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Design and his firm has received numerous awards and Walter has been recognized as an outstanding educator.
    $85 for BBG members, $90 for non-members. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

  • Sunday, September 19, 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm – All About Apples!

    Join Berkshire Botanical Garden and Phil Forsline, “a modern day Johnny Appleseed”, for a look at where apples come from. Until recently most apple varieties grown in the United States were derived from seedling stock planted by European settlers in the 17th – 19th century. Forsline, the former curator of Cornell University’s Agricultural Research Station recounts his expeditions to Kazakhstan in search of wild apple strains to conserve the apples natural genetic diversity.  A photo of wild apples in Kazakhstan by David Derrick is pictured below.This talk will focus on how scientists use genetic treasures from the apple’s ancestral home to increase disease resistance, improve hardiness, and revolutionize growing apples worldwide.

    Phil Forsline is the retired Research Leader for Cornell University Agricultural Research Station’s Plant Genetics Research Unit. For over twenty five years he has worked to improve hardiness and disease resistance in apples.  The lecture will take place at Berkshire Botanical Garden, for a fee of $18 for members of BBG and $24 for non-members.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org. or call 413-298-3926.

  • Saturday, September 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Mushroom Hunting in the Berkshires

    Learn all about fungi with a focus on those commonly called mushrooms on Saturday, September 18, from 1 – 3, at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. This enormous and diverse group of plants is found in the wild during the fall months. The most common poisonous and edible mushrooms will be illustrated and described. A variety of fungi will be on display supplemented with slides of other commonly found mushrooms. Participants will explore a nearby wood and hunt for mushrooms. This Berkshire Botanical Garden class is not sufficient for learning how to identify wild edible mushrooms. John Wheeler is current president of the Berkshire Mycological Society. He has taught mycology at Simons Rock College of Bard. He has been an avid amateur for over twenty years. Dress for outdoors – participants car pool to a short walk. $18 BBG members, $24 non-members. Call 413-298-3926, or register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday and Sunday, September 11 – 12, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Pebble Mosaic Flower Pots

    Learn the art and craft of mosaics using natural colored pebbles. This Berkshire Botanical Garden two day workshop on Saturday and Sunday, September 11 and 12, will cover mosaic techniques on a 3 dimensional object. Consider materials, including adhesives, grout, mosaic materials and base surface. Participants will explore various design concepts for producing both abstract and patterned designs. Following a demonstration, complete a flower pot mosaic using techniques learned. (Students will let projects set overnight and complete them the following day. For those unable to attend the follow up session, instructions and material will be provided to finish at home.)

    Judy Boschetti is an Educator at Berkshire Botanical Garden. She instructs youth activities at the Garden and is a serious home gardener. She is experienced in a wide range of garden crafts including mosaic making.  The cost ($40 for BBG members, $45 for non members) includes materials.  Bring heavy rubber gloves.  This workshop is suitable for beginners.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, September 11, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Bringing Plants Indoors for Winter

    What do you do with summer bulbs? Learn how to keep patio plants, summer bulbs and tender perennials happy during the winter months in this Berkshire Botanical Garden Workshop, to be held Saturday, September 11, from 10 – 12, at the Garden at 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge. Discuss the tricks of the trade for bringing plants indoors and encouraging them to thrive for the winter months. Topics will cover cultivation, fertilization, watering, and health care. Participants will learn basic propagation techniques and take home a variety of cuttings. These simple, cost saving methods will help homeowners multiply their plant supply for next season’s garden.

    Jenna O’Brien owns Viridissima,  a garden design and maintenance business. Her specialties include perennial gardening & design, container culture & design, and indoor gardening/houseplants. She teaches for area horticultural organizations and has completed the Horticulture Certificate Program at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Class is $20 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers, and you may register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, August 14, 5:00 – 8:00 pm – La Fete des Fleurs avec Voitures

    The Berkshire Botanical Garden invites you to a benefit event Saturday, August 14, at the home of Honorary Chairs and Benefactors Ann and Dale Fowler.  Enjoy the Fowler Collection of spectacular vintage and classic automobiles, pedal cars, and thousands of toys in their private museum setting.  There will also be an auction of rare and unusual plants, with wine and hors d’oeuvre.  Sponsor tickets – $250 per person; Patron tickets – $150 per person; Supporter tickets – $75 per person.  A special pre-party tour of the car Museum from 5 – 5:30, guided by host and collector Dale Fowler, will be provided to Sponsors and Patrons.  Space is limited for the tour, so please reserve early.  The Museum will be open to all guests for general viewing from 5:30 – 8.  Please call the Garden today at 413-298-3926 to reserve your tickets.  1935 Duesenberg Ssj print below by John Hayes, available through www.fineartamerica.com.

  • Friday, August 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Pebble Mosaic Workshop: How to Become a Rock Star!

    Learn mosaic making in this hands-on workshop at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in West Stockbridge on Friday, August 20, from 10 – 4.  Used thousands of years ago, ancient mosaics still adorn the walls and floors of buildings in Italy, Greece, Turkey and China. This work shop will introduce students to the craft of mosaics as it applies to natural materials. Students will construct a pebble mosaic and learn about materials, construction, techniques, design and care, specific to mosaic art. Take home a pebble mosaic project for the garden and the skills to make more mosaics at home.  Participants should bring a bagged lunch, safety glasses, heavy rubber gloves, and a rubber mallet if available.  Dress in comfortable clothes that can get messy.  $140 for BBG members, $150 for non members. Materials are included in the cost.  To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

    Deb Aldo is owner of Pietre Dure Design a mosaic and architectural art studio in Sterling, CT. Her indoor and outdoor mosaics are on display in galleries throughout the United States and her popular mosaic workshops are held throughout the northeast.

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  • Saturday, August 14, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – What Do You Mean Your Don’t Grow Herbs?

    This lecture demonstration at the Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge on Saturday, August 14 from 10 – noon, is an examination of plants you shouldn’t be without in your garden. Herbs are easy and wonderful to grow in both the vegetable and flower garden setting. Learn about the familiar and not so familiar herbs and how to cultivate them. This is a hands-on demonstration with live plant material. Following the talk enjoy a tour through the botanical garden’s historic herb garden. The instructors will share their enthusiasm for these humble but essential garden plants.

    Jack and Kathy Donohue have been gardening together for over 40 years. They have been members of the Herb Society of America for twenty five years and they were inducted into the Rosemary Circle of the Society in 2008. They have both been Chairperson of the CT Unit of the Herb Society of America. Both worked at White Flower Farm for 10 years, feeding their addiction for plants: any plants, anywhere at any time!  $18 for BBG members, $24 for nonmembers.  Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.

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