Boston Flora

Tag: Berkshire Botanical

  • Saturday, March 7, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Introduction to Kokedama

    Discover the art of kokedama, a centuries-old Japanese practice that blends horticulture and design, on Saturday, March 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Unlike bonsai, which focuses on outdoor trees, or ikebana, which features cut flowers, kokedama are living plants, such as anthurium, orchid, peperomia, or zantedeschia, displayed in moss-and-soil spheres that can hang or sit in a dish indoors. Led by artist and horticultural therapist Brian Mikesell, this hands-on workshop will teach you to create kokedama using only natural materials (soil, moss and string). No pots, expensive ceramics or specialized tools required. Learn the techniques for crafting, displaying and caring for your kokedama, while connecting with the calming, mindful experience of nurturing plants. All materials are included, and you’ll leave with your own kokedama to enjoy at home or give as a thoughtful, handmade gift. $110 for BBG members. $140 for nonmembers.

  • Saturday, March 7, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm – From Willow to Basket: Crafting Functional Art

    Create a beautiful, functional willow basket while learning the foundational techniques of stake-and-strand weaving on Saturday, March 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Designed for beginner and intermediate weavers, this hands-on class is taught by Heleny Cook, a Williamstown-based basketmaker who grows her own willow and forages wild materials for her work. Alongside guided instruction, Heleny will share insights into the joys and challenges of cultivating willow and working with natural materials. A wonderful introduction to the art of traditional basketry and a chance to create something beautiful and useful. Perfect for holding bread rolls, chips or everyday odds and ends, your finished basket will measure approximately 8 inches in diameter and 5 inches tall. All materials will be provided for an additional fee of $25 per person. Bring lunch to have during a break in the day.

    Heleny Cook learned willow weaving by studying with experienced makers in Ireland, England, Canada, and across the United States. Her work is grounded in traditional techniques, shaped by years of practice, and informed by the material itself. She teaches because sharing skills keeps the craft alive. Heleny has led workshops at Hancock Shaker Village and Bon Dimanche Studio in Great Barrington, where students learn by working directly with willow and building a solid foundation through hands-on making.

    Add your name to a wait list by registering https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/willow-basket-crafting-functional-art

  • Sunday, August 10, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Mount Greylock Summit Tour

    Park at the summit and join Ted Elliman for a walk along the high-elevation trails of Mount Greylock on Sunday, Aug. 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., where we’ll explore the red spruce–balsam fir zone — an ecosystem rarely found in Massachusetts and most prominently represented here at the mountain’s peak. Along the way, we’ll examine a range of montane flora uniquely adapted to this environment, including mountain ash, Bartram’s shadbush, hobblebush, heart-leaf birch, large-leaf goldenrod, twisted-stalk, Labrador tea, mountain wood-fern, and many other species that thrive in the cool, spruce-fir forests of Greylock’s upper slopes. We will arrive at 10:30 a.m. and have an approximately two-hour field study, and then you are on your own for lunch (picnic or lunch at Bascom Lodge). We will depart at 1:30 p.m.

    Ted Elliman spent many years with the Native Plant Trust as a staff botanist, invasive species program manager and instructor in botany, ecology and conservation. Ted is also the author of “The Wildflowers of New England,” a widely used field guide to the region’s native plants, published by Timber Press in 2016. In addition to his work in New England, Ted founded and directed an environmental education and wilderness adventure center in the Berkshires and continues to lead natural history tours in southwest China, where he previously lived and worked as a teacher and forest ecologist.

    Register HERE for the trip without transportation. Register HERE for the trip with transportation

  • Wednesday, October 26, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – Sparrows in the Garden

    Join Mass Audubon for a talk and walk at Berkshire Botanical Garden on October 26. The focus? The tricky, skulky, secretive, and absolutely stunning sparrows that spend their fall in Berkshire County. Together, we will learn helpful tips for identification, the various species that breed and migrate through the Berkshires and how to enjoy their subtleties as they dart and dive into grasses and shrubs. Bring binoculars and sturdy walking shoes. We will be exploring the gardens in search of sparrows!

    Zach Adams has been studying birds since childhood, when he fell in love with the sounds in the marshes of wood ducks and redwing blackbirds. 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. Zach has been a teacher/naturalist for Mass Audubon’s Berkshire sanctuaries since 2018. He leads programs in birding, hiking, tracking, and canoeing. He is passionate about ornithology and the opportunity to share with everyone around him his love for birds. 

    $12 for BBG members, $14 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/sparrows-garden

  • Thursday, October 20, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm – Harvesting Hope: A Garden Story Slam

    Join us for an evening of story-telling at Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge on October 20 at 6 pm. With a theme of “Harvests and Hope,” storytellers will share experiences of finding human connection through nature connection. From gardens, fields and forests, these stories are sure to inspire and entertain. Interested in sharing a story? Please reach out to bstone@berkshirebotanical.org.

    Hosted by local writer and storyteller Sheela Clary. BBG members $12, nonmembers $15. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/harvesting-hope-garden-story-slam

  • Thursday, September 22, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bio Char 101

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop is proudly presented in partnership with Berkshire Grown. Biochar is made by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen. This process produces a highly porous and durable form of carbon that provides habitat for beneficial soil microbes that support vigorous and healthy plants. This process has been used to improve soils around the globe for thousands of years. If you ever have wanted to learn more about biochar and its use for both domestic and professional growing, this is your chance. Join the team at Arthur’s Point Farm in Ghent, New York on September 22 from 2 – 4 to learn about its history, various benefits and applications. Participants will also be able to witness first hand on the farm the production of biochar. This is an in-person, off-site program. $27 for BBG members, $30 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/biochar-101

  • Saturday, November 20, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Winter Wow: Beautiful Containers for the Colder Months

    Winter approaches but this doesn’t mean your window boxes or containers need to spend the next four months filled with the skeletons of long-dead plants. Instead, you can compost those spent annuals and fill the void with a variety of options from classic to contemporary. Deborah Trickett, whose business The Captured Garden is all about keeping container gardens appealing in all seasons, will share creative ideas to carry you through the holidays to spring. The Berkshire Botanical Garden program will take place November 20 from 1 – 3 and is $25 for BBG members, $35 for nonmembers.

    Award-winning container garden designer Deborah Trickett has worked in the gardening industry for over 30 years, starting with her first job in a greenhouse at age 13 until the present as the owner of The Captured Garden. Deborah works with clients throughout New England who want their homes to be beautiful, not typical. By combining unusual plant material and creative design ideas she creates gardens and containers that are truly one of a kind. Deborah Trickett is a Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist and Landscape Professional.  She is a frequent lecturer on creative container gardening, speaking at regional Flower Shows. She has also shared her passion for perennials at the Perennial Plant Association Annual Symposium; was a featured speaker at the Grand Garden Show on Mackinac Island; and teaches at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Her work has been featured in The Boston Globe, The American Gardener, Garden Gate and New England Home magazines as well as on the TV show New England Dream Home. Deborah’s work can also be viewed at www.thecapturedgarden.com.

    Register Now Winter Wow: Beautiful

  • Saturday, May 2, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Fermenting Vegetables at Home (Online)

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden online workshop will provide an in-depth overview of the process for fermenting vegetables at home. It will include a demonstration of how to properly prepare and set up a fermentation vessel, as well as provide principles and practices for successfully managing and storing your ferment. BBG Members $20, Non Members $25. The event takes place May 2 from 2 – 4 Eastern time. To register, visit http://berkshirebotanical.org

  • Saturday, March 3, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – Brewing with Botanicals

    Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge, will hold a beginner level class on Saturday, March 3 from 11 – 2 on Brewing with Botanicals, a beginner level class. We introduce you to the art and science of home brewing. We lead you through a full brew day as we discuss the four main components of beer: malt, yeast, hops, and water; the brewing process; and how to avoid and troubleshoot the most common problems. This class includes complimentary samples of Beerology’s home-brewed beer! $35 for BBG members, $45 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org, or call 413-298-3926.  Photo by Jerrey Roberts of Beerology owners Jordana Starr and MIchael Schilling from www.gazettenet.com.

  • Saturday, February 25, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Maple Sugaring at Home

    Join the Berkshire Botanical Garden staff on Saturday, February 25 from 1 – 3 for a workshop on Maple Sugaring at Home. Learn how to identify suitable trees, the when and how of collecting sap, the boiling down process for the home setting, and preserving the syrup for year-round use.

    Participants will install spiles, develop collection schedules, and boil down maple sap to syrup. A tasting will follow. Dress for the outdoors. BBG members $25, nonmembers $30. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926.  Image from www.motherearthnews.com.