Boston Flora

Tag: Berkshire Botanical

  • Saturday, September 17, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Fruits of the Earth

    Come to Berkshire Botanical Garden on Saturday, September 17 at 10 am to hear vegetable gardener extraordinaire and heirloom seed activist Amy Goldman share her journey over time on the historic Abraham Traver farmstead in the Hudson Valley. Amy will chronicle her evolution as a gardener and will highlight some of the heirloom vegetables, fruits, berries, and nuts that she has grown over the past 25 years on her 200-acre farm, all of which have been preserved in another fashion as well – for the past 15 years acclaimed photographer Jerry Spagnoli has used a daguerreotype process to capture these much cherished cultivars of fruits and vegetables in ethereal images with a silvery luminous depth and a timeless beauty. Amy will share her experiences growing many of her favorite heirloom vegetables and fruits accompanied by images that are sure to inspire both the home gardener and those simply interested in our food heritage. A book signing will follow the talk. BBG member price $15, nonmembers $20. Register online at https://berkshirebotanical.org/education/lectures-and-workshops/

  • Mondays, September 12 – 26, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Gardening in Pots: How to Design, Maintain, and Winterize Container Gardens and Plants

    Acquire a knowledge of the skills required for creating and maintaining beautiful and successful container gardens. Container gardening expert Jenna O’Brien starts with techniques for overwintering tropicals, tender perennials, bulbs, and annuals without a greenhouse by teaching participants how to store dormant plants, collect and save seeds, and take divisions and cuttings. Jenna also shares her thorough knowledge of plants that thrive in containers and how to care for them. This 3 session Berkshire Botanical Garden class will cover practical approaches to container gardening such as plants that do double duty as houseplants in the winter and as outdoor plants in the summer. The class also is filled with advice on container selection, siting, planting, growing, controlling pests, and maintaining moveable gardens. Meeting Mondays, September 12, 19, and 26 from 5:30 – 8:30, the cost is $150, and you may register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    Jenna O’Brien owns Viridissima, a garden design and maintenance business. Her specialties include perennial garden design, container design and culture, indoor gardening, and houseplants. She teaches at area horticultural organizations and has completed the Horticulture Certificate Program at the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

  • Saturday, January 31, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Bonsai Basics

    Join Bonsai expert Glen Lord at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge on Saturday, January 31 from 10 – noon for an informative talk and live demonstration on successfully growing bonsai in a home setting. Many beginners focus on the wonderful art form of bonsai, but to achieve success, the first skills to learn are good growing techniques. Topics for discussion will include selection of the proper plant for your location, soils, light and food. Abundant information will be available for both the beginner and the seasoned hobbyist. Glen will showcase some of his phenomenal Bonsai as demonstrations.

    Glen Lord is a long-time grower of bonsai. He is an authority on bonsai and was the assistant nursery manager at Bonsai West, an east coast specialty bonsai nursery. Glen has been actively growing and collecting bonsai and educating students about bonsai for many years. $20 for BBG members, $25 for nonmembers. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Berkshire Botanical 37th Annual Plant Sale

    The 37th Annual Berkshire Botanical Plant Sale will take place Friday and Saturday, May 9 and 10, at the Garden located at 5 West Stockbridge Road, West Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  On Friday, there is a members-only early buying privilege time from 8 – 11, and then the sale will be open to the General Public from 11 – 5. The sale will continue Saturday for everyone from 8 – 5. Gardeners get a jump-start on the season with this annual plant sale, which has become an iconic harbinger of spring in the Berkshires. This year’s theme, Get Your Hands in the Dirt, features thousands of plants to choose from, appropriate to northeastern gardens, organized into the habitats in which they thrive. Vegetables and herbs from Monkshood Nursery will be available to buy, being sold by BBG staff and volunteers. NEW this year: Living fern and succulent wreaths and miniature wall gardens designed by Head Gardener, Christine Caccamo. Last year’s popular Container Design Station will be back again: Let us help you design your own unique container to take home. Silent Auction: Bid on specialty plants, wall gardens, as well as green services. For a list of plant offerings, visit http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/Plant_Sale//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Monkshood-Vegetable_Herb-List.pdf.

    http://www.berkshirebotanical.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Plant-Sale1.jpg

  • Saturday, April 19, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Rejuvenating Shrubs: Lilacs, Weigela, Forsythia and More

    On Saturday, April 19, from 10 – noon, the Berkshire Botanical Garden will hold an offsite workshop on Rejuvenating Shrubs: Lilacs, Weigela, Forsythia and More. Is that old lilac refusing to flower? Spring is a great time to assess your woody shrubs for shape and structure. This hands-on workshop will focus on when, why and how to renovate or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about tools, timing and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Following a lecture and several pruning demonstrations, participants will learn by doing.

    Ron Yaple, A.A.S. Forestry, MCA/CLA, owner of Race Mountain Tree Services, has developed a regional reputation as one of the premier arborists. His company serves the tri-state region and is a full-service company. He is a dedicated and knowledgeable teacher of arboriculture.

    BBG members $35, non-members $40.  Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926, x 15.

    http://www.botanical-journeys-plant-guides.com/images/variegated-weigela-florida-dg.jpg

  • Saturday, April 5, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Ready, Set, Grow! An Expert’s Guide to Growing Vegetables and Annuals

    On Saturday, April 5, from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm at Left Field Farm, 20 Root Road in Middlefield, Massachusetts, learn from experts how to start seedlings, both vegetables and annual flowers, indoors for the coming growing season. Expert growers Maureen Sullivan and Mitch Feldmesser will lead a tour of their growing operations and explain how they select ornamental varieties for their plant vigor, flower form, fragrance and color. They also do extensive growing of herb and vegetable plants, selecting for flavor as well as garden performance and productiveness. Learn about growing techniques necessary to give garden plants a good start, and garner growing tips from these professionals. In addition to the tour, practice sowing and transplanting, and take home a few special plants to grow on.

    Maureen Sullivan and Mitch Feldmesser own Left Field Farm, a certified organic farm located in Middlefield. They grow hundreds of carefully selected varieties of heirloom and hybrid ornamental, herb and vegetable plants from their certified organic greenhouses. The field trip is sponsored by the Berkshire Botanical Garden, and the cost is $30 for BBG members, $35 for non-members. Participants can choose to carpool or drive separately. Those joining the carpool should meet in the parking lot at Berkshire Botanical Garden for a 9 am departure. Carpool will return at approximately 2 pm. Directions may be found at www.berkshirebotanical.org. Sign up on line or call 413-298-3926, x 15.

    http://www.farmfresh.org/img/farms/2188_3.jpg

  • Thursday, September 13, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm – New York Botanical Garden: Monet’s Garden

    On Thursday, September 13, join staff from the Berkshire Botanical Garden for a trip to the New York Botanical Garden at the height of the late summer bloom and to view the acclaimed show Monet’s Garden. Garden staff from BBG will lead a tour of the gardens, including the Ladies Border, the Herb Garden, the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden and the spectacular Seasonal Walk, designed by superstar designers Piet Oudolf and Jaqueline Van de Kloet. For those interested in trees we will explore the Benson Ornamental Conifer Garden and the many small ornamental specimen trees on the grounds. Garden staff will answer questions and share horticultural insights throughout the day. Included in the cost of the trip is a ticket to view the special event Monet’s Garden in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, which has been transformed into a floral masterpiece of Monet’s idyllic garden in Giverny, France. Monet’s most famous subjects, water lilies, including many of them the varieties he grew, are featured in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools. This is a fantastic opportunity to view the exhibition at it’s peak. Two paintings by Monet—one which has never been publicly exhibited in the United States—will be on display. There will be unstructured time to visit areas of specific interest in the afternoon.

    Participants will travel by coach. Snacks and afternoon beverage will be provided. Bring sturdy walking shoes, warm waterproof outerwear and an umbrella. The bus will depart from Berkshire Botanical Garden promptly at 8am and return promptly at 6pm.  $99 for BBG members, $120 for non members.  Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org, or email info@berkshirebotanical.org for more information.

  • Saturday, March 10, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – A Nursery Man’s Miscellany: New and Lesser Known, Garden-worthy Plants

    Join nurseryman Ed Bowen of Opus Nursery on Saturday, March 10, from 1 – 3, at Berkshire Botanical Garden, for a look at the lesser known garden-worthy plants sure to enhance your garden. Ed’s philosophy suggests that while he appreciates the efficacy element of gardening, success depends on many factors beyond simple plant selection. This lecture will open your eyes to an eclectic range of choice plants to rejuvenate your perennial plant palette

    Ed Bowen is a horticulturalist and owner of Opus Nursery, Little Compton, RI. Opus is a deliberately small nano-nursery actively collecting, propagating, and growing a diverse range of plants. Ed’s focus is the under-cultivated and garden worthy, and he specialize in unusual perennials. He employs strictly organic pest controls, and is striving to be peat free. The class is $22 for BBG members, $27 for non-members, and you may register on-line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Photo below, copyright Sakonnet,  from an excellent website www.whatweretheskieslike.com, reporting on gardens, horticulture, and botany.

  • Saturday, January 28, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Seed-Saving Vegetables

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden program on Saturday, January 28 from 10 – 12 will provide an introduction to the basics of saving vegetable seeds. You’ll discuss issues of pollination, isolation, timing, spacing, harvesting, cleaning, drying and storage. We’ll explain terms such as hybrid and open-pollinated, “selfers” and “crossers,” and touch on the different requirements of annuals and biennials. Finally, we’ll talk about choosing the best varieties to start with.

    Sylvia Davatz has been gardening organically for over 25 years and saving seed for 18. What started as an act of protest against decreasing variety selection and a narrowing within the seed industry quickly expanded, fueled by curiosity about potential for season extension in our area and a desire for greater self-sufficiency. She is a member of the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, and offers seed of over 80 varieties through their annual yearbook. An additional 60 varieties are maintained in her garden for personal use. Three years ago she launched Solstice Seeds, a small seed company dedicated to offering locally adapted, regionally appropriate, Hartland-grown open-pollinated seed.  Register on-line ($22 BBG members, $27 non-members) at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Wednesdays, July 13, 27, August 10, and August 24, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Preserving the Harvest: Putting Food By

    We all love fresh food grown from the garden. But we live in New England and if we expect to eat as well in January as in August, we need to preserve the summer garden’s abundance for the lean days of winter. Learn about the techniques of putting food by, including water bath canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, root cellaring and lacto-fermenting to create delicacies that will see us through the dark days and remind us of what awaits in the spring. An upcoming series of four classes at the Berkshire Botanical Garden will demystify all aspects of preserving food.

    On Wednesday, July 13, the class is entitled You CAN Do It! Hot water bath and pressure cooker canning is not just for jams and jellies (although it’s really good for those too). Learn how to put up your own salsa, chutneys and condiments. We will explore the many ways a canner can be put to use creating wonderful and unique gifts as well as enhancing your own food pantry. This class will also cover pressure canning and will demystify this useful method for insuring food safety. On Wednesday, July 27, enjoy Dry it – You’ll Like It & Baby It’s Cold Inside. Dehydrating and freezing as methods for preserving foods are perhaps the easiest for beginners. Learn how to use a dehydrator to make soup, snacks and delicacies to give as gifts or enjoy at home. Home-dried food has less salt and sugar, is far less expensive than the commercial counterparts and fabulous taste. Freezing summers bounty is another fool proof method for putting food by. Once mastered, the basics of blanching, chilling, air tight wrapping and freezing will provide a taste of summer in the depths of winter. These tried and true, simple techniques will be just like having Guido’s right in your house. Wednesday, August 10 brings We’re in a Pickle Now. Lacto-fermentation is one of the only food preservation techniques that actually enhances the flavor and nutrition of a food. Well learn about the chemistry and techniques of fermenting food on a small scale. Make every meal better with some kimchi. Finally, on Wednesday, August 24, we’ll learn What Lies Beneath. Think you can’t eat garden fresh food in the middle of winter? Think again! With a root cellar, you can enjoy carrots, beets, turnips, onions, potatoes, leeks and fruits like apples and pears all winter long. A well-made root cellar acts like a second refrigerator but needs no electricity. Use it to store wine, cider, lard and all those tasty lacto-fermented vegetables. We will explore what it takes to create a root cellar, how to prepare vegetables for their winter home and how to use the produce you store there.

    All classes are led by Kathy Harrison, who has been preserving food for over 30 years. She teaches classes on all manner of food preservation for many organizations and has presented trainings for NOFA and Mother Earth News. She is the author of several books. Her latest is  Just In Case: How to Be Self Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens. Kathy and her husband, Bruce run Barefoot Farm, where they raise bees, organic fruits and vegetables.

    Register on line (www.berkshirebotanical.org) for all four classes (BBG members $75, nonmembers $85), or register for any individual class ($22 for all.)