Drawing on insights from her latest publication, Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons From the Garden, Frances Palmer will discuss her approach to gardening, consisting of six growing periods, from prevernal—those late winter days when the first snowdrops and hellebores appear—through summer and fall, with its dahlias and Japanese anemones, to hibernal, as we move back indoors and enjoy forced bulbs and greenhouse flowers. Join Palmer as she shares her rich and varied experience growing a life with flowers, offering practical tips, DIY projects, favorite floral recipes, meditations on patience, and more.
FRANCES PALMER, celebrated author, ceramist, gardener and photographer, trained as an art historian at Columbia University and for the past 38 years has focused on the process of changing ideas into form in her functional work—handmade ceramics. Her work is represented in leading private craft and contemporary art collections around the world.
Note: You will receive the webinar link directly from Zoom. A recording of this webinar will be sent to all registrants a few days after the event. We encourage you to register, even if you cannot attend the live webinar. $5 for Garden Conservancy members, $15 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.gardenconservancy.org/events/web25-life-with-flowers-11-18-2025
This summer, step into the world of Frances Palmer — potter, gardener and photographer — through an immersive new exhibition at Berkshire Botanical Garden that runs in the Leonhardt Galleries from Augus 15 through October 5. The public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, August 15, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Frances Palmer will bring together three intimately connected aspects of her artistic life, showcasing her signature terracotta ceramics, platinum palladium photographs of garden flowers and luminous color photographs of floral arrangements. A self-taught potter for nearly four decades, Palmer has long explored the relationship between earth and bloom. She began growing flowers in her Connecticut garden specifically to arrange in her handmade vessels and photograph in her studio.
“The pottery and the flowers are the two halves of my earthly paradise,” Palmer says. “I honestly can’t imagine one without the other.”
Visitors will encounter Palmer’s warm, expressive terracotta pots — some of which will be thoughtfully composed using blossoms grown at BBG. Her photographs, known for their dreamy, meditative quality, reveal a deep reverence for the ephemeral beauty of flowers and the everyday magic of the natural world. Palmer’s work has been featured in The New York Times Style Magazine, Vogue, House & Garden, and Veranda, and is held in collections around the world. She is the author of “Life in the Studio,” and her newest book, “Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden” (Artisan Books), offers a deeper look into her creative process and garden philosophy.
“I love the scale of Berkshire Botanical Garden and the beautiful setting,” she says. “The exhibition will, in a way, serve as a conversation or dialogue with the Garden’s living landscape.”
Established in 1934 as the “Berkshire Garden Center” and revered as one of the older public display gardens in the Northeast, Berkshire Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit, membership-supported educational organization encompassing 24 acres of land at the intersection of Routes 102 and 183 in Stockbridge. It’s mission is to “provide information, education and inspiration concerning the science, art and joy of gardening and its role in preserving the environment.”
Spend the day on Saturday, August 16 with Berkshire Botanical Garden at Rockland Farm in Canaan, N.Y., for an immersive symposium on ornamental garden design. Hosted in a beautifully restored barn surrounded by gardens, this event features presentations from Roy Diblick, Kathryn Herman, Frances Palmer, and Dean Riddle. Morning refreshments and lunch are included. The day will conclude with cocktails and a guided tour by our hosts, Madeline and Ian Hooper.
Roy Diblick is co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, Wis. He has been growing traditional and native perennials since 1978. His garden designs emphasize plant relationships to maintenance strategies and costs. Diblick’s design and planting projects include the Louis Sullivan Arch for the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and the lakeside plantings at the Shedd Aquarium. He recently designed the perennial plantings for Scott Byron’s new garden design for the Chicago History Museum and a 12,000-square-foot gravel garden for the Argonne National Laboratory, which houses the world’s biggest computer. His book The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden (Timber Press) highlights his perennial gardening practice.
Kathryn Herman is the principal at Kathryn Herman Design, based in New Canaan, Conn. With 28 years of experience, she brings a rich horticultural background, a deep appreciation for architecture and insights gained from extensive global travel to her residential and commercial projects across the United States and internationally. Her thoughtful and sophisticated designs have earned widespread recognition, including multiple Palladio and Stanford White Awards, as well as honors from the Connecticut and New York Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Her work has been featured in leading publications both in the U.S. and abroad, including Veranda, House & Garden UK and Architectural Digest. In 2012, Kathryn was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame for her contributions to landscape architecture in the region. She was named a “Star of Design” by the Pacific Design Center in 2017, and in 2018 she received the prestigious Arthur Ross Award.
Frances Palmer has been working in ceramics since 1987. Though trained as an art historian, she has always been drawn to creating with her hands. She began as a printmaker, but over time her creative practice evolved to include pottery and gardening — two disciplines that, like printmaking, transform ideas into tangible form. Palmer doesn’t create or cultivate to keep things for herself; instead, she finds joy in sending her work out into the world for others to use and appreciate. Her ceramics—whether everyday dishware or distinctive vases — are functional pieces of art, thoughtfully handmade and intended for daily life. Each one, regardless of size or shape, is treated as a unique expression. She feels honored to know that her work is part of people’s lives across the country, especially when it’s present during shared meals, celebrations, and the simple joys of gathering with others.
Dean Riddle first fell in love with the native plants of the southern Appalachians. That passion led him to spend a year interning at Hillier Nurseries in Hampshire, England, where he cared for a renowned collection of shrubs and trees. Still, tucked in the back of his mind were memories of his grandmother’s garden, bursting with ripe tomatoes and colorful zinnias. Later, when he found himself in the Catskills, he planted a kitchen garden for his friend Kate Pierson, singer of the B-52s. “I had gone from being a snooty horticulture student, obsessed with orchards and rare woody plants, to growing a kitchen and flower garden where I could simply go out and pick fresh lettuce,” he told The New York Times. Since 1990, he has run a small garden design/build company in the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Riddle is the author of the book Out in the Garden: Growing a Beautiful Life (HarperCollins). He lives in Livingston Manor, N.Y.
Frances Palmer has been making ceramics since 1987. She was trained as an art historian and yet has always made work with her hands. First as a printmaker and now as a potter and gardener, she loves the process of changing ideas into form. This program will be hosted by Frances in her studio and garden in Westport, a longtime Open Days favorite, giving participants an intimate peek into her creative process. Anyone following Frances Palmer on Instagram will not wish to miss this opportunity to visit in Weston, Connecticut.
After a welcome with coffee, tea, and a cake baked by Frances, she will take participants through her two cutting gardens. At this time of year, the dahlias will be in full array. Then, she will discuss which flowers are best for cutting and how to arrange and photograph them, followed by a delicious boxed lunch from a local bakery.
$160 for Garden Conservancy members, $180 for nonmembers. Call to be placed on a waitlist 845.424.6500, M-F, 9-5 Eastern, or email events@gardenconservancy.org.
Low-maintenance dahlias thrive in our coastal climate. When they bloom in mid-July, their spiky, colorful blossoms brighten up gardens and flower beds across the city. Learn best practices from expert Frances Palmer that will help your dahlias flourish, including how and when to disbud, stake, water, and much more. This New York Botanical Garden session will be held on March 20 from 11 – 1, and is $55 for NYBG members, $59 for nonmembers. Register HERE
Frances Palmer centers her creative life-and daily photo shoots-in an airy studio inside her Connecticut barn. The celebrated potter, gardener, cook and entrepreneur was trained as an art historian, but became obsessed with dahlias after spotting one in a gardening book. Today, growing all flowers is her passion, and they fill her extraordinary pots that have been featured in: The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart Living, Architectural Digest and scores of others. Drawing on insights from her debut book, Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity, Palmer focuses on what matter most: determination, routine, prioritization, perseverance, and perspective. This online lecture sponsored by the New York Botanical Garden will take place December 15 from 1 – 2 pm. $15 for NYBG members, $18 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.enrole.com/nybg/jsp/session.jsp?sessionId=212LAN265CO&courseId=212LAN265CO&categoryId=10C211B0
