Boston Flora

Tag: Jenna O’Brien

  • Thursdays, February 26 – March 19, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Container Garden Design

    Acquire knowledge of the skills required for beautiful and successful container gardens with Jenna O’Brien, owner of Viridissima Horticulture and Design. Get to know the plants that thrive in containers and how to care for them. This three session class at Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge will cover practical aspects of gardening with style in containers throughout the New England garden season. Considerations will include container selection, siting, planting, growing, controlling pests, and maintaining moveable gardens. The course will be held Thursdays, February 26 – March 19, from 5:30 – 8:30. BBG members $215, nonmembers $240. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/container-garden-design

    Jenna O’Brien has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. She is also a member of the BBG Horticulture Advisory Committee and the Education Committee. Jenna specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care, country estate garden management, and Berkshire Garden Style.

  • Saturday, July 19, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Fête des Fleurs: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

    On the evening of Saturday, July 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., we will gather to celebrate nature’s beauty and the spirit of the season. This year’s event, 2025 Fête des Fleurs: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will help support our mission, allowing Berkshire Botanical Garden to continue inspiring tens of thousands of visitors and offering educational opportunities that celebrate the art and science of gardening for our local community. You can expect a truly enchanting evening, where you will be transported into Shakespeare’s play with captivating theatrical performances, interactive activities, and an atmosphere that immerses you in the magic of the season. Guests will enjoy a delightful selection of refreshments and hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening, complemented by captivating entertainment that brings the garden to life. BBG members $125, nonmembers $175. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/2025-fete-des-fleurs

  • Tuesdays, October 1 – October 22, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Ornamental Woody Plants

    This four-session Berkshire Botanical Garden course will focus on the bones of the garden with a survey of ornamental woody plants for residential landscape design. It will cover ornamental shrubs, small flowering trees, shade trees and broadleaf and needle evergreens. Students will become familiar with the many garden-worthy woody plants that thrive in Zone 5. The course covers plant ID, selection, siting, cultivation and possible design uses. The classes will be held Tuesdays, October 1 – October 22 from 5:30 – 8:30, and is $215 for BBG members, $240 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/ornamental-woody-plants-1

    Jenna O’Brien, owner and founder of Viridissima Horticulture & Design since 2003, has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. Jenna specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care and estate garden and conservatory management.

  • Wednesdays, March 11 – March 25, 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm – Container Gardening

    This Berkshire Botanical Garden Container Gardening course meets for 3 weeks on Wednesdays, March 11 – March 25, 5:30 – 8:30 pm, at the Education Center at Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge.

    Get to know the plants that thrive in containers, how to care for them and keep them looking fabulous. During the three sessions of this course you will acquire a knowledge of the skills required for beautiful and successful container gardens. We will cover the full scope of gardening in pots – from container, plant and soil selection to grooming and maintaining your collection to techniques for overwintering.

    Instructor Jenna O’Brien, owner and founder of Viridissima Horticulture & Design since 2003, has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. Jenna specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care, and estate garden and conservatory management.

    BBG Members: $135, Non-Members: $145. Register at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, May 25, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – A New Perspective on Container Gardening

    Jenna O’Brien, founder and owner of Viridissima Horticulture and Design, uses containers in the landscape to enhance and extend seasonal beauty, produce food and help create an authentic sense of place. In this May 25 Hollister House Garden illustrated presentation at 300 Nettleton Hollow Road in Washington, Connecticut, you will learn how Jenna carries out her container designs. Beginning with a discussion on functional and conceptual design she will talk about pot, plant and soil selection. The presentation will be followed by a hands-on demonstration and a lucky attendee will win the completed container.

    Hollister House Garden members $25, non-members $35. Register at https://hollisterhousegarden.org/events/a-new-perspective-on-container-gardening/

  • Saturday, March 24, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Container Gardening

    Jenna O’Brien, owner of Viridissima Horticulture and Design, uses containers in the landscape to enhance and extend seasonal beauty, produce food and create an authentic sense of place. Learn how Jenna carries out her container designs from functional and conceptual design to pot, plant and soil selection while viewing a slideshow of her latest designs followed by a hands-on demonstration. The March 24 class will be held at Berkshire Botanical Garden from 10 – 4, and is $25 for BBG members, $35 for nonmembers. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

    Jenna O’Brien, owner and founder of Viridissima Horticulture & Design since 2003, has been working in Berkshire gardens for over 20 years. Jenna specializes in container gardening, perennial garden design and care, and estate garden and conservatory management.  Advance registration is highly recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome, space permitting.

    Image result for Jenna O'Brien Viridissima

  • 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, September 10, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm – Bringing Plants in for the Winter

    Wondering what to do in the fall with all those special patio plants that you have slaved over for the summer months? On Saturday, September 10, from 2 – 4:30 at Berkshire Botanical Garden, horticulturist and Viridissima owner Jenna O’Brien will pass along tricks of the trade to gardeners so that they can protect their tender perennials, house plants, woody potted specimens and succulent collections and encourage these plants to thrive during the winter season. Topics will include cultivation, fertilizing, watering, and health management as participants learn by doing and will leave with some plants to take home and carry through the winter. Overwintering and simple propagation techniques will help gardeners multiply their plant supply for the next season’s garden and save money next season (or spend it on something else) at the nursery. Bring hand pruners.

    Jenna O’Brien owns Viridissima, a garden maintenance and design business. Her specialties include perennial garden design, container design and culture, indoor gardening, and houseplants. She teaches for area horticultural organizations and has completed the Horticulture Certificate Program at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. BBG members $25, nonmembers $30. Register online at www.berkshirebotanical.org.

  • Saturday, September 12, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bringing Plants in for the Winter

    At the end of the summer what do you do with all those special patio plants that you have slaved over for the summer months? This Berkshire Botanical Garden class on Saturday, September 12 from 2 – 4 will give gardeners tricks of the trade to protect their tender perennials, house plants, woody potted specimens and succulent collections and encourage them to thrive during the winter season. Topics will include cultivation, fertilizing, watering and healthcare. Learn by doing and take home some plant companions. These simple cost-saving methods will help gardeners multiply their plant supply for the next season’s garden. Bring hand pruners.

    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 for area horticultural organizations and has completed the Horticulture Certificate Program at the Berkshire Botanical Garden. BBG members $25, nonmembers $30. Register online at http://www.berkshirebotanical.org/event/bringing-plants-in-for-the-winter/?instance_id=3512

  • 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.