The Daffodil & Tulip Festival at Naumkeag returns for its 6th year on Thursdays through Sundays, April 18 – May ll. Stroll through the 8 acres of the Trustees’ world-renowned gardens artfully decorated with daffodil, tulip and minor bulbs as we celebrate the return of Spring to the Berkshires. The 48 acre estate in the heart of Stockbridge will come to life with the colors and spirit of spring. There will be a plant sale, food, and refreshements for sale on site. Advanced purchase of timed tickets is required – tickets will not be sold on site. Member adults $15, nonmembers $25, children FREE. To learn more, reserve tickets, and for more information on parking and weather cancellations visit https://thetrustees.org/event/427419/
The Trustees invites you to tour the Naumkeag Pumpkin Show, which opens Friday, September 27, and will be on view Wednesdays through Sundays through October 27. This is an outdoor event. Be prepared to walk across unpaved pathways on uneven terrain through the woods and gardens. Trails may be muddy or icy at times, sturdy boots are recommended. Dress appropriately for the weather that day. Costumes are encouraged! Details and ticketing information are available at https://thetrustees.org/program/naumkeag-pumpkin-show/ Naumkeag is located at 5 Prospect Hill Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
A dynamic exhibition of kinetic sculptures and art by George Rickey opens at Naumkeag in Stockbridge this spring, partnering with the George Rickey Foundation and the George Rickey estate.
The exhibit, entitled ViewEscapes features twelve large, outdoor sculptures that will be placed throughout the designed landscape. Inside the 44 acre “cottage” find eight more sculptures and three works of art, including Rickey’s interior tabletop works, hanging pieces, artwork, and archival documents.
George Warren Rickey (1907-2002), artist and kinetic sculptor, created geometric forms in stainless steel, polished metal, and painted surfaces that moved gracefully through space. His work was featured at the two exhibitions of Sculpture at Naumkeag in 1994 and 1997. Naumkeag was then and is an ideal setting for Rickey’s work. The garden spaces have numerous “viewscapes” for sculpture placement and the constant breeze along the hillside provides the energy that sets his works in motion.
ViewEscapes will officially open to the public during the Naumkeag Daffodil and Tulip Festival and be on view through November 1, 2022. Special events designed to highlight the exhibition will also be offered throughout the duration of the exhibition, including a programs, lectures, and special fundraisers. Advance-reservations will be required for admission and limited tickets will be available for day-of tours on a first-come, first-served basis.
Funding for this exhibition has been provided by a generous challenge grant from Kate and Hans Morris, which raised additional support from the Claudia K. Perles Family Foundation, Joseph McNay and Paula Moats McNay, Luca Borghese and Michael Pierson, Mr. Randolph G. Hawthorne and Ms. Carliss Y. Baldwin, Mr. Stephen Oristaglio and Mrs. Jeryl Oristaglio, and Douglas Molin and Melanie Mowinski. For more information visit https://thetrustees.org/exhibit/georgerickey/
Join long time guide of Naumkeag, Mission House and the Ashley House, Kendra Knisley, on March 12 at 5:30 pm for an online lecture about the life and legacy of Elizabeth Freeman. This lecture will feature stories on her enslavement with Colonel Ashley in what is now known as the Ashley House in Sheffield and her fight for freedom which led to her settling down in her own home in Stockbridge where she lived her life as a free woman working closely with the Sedgewick family. In honor of her life and in celebration of Black History Month and Woman’s history month, join The Trustees for an hour long lecture hosted via Zoom.
Join garden historian and author Dr. Toby Musgrave online on a ‘Grand Tour’ showcasing America’s great and inspiring gardens, revealing their diversity and richness, and exploring their contribution to global garden art.
We’ll explore a variety of gardens in a variety of locations and climates around the United States, each of which is open to the public and can be visited and experienced in person. From the eastern seaboard to the west coast; the cold, high Rockies to the tropical southeast; balmy California to hot, dry deserts; the warm, wet Pacific northwest to the Prairies and the cool northeast create the full spectrum of garden design possibilities. Ranging across historical periods and styles, we will visit well known (and lesser well-known) gardens around the country to reveal in broad terms the evolution of American garden design over time. Beginning with early Colonial gardens on the East Coast and Mission gardens in California, we will move on to English Landscape-style gardens and French Baroque influenced antebellum plantation gardens. As we move chronologically ahead, we will also study the opulence of the Beaux-Arts-inspired Country Place Era and how it evolved into the innovative “homegrown” styles such as Prairie Gardens. We will conclude with a look at modern and contemporary American garden design.
Gardens featured include: Colonial Williamsburg, San Diego Mission, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Middleton Place, Rosedown Plantation, Biltmore, Dumbarton Oaks, Filoli, Innisfree, Longwood, Naumkeag, the Huntington Library, Untermeyer, Wave Hill, Longue Vue, Casa del Herro, J Irwin House and Garden, El Novillero, Lotusland, Sunnylands, Chanticleer, Chase Garden, Getty Centre, Hollister House and Windcliff.
Led by an expert on gardens and garden history, Dr Toby Musgrave, this Context interactive seminar will showcase and celebrate America’s great and inspiring gardens. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased knowledge and understanding of America’s great garden heritage. $36.50. Register at www.contextlearning.com
Dumbarton Oaks (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 24th annual Winter Lecture, Make Visible, Instill Value and Engage the Public in Our Shared Landscape Heritage will be held online on Saturday, February 20, 2021 featuring Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR, President and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Drawing heavily on both the work of The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) and many of their collaborators, this lecture will highlight a diversity of resource types throughout the U.S., emphasizing stewardship strategies and opportunities for public engagement in the Berkshires region. What is the foundational knowledge that informs stewardship/interpretation of our shared landscape legacy? How do we assign value and assess significance for our cultural landscape legacy? How can we work (and communicate) holistically across multiple disciplines? How do we make a landscape’s layers of history, (a.k.a. “palimpsest”), at a cultural landscape like Naumkeag, The Mount or Elm Court understood? Then, armed with this foundational knowledge, how can we tell these stories to the broadest possible public?
Finally, the interface between history/historic preservation and natural systems/ecology in weighing decisions will provide an armature for new ideas and strategies.
The Winter Lecture Series began in 1997 to bring inspiring and noted speakers to the region to talk about horticulture, landscape design and history, plants and plant exploration, and home gardening. Past speakers have included such luminaries as Marco Polo Stufano, Dan Hinkley, Penelope Hobhouse, Bill Cullina, Fergus Garrett, Debs Goodenough, Dr. Michael Dirr, Ken Druse, Anna Pavord, Thomas Woltz and Margaret Roach. Proceeds from ticket sales support the Garden’s educational efforts. Sponsored by The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge, MA.
Online registration for this program is temporarily unavailable. Please call 413 354-8410 to register.
Join Naumkeag’s Horticultural Manager Catherine Martini on August 20 at noon for an exclusive tour of Naumkeag’s renowned gardens in Stockbridge. Picnic lunch included for your enjoyment after the tour; we suggest you bring a blanket or chair so you can find a shady spot and marvel at the views. Masks required. Trustees’ members $44, nonmembers $55. Register at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/berkshires/event-56976.html
With this fun skillbuilding program sponsored by The Trustees on August 7 from 3 – 4, you will first pick up your class materials at Naumkeag in Stockbridge. In the comfort of your own home, you will follow along on Zoom with Horticulture Manager Catherine Martini and others as they teach the fine art of arranging flowers. Pre-registration required. $40 for Trustees members, $50 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/berkshires/event-56962.html
Come to Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Massachusetts for this returning springtime tradition!
The world-renowned gardens at Naumkeag have been planted with over 80,000 daffodil, tulip and other spring bulbs, promising a riot of color. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of spring in the Berkshires with friends and family. Each weekend will offer a variety of pop-up activities on the grounds for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Admission to the festival includes self-guided access to the grounds and the first floor of the house.
Food and refreshments will be for sale. Our annual Naumkeag plant sale will be happening throughout the Daffodil and Tulip festival.
Open Thursday through Sunday, April 23rd through May 17th in all
weather conditions. In the event of severe weather, any cancellations
will be posted on our Facebook page: facebook.com/naumkeagofficial
Member: $9 Nonmember: $15 Children 12 and under: FREE
The Trustees of Reservations has been gifted with remarkable cultural resources that continue to connect people to place on some of Massachusetts’ most iconic properties. The organization’s current public gardens initiative has invested in the reawakening of its landmark gardens and landscape. Recently the organization completed a four-year restoration of Fletcher Steele and Mabel Choate’s garden masterpiece at Naumkeag, overlooking the Berkshire hills, and proved that its National Landmark gardens continue to draw members and visitors to its never-ending seasonal beauty.
Cindy Brockway, Program Director for Cultural Resources at The Trustees, will share the story of Naumkeag’s remarkable transformation and the discoveries learned in polishing one of the Commonwealth’s more remarkable masterpieces. This February 6 talk will be the February meeting of The Garden Club of the Back Bay and will begin at 10 am at The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue.
rsvp to Jackie Blombach before January 31st by clicking here: jdb.lily@comcast.net Please let Jackie know if you you’ll be staying for lunch. Optional Lunch: An optional buffet luncheon will be served after the program. Enjoy seasonal specialties of soup and salad with a selection of protein, followed by dessert.
