This lecture, Using Perennials to Create Great Color Combinations,  is a plant-based talk highlighting combinations of native and non-native perennials for many different garden situations including perennial borders, mixed borders (both sun and shade), rain gardens, vegetative swales, wet and dry meadows, and pollinator gardens. Participants will learn about the biological and aesthetic functions of North Creek’s newest perennials, including “nativars,” with the revival of tried-and-true varieties to enhance the New England livable landscape. By doing so, the existing landscape progresses in terms of ecological value and biodiversity. Beyond botany, this lecture delves into color combinations and the harmonic relationships of texture, form and landscape function. Kevin will bring some of North Creek’s favorite perennials for participants to take home. Kevin Staso works at North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pennsylvania. North Creek is a wholesale propagation nursery with a strong emphasis on eastern U.S. natives and their cultivars. He travels throughout the U.S. helping wholesale growers develop programs for the retail sale of perennials. He has worked as Division Manager for a landscape design firm located in Lewes, Delaware, where he and his crews were responsible for the care of more than 100 private properties. He also worked for J. Franklin Styer Nurseries (now Terrain). Kevin has a passion for the natural world and bringing healthy, beautiful landscapes to life.  The lecture will take place at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in West Stockbridge on Saturday, September 24, from 10 – noon, and will cost $25 for BBG members, $30 for non-members.  Register on line at www.berkshirebotanical.org.