Summer/Fall 2020

B E R K S H I R E B OTA N I C A L G A R D E N

SUMMER/FALL 2020

SUMMER/FALL 2020

STARTS

NOV

15 Rooted in Place Online 5th Annual Rooted in Place Ecological Symposium Registration opens August 15

SEPT 11

SEPT 26

OCT 1–31

Online Author Series: The Earth in Her Hands

Seed Saving

Harvest Festival

An on-site, hands-on workshop focused on saving seeds of native perennials and annuals.

We’re planning a month-long celebration of autumnal activities!

Details to follow!

Featuring Jennifer Jewell and her new book The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants.

The perennial plant choices in the the de Gersdorff Perennial Border have texture, multi-season interest and use less inputs than an annual based planting.

(See related article, page 8) Photo by Matthew Turnbull

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

S TA F F

Matt Larkin, Chairman Madeline Hooper, Vice Chairman Janet Laudenslager, Secretary John Spellman, Treasurer

Anne Albert Visitor Center Manager

Michael Beck Executive Director

Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Mary Copeland Adaline Frelinghuysen Lauretta Harris Nancy Hickey Ian Hooper Tom Ingersoll Jane Iredale Daniel Kasper Linda O’Connell Wendy Philbrick Ramelle Pulitzer Elizabeth Roberts Mark Walker Rob Williams Suzanne Yale KK Zutter

Chelsea Braz Intern Amy Butterworth Membership and Development Coordinator Christine Caccamo Senior Gardener Ryan Campbell Intern Gillian Culff Communications Coordinator Duke Douillet Senior Gardener Rachel Durgin Education Coordinator Kevin Johnson Seasonal Gardener

Trustees Emeriti

Robin Parow Director of Marketing Communications

Jeannene Booher David Carls Cathy Clark Wendy Linscott Jo Dare Mitchell Judie Owens Martha Piper Jean Rousseau Honey Sharp Gail Shaw Jack Sprano Ingrid Taylor Photo by Jack Sprano

Dana Audia Director of Special Events

John Ryan Seasonal Gardener Samantha Ross Camp Director Bridgette Stone Director of Education Matthew Turnbull Director of Horticulture Elizabeth Veraldi Office Manager

CUTTINGS Robin Parow, Editor Julie Hammill, Hammill Design, Design

On the cover: A Coleus cutting from the Garden’s Grow Show.

Photo: Jack Sprano, Trustee Emeriti

OCT 8 & 15

NOV 7

DEC 5–6

Mushrooms of the Forest in Dry Brush Watercolor

Food for Celebration

Holiday Marketplace

Led by botanical artist Anastasia Traina, this online workshop will focus on using dry brush watercolor techniques.

Vegetable-focused Share-fare with Alana Chernila — A hands-on workshop in BBG’s teaching kitchen focused on delicious party fare.

Our Holiday Marketplace reimagined, complete with online components.

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Cuttings For advertising opportunities, please call 413-298-3926.

DIRECTOR’S CORNER MICHAEL BECK

Hooray for Horticulture As I write this, it has been nearly a month since Berkshire Botanical Garden reopened to the public, after being shuttered all during May. In the wake of such an oddly quiet spring, we are especially excited to offer free or half-price admission seven days per week, and we will continue to do so for the rest of the 2020 season thanks to a generous grant. Day by day, we are attracting more visitors back to our beautiful Garden, and I can see signs of joy in their faces as soon as they step out of their vehicles. Yes, we still need to register everyone to keep our capacity controlled, and visitors are required to wear a mask and keep their six-foot distance to others. But how wonderful to be able to share what’s in bloom with so many appreciative people once again.

Actually, it’s not just our visitors who are smiling more. BBG’s grounds and gardening staff are also thrilled to welcome back those who take note of all the hard work and dedication to detail that goes into the care of our gardens. In general, I would say this pandemic has really increased the awareness of and interest in horticulture, so all of us in the public garden world are seeing this as a silver lining after several months of uncertainty.

Here at BBG, the height of the summer bloom is still several weeks away, but the anticipation of our daylily walk doing its annual showstopper of color, and the ever-changing displays in our other perennial and annual gardens, is palpable. Meanwhile, our rose garden is at the cusp of its first flush of fragrant and eye-popping flowers, and the fruit and vegetables in our “edible” gardens are putting on plenty of growth and flower buds as well. This summer, our excellent horticulture team of full-time and seasonal gardeners has been augmented by college intern Chelsea Braz as well as Ryan Campbell, a volunteer who has now begun a four-month internship of his own. Director of Horticulture Matt Turnbull spends his days working alongside BBG’s garden staff, training Chelsea and Ryan, and welcoming back many of our dedicated horticulture volunteers. Rounding out his busy schedule, Matt is also overseeing many students from BBG’s Horticulture Certificate program who are committed to various hands-on garden practicums, from tree pruning to rose care.

For our late summer issue of Cuttings, we wanted to focus on all things horticultural at BBG. I hope you will enjoy reading about gardening for the senses, and our thorough (and thoroughly exciting) Master Planning process. In addition, you will find an expanded listing of various educational opportunities from August through the end of the year. The pandemic has made us take the plunge and embrace “virtual” learning like never before, and we will continue to offer those remote courses, in addition to returning to our more traditional classroom (and teaching kitchen) settings once restrictions are lifted and conditions allow. We hope you will join us on one or more horticultural adventures of learning this season!

Sculptor Daniel Chester French’s home, studio and gardens www.chesterwood.org

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Planning for our Future

By Michael Beck, Executive Director

Gardeners tend to understand that no garden is ever set in stone.

Gardens are made up of plants that grow, that may spread around and self-seed, that hopefully thrive. If a plant doesn’t look happy, it should get moved… or taken out! “Right plant, right place” is the mantra here, a simple yet important rule to garden by in your own backyard. Besides listening to what their plants want, home gardeners may also be inspired by different uses for their property and by their changing interests.

Maybe they are hoping to create lower maintenance garden areas, or

they pivot from growing vegetables to being obsessed by rock gardens.

Perhaps their garden is getting shadier. Probably, their climate is warming up.

A garden may organically change over time without much advance planning, and it can be fun to follow your gardening whims and see where they take you. But creating a roadmap for future development is helpful. Indeed, for a public garden such as ours, disciplined planning is always essential to successful growth. This year, BBG will be 86 years old, and it has evolved over

time to embrace new and important garden design principles, incorporate growing plant collections, and provide spaces for programming and education needs that also changed over the decades. BBG’s growth has been guided by several “master plans” over time, from an oil-onwood painted design full of art deco flourishes and victory garden emphasis created by designer Edward Belches back in 1938, to a detailed site plan created by Boston landscape architects Sasaki and Associates in the 1990s, which was implemented over the following twenty years.

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This year, BBG will be 86 years old, and it has evolved over time to embrace new and important garden design principles, incorporate growing plant collections, and provide spaces for programming and education needs that also changed over the decades.

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Our most recent master planning exercise began with the acquisition of nearly five acres of additional property adjacent to the most historic areas of BBG, in early 2019. We knew this new land would provide BBG with wonderful opportunities for an even better visitor experience, but we wanted to take the time and holistically evaluate our entire site, which now amounts to 24 acres. So BBG engaged noted landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW). Its principal, Thomas Woltz, had given a thought-provoking BBG Winter Lecture back in 2017, and he and his team were already familiar with our Garden. A small committee of staff and board members began meeting with NBW’s Lesley Perez and Mark Strieter on a regular basis, and over twelve months we worked through three phases: (1) Discovery of BBG’s current site and its uses, (2) Creation of several design concepts, and (3) Refinement of the final Master Plan. In the planning process, the team focused on the many ways BBG’s property is used, by casual visitors as well as adult and youth learners, on a quiet day in spring or at a large public gathering like Harvest Festival. BBG’s site

was put into the broader ecological, economic and cultural context of the Berkshires, and Lesley and Mark were eager to understand our long history and our place in the community. Only then did the landscape architects offer design concepts, which sought to address a long “wish list” of what we all thought could be improved or added to the Garden. Looking at various concepts, our team rapidly formed consensus around a design that struck an impressive balance between “programmable spaces”, new areas of formal gardens as well as children’s discovery, expanded wild meadow and woodland walks, and an overall cohesiveness that we all found very appealing. New paths provided better circulation, not just for our visitors but also for our staff. An expanded and sheltered area for our popular summer camp was sited next to new horticultural growing areas. Increased parking and a new Welcome Center were incorporated to address the growing numbers of visitors BBG welcomes year after year.

We will now spend time planning for implementation of the NBW plan, in phases so that we can remain open to the public and plan construction budgets accordingly. I look forward to sharing the many thoughtful and exciting design details with you in the months ahead. Even though the creation of our Master Plan with NBW already feels like an accomplishment, we all realize the journey that still lies ahead. Luckily we now have our roadmap in hand!

“A RARE OPPORTUNITY” BBG Director of Horticulture Matthew Turnbull Blends Garden Favorites with Fresh Ideas

By Gillian Culff

Photo: Jack Sprano

Matt Turnbull on assessing plantings: “I think of the garden beds as rental space, and each plant has to earn its spot before being permanent tenants in the garden.”

As BBG looks ahead to the implementation of its master plan, Director of Horticulture Matthew Turnbull has jumped in with fresh ideas to reinvigorate the Garden and usher in a new era in its development.

In his time at several of the East Coast’s most celebrated gardens, Matt has developed an approach focused on aesthetics, sustainability, reduction of inputs and year-round visual interest. The first order of business is taking stock of what’s already in place, in the way of both plantings and maintenance routines.

“I aim to put everything under a lens and make sure it’s meaningful,” he explains. “I’m always investigating, figuring out why everything is the way it is. It’s a rare opportunity to evaluate a garden start-to-finish cohesively.

Most traditional botanical gardens are layers of decisions made over years by different people. I think of the garden beds as rental space, and each plant has to earn its spot before being a permanent tenant in the garden.”

He’s also focusing on purpose. “The setting for the Garden is the middle of the Berkshire Mountains. We’ve

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An early summer “speed weeding” session with the horticulture staff and interns.

got nature all around us. So, what is the Garden’s purpose? Is it to provide more of what’s already around, or to offer something different and separate from that? This is a question I’ve been asking. I’m also thinking about the climate and what grows best that other gardens don’t have and that the public wants to see.”

Matt would also like to extend visual interest more fully through all four seasons at BBG. “Winter is a little challenging, but the bones of a planting in winter, the structure, can be in place to give you winter interest. For instance, at BBG we have some wellplaced Bloodtwig Dogwoods (Cornus sanguinea) by the road, and they look striking with their spikes of red against the snow. It might not be practical for BBG’s grounds to remain open all year, but we could enhance the winter landscape visible to passersby.”

Matt takes inspiration from the many gardens he has visited and worked in. “It’s valuable to visit other places and observe what they do,” he says.

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“You can look at any garden and find one thing you can use to improve your garden, even if it’s something simple.”

“You can look at any garden and find one thing you can use to improve your garden, even if it’s something simple.”

He also appreciates all that BBG already offers, particularly its horticulture team. “Chris (Caccamo), Duke (Douillet), John (Ryan), Kevin (Johnson) and interns Chelsea (Braz) and Ryan (Campbell) have gelled into a dedicated, cheerful group of horticulturists,” Matt says. “With work loads divided into individual garden sections, occasional group ‘speed weeding’ sessions and prioritization of garden areas, the team has accomplished a lot this season despite the pandemic and some erratic rainfall in late spring and early summer. In addition, all of

the dedicated volunteers and Herb Associates have greatly aided the team and are very much appreciated.”

Matt speaks admiringly of the Garden’s physical attributes. “They’re nicely designed,” he notes, “with texture and color and robust with plants. The diversity of garden types and their placement stands out as impressive.”

In the months and years to come, Matt will be working to blend the Garden’s enduring assets with new ways of exciting the interest of patrons and members, offering all who appreciate BBG’s gardens both the comfort of the familiar and the pleasure of the new and surprising.

Save the Date!

Holiday Marketplace December 5 - 6

Watch for details on our website and weekly enews!

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Mark H. Dold in Breaking the Code, 2014. PHOTO Kevin Sprague.

BARRINGTONSTAGECO.ORG • 413.236.8888 • PITTSFIELD BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Left: Site of a future warm season grass meadow adds diversity, aesthetics, a vista, and enough scope or expansiveness for pollinators and web of life.

Gardens For The Senses, Planting For Opportunities

Below: A sizable stand of Petasites japonicus represents a monoculture and impacts surrounding sites by its spreading growth habit.

By Matthew Turnbull, Director of Horticulture

“Experiencing life is essential to the human element, without it we seek fulfilling our needs in strange and frustrating ways.”

—Patrick McMillan author of Gardening With Wild American Eyes

Public gardens, private backyards, and natural lands all provide unique ways for people to observe plants. In all of these places, cameras are useful tools to capture photographs of the world’s flora, fauna, or landscapes. Now more than ever, the world of pictures — and the ease of sharing them — can serve as temporary, worthwhile placeholders for being outside.

Pictures focus primarily on one of our senses — seeing. The sense of sight and the quest for visuals sometimes 8

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comes at the cost of utilizing our other senses. Gardens have the potential to be complete, three-dimensional sensory adventures. Spending one day in a garden, the viewer can observe changes depending on the time of day, the angle of the light, morning versus evening, and the different types of weather which can alter the garden experience to see things anew.

Although vision may be the most immediate of our senses, gardens are equally experienced with our

sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Whether it is listening to the wind and rain, the rustling of ornamental grasses, the activity of pollinators, bees buzzing, pond water splashing and birds whistling. Noticing the fragrance of lilac blooms, smell of broken down leaf mulch, the earthy scent of rain against dry soil. The sense of taste when browsing through a vegetable garden, eating an Aronia or Kousa Dogwood berry or grabbing the fruit off an Opuntia cactus. The feel of interacting

with plants growing into the paths or, rainy day foliage wetting our clothes as we brush past. Observing winter seed chaffs in the breeze, the crunch of the snow on paths, the different sound that rain makes on each plant.

The indescribable sense of movement in the natural world, both yours and the plants and animals surrounding you. These senses are all integral to a complete garden experience.

Garden designs can aid these processes and enhance them.

Strategically using perennials, designing with plant communities, and focusing on four seasons of interest offer increased opportunities for interconnection throughout the year.

Another element is bringing more diversity into the design to provide places where plants can overlap. It is at these margins or edges of overlap where most integral connections (design,

sensory, pollination) take place. More practically, taking into account plant diversity, pollinators, aesthetics, color, and texture can add layers to awaken the senses in future garden visits.

Pictures (and garden writing) only tell a portion of the story. None are

substitutes for the outdoors. In an age where terms such as nature deficit syndrome and plant blindness abound — not to mention international pandemics and social distancing — now more than ever, it is an opportune time to visit and experience the garden.

GROUND/WORK

THE CLARK’S FIRST OUTDOOR EXHIBITION OPENS IN SEPTEMBER 2020

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS CLARKART.EDU Major support for Ground/work is provided by Karen and Robert Scott, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and Paul Neely.

Analia Saban, Teaching a Cow How to Draw, 2020. Cedar wood, 620 ft.

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Contributors

The following constituents made contributions of $150 or more during BBG’s 2019 fiscal year from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. Contributions include membership dues, unrestricted contributions to the Annual Fund, donations to designated funds, as well as grants and sponsorships. Thank you very much to all our friends for making 2019 such a spectacular year for the Garden! $50,000 and above Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Lucy and Nathaniel Day Marian Godfrey and Thomas Gardner Madeline and Ian Hooper Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation The Non Nobis Solum Foundation $25,000 to $49,999 Anoymous Maria and David Carls Elizabeth Ford Sayman Fairfield County’s Coommunity Foundation $10,000 to $24,999 Mary Copeland and Jose Gonzalez, Jr. Gay Tucker Marcia Brady Tucker Foundation Tania and Mark Walker Carol and Robert Williams $2,500 to $9,999 Linda Allard Sharon Casdin Candace and Frederick Beinecke Westchester Community Foundation Anne Fredericks and Marc Fasteau Adaline Frelinghuysen and Titus Ogilvie-Laing George L.K. Frelinghuysen The Frelinghuysen Foundation Hugh Freund and Sandra Wijnberg Ellen and Scott Hand Sherry and Daniel Kasper Matt Larkin and Lainie Grant Cecile McCaull Cindy McCollum and John Spellman Kate and Hans Morris Caitlin and Mitchell Nash Linda O’Connell Wendy Philbrick and Edward Baptiste Martha Piper Barbara and Michael Polemis Ramelle and Michael Pulitzer Renaissance Charitable Foundation Anna and Starbuck Smith Mary and Frank Watson Wayfair Gregory and Lillian Whitehead The Whitehead Foundation Suzanne Yale Kathleen and John Zutter $1,000 to $2,499 Dennis Adamson Jeannene Booher Marleen and Martin Brody Richard and Diane Brown Paula and Bob Butler Kathi Cafiero Sherri Caplan and Jonah Zuflacht Patricia and John Chory Carol Crapple Holly Dobbins Judith Fetterley and Sara McCain Marcia and Jonathan Feuer Catherine Finn Carol and Dennis Fitzgerald

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Nancy Fitzpatrick and Lincoln Russell Greater Worcester Community Foundation Pam and James Harrington Lauretta Harris and Louis Cohen Elise and Carl Hartman Hawley and John McAuliffe Donna and James Hurley Tom Ingersoll and Melissa LeVangie Janet Laudenslager and Maxime Aflalo Liza Lee Betsey McKearnan Ellen McTigue and Robert Harris Peter Metz Chas Miller and Birch Coffey Barbara Packer Rodney Pleasants and Steve Godwin Mary Ann and Bruno Quinson Debbie Reynolds Patrick Riordan Elizabeth Roberts Donna Rosen Georgeanne and Jean Rousseau Carolina Schulze The Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation Tricia and Joe Solari Ginnie Styles Ingrid and Richard Taylor Margot and Kip Towl Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association Harriet Wetstone Susan Wolf John Wyman $250 to $999 Margaret Abbott and Theresa Johnson Emily Aber and Rob Wechsler Mary M. Ackerly and Michael Sconyers Lauri Aibel and Tim Sleeper Alford Garden Club Richard and Laura Allen Jane Angelini Anthony and Pauline Archer-Wills Lilly Armstrong William Baker and Bayard Gordon Mary Ballinger Paul and Christina del Balso Barbourtown Foundation Michael Beck and Beau Buffier Stephanie Beling Steven Bellofatto and Charlotte Fairweather CeCe Black Jackie Blombach and Michael Duca Chase Booth and Gray Davis Ben Boyd and Dennis Adamson Stephanie and Carl Bradford Anne Brewster Jytte and John Brooks Robert Bujalski and Loretta Scheel Timothy and Patty Burch Susan Burke David Burrows George Case Lynn Villency Cohen Carol and Paul Collins George Conrades Karen Cunningham

Miriam and Tom Curnin Virginia and Edward Daisey Maria D’Ambrosio Liz and John Darley Rodney Day John and Janet DePiero Page Dickey and Bosco Schell Gordon Dinsmore, Jr. and Susan Dumont Maureen and John Donnell Betsy and Jonas Dovydenas Peggy and William Duncan Susan and JW Dunlaevy Gregory and Diane Eshleman Thomas Evans and Dean Ebben Fred and Nancy Fagelman Jack Finglass Susan and Henry Flint Community Foundation of Northeast Florida Anne- Marie Francis Alice and George Frelinghuysen Mary Fuller Diane Garrett Olivia George Jane Ghazarossian Susan and Rick Gibson Susan Ginns Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation Jennifer and Rob Goldwasser Linda Greenhouse and Eugene Fidell Ann Griffin Melinda and Thomas Hassen Jane and William Havemeyer Colleen and Philip Hempleman Callie Herzog and Franklin Walton Ruth Houghton Joy and Bill Howe Janet and John Hutchison Gary and Beverly Igleburger Leslie and Jenna Ioffredo Jane Iredale and Robert Montgomery Asher and Jamie Israelow Kristina and Gary Kahn Richard Kalb and Karl Laird Louise Kaufman Holly Kempner and Warren White Diane Kern Patti and Harvey Klein Michael Kovner and Jean Doyen de Montaillou Edmund Lee The Lenox Garden Club Julie Lewit Wendy Linscott and Jim Lamme Nancy Lukitsh Susan Eckert Lynch Barbara and Christopher May Patricia McLaughlin Brian Mikesell and John Weinstein Amanda and Seth Miller Jo Dare and Bob Mitchell Eugene Morris Deborah and Brian Munson Anjani and Barbara Nelson Chuck Niemeth Skippy and Vaughn Nixon North American Rock Garden Association Sue and Larry O’Donnell Judith Owens

Jim Panichella and Anita Jorgensen Carol Parrish and Paul Clark Evelyn Pascal Carrie Peterson and Jay Lien Sharon Phillips Dale and James Pinto Alice Platt Natalie Pray Warrie Price Donna Raftery and Vincent Inconiglios Donna Raftery Juergen Reiche Charles Revson Sheila and Hal Richman Deborah Roberts and Albert Roker Adele Rodbell Karen Royce Salisbury Bank and Trust Co. The Sasco Foundation Allen Scudder Erik Sebesta Carol and Richard Seltzer David and Susan Shapiro Kathryn and Nelson Sheingold Rosemarie Siegel Gordon Simmering and Mary Mott Michelle Slater Carol and Irving Smokler Ann and Austin Starkey Katie and James Stewart Katherine Stookey Lenore and Paul Sundberg Alfons Sutter and Frank Rosa Aso Tavitian John Taylor and Julian Arcila Sheila and Randy Thunfors Meredith Townsend Ed and Judy Warren Lynne Wheat Judith Wilkinson and Lionel Delevingne Thomas Woodward and David LePere Elisabeth Zander $150 to $249 Susan Abramowitz and Aaron Gurwitz The Academy Garden Club of Lenox Judith Ambery Charles Clarke and Colleen McGuinness-Clarke Paula Angerstein and Paul Grosso Alison and Jeffrey Atlas Anne Auberjonois and Sebastian Bonner Ellen and Richard Babcock Maureen and Michael Banner Deborah Barry and Ron Holdman Berkshire Agricultural Ventures Ricky Bernstein and Elisabeth Cary Joyce Bernstein Paul and Phyllis Berz Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King Laura and James Blodgett Penelope Borax and John Donald Jeff and Marcella Bradway Margaret Bragg Nancy and Stephen Brenner Marcia Brolli Andrew Bronin Jennifer and William Brown Kristin and Patrick Carnahan Linda and David Cass Elaine R. Cohen Jacqueline and William Connell Gary and Deborah Crakes Becky and Doug Crane Emily Crone Willie Crosby

Sonja Cucinotti James and Catherine Daily Helen and John Davies Sonya and Jay Dent Susan Diamond and Henry Michaelis Anita and Nicholas Diller Constance Eagan Carol and James Edelman Stewart and Lynn Edelstein Virginia Elsenhans Barbara Fabiano Denis Farina William and Dorota Farrell Denise Fecketter and Gloria Mullen Eric and Wendy Federer Deborah Fenster and Edward Seliga Diane and Alan Fergurson Chris Ferrero John W. Field Peter and Elizabeth Finn Bonnie and Terry Flynn Fort Orange Garden Club Janice Frederick and Delilah Dugo Russell and Martha Freedman Robert Fried Beth and Bruce Gamble Debbie Gangemi John and Leslie Garwood GE Foundation Donald and Marie Gelston Mary Michelle Gilligan and Lester Ettlinger Steven and Barbara Glicksman Gerard Golden I. Michael Goodman and Judith Uman Glenn and Marsha Gorelick Susan and Carl Gutman David Hagerty and Louise Cadigan Paula Hartstein and Jonathan Levin Sarah Hatch Nathan and Marilyn Hayward Marian Hazzard Helen McIver Anita Heller Paul Hirt and Lynn Campana Linda Hotchkiss and Steven Cox John and Nancy Howell Brian and Sistine Jarvis Thomas Jones and Marion Rosenfeld Barbara Kalib Nancy A. Killeen Judith Hill Kittredge Karen Kowgios Arthur Kreiger and Rebecca Benson Ilana Krishnamurti Patty Fili-Krushel and Kenneth Krushel Scott Lambert Deborah and John Lapaire James Lawson and Hadley Milliken Robert Lee Burt Levering Jens and Marilyn Lobb Patricia and Mark Lusted Amy and Jon Lyons Richard Matturro and Mary Trev Thomas Ryan McMenamy and James Keating Paula Meade Enid Michelman Theresa Terry Michney and Gerard Michney Deborah and Stuart Minton Donna Moffly John and Charnell Moore Susan Morris Elizabeth and James Murray Robert and Leslie Murray Margaret Muskrat

Marc and Phyllis Newman Ditte Nielsen and Mark Greenberg Linda and Robert Noonan Sandra Northrup and Dean Walton Elizabeth Olenbush and Roger Levine Cynthia and Brett Parson Jan Pechenik and Regina Campbell Christine Pepper Jonathan Poorvu Carol Potts Bonnie and Edward Regendahl Michael Roberts and Jay Corcoran Steven and Ruth Rosenthal Susan Sachs Irene Samuels and David Gonsalves Carey Samuels Sanjay and Anita Sathe Sally Schoenknecht Harvey and Justine Schussler Sally Set Peter and Lynn Shaffer Honey Sharp Jane and Terrence Shea Betsy and Thomas Sherman Heidi Shusterman Mark Smith and John O’Keefe Vicki Smith Alison Sneider Laurie Spar and John Pierce Ellen Spear Barbara Steen-Elton and Nick Elton Douglas Stroup and Steven Porter Fred and Elizabeth Sura Thom and Mary Swift Michlyne and Dan Thal Robin Tost Kevin Truex and Francis Burnes Randy Tryon and Daniel DeBerardinis Cynthia Valles and George Hebard Joyce Vandemark and Alan Zablonski Juliana Vanderwielen John and Anne Vitell William and Diane Vogt Edward and Vivian Wachsberger Elizabeth Waksman Theresa Walker and Eileen Rice William and Celeste Watman Robert and Brigitte Weible Julia Wells Jeffrey West Michael Wolkowitz Lynn Wood and Pam Hayden Elaine Zanelli and Isa Krocheski Marianne and Howard Zimberg 2019 Plant Sale Donors Amherst Nurseries Andrew’s Greenhouse Bay State Perennial Farm Beardsley Gardens Becker’s Farm Broken Arrow Nursery Callander’s Nursery and Landscaping, Inc. Campo De Fiori Chatham Berry Farm Clark’s Garden Center Countryside Landscape and Design, Inc. Cricket Hill Garden Faddegon’s Nursery, Inc. Freund’s Farm Market Garden Magic, Inc. DBA Country Caretaker Glendale Botanicals Hadley Garden Center Holiday Brook Farm Hudson Valley Organics BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Kent Greenhouse and Gardens Landcraft Environments LTD Litchfield Hills Nursery Maple Lane Nursery Markristo Farm McEnroe Organic Farm Monrovia Mt. Williams Greenhouses Nasami Farm North Creek Nurseries O’Brien Nurseryman, LLC Old Farm Nursery Oliver Nurseries Paley’s Farm Market Pioneer Gardens, Inc. Pride’s Corner Farms R & C Floral, Inc. Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse Salisbury Garden Center Sixteen Acres Garden Center Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. Summer Hill Nursery, Inc. Sunny Border Nurseries Sylvan Nursery, Inc. Taft Farms The Plant Group, Inc. The Robert Baker Companies Tomich Landscape Design Twin Brooks Wahconah Street Greenhouses Wanczyk Evergreen Nursery, inc.

Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center Whalen Nursery, Inc. Whitney’s Farm Market and Country Gardens Wildflowers Florist Windy Hill Farm, Inc. Zema’s Nursery Memorial Contributions In Memory of Barbara Brouker Lisa Beaudreau Roberta Beeker Jodi Cahillane Catherine Carchedi Donna Drew Eleanor Gifford Margy Gwozdz Christine Hover Dorothy Lambert Nancy MacPhee Theresa Terry Michney Suzanne Nieman Patricia Steele Christine Stodden Patricia Walton Diane Wetzel Marilyn Wiley Cheryl Wilson In Memory of Nancy Nirenberg Allison Forsman In Memory of Barbara Coleman Tammy Kupernik In Memory of Betty Spellman John Spellman In Memory of Ellen Greendale Mary Copeland Susan Hawvermale Evelyn Kitzul Lenox Garden Club Skippy and Vaughn Nixon

R O OT E D I N P L AC E ONLINE

Rooted in Place Ecological Symposium Welcoming Wildlife and Diversity Into Our Landscapes Explore a new, environmentally-sensitive vision for approaching the connection between the surrounding landscape and our homes.

Our 5th Annual Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium will be presented online, where a community of gardeners, horticulturists, landscape designers and students will come together for inspiration on how to plant gardens designed to support diverse and resilient ecological communities in the face of a changing world.

Rooted in Place online programs begin Sunday, November 15 and continue throughout the week featuring expert presenters who will examine the intersection of the wild and cultivated landscape. Registration includes online entry to four enriching lectures exploring ecosystem services offered by native plantings, including the role they play in our gardens. A panel discussion with the presenters will be featured at the conclusion of the symposium.

Symposium details, along with the complete lecture and panel discussion schedule, will be posted online at berkshirebotanical.org starting August 15.

Heather Holm is an award-winning author and nationally sought-after speaker, spending much of her time passionately educating audiences about the fascinating world of native bees and the native plants that support them. Her first book, Pollinators of Native Plants, was published in 2014, and her latest book, Bees, published in 2017, has won six book awards including the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native bees and native plants and the natural history and biology of native bees occurring in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.

Uli Lorimer is Director of Horticulture at Native Plant Trust. A longtime advocate for native plants in designed landscapes, Uli firmly believes that ecological gardening can help heal our planet and bolster biodiversity in all its forms.

Dr. Desiree Narango is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and current David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow. Her research interests include ecology and conservation in human-dominated landscapes, plant-animal interactions and community-driven science. Desiree has a PhD in Entomology and Wildlife Ecology from University of Delaware, an MS in Natural Resources from The Ohio State University, a BS in Environmental Biology from SUNY: ESF and nearly 15 years experience studying wildlife. She’s also an active birder and gardener who enjoys getting others excited about the natural world in their own yards.

Panel Discussion: Bridghe McCracken, Founder of Helia Land Design, has over 20 years experience in land stewardship, as well as designing landscapes, gardens and beautiful food systems. Bridghe has a BA in Biology from Colorado College, is a certified Organic Landcare Professional from the Northeast Organic Farmers Association, a certified horticulturist from MCLA, a Massachusetts Master Gardener, and a graduate and advanced practitioner of the Four Winds Society. In 2006 she began a partnership with Project Native as their chief landscape designer, which allowed her to stay abreast of the latest available native plants.

Drew Monthie worked in nurseries during high school and college and attended the BOCES horticulture program and SUNY Cobleskill, earning an AAS in plant science. After owning and operating a nursery and landscape business for many years, Drew returned to college for a BS in ecology and MA in ethnobotany. He now designs gardens, consults and teaches horticulture, botany, ethnobotany and ecology.

Deb Munson is a horticulturist working in the northwest corner of Connecticut. In addition to designing and maintaining her clients’ gardens, she has created with her husband, Brian, her own mountaintop refuge in Falls Village. She gardens with a strong environmental and sustainable ethic.

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EDUCATION

AUGUST – DECEMBER 2020

Education As late summer transitions to fall we turn our attention towards the yearly process of preparing to settle in. We wrap up our hives, bring in our tropicals, save seeds and preserve the harvest. Let BBG carry you through the transitions of seasons with our fall classes. With both online and onsite classes available, we are adapting to the season so that you can too. Explore new hobbies and new gardens. Join us for our ongoing author series, which illuminates the ways the natural world reaches into every corner of our lives. Our Horticulture Certificate Program offers both professionals and novice gardeners hungry for more knowledge, a deeper connection to the systems that support our ecosystem and help our gardens to thrive.

This fall marks our fifth Rooted in Place Ecological Gardening Symposium, a day devoted to the cultivation and care of our landscapes. Our theme this year celebrates the intersection between wild and humanmade garden spaces. Small onsite cooking classes invite you to bring the bounty of the season to your table. Whatever your interest, we are here for you. Join BBG this fall, and as a community, we will lean into the seasonal shifts we all know so well.

For more information on classes and events happening at the Garden, visit our website at berkshirebotanical.org.

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Classes, Lectures, and Workshops ONLINE Classes Our online classes are offered over Zoom. Students receive class login information and materials lists, when applicable, once they’ve registered.

Birding by Ear in the Garden On-site Wednesday, August 19, 5 – 6:30 pm Members: $12/Non-members: $15 Hone your birding skills with naturalist Zach Adams. Birding by ear is an effective and exciting tool in bird identification. Join Zach at BBG, walk the grounds and learn to identify bird species by call and song. This in-person event is presented in collaboration with Mass Audubon Pleasant Valley. Space is limited, so register early.

Botanicals, Bitters, and Booze — Botanical Summer Cocktails Presented by Berkshire Botanical Garden & MoonCloud Off-site Thursday, August 20, 2 – 4 pm Members: $80/Non-members: $90 Enjoy an in-depth conversation discussing the history, geography, medicinal origins and modern uses of the world’s beautiful cocktail modifiers. We will showcase the integral elements of amaro, vermouth and fortified and aromatized wines with the techniques of building and enjoying craft cocktails at home and abroad. Included will be a packet of information for guests to read along and take home and stories about some of the “essential botanicals” such as cinchona bark, gentian and wormwood. There will also be recipes and literature about the “Three Featured Cocktails,” which guests will build, mix and tip back. Our first hour, we will enjoy the seminar and fun-fact frenzy from Billy Jack Paul, followed by an hour of guests hands-on building and mixing their own cocktails to enjoy in the yard. Held on the lawn behind MoonCloud, 47 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, MA.

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ONSITE and OFFSITE Classes The location of these classes is subject to change in accordance with state and federal regulations. Students will be notified as soon as possible if classes require a change in location.

Off-Site Field Study of Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King’s Nearly Native Garden in Claverack, New York Offsite Members: $35/Non-members: $45 Friday, August 21, 3 – 5 pm Join us for an opportunity to tour a celebrated private garden and reflect on the intersection of traditional and regenerative horticulture and garden design. Led by garden and landscape designer Peter Bevacqua, who will highlight the creation of the wild “nearly native garden” and its role in their landscape.

Learn how he and Stephen King worked with the existing flora to transform the space, and follow its continuing evolution.

Their magical garden, hidden from street view in the hamlet of Claverack, has been evolving with devotion and care for the past 30 years. This 2 ½ acre garden feels larger because of its division into many garden spaces designed with a careful eye to structure, form and texture. One area unfolds upon the next with its own sense of individuality. Among the features are the sun garden (with topiary and architectural yew hedges), a hydrangea walk, the greenhouse herbaceous borders and many unusual trees and shrubs. What was once a small orchard is becoming a conifer garden. A boxwood cloud hedge, inspired by the work of Jacques Wirtz, replaces an old rose border, and a border consisting primarily of shrubs and small trees meets the objective of horticultural interest while being low in maintenance. The ‘Nearly-native Garden’, with its thriving honey bee colony, adds another unique space to the mix.Peter has used his governing design principles of structure, form and texture to focus here on native plants, with support from nonnatives, creating a unique plant community.

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Online Author Series

Our Author Series is presented in collaboration with Tower Hill Botanic Garden and Timber Press.

All books in this series are available for purchase through BBG’s online shop.

Georgina Reid, The Planthunter Online Thursday, August 27, 6:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $10/Non-members: $15 Enjoy a lecture and Q&A session with author Georgina Reid about her new book, The Planthunter, available for purchase through the BBG online shop.

From street gardens in Los Angeles to grand country estates in Australia, The Planthunter is a visceral and immersive exploration of the exceptional and ordinary ways people around the world find purpose and connection through the act of gardening. All of the featured gardeners are committed to the cultivation of the earth and the human spirit. They’re landscape architects, artists, garden designers, plant collectors, wanderers, big thinkers, florists and writers. The Planthunter is for the plant curious, the plant killer, the plant lover and everyone in between. Jam-packed with soulful stories and hundreds of eyeopening photographs, this must-read will inspire contemplation, curiosity and action.

Jennifer Jewell: The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants Online Friday, September 11, 6 – 7 pm Members: $10/Non-members: $15 Enjoy a lecture and Q&A session with author Jennifer Jewell, about her new book The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants, available for purchase through our online shop. Focus in a wholly unique way on how horticulture intersects with our everyday world and on women whose work has enriched and expanded these intersections in the last 25 years. The Earth in Her Hands explores and celebrates how the plant world is improved by greater representation of women and by diversity amongst those women. It chronicles how working in the world of plants is a more viable and creative career path for women than ever before and how the plant-work world is demonstrating greater social and environmental responsibility, in large part due to women’s contributions. These profiles of women from a half a dozen different countries, doing innovative work in all horticultural fields, point to larger issues and shifts in our world. These women’s diverse backgrounds and identities challenge preconceived notions of what horticulturalists and gardeners look like, while their work illustrates how many

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challenges of our world can be met through cultivating an interdependence with plants. Following the lecture will be a book sale and signing of The Earth in Her Hands.

Dan Hinkley, Windcliff Online Thursday, September 24, 6:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $10/ Non-members: $15 Enjoy a lecture and Q&A session with author, gardener and nurseryman Dan Hinkley, whose new book, Windcliff, is available for purchase through the BBG online shop. In this part memoir/part hands-on gardening book, Dan Hinkley takes the reader from his formative years as a young lad in northern Michigan through his first garden-making experience at Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, WA, to his current private garden, Windcliff, in Indianola, WA. Through observations of the evolution of his garden, he reflects on its failures as well as its successes, the design principles he has garnered during 50-plus years of cultivating plants and the people he has interacted with along the way. It is the story of a journey virtually all of us take as gardeners, seen through the lens of someone with a lifelong obsession with plants and an awe for the perfection and majesty of the natural world.

Page Dickey Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again Online Thursday, October 22, 6:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $10/Non-members: $15 Enjoy a lecture and Q&A session with author Page Dickey about her new book, Uprooted: A Gardener Reflects on Beginning Again, available for purchase through the BBG online shop. Page Dickey knew the transitions she faced walking away from her celebrated garden at Duck Hill after thirty-four years. What surprised her were the happy opportunities that came with starting over. Uprooted follows Dickey’s evolution from old to new, cultivated to wild, and from one type of gardener to another. It is a story for anyone who has had to begin anew—in gardening or in life.

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Fall/Winter Hive Management for Successful Overwintering of Beehives

Botanical Dyes On-site Sunday, August 30, 10 am – 4 pm Members: $100/Non-members: $120

On-site Saturday, August 22, 10 am – 12 pm Members: $15, Non-members: $20 Join 6th-generation beekeeper Ken Warchol for an in-depth program on fall hive management of honeybees. This lecture and demonstration will focus on how to prepare your beehives to survive the winter, including hive preparation, feeding and pest control. Ken will provide beekeepers with critical information and, most especially, timing of important management techniques to prepare hives for the cold. Weather permitting, he will do a hive inspection in the BBG apiary. Bring protective equipment.

What’s Bugging You? A Strategy for Pest Control in the Home Garden

Herbaceous Plants

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On-site Sunday, August 23, 11 am – 12:30 pm Members: $20/Non-members: $25 Learn how to put Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to work efficiently in a workshop designed for gardeners. Join Ron Kujawski for a walk and talk to identify pests and diseases and discuss plant health care with a focus on IPM. Walk through the landscape for demonstrations of IPM tools and techniques, as well as a close look at some of the most common insect, disease and weed problems faced by woody ornamentals. Cultural problems and environmental stresses will also be discussed.

Covered topics include associating plant development with pest appearance and monitoring techniques to effectively manage pest problems. Dress for walking; workshops are held rain or shine. Bring a clipboard, pencil and hand lens.

Writing Wild with Kathryn Aalto Online Wednesdays, August 26 – September 2, 6 – 7:30 pm Members: $35/ Non-members: $45 One of the most distinctive genres in American literature, nature writing is also one of its oldest traditions. In this two-part nature writing workshop, Kathryn Aalto provides an introduction to the beating heart of nature writing, the personal essay. After a discussion of the importance of the first-person narrative in nature writing, Kathryn will provide exercises to shape a nature essay. An overview of subgenres — natural history, garden writing, personal meditations, country and farm life, biography and environmental writing in the Anthropocene — help to harness your subject, angle and voice.

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Learn how to extract color from plants! This class will cover the basics of natural dyeing. Participants will learn about the different kinds of natural fibers and how to prepare them for dyeing, as well as learn to identify several dye plants that are easy to grow or collect in the wild. We will use these plants to create dyes with which we can experiment using different mordants, over-dyeing and resist techniques on various fibers. Yarn and fabric swatches for dyeing will be provided. Students are encouraged to bring a notebook in which to record their process and results.

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On-site Tuesdays, September 1 – 22, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $185/Non-members: $200 Taught by David Burdick, this course covers basic herbaceous plants used in the garden setting, including identification, planting, fertilizing, pest control and pruning. Perennial selection will be the focus, although some time will be spent on annuals and bulbs. This offering is essential for the serious gardener. Students should dress for outdoor field study, including sturdy, waterproof footwear and warm outer clothing.

LGBTQ+/BIPOC Healing Garden Immersion On-site Saturday, September 5, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm Members: $20/Non-members: $25 In this workshop, participants will join mindful outdoor guide Raei Bridges for a day of intimate engagement with the land. Various mindfulness-based activities will reinforce interconnection with the natural world and provide opportunity for self-reflection and community building. Participants will find opportunity to engage in meditation and practice deep listening while building on their knowledge of the natural world and deepening their human and more-than-human connections. This space is centered around healing relationships with the land and reclaiming space in relationship to the marginalized experience and is intended for people who identify as LGBTQ+, or as a person of color.

This symbol denotes HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM classes, workshops, and lectures open to both students seeking credit towards one of BBG’s five acclaimed horticulture certificates as well as the general public.

Please visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-357-4657 for additional information.

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Designing with Annuals, Tropicals and Unique Hardy Perennials

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On-site Thursdays, September 10 – October 1, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $175/Non-members: $185 This class is designed to add drama to your gardens with big, bold and beautiful plants. Under the guidance of Robert Clyde Anderson, students will learn to utilize underused annuals, seasonal tropicals and hardy perennials that can really make a splash in your garden with overscale, luxuriant and dramatic foliage effects.

Also covered will be tips and techniques for how to create exuberant and impactful container plantings and groupings for versatile display on terraces, decks and poolside.

Bringing Plants in for the Winter

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On-site Saturday, September 12, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $25/Non-members: $35 At the end of the summer, what do you do with all those special patio plants you’ve fussed over for the summer months? This class 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. Taught by Jenna O’Brien, topics of this class 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.

Goldenrod and Asters Field Study

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On-site/Off-site Sunday, September 13, 10 am – 4 pm Members: $85/Non-members: $95 In late summer and early fall, asters and goldenrods come into their own. In this class taught by Ted Elliman, a morning discussion will include a presentation of many of Berkshire County’s asters and goldenrods, focusing on their identification features and discussing their characteristic habitats. In the afternoon, we’ll explore nearby natural areas to observe and identify the asters and goldenrods growing in meadows, woodlands and wetlands, examining the differences that characterize these species. A hand lens is recommended. We will travel by BBG’s passenger van. Please dress for weather and bring a bagged lunch.

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Drafting for Garden Design

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Planting Shrubs and Small Ornamental Trees

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On-site Wednesdays, September 16 – October 14, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $255/Non-members: $275

On-site Saturday, September 19, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $25/Non-members: $35

Led by Steven Foster, this five-week studio intensive is essential for those who would like to take their in-garden planning and design to the next level. Learn basic drafting skills necessary to record and effectively communicate scaled site plans. The course will cover reference books, drafting supplies, media/paper types, line weights, lettering and scale reading. Drafting demonstrations will familiarize students with professional drawing techniques, and students will begin to draft basic site plans and explore mapmaking. During the last half of the course, students will learn to develop a landscape graphic palette to illustrate trees, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers, as well as hardscape materials such as stone terraces. This course is designed for beginner to intermediate students.

Learn by doing in this hands-on shrub and tree planting/transplanting workshop led by arborist Ken Gooch. Learn how to successfully transplant shrubs through correct timing, placement, and techniques designed to create minimal disturbance and ensure a smooth transition to a new site.

Consider the differences between bare-root, container-grown and balledand-burlapped trees and understand the importance of siting. All aspects of successful planting will be demonstrated, and participants will assist in transplanting a multi-stem shrub and planting a small tree. Participants should bring pruners and work gloves and dress for the weather.

Foraged and Farmed, Autumn Flower Arranging

Horticultural Therapy uses the cultivation of plants and plant-related programs to heal, rehabilitate and improve the overall well-being of the population it serves. Often referred to as “the new health care tool,” horticultural therapy is effective in achieving therapeutic, rehabilitative and vocational outcomes. Registered Horticultural Therapist Anne Meore will lead participants through experiential activities that will deepen the participant’s understanding of this therapeutic modality and enhance perspective on the benefits of our relationship with plants and the natural environment.

Online Friday, September 18, 5:30 – 7 pm Members: $15/Non-members: $20 Floral designer Colie Collen, the farmer florist behind Flower Scout in Troy, NY, will share the step-by-step process of creating stunning seasonal arrangements. Explore combining foraged and store-purchased florals. Learn about shape and color, as well as useful tips for how to make your arrangements last. Use our materials list to have the items on hand you’ll need to create your arrangement in real-time alongside Colie. Our online classes are offered over Zoom. Students receive class login information and materials lists, when applicable, once registered.

Horticultural Therapy: The People-Plant Partnership On-site Saturday, September 19, 10 am – 2:30 pm Members: $75/Non-members: $90

Bulbs and Humans: Rising Above the Squirrel Mentality

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On-site Sunday, September 20, 11 am – 2 pm Members: $20/Non-members: $25 Led by David Burdick, learn the ways and whys of selecting, purchasing, planting and designing with hardy flowering bulbs. If you’re catalogbuying, learn what to expect from a supplier. If shopping at the local nursery, discover what to look for when choosing a bulb--and the hints that packaging gives towards its successful culture. Most importantly, be on hand to learn to avoid the squirrel mentality when planting.

Serving the Berkshires since 1981

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Cooking from the Garden for Tweens On-site Wednesdays, September 23 – October 14, 3:30 – 5:30 pm Members: $100/Non-members: $120 Tweens can stretch their culinary skills while cooking seasonally from the garden. This program for 5th-8th graders will help students learn the fundamentals of cooking, try out new plantbased recipes and make friends along the way. Participants will harvest fresh vegetables and herbs from the BBG garden and transform them into delicious recipes. Participants will gain new cooking skills and explore new flavors. This after-school cooking program is led by BBG Director of Education Bridgette Stone in the Garden’s teaching kitchen and is sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

Scholarships are available.

Seed Saving

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On-site Saturday, September 26, 10:30 am – 1:30 pm Members: $25/Non-members: $35 In this hands-on workshop with Bridghe McCracken, founder of Helia Land Design, learn how to save seeds from your garden.

Topics covered will be proper handling, collecting times, cleaning and storage. The primary focus will be native perennials and annuals. Participants will collect seeds from the grounds of BBG and be able to take some home for next year’s garden.

Enjoy thE BEnEfits of your mEmBErship whilE Earning gardEn rEwards

Ask In-store for More Information on How to Join

Ward’s Where Gardeners Grow Cultivating Mushrooms at Home: Winecaps, Oysters, and Shiitakes

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On-site Sunday, September 27, 1 – 3 pm Members: $45/Non-members: $55 Come explore the fascinating realm of growing mushrooms with Willie Crosby of Fungi Ally. Learn about the basic mushroom life cycle and the important ecological roles that fungi fill. The discussion will focus on several different methods of mushroom cultivation on wood, including shiitakes on logs, oysters on totems and wine cap mushrooms on wood chips. Leave with the tools and knowledge to start cultivating mushrooms in your garden. All participants will take home an inoculated log.

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Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center - 600 Main Street Great Barrington MA - Open Daily 8am-5pm - Closed Labor Day

413-528-0166

www.wardsnursery.com BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Ornamental Woody Plants

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Mushrooms of the Forest in Dry Brush Watercolor

On-site Tuesdays, September 29 – October 20, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $185/Non-members: $200

Online Thursdays, October 8 - 15, 5:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $45/Non-members: $50

This course, led by Jenna O’Brien, 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.

This workshop will focus on using dry brush watercolor to replicate the colors and the form of mushrooms. “Dry brush” refers to the art of using only a small amount of paint to damp a brush. Learn the basics of the technique: color mixing and layering, working from light to dark, adding fine detail and using a dry brush with the “skin” of dried paint on the palette. This two-session class led by botanical artist Anastasia Traina will include live instructional time and group critique. Attendees will be provided with a photograph and an outline of the same mushroom to work from throughout the class. These materials will be provided post-registration along with a required material list.

The Colorful & Curious World of Carnivorous Plants

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On-site Saturday October 3, 10 am – 4 pm Members: $30/Non members: $35 Introduction to the colorful and curious world of gardening with the carnivorous plants of North America. Topics will include noteworthy genus and species such as Pitcher Plants, Sundews, and Venus Flytraps, how to effectively use them in design, an introduction to bog-making and propagation. This class is led by Matthew Turnbull, Director of Horticulture at Berkshire Botanical Garden,

Preserving the Harvest On-site Sunday, October 4, 11 am – 2 pm Members: $40/Non-members: $55 In this workshop focusing on simple, shelf-stable preserving practices, we’ll move through three straightforward recipes--a pickle, a jam and wholepreserved fruit--and discuss safe ways to modify flavors. Janet Reich Elsbach will review the principles of hot water bath canning, and you’ll leave with a basic knowledge of how to replicate the process at home and adapt the recipes to your taste.

All Berkshire Botanical Garden cooking classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

Come visit and see what makes Bay State special!

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Botanicals, Bitters and Booze - Botanical Fall Cocktails Presented by Berkshire Botanical Garden & MoonCloud Off-site Saturday, October 10, 2 – 4 pm Members: $85/Non-members: $90 Enjoy an in-depth conversation with Billy Jack Paul discussing the history, geography, medicinal origins and modern uses of the world’s beautiful cocktail modifiers. We will showcase the integral elements of amaro, vermouth and fortified and aromatized wines with the techniques of building and enjoying craft cocktails at home and abroad. Included will be a packet of information for guests to read along and take home and stories about some of the “essential botanicals” such as cinchona bark, gentian and wormwood. There will also be recipes and literature about the “Three Featured Cocktails,” which guests will build, mix and tip back. Our first hour, we will enjoy the seminar and fun-fact frenzy from Billy Jack, followed by an hour of guests hands-on building and mixing their own cocktails to enjoy in the yard. Held on the lawn behind MoonCloud, 47 Railroad St. in Great Barrington, MA.

Building a Dry Stone Wall

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On-site Saturday, October 17, 9 am – 3 pm Members: $80/Non-members: $95 Join stonemason artist Mark Mendel for a hands-on program covering the basics of dry stone wall building, including planning, layout and demonstrations on cutting and fitting. The morning will consist of a lecture, a walk through the garden to view a variety of stone walls and site preparation. Students will learn how to set up a batter frame and cut stone and will practice laying stones to create structural integrity through interlocking placement.

Following the demonstrations, students will work on a dry stone wall and practice wall-building. The workshop will pay special attention to building a freestanding wall using fieldstone. Dress for outdoor work and bring safety glasses; heavy gloves; sturdy, waterproof footwear and a bag lunch.

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Autumn-Inspired Handmade Filled Pasta On-site Saturday, October 17, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $55/Non-members: $65 Join the chef/educator team of Stephen and Julie Browning of Prairie Whale restaurant for a garden-inspired, hands-on workshop making a variety of homemade, filled pastas including tortellini, ravioli and agnolotti. Pastas will be incorporated into dishes emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients. All Berkshire Botanical Garden cooking classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

Weaving a Reed Vegetable Basket On-site Sunday, October 18, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm Members: $60/Non-members: $75 Create a woven reed harvest basket with textile artist Jamie Goldenberg to carry your vegetables and flowers from the garden or display them on your table. We will cover the proper preparation of reed and patterns for weaving as well as finishing techniques.

Late Fall Pruning

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On-site Sunday, October 25, 10 am – 4 pm Members: $25/Non-members: $35 Autumn is a great time to assess your woody plants for shape, structure and health. This demonstration/workshop with Ken Gooch will focus on pruning, including when, why and how to shape, renovate, train or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about pruning tools, timing and specific techniques available to the home gardener.

Pruning techniques for both evergreen and deciduous hedges will be covered. Dress to be outside and bring pruners.

The Ecology of Coffee On-site Sunday, October 25, 11 am – 1 pm Members: $20/Non-members: $25 Lisa Landry and Flavio Lichtenthal, founders and co-owners of No. Six Depot Roastery and Cafe in West Stockbridge, will share an interactive lecture on the production, sourcing and cultivation of coffee. Learn about the social and ecological impacts of coffee production, including environmental factors and concerns related to climate change and organic growing methods. Sample three of their coffees, tasting for the flavor nuances that come from different regions.

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Soil and Soil Amendments

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On-site Tuesdays, October 27 – November 17, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $185/Non-members: $200 Taught by John Howell, this course will explain how plant growth is affected by soils, from drainage to pH and nutrients. Learn how to evaluate soils, improve those that are less than ideal and amend soils for specific garden uses. Fertilizers, soil amendments, making and using compost, moisture management and the pros and cons of mulching will be covered. Students need to get a soil sample before class and bring the results to the first class.

Tween Baking Series On-site Wednesday, October 28 – November 18, 3:30 – 5:30 pm Members: $100/Non-members: $120 After-school time never looked so sweet. This four-week program for 5th-8th graders will allow students to learn the fundamentals of baking, try out new plant-based recipes and make friends along the way. Participants will explore both the sweet and savory sides of baking. This after-school cooking program is led by Bridgette Stone and held in our teaching kitchen and sponsored

by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace. Scholarships are available.

Food for Celebration: Vegetable-focused Share-fare with Alana Chernila On-site Saturday November 7, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $40/Non members: $55 Want to go beyond pigs in a blanket and cocktail shrimp? Join cookbook author and Guido’s Marketing Manager Alana Chernila for a hands-on class to bring vegetables to the party. We’ll start with chickpea salad in endive boats, move on to broccoli raab and cheddar party toasts and finish with sweet potato latkes with roasted applesauce. All Berkshire Botanical Garden cooking classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

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Gluten-free Desserts for the Holiday Table — with Rachel Portnoy On-site Saturday November 14, 10 am – 1 pm Members: $45/Non-members: $60

Holly and Mistletoe Holiday Card in Dry Brush Watercolor and Silver or Gold Leaf Online Thursday, November 12 & 19, 5:30 – 7:30 pm Members: $45/Non-members: $55 This workshop with Anastasia Traina will focus on using dry brush watercolor to replicate the colors and form of holly, mistletoe and evergreens. “Dry brush” refers to the art of using only a small amount of paint to damp a brush. Create paintings to turn into seasonal holiday cards. Learn the basics of the dry brush technique, including color mixing and layering, working from light to dark, adding fine detail and using dry brush with the “skin” of dried paint on the palette. Attendees will be provided with photographs and outlines to work from throughout the class. These materials will be provided post-registration along with a required material list.

This two-session class led by botanical artists Anastasia Traina will include instructional time and group critique.

energetic landscaping, inc. expert design, construction & year-round maintenance

Rachel Portnoy will lead this class on creating delicious, gluten-free desserts for the holiday table. The challenges of holiday baking are mostly self-imposed, but they’re real: The pies - how many to make?

The cookies - how many to decorate? Make it delicious! Make it different! Make it special! We hear you and are ready to heed your call. Even better, we’re ready to show you how to make special holiday desserts that are fun to bake, delicious and gluten-free.

All Berkshire Botanical Garden cooking classes are sponsored by Guido’s Fresh Marketplace.

Sewing a Garden Critter Puppet On-site Saturday, November 14, 10:30 am - 1 pm Members: $35/Non-members: $45 Celebrate fall with a home puppet show! Using only felt, a needle and thread--and your imagination!--you’ll create your own custom puppet. Jamie Goldenberg will cover various stitching techniques, how to fit a puppet and other ways of translating your imagination into real life. A perfect homemade for gift-giving.

Plant Health Care

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On-site Tuesdays, November 24 – December 15, 5:30 – 8:30 pm Members: $185/Non-members: $200 Led by Ken Gooch, this program focuses on factors that affect plant health care, including insects, diseases, pathogens and abiotic influences. Basic diagnostic techniques will be taught. Learn to minimize potential problems through proper site preparation, plant selection and placement. Managing problems using biological, chemical and cultural techniques will be discussed with a focus on integrated pest management.

Bringing the natural beauty of the Berkshires to homes and offices since 1979.

(413) 442-4873 energeticlandscaping.com

Serving the greater Berkshire area since 1992; providing cross disciplinary expertise in design, horticulture, arboriculture, irrigation and excavation for both residential and commercial clients.

Countrysidelandscape.net 413.458.5586

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Women’s’ Chainsaw Skills Workshop

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On-site Saturday, December 12, 10 am–- 4:30 pm Members: $110/Non-members: $135 Are you interested in learning to use a chainsaw but feel intimidated to do so? This workshop is designed for the novice-to-beginner chainsaw operator who wishes to gain greater confidence with this powerful tool. Led by Certified Arborist Melissa LeVangie, the class will combine lecture and hands-on learning. Topics will include personal protective equipment, the anatomy of a chainsaw, reactive forces, basic chainsaw maintenance and additional tools for use with a chainsaw. Techniques will include holding and starting a saw, hazard ID, escape options, log analysis (binds), planning cuts, overall plan and bucking and limbing. Attendees will cut logs on the ground and/or elevated on sawhorses and will leave with a better understanding of the safety features of a chainsaw and be able to operate a chainsaw based on safety fundamentals. No experience necessary. Note: Equipment will be provided; if you have your own chainsaw or personal protective equipment, please bring it with you. Dress and prepare for the weather including long sleeves, pants and boots. Bring a bag lunch.

Sopring tings: 4.75”W

WINDY HILL FARM NURSERY • ORCHARD • GARDEN SHOP

Superb plantS, extenSive Knowledge outStanding Quality, Selection & value

1815 N. Main St, Rte 7, Sheffield, MA 413.528.1857 Open Daily 10-5

We offer our own Berkshire field-grown specimens, including Chinese or Kousa dogwood; the native Berkshire strain of Cornus florida; American and European Green, Tricolor and Copper beech; native birch; hybrid lilacs; hydrangea paniculata selections; American Fringe trees; witchhazels, blueberries, viburnums; winterberries, espaliered fruit trees; mature apple, peach and pear trees; herbaceous and tree peony selections.

www.campodefiori.com TO R EG IST E R, V IS IT W W W.B E RKS H IRE B OTANICAL.O RG

686 Stockbridge road, great barrington, Ma 01230 www . windyhillfarMinc . coM (413) 298-3217 BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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EDUCATION

FAMILY FRIDAYS Our popular Family Friday series is for students and stewards of all ages! Our expanded programming includes presentations and events every Friday throughout July and August on a variety of topics from insects to snakes, mammals, raptors and more.

Family Fridays are free with Garden admission (BBG members are admitted free of charge) but pre-registration on our website is currently required for all visitors. Join us as we encourage an innate curiosity about the natural world and promote a deeper connection to our Berkshire landscape and world at large.

Snakes of the Berkshires

Birds of Prey

On-site Outdoors - Berkshire Botanical Garden Friday, August 21, 11 am – 12 pm Free with admission

On-site Friday, August 28, 11 am - 12 pm Free with admission

Meet us on the Fitzpatrick lawn as Environmental Educator Thomas Tying returns to teach us about snakes of the Berkshires. Learn about reptiles in our area and how you can help protect them. You’ll be up close and personal with a variety of snakes that call the Berkshires home.

Join wildlife rehabilitator Tom Ricardi for his ever-popular presentation on birds of prey. This program is designed for all ages. Tom will share the natural history of these magnificent birds, demonstrate some of their unique behaviors and inspire children of all ages to appreciate, respect and conserve these important members of our wild kingdom.

CREATING BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES design • installation • maintenance 413-448-2215 churchillgardens.com

C u s to m H o m e s – A r t i s a n a l D e t a i l s est

1998

Crafting Beautiful, Energy-Efficient Spaces using Micro-local Materials.

Zero net energy homes • Passive House

w w w. u n c a r v e d b l o c k i n c . c o m

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( 4 13 ) 4 6 4 - 2 5 9 8

TO R EGISTER , VISIT WWW. BER KSHIR EBOTA N I CA L .OR G

B E R K S H I R E B O TA N I C A L G A R D E N P E R E N N I A L S O C I E T Y

—David Carls, Member of the Berkshire Botanical Garden Board of Trustees Emeriti and Perennial Society.

If you would like to find out more about joining BBG’s Perennial Society, please contact Michael Beck, Executive Director at (413) 320-4772 or mbeck@ berkshirebotanical.org for a confidential conversation.

an inspiring new Norman!

Hope, humor, and fun await you. Five inspiring new exhibitions now on view!

LIZA DONNELLY New Yorker Cartoonist

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ROSE O’NEILL Artist/Suffragette

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NORMAN ROCKWELL Master Illustrator/American Icon

Stockbridge, MA • Cafe & Store Open • Kids & Teens FREE! • Advanced tickets required; reserve at NRM.org BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

Liza Donnelly. We’re All In This Together, 2020. Illustration for Medium. Image © Liza Donnelly. All rights reserved.

“If you enjoy and feel connected to the Garden, there’s an opportunity to support it through a bequest. As a nonprofit organization, BBG is sustained by annual memberships and contributions. When you offer such a gift, you become a member of the Perennial Society.”

“I’ve always been interested in gardening and growing vegetables,” says David Carls, who, at the age of ten, successfully grew an orange tree in his family’s New Jersey sun porch. When David and his wife Maria Mackavey Carls moved to the Berkshires 20 years ago, they bought a house on 24 acres of hilly meadow. As David worked on his new vegetable garden, he enrolled in a composting course at BBG, which initiated the couple’s long relationship with BBG. Says Maria, “We both got involved, but David really gave his heart to the Garden.” In 2006, David was recruited by the Board of Trustees; two years later, he became chair, ushering in what he calls BBG’s “modern era.” “The Garden can’t just be a place to stroll and look at pretty flowers,” he explains. “In recent years we have focused on making BBG one of the most important educational institutions in the Berkshires.” David also pressed for renewed efforts to grow the Perennial Society. “We wanted people to continue their interest in the Garden in the form of financial resources set aside in their estate. It’s a nice way to be remembered, by making a bequest to the Garden upon your passing.”

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AROUND THE GARDEN

BBG’s Dedicated Interns Despite a global pandemic, BBG was able to welcome two horticulture interns to the Garden this season. While learning under the guidance of Director of Horticulture Matt Turnbull and the horticulture staff, both interns have made a significant contribution to the overall garden landscape and visitor experience. We thank them for their dedication!

Chelsea Braz Chelsea Braz says gardening is in her blood; she feels lucky to have grown up on a family farm in Coventry, Connecticut. Her mother and grandmother oversee the farm operation, growing plants for sale to home gardeners and managing an orchard. “So much of what I’ve learned comes from working with my grandmother, ” Chelsea explains.

“We planted a hundred apple trees together. Most of my love for gardening comes from the fact that I love my family so much. It’s a way for us to connect.”

The Mount Holyoke rising senior is majoring in architecture with a minor in geology, while pursuing a landscape design certificate with the Five College Consortium.

As a summer intern, she split her time between BBG and Naumkeag. At BBG, Chelsea learned hands-on the gamut of gardening skills, from weeding and mulching to planting, transplanting, pruning, seed starting and propagation. She rolled up her sleeves, undaunted. “It’s good to be in a public garden and be trained to see things I wouldn’t normally see, where plants go, what colors go together,” she told Cuttings. Though she hasn’t yet decided on a career, it’s clear Chelsea won’t occupy a cubicle.

“I want to work outside. I’m a nature girl. This feels like a perfect fit for me; I don’t mind the long hours in the sun. I love it. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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Ryan Campbell Ryan Campbell is an artist, designer and curator. After studying political science, history and religious studies at Pace University and serving as exhibit curator and chair of the visual arts at Trinity Church on Wall Street, he stumbled upon horticulture in the form of an overgrown backyard.

When he and his partner moved into an apartment in Astoria, Queens, six years ago, the neglected urban yard was overgrown with six-foot-tall weeds. “The soil was like moon dust,” he recalls. Over the next three years, the couple created a garden that even motivated their neighbors to clean up their own yards. During isolation for coronavirus, neighbors thanked them for the beautiful view out their windows. The couple’s current project, which Ryan designed, is a house they are building in Hillsdale, NY. Ryan is happy to have inspired his neighbors in New York City, and he enjoys doing the same in his work as a BBG intern, contributing to “something for people to experience and invite them into a peaceful place, a contemplative place, a place of inspiration.”

In his artistic career, Ryan paints with egg tempera, creating his own paints by mixing natural pigments extracted from plants and minerals and binding them with egg. “Horticulture is art, but with a living medium. With plants, as in all art, you’re after meaning and beauty.”

AROUND THE GARDEN

Welcome Rachel!

A new group of very familiar faces: BBG’s Trustees Emeriti

Rachel Durgin, Education Coordinator Rachel Durgin is new to BBG’s staff, but her family’s connection to the Garden goes back generations. “There are pictures of my great grandmother here when it was Berkshire Garden Center,” she told Cuttings.

At a recent BBG meeting, our current board members were pleased to formally vote on the following former trustees for an initial one year term as Trustees Emeriti. These individuals have served at least two terms on BBG’s board in the past and continue to be actively involved in the Garden in many ways, whether as advisory committee members, volunteers, members or donors. The Trustees Emeriti will be invited to attend all future board meetings as observers, and BBG’s board and staff look forward to their counsel on many strategic questions as the Garden continues to grow and evolve.

Raised in rural Winchendon, MA, Rachel’s love of the outdoors was nurtured from a young age. “My family always was outdoors,” she remembers. “We spent most of our time at Mass Audubons or state parks as kids.”

Her mother also encouraged a love of art in Rachel and her older brother and sister, sending them on scavenger hunts through art museums, armed with gift shop postcards bought on arrival.

An MCLA graduate who majored in environmental studies and minored in biology, Rachel previously worked at Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH, as a summer camp counselor and farm intern. Later, she served as a program instructor and host at Berkshire Outdoor Center for two school year seasons and also as their summer day camp director.

Trustees Emeriti

Rachel has worked with a range of ages and enjoys experiential education. “I love for students to be hands-on, digging in the dirt,” she says. In addition to helping camp director Sam Ross with the summer activity table, in the fall she’ll be coordinating After School programs.

“I’m excited about working with the community here and different school groups, and also learning from the schools and students themselves.”

Jeannene Booher David Carls Cathy Clark Wendy Linscott Jo Dare Mitchell Judie Owens

Martha Piper Jean Rousseau Honey Sharp Gail Shaw Jack Sprano Ingrid Taylor

Native Habitat Restoration Returning Balance to Nature

Wetlands Woodlands Meadows Fields Invasive Plant Control

(organic options)

Pollinator Habitats Field Clearing Forestry Mowing Wetland Restoration

(413) 358-7400 NativeHabitatRestoration.weebly.com Licensed in MA . CT . NY . VT

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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AROUND THE GARDEN

Volunteer News

EDITH W H A RTON’S HOME

EdithWharton.org | 413.551.5111

Volunteering in the Age of Anxiety The list of woes seems endless. Covid virus. Political strife.

Racial strife. Tumbling economies. Our world seems in a very sorry place. Add all that to whatever personal challenges you’re dealing with, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed.

What’s a person to do? For me, the answer is, go into the garden.

If it sounds simplistic, it is. Contemplating nature, and creating beauty in concert with nature, is a simple but effective act of healing. When my anxieties start to churn, I go outside to clear my head, and feel nature’s embrace.

Then I notice a weed that needs to be pulled, a bare spot where another plant can go, and sooner than you can say “namaste,” I’m feeling calmer.

Another act of self-care is selflessness. Helping others makes you part of the solution, and that’s a wonderfully positive feeling.

At BBG, I get to combine both those acts of self-healing in one beautiful place. The gardens and grounds are so lush and lovely, they always lift your spirits. And if you volunteer here, you add another layer of joy – the joy of helping others.

BBG serves the community in so many important ways, providing not just beauty but also lifting lives through education and the arts. What’s more, BBG is accessible to all, with free days and free programs.

Now more than ever, we need BBG, and BBG needs us.

While most of our Volunteer positions are currently on hold, we will be needing you soon. In the meantime, you can express your support through donations, and by visiting BBG under the current Covid protocols. We’d love to see your (masked!) face, and we look forward to welcoming you back to your favorite Volunteer job when the time comes.

Wishing you health and tranquility, Lauretta Harris President, BBG Volunteer Association

PS: A shout-out and major thanks to our Trustee and brilliant baker, Janet Laudenslager. When Janet realized we could not hold our annual Volunteer Thank You party this year, she baked up a bevy of her magnificent desserts for us to give away through a special prize drawing. A sweet treat from one of our endlessly generous and talented Trustees!

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WE ARE OPEN!

Book online at EdithWharton.org

Expand Your World Through Garden Membership!

Garden membership comes with many benefits, including advance notice and discounts on BBG’s educational offerings. Our upcoming semester includes an exciting selection of both online and on-site classes and workshops designed for students of all levels and ages. Whatever your interests — from flower arranging to landscape design for advanced backyard gardeners and professionals — now, more than ever, member discounts go a long way!

BBG membership continues to deliver way beyond our Stockbridge campus. All members are automatically enrolled in the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admission Program, a network providing free access to more than 320 horticultural institutions in 48 states and the District of Columbia, plus Canada and the Caribbean.

Join or give a membership gift at the Supporter Level and also enjoy the benefits of NARM, the North American Reciprocal Museum Association, offering free admission and discounts to more than 1,000 member institutions in five different countries, and ROAM, the Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums, a free reciprocal network that connects world-class institutions for the benefit of our Members.

Honor the gardeners and horticulturists in your life with a BBG membership! Gift memberships can be shipped in festive packaging or prepared for pickup at the Garden.

Visit berkshirebotanical.org Or call Amy Butterworth at 413 298-4532 for information about membership.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Qualprint

RO OT E D IN PL ACE

5 West Stockbridge Road Stockbridge, MA 01262 413-298-3926 • berkshirebotanical.org

ONLINE

5th Annual Ecological Gardening Symposium Welcoming Wildlife and Diversity Into Our Landscapes

Begins Sunday, November 15 Registration begins August 15 at berkshirebotanical.org Become inspired to plant gardens designed to support diverse and resilient ecological communities in the face of a changing world.

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