Spring summer 2017

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

SPRING/SUMMER 2017

FUN IN THE GARDEN! P L AY DAT E !

DESIGNERS RE-IMAGINE P L AY H O U S E S T R U C T U R E S ______________________________ GROW SHOW BLUE RIBBON TIPS

SPRING/SUMMER 2017

JUL

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Workshops Begin This season’s en plein air workshops bring the painting studio outdoors to capture the ever-changing textures and colors of the Garden.

Welcome to another season at the Garden...

M AY 1 9 - 2 0

M AY 2 6

JUNE 23

J U LY 2 8

Plants and Answers: The Be-A-Better-Gardener (BBG) Plant Sale

PlayDate!

Playhouses in the Garden

Cocktails in Great Gardens

Fête des Fleurs

Featuring 180+ species/cultivars of native plants

Annual Members' Meeting and Opening Exhibition Reception

Season opens at a private garden in New Marlborough, MA

BBG’s annual summer gala honors The Berkshire Eagle

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Matt Larkin, Chairman Madeline Hooper, Vice Chairman Janet Laudenslager, Secretary Ellen Greendale, Treasurer Jeannene Booher David Carls Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo Mary Copeland Adaline Frelinghuysen Lauretta Harris Ian Hooper Tom Ingersoll

Daniel Kasper Wendy Philbrick Martha Piper Kip Towl Mark Walker Rob Williams KK Zutter

S TA F F Michael Beck Executive Director Amy Butterworth Office Manager Christine Caccamo Senior Gardener Elisabeth Cary Director of Education Bill Cummings Buildings and Grounds Manager Duke Douillet Senior Gardener Cynthia Grippaldi Membership and Volunteer Manager Mackenzie Hitchcock Assistant Camp Director Dorthe Hviid Director of Horticulture Dan Mullen Buildings and Grounds Assistant Robin Parow Director of Marketing Communications Jamie Samowitz Youth Education Coordinator Chris Wellens Youth Education Coordinator CUTTINGS

Woodland hyacinth, fern-leaf peony and lilac blooming in The Procter Mixed Border Garden in mid-May.

AUGUST 11-26

AUGUST 12-13

Animals in August

The Grow Show & Opening of Contained Exuberance

Three weeks of familyfriendly workshops and demonstrations

Robin Parow, Editor Julie Hammill, Hammill Design, Design On the cover: Centaurea montana (Perennial Cornflower) blooming in the de Gersdorff Garden. Photo by Jack Sprano

Come celebrate the harvest!

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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DIRECTOR’S CORNER MIKE BECK

Let us provide some structure(s) to your summer!

Last October, after more than two years of planning, the long-awaited renovation of our Center House building finally went into high gear. We took full advantage of mild fall and winter weather to complete the demolition of an attached ell and shed, and to pour foundations for the new building addition, while beginning the painstaking process of restoring the old Center House interiors. Since January, the framing of the new wing of the building has rapidly taken shape, and as I write this, we are as optimistic as ever that our reimagined Center House will be back in service by August. I can’t wait to show you around inside!

Because buildings are understandably on our collective minds this year, we thought it would be fun to think of other ways our houses and our gardens interact. On May 26, we invite you to join the opening of a special exhibit entitled “Playdate: Playhouses in the Garden”. A group of designers and builders have been asked to create unique, sheltered play spaces on our grounds. As you tour BBG, you will come across a series of structures that will inspire all Garden visitors to inspect and explore, and yes, play, no matter their age! For a slightly more grown-up experience, make sure to sign up for one of our Cocktails in Great Gardens events this summer. What better way to ponder landscape design and its relation to architecture than to see one of the fabulous properties we have been invited to this year. Next, we hope you will participate in BBG’s “Grow Show”, which this August will feature its own riff on buildings. Titled House of Flowers, the show will seek inspiration from some well-known historic properties that have been such good neighbors to BBG over many decades. If you haven’t participated in the Grow Show in the past, this is your chance to be a part of one of the most down-to-earth and fun “blue ribbon” events you can imagine!

But first, our busy season will start with our famous Plant Sale that we like to call “Plants and Answers.” This year we are moving the event to May 19 and 20, which is a bit closer to our average last frost date, just to make sure you can focus on planting out your tender plant purchases as soon as you get them home. There will be a huge selection of all kinds of plants, including hundreds that are native to our region and attractive to pollinators, and as always, our knowledgeable staff and volunteers will be there to guide your shopping choices and provide growing advice.

But our season is more than “just” our special events. If you are already a member, you probably know that we provide innovative and interesting programs for adult and youth learners most weeks of the year. So please make sure you take a look through this issue of Cuttings and see if you can’t find at least one class, workshop or field trip that you can join us for this spring and summer season. (If you need help deciding… I’m especially excited that we are offering a day trip to the New York Botanical Garden on June 14 where we will explore the creative genius of glass artist Dale Chihuly. After enjoying his work during BBG’s 2016 trip to Seattle, I am eager to see more.)

Happy spring to you, and I hope to see you in the Garden!

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Out & About in the Garden There’s always something new going on at the Garden, and this season, three members of our horticulture staff have spearheaded projects that echo our educational mission — with a little international flavor, native flair and garden knowledge thrown in for good measure.

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Children’s Garden Features Native Plants and Pollinators

Vegetable Garden Goes International!

Senior Gardener Christine Caccamo has created a new Vegetable Garden layout focusing on the continent of origin. The sixty raised beds that make up our Vegetable Garden have been divided into quadrants representing four continents with vegetable varieties including, from Central America: Oaxacan green corn, purple Peruvian fingerling potato, jicama, tomato, chili and jalapeno pepper, lima bean, sweet potato, quinoa, and tomatillo; from North America: flint corn, walking onion, tepary bean, tepin pepper, hidatsa red bean, McMahon’s Texas bird pepper, Seminole pumpkin and bushel basket gourd; from Asia: Malabar spinach, edamame bean, mizuna, fava bean, Chinese cabbage, swiss chard, pok choi, Armenian cucumber and Chinese red noodle bean, and from Europe: Romano pole bean, horseradish, broccoli raab, kale, artichoke, cardoon, beet, fennel, leek and Tuscan cantaloupe.

Be sure and visit the vegetable garden throughout the season to see some of these unusual vegetable varieties at their peak.

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The Children’s Garden has been reimagined this year by Gardener Lou Kratt, whose passion for working with native plants is evidenced by an abundance of annuals and perennials that provide food sources and shelter to pollinators. This garden serves as a teaching tool for children enrolled in our Farm in the Garden Camp as well as visiting children and adults interested in observing or creating ecosystems to benefit pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and wasps. Plantings of silky morning glory, black-eyed Susan, lyreleaf sage and Argentine verbena support mason and cutleaf bees and butterflies, while fuchsia, coral honeysuckle and Mexican sunflower attract and sustain hummingbirds. Milkweed, used

by Monarch butterflies as a host for eggs and as the single foodsource for caterpillars, is an important addition to the garden’s landscape, as are moonflowers planted for night pollinators like moths and bats. Some of the added elements in the garden include saucers, puddles and moist gravel as water sources, in addition to a hummingbird feeder and "bee condos" that will support mason and cutleaf bees. The Children’s Garden, with its endearing willow hutch, wishing tree, water pump and adventure tunnel topped with moonflower and morning glory vines will be ablaze with color and show all season. Stop by and see what all the buzz is about!

Here by Popular Demand: Expanded Signage Senior Gardener Duke Douillet has taken on the responsibility of providing answers to a question frequently asked in the gardens and greenhouses: “What plant is that?” Duke has worked tirelessly to create signage and hundreds of plant ID labels to make a visit to the Garden a true educational experience by covering all bases with Latin, common and family names. Visitors will also see 16 new interpretive signs throughout the Garden at the major display gardens this season that provide plenty of information along with some historical facts and whimsy.

The engaging Chidren's Garden with its wishing tree, water pump, and willow hutch, welcomes native pollinators to its carefully designed ecosystem.

Sponsor a raised vegetable bed!

Grow with us by sponsoring a raised bed in this year’s international vegetable garden.

Claim your turf by underwriting a bed in a continent of your choosing, or let us choose a garden bed for you. This is a fun way to support our horticulture program and truly be a part of the Vegetable Garden by including your name or that of a loved one on our beautifully hand painted plant markers for all to see.

Please call 413 320-4794 for more information.

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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BBG'S CENTER HOUSE:

Building the Future of the Garden

BY MIKE BECK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

on the eve of our Valentine’s Day Winter Lecture in 2015, a love letter from Boston hit the Garden’s mailbox: I received word from the Massachusetts Cultural Council that our ambitious Cultural Facilities grant application had been approved and that we would be the recipient of $270,000 in funding for the renovation and expansion of our historic but crumbling Center House building. That grant award was a starting shot of sorts, the beginning of a multi-year journey that is now entering its home stretch. Planning for the new building has been an exhilarating (and at times exhausting) trip for all of us at the Garden: a variety of committees, including our Buildings and Grounds Committee, Horticulture Advisory Committee, and of course Finance Committee have been busy hashing out details of the Center House plans from the get-go, and a fundraising task force was quickly assembled to oversee an ambitious capital campaign, the first for BBG in many years.

JUST OVER TWO YEARS AGO,

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When the project was a go, we were fortunate to hire Mark Smith Design Inc. as our designer of record. Mark has been a great friend to the Garden over the years, contributing his services (often pro bono) for a variety of building projects. With Mark’s help, a plan for Center House was drawn up, then revised and modified until we felt that most of BBG’s needs and “wish list items” could be incorporated.

What began as a bare-bones plan to shore up the existing Center House structure morphed into a much more ambitious scheme for additional public, office, and storage spaces, with BBG’s board members leading the call to make sure we took full advantage of a once-in-a-generation building opportunity. By adding about 3,000 square feet of usable new space on three levels, including a full basement, BBG is allowing for the most flexible and sensible use of the building now and into the future. Center House will give us a beautiful new classroom for art and horticultural instruction, and an attached teaching kitchen and pantry that will be used by a variety of volunteer and community groups (including of course our very own Herb Associates!) as well as caterers during special events.

We will welcome our members to a reference library with seating for meetings and connectivity for online research. We will have an entry area and expansive covered porch, where visitors can congregate before setting

out to explore our beautiful garden areas. And we look forward to a series of exhibition spaces in the most historical parts of the old building, where rotating shows of natureinspired art and science will provide a different angle to our horticultural mission.

The building itself has been designed to remain, like BBG in general, human in scale. When completed, the new addition will look, despite all of the square feet of exciting new interior space, like an attached barn, very much in keeping with our residential neighborhood at the Four Corners of Stockbridge. Many historical details of this charmer of a building are being retained and made to once again shine: original wood paneling in the exhibition spaces is being dry-scraped to reveal early pastel paints. 18th century, wide-plank wood flooring is being restored and leveled. A wood shake roof will once again crown the western portion of the building, replacing the more prosaic asphalt shingle roof that had had been installed in earlier decades.

Construction is now well underway, and every morning when I get to work, I marvel at the progress that is being made on realizing our collective dreams. Our building team, led by Greg Schnopp of AJ

Schnopp, Jr. Construction, has been intrepid, working through the coldest cold of mid-winter. The team is as confident as ever that we can wrap up construction in time for a late summer reopening!

The response from our community has been tremendous. Already, we have received generous contributions from our members and friends that total more than 85% of our $2.3 million construction budget. And we hope to get even more people involved by offering custom-engraved bricks on an interior wall of the new Center House. You can help us get to our fundraising goal by claiming one of these 200 bricks in your name or that of a loved one!

One last task remains: we want to make sure the approach to the new building from the road is as interesting, functional and beautiful as Center House itself promises to be, and we are embarking on a design competition for a new “Center House Entry Garden” aimed at landscape architecture students nationwide. By the time you read this, we will have published a request for proposals and look forward to working with talented young designers to create the newest garden area at BBG this fall, when the dream of a new Center House will finally be a reality!

Revered and Refurbished The new Center House will include a new classroom, teaching kitchen, reference library and exhibition spaces.

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Welcome Seasonal Staff We’re excited to welcome a great group of men and women to our seasonal horticulture and education teams. Greetings to the following staff members and interns — we’re so glad to have you on board! This is only a partial list of our seasonal staff as of our Cuttings press deadline.

For those not included here, welcome to the Garden!

STEPHANIE ADAMCZYK Farm Camp Educator Lanesborough, MA

Berkshire Botanical Garden

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

KAHLI CONNOLLY Horticulture Intern University of Maine, Orono ANDREW FARNHAM Seasonal Gardener Great Barrington, MA ELISABETH JOHN Horticulture Intern University of Vermont DONNA KITTREDGE Seasonal Gardener Dalton, MA CARLOS MARTINEZ Horticulture Intern SUNY Farmingdale ISABELLE MORLEY Farm Camp Educator Becket, MA JESSE NEWMAN Horticulture Intern SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry GEORGIE SPRINGSTUBE Farm Camp Farm Manager West Stockbridge, MA ALISON WALTER Farm Camp Educator North Egremont, MA EILEEN ZAJAC Farm Camp Educator Adams, MA 8

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

PlayDate!

Playhouses in the Garden

BY IAN HOOPER

Every year BBG features a unique installation by local craftsmen and artisans who design new works based on a creative theme.

We strive to come up with engaging themes that visitors of all ages can enjoy, to enhance their experience of the Garden.

Just as, a few years ago, we invited artists to re-invent the humble garden shed, and

last year we expanded on the garden bench, so this year we asked some of the best Berkshires craftsmen to cast a new light on the conventional children’s playhouse. We hoped this theme would be particularly appealing to families.

Once again, we are blessed with the variety and excellence of local talent that volunteered to explore our playhouse theme. They have opened our minds to new ways of fulfilling the practical demands of this type of structure with a fresh and imaginative approach.

When I think of these structures, pink and blue and plastic spring to mind, but as these inventive playhouses will demonstrate, it doesn’t have to be that way. Herewith, a preview of their inspired creations:

M AY

26 PlayDate!

Playhouses in the Garden Opening Exhibition Reception You’re invited to a fun-filled opening reception from 5-7 p.m.! Meet the designers and builders who have re-imagined play houses for this season’s whimsical, wonderful exhibition.

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Jeffrey All created two benches for last year’s exhibition and designs art furniture: sculpture containers and hand-carved bowls from downed trees in the woods.

“My ideas for this project focused on an approach that was sculptural in nature and based on the concept of a sanctuary for meditation,” he says.

Clarke Olsen showed me a delightful model of his piece early on. Coming from a family of craftsmen and artists, he started making furniture in his spare time while working for architects by day and studying at Pratt at night. Since moving to Columbia County in 1974, he has designed and built kitchens and entire houses as well as furniture. “For Play Date, my rounded structure will incorporate mirrors intended to jog reality,” he said. So his invitation is not

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only to “come see what’s inside.” It’s to “come see what’s outside” as well.

Michael King who also contributed to our 2016 Benches show, confided that although he has committed himself to designing and building purely physical objects, he has always felt an underlying devotion to language and communication.

So, as he thought about the form his piece might take this year, all sorts of questions intrigued him. “How does one introduce the possibility for joy and contemplation into a lifeless thing?

How does one animate an inanimate object?” I think his solution will intrigue you.

Bill Cummings has his hands full at the Garden as Manager of Buildings and Grounds, but in his spare time is also a talented sculptor. He too was a contributor

to last year’s Benches exhibition and couldn’t resist participating again. “I’ve always enjoyed using found objects in innovative ways. My thought was to erect a teepee out of saplings and sheathe it with beech branches, which tend to grow in a flat plane like a fan; then plant a quick-growing annual such as morning glory to make it a living thing. Very low cost, and almost anyone can do it.” Do-it-yourselfers, be inspired!

Tamarack Garlow’s twiggy structures are known to many.

“My playhouse will be wrought with the shapes and forms of the natural world,” he told me at the outset. “Using branches, small trees and materials from the woods that reflect organic growth, it will wind up being similar to what I envisioned but not something that proceeds from a concrete plan.

Whatever I think I see as a final outcome becomes less about my vision

and more about the forms dictated by nature. If a coveted, graceful branch goes this way instead of that, it may change the whole direction of the project. A plan is a good start, but one also has to know when to get out of the way. So what exactly am I building? I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.”

with a steep roof and a loft. Large enough for a small child to be able to explore.”

Peter Thorne, another participant in our Benches exhibition, has been making furniture in Berkshire County for close to 40 years.

His starting point was the young boys in his family, whom he envisioned on the ramparts of some primitive medieval fortress, engaged in mortal combat with their wooden swords. “I’m not yet sure quite how that will work out,” he told me (referring, I think, to the structure rather than the contest), “but I like the idea of beech stays with the bark still on.”

Brad Morse said, “I really like all sorts of different styles and periods of buildings, but when I heard playhouses, a little English-style timber frame cottage was what popped right into my head. At Uncarved Block, we do a lot of timber framing, especially with organic shapes like curves or whole trees. The company name is a Taoist term that means things are best left in their natural simplicity. My goal is to make spaces that are a pleasure to be in – with contrast, texture, light, and comfort.” These elements are apparent in his sketch — a playhouse designed around the daisy wheel, a very traditional pattern accomplished with only a compass.

Allen Timmons has two separate pieces in the exhibition that once were destined to be one: a tree house accessed from inside a hollowedout tree trunk. In the interests of safety, however, it seemed sensible to separate them for this occasion. Now visitors will be delighted by two structures with diametrically contrasting appeals: the tree trunk, transformed into a little hobbit house, perfect for private meditation, with a door opening onto a space with a bench; and an open, airy playhouse, ideal for gathering and conversation and sharing the view.

David Shepard is a timber framer with a penchant for the Dutch style. Having restored a number of Dutch barns, this was his starting point for the project. He described “a six-by-eight wood structure

Robin Berthet In addition to the playhouse interpretations by these artists, a shepherd’s wagon is provided by Robin

After 42 Years We’re still growing Old Favorites & New Specialties for Plant Collectors Landscapers & Gardeners

Matt Larkin, our Board chairman, has modified the frame of an antique aviary in our collection to create a playful structure featuring a whimsical tea party theme. Finally, the garden's existing Cobb House and Martha Stewart Cottage are natural participants in the exhibition, reimagined for our play house exhibition.

And, of course, no family visit will be complete without exploring one of the Garden’s permanent features for children, the Children’s Flower and Vegetable Garden, this year featuring native plants and pollinators.

Play Date opens in May and will be situated throughout the Garden during the summer.

Furthermore, all the items will be for sale.

We invite you to come and rediscover the joys of the Garden with a playful new vision!

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BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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Blue Ribbon Tips LOOKING AHEAD TO THE GROW SHOW

BY DUKE DOUILLET, SENIOR GARDENER, BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

A long-standing tradition (once known as the Flower Show), this annual rite gives gardeners a chance to share their horticultural achievements with a wider audience.

No doubt many of us will enter whatever looks best in our garden on the day of the show, whereas some may want to plan ahead and grow specific varieties from seed. Given the range of categories our show encompasses, virtually everyone should have a candidate or two for display. Annual flowers, vegetables,

foliage plants — both woody and herbaceous — and container grown plants are all welcome.

The question then arises—what to grow for the Grow Show? To help get you started, we’ve assembled a short list of some of our favorite annuals here at the BBG — flowers that can generally be relied upon to look good in mid-to-late summer.

The venerable, easy-to-grow Zinnia clan has many varieties that lend themselves to cutting. ‘Benary’s Giant’ in its various colors is probably the best known, and is worthy of esteem. Two other cultivars we’re fond of are ‘Inca’ (strong orange) and ‘Senorita’ (deep pink). These varieties have narrow, slightly curved petals, and a more refined look than the Benary series. Those inclined toward the exotic might consider

AUG

12 Grow Show Opens It’s never too early to plan for the Garden’s Grow Show, this year titled House of Flowers and scheduled for August 12-13.

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‘Queen Red Lime’ whose flowers ironically contain no red, but have a multitude of permutations in the pink-green-mauve range.

Cosmos rival Zinnias in popularity.

We’ve had good luck with the three-foot tall ‘Sonata’ series, which comes in white, pink and carmine.

Recently, the cultivar ‘Rubenza’ has found favor hereabouts. It starts out wine-colored and fades to a softer tone. A third option in the Cosmos realm is ‘Mona’s Orange’, 3-4’ tall and a beautiful glowing orange.

Long a stalwart of the late season garden and a staple of the flower arranger’s repertoire, Dahlia come in a multitude of colors, heights, and flower configurations. Popular here have been ‘Bishop of Landaff’ (strong red with dark foliage) and ‘Mystic Illusion’ (soft yellow).

Dahlia tubers are easy to overwinter in a cool basement, insuring that you’ll have more to plant in subsequent seasons.

Once a significant part of the Aztec diet, Amaranth has more recently been the subject of some creative hybridizing. The result has been a series of exotic-looking plants with plumed or tasseled

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flower heads sometimes sporting rather electric foliage. Two varieties that have garnered attention here at the Garden are ‘Hot Biscuits’ with spiky plumes of bronze flowers, and ‘Dreadlocks’ whose dangling ropes of wine-colored flowers could easily be pressed into service as part of a Halloween costume.

Vegetable gardeners in our midst are also encouraged to be part of the show. Perhaps some of you will have garlic ready to harvest. Green beans, beets, and tomatoes are additional standby favorites. Visit berkshirebotanical.org and see the complete list of Grow Show entry categories – there is something for everyone, including this year’s design theme spotlighting regional historic sites and the floral styles that complement them.

Starting your Grow Show entry from seed? Some of the seed sources we’ve used for both flowers and vegetables at the Garden include Select Seeds, Stokes, John Scheepers, Territorial Seeds, and Johnny’s. Whatever you plan

to enter, keep in mind that all entries must have been grown by or been in the possession of the exhibitor for at least 80 days prior to the show. We look forward to seeing your entries at the Grow Show!

Thank You, Seed Donors!

The following seed companies have generously donated vegetable and annual flower seed to the Garden this spring. This will enable us to grow a wider and more interesting selection of plants for the enjoyment and education of our visitors.

John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds www.kitchengardenseeds.com (860) 567-6086 Select Seeds www.selectseeds.com (800) 684-0395

Native Habitat Restoration Returning Balance to Nature

Wetlands Woodlands Meadows Fields Invasive Plant Control

(organic options)

Pollinator Habitats Field Reclamation Wetland Restoration

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Garden Membership: Priceless!

Berkshire Botanical Garden is a private, non-profit educational organization supported by membership and admission. Join the thousands of people who support this treasured community resource and education center through an annual membership.

As a member of the Garden, you join a family of people who share your love of gardening and support our educational mission. Your financial support allows the Garden to create new landscapes and features, enhance existing gardens and grounds, support special projects and grow our educational programs.

Become a Garden member or renew your membership at the Friend level and you’ll receive a handmade pin crafted in sterling silver and valued at more than $100.

With your membership, you take part in the life of the Garden year-round from unlimited free admission, reciprocal programs, discounts on events, classes, workshops, lectures, hands-on gardening programs and activities for adults and children.

Share your love of the Garden with family, friends and neighbors by giving a gift of membership. Your gift provides critical support needed to sustain BBG’s 15 acres, and gives the recipient a year filled with beauty, inspiration and education. Memberships at BBG make a difference and come in a variety of levels. Please join us at the one just right for you!

For a list of membership levels and benefits and to join or renew, please visit berkshirebotanical.org.

BIRD WALK FOR GARDEN MEMBERS We cordially invite Garden members to a bird walk led by Ed Neumuth on Tuesday, May 9 (rain date May 10) at 6:30 a.m. Take this opportunity to experience the Garden and its resident birds in the peaceful early morning hours and learn from a seasoned bird expert. Ed Neumuth has over 40 years of birding experience and is the past president of Hoffmann Bird Club, Berkshire County’s premier ornithological organization. He has led field trips for Mass Audubon and The Trustees of Reservations. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them.

This free event is offered exclusively to Garden members. Please reserve by calling 413 320-4794.

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JACOB’S PILLOW D A N C E

85 Anniversary Season

Camille A. Brown; photo Christopher Duggan

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Landscape and Garden Design

413.243.0745 jacobspillow.org

www.blackbarnfarm.com

FILMS

FOOD

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FILMMAKERS “TOP TEN EVENTS IN MASSACHUSETTS”

PITTSFIELD

JUNE 2-4

YANKEE MAGAZINE

GREAT BARRINGTON

JUNE 1-4 GET YOUR PASS

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2017

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THE BIFF BRINGING THE WORLD

TO THE BERKSHIRES SINCE 2006

VISIT BIFFMA.ORG FOR MORE INFO!

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TWO GARDENS – ONE PRICE!

Bloomin’ Bucks Benefits the Garden We’ve teamed up with Brent and Becky’s Bulbs located in Gloucester, VA for a fundraising program designed to earn select non-profit organizations cash for every order received through their website.

Combination Ticket Program between The Mount and BBG

To participate, visit www.bloominbucks.com, pick Berkshire Botanical Garden as your organization to support, and shop for bulbs, books, supplements, tools and gift certificates. BBG will receive 25% of all sales, which will be used to support the Garden’s bulb show, an admission-free exhibition held every winter in the Fitzpatrick Greenhouse.

SAVE THE DATE!

Berkshire Woodworkers Guild Fine Woodwork Show & Silent Auction A fine woodwork show featuring designs by professional woodworkers from throughout the area

July 22-23, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Berkshire Botanical Garden $5 General Admission / $3 for BBG members

BBG’s partnership with The Mount for the 2017 season offers an opportunity to visit both sites at a reduced rate. To participate, purchase a combination ticket at either location for a discounted price of $28. A combo ticket is valid for one admission to each site and can be used any time throughout the season.

Declared a national historic landmark in 1971, The Mount was Edith Wharton’s beloved country estate noted for its Lime Walk -- a promenade of linden trees connecting a classical sunken Italian garden with a formal French flower garden and its pool surrounded by annuals, perennials and shrubs. Located in Lenox, Mass, The Mount is less than a 15-minute drive from BBG – enjoy a day in the beautiful Berkshires and take advantage of this special offer, available May through October.

CREATING BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES 413-448-2215 churchillgardens.com

est

1998 BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

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WINDY HILL FARM NURSERY • ORCHARD • GARDEN SHOP

Celebrating thanksgiving with berkshire-grown apples We offer our own Berkshire field-gown specimens, including Kousa dogwood; American, European, Green and Copper Beech; native birch; hybrid lilacs; viburnums; hydrangea paniculata; Fringe trees; witchhazels; resistant American elms; blueberries; winterberry; espaliered fruit trees; mature apple, peach and pear trees; herbaceous and tree peonies.

Closing DeCember 24, 2016 • reopening April 1, 2017 Open Daily 9 – 5 686 Stockbridge road, great barrington, Ma 01230 www . windyhillfarMinc . coM (413) 298-3217

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MAY – SEPTEMBER 2017

Education Berkshire Botanical Garden is focused on providing educational opportunities to the community throughout the year, from hands-on classes and inspiring talks to tours of places of interest to gardeners. This season, we offer a diverse selection of field trips including a private tour of New York Botanical Garden and the much-anticipated installations created by world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. Here in Stockbridge, we’ll be hosting a wonderful assortment of workshops and lectures – among them our popular en plein air painting classes. With the hard work of spring behind you, it’s time to enjoy the glorious growing season. Visit berkshirebotanical.org to learn more about our educational opportunities.

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 Workshop: Transplanting Shrubs and Planting Small Ornamental Trees

Offsite Field Study: Woodland Wonders from Around the World

Saturday, April 29, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm Members $10; Nonmembers $25

Thursday, May 11 , 8:30 am – 1:30 pm (Travel by passenger van. Departing BBG parking lot 8:30 am, returning 1:30 pm) Members $30, Nonmembers $35

Learn by doing in this handson shrub and tree planting/ transplanting workshop led by arborist Ken Gooch. All aspects of successful planting will be demonstrated, as participants assist in transplanting a multi-stem shrub and planting a small tree. Learn how to successfully transplant shrubs by correct timing and placement and techniques designed to create minimal disturbance and ensure smooth transition to a new site. Consider the differences between bare-root, container-grown, or balled-and-burlapped trees, and understand the importance of siting. Bring work gloves and dress for the weather.

Become a garden globalist and learn about the amazing woodland plants from around the world. Join plant specialist John O’Brien for a private tour of his picturesque nursery located in Granby, CT. He will share his expertise on rare and unusual plants that do well in our zone 4/5/6 woodland settings. His garden display is extraordinary and not to be missing especially in spring. In addition to enjoying his encyclopedic plant knowledge, participants will be able to purchase plant material following the tour.

Lecture and Offsite Field Study: Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers of the Northeast Saturday, May 6, 10 am – noon Members $15; Nonmembers $20 Join Garden in the Wood’s staff botanist Ted Elliman for a lecture highlighting the wildflowers of New England’s natural habitats, including alpine summits, forests, meadows, wetlands, and coastal environments. Based on Elliman’s research for his book, The Wildflowers of New England, the talk will focus on spring-flowering plants that will be in (or almost in) bloom in the forests and meadows of the Berkshires. After a book signing, author Elliman will lead an optional walking tour of Stockbridge’s Ice Glen, where he will identify the plants along the path of the mossy ravine and answer any questions about the local flora. Wear sturdy foot wear and dress for the weather.

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Offsite Field Study: Farm to Table: Stone Barns Center An Insider’s Tour & Sampler Lunch Thursday, May 25, 8 am – 3:30 pm (Travel by passenger van. Departing BBG parking lot 8 am, returning 3:30 pm) Members $90, Nonmember $100 Travel to the premier farm-to-table restaurant and farm Stone Barns Center located in Pocantico Hills, NY. Once the dairy operation for the Rockefeller family, this extraordinarily beautiful farm practices resilient, transparent, four-season agriculture and partners with Blue Hill, a Manhattan restaurant owned by Dan, David and Laureen Barber, whose family has a long history in the Berkshires. This 90-minute walking tour is led by knowledgeable farm staff and provides an intimate, behind-thescenes view of the farm. Participants will walk through the greenhouse and growing fields, and meet the animals raised on the farm to learn about the Center’s methods of raising livestock and growing vegetables sustainably. Learn why we believe that good food, grown well, can change our food system. Following the tour savor the bounty of the harvest with a “Taste of Stone Barns” lunch. This buffet prepared by the farm’s Blue Hill Cafe will feature farm-fresh ingredients – enjoy openfaced sandwiches with house-made charcuterie, vegetarian frittata, stone barns salad, seasonal vegetables, soup, bread and homemade dessert. Dress for the weather: comfortable, sturdy footwear and warm, waterproof outerwear, umbrella.

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Offsite Field Study: Ashintully Gardens: From a Designer’s View Thursday, June 1, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm (Time on site, Tyringham, MA) Members $30; Nonmembers $35 Located in Tyringham, MA, Ashintully was the home of John Stewart McLennan Jr. and his wife Katharine; Mr. McLennan, an accomplished and honored composer, designed the elegant gardens over 30 years as a parallel creative effort to his musical work.

Tour Ashintully with landscape architect Walter Cudnohufsky whose firm, WCA Associates Inc. has prepared a master plan for the property and see this important garden through fresh and discerning eyes. The gardens blend several natural features including a rushing stream, native deciduous trees, a rounded knoll and flanking meadows into an ordered arrangement with both formal and informal beauty. Garden features include the Fountain Pond, Pine Park, Rams Head Terrace, Bowling Green, Regency Bridge and Trellis Triptych. In 1997, Ashintully Gardens (now owned by the Trustees of Reservations) received the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s H. Hollis Hunnewell Medal.

Following the tour there will be a group discussion about what makes Ashintully great. Participants will learn about garden design as a set of planned relationships and an exercise of restraint, focusing on the ten most important garden design principles as illustrated in Walter’s forthcoming book.

Lecture and Walk: Big Leaf Magnolias and Friends Saturday, June 3, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm Members $20; Nonmembers $25 Magnolias are without doubt the most spectacular of the spring flowering trees that can be grown in temperate climates. Luckily for gardeners, the genus Magnolia is going through a “golden age” of new plant development.

The result is rapidly expanding options for cold-climate gardens. Within this group the big leaf magnolias are the most outrageous; this easy to grow, underutilized group adds drama and style to the late spring garden. Instructor Stefan Cover will cover not only the big leaf group but also some gorgeous new hybrids, and many old favorites that still deserve planting. Following the presentation, take a walk on the grounds of BBG to observe first hand some of these beautiful plants. A few unusual plants propagated by the instructor may be available for sale.

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Field Trip: Dale Chihuly at The New York Botanical Garden Wednesday, June 14, 8 am – 6 pm (Travel by coach bus. Departing BBG parking lot 8 am, returning 6 pm) Members $120; Nonmembers $130 Join the staff of BBG and landscape architect David Dew Bruner for a special tour of the New York Botanical Garden at the height of its early summer bloom. In addition to the amazing gardens and plant specimens (with expert plant advice provided by BBG staff), this trip is scheduled to view the much-anticipated installations created specifically for NYBG’s landscape and architecture by world renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. David Dew Bruner, an awardwinning landscape architect and fine artist, will be our tour guide for this portion of the trip. He will show us the dramatic installations inspired by Chihuly’s exploration of the contrast between glass and environment. Physical expressions of the light, the Chihuly works will be distributed across NYBG’s 250-acre National Historic Landmark landscape, including within the Garden’s Haupt Conservatory, itself considered a work of glass art. This trip, a great way to spend a day with like-minded garden and art lovers, is not to be missed.

Suggested: Bring a bag lunch (limited access to a garden cafe is available at the entrance to NYGB for those wishing to purchase lunch). Dress for the weather: comfortable, sturdy footwear and warm, waterproof outerwear, umbrella.

Offsite Field Study: Magnificent Hudson Valley, Kykuit: House, Garden and Sculpture Park Thursday, June 22, 8:15 am – 3:30 pm (Travel by passenger van. Departing BBG parking lot 8:15 am, returning 3:30 pm) Members $65; Nonmembers $75 Join BBG for a field trip to Kykuit, a preeminent Hudson Valley house and garden. This hilltop paradise was home to four generations of the Rockefeller family, beginning with the philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and, in his day, the richest man in America. This extraordinary house and gardens have been continuously and meticulously maintained for more than 100 years. Our tour will focus on architecture, gardens, art, history, and spectacular scenery. The 2 ½ hour tour will explore the morning and brook gardens, the Italian garden, and the Adam and Eve fountain area, with a special focus on the exceptional terraced gardens containing Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller’s extensive collection of 20th-century sculpture.

Artists represented include Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, and David Smith, among many others. There is extensive topography and sturdy shoes are highly recommended. Following the tour, we will picnic at the Visitors Center on the grounds. Participants can choose to bring a bagged lunch or purchase lunch at the Visitors Center cafe.

The Garden in Watercolors Session I En Plein Air Watercolor Painting in the Summer Garden Session I: Wednesdays, July 5 - 26, 10 am – 1 pm Members $155; Nonmembers $185; Individual classes $50 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org Seeing and painting the garden en plein air is the subject of this class taught by beloved instructor Ann Kremers. Students of all levels are welcome in either or both sessions; no experience is necessary. The first session will focus on drawing forms, finding compositions and simple, direct color schemes. Composition will be stressed. Each class will begin with an introduction and demonstration by the instructor and then move into the garden to paint, with the instructor circulating among the students to provide input and answer questions. You can attend the whole series or pick and choose individual classes; however, everyone is encouraged to attend the first meeting, when the basics of watercolor, paint, brushes and paper will be explained.

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Landscape Painting Intensive with John MacDonald Workshop: The Art of Cut Paper - Scherenschnitte

Thursday & Friday, July 13 & 14, 10 am – 4 pm Members $300; Nonmembers $325 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org This two-day, intensive painting workshop will focus on using the essentials of painting – composition, value, color and edges – to create strong landscapes. Students can work with either oil or acrylic paint. We’ll look at different approaches and painting styles with the goal of finding your authentic voice. The class will work en plein air, weather permitting, or in the studio using photo references. All levels of ability are welcome.

Offsite Field Study: Vegetable Gardeners’ Garden Tour Wednesday, July 19, 10 am – noon (time on site in West Stockbridge, MA) Directions provided upon registration.

Members $25; Nonmembers $35 For those of us that have over the years read famed horticulturist and gardening columnist Ron Kujawski’s sage advice, you now have the opportunity to visit his personal vegetable garden. Shared with his daughter Jennifer, this plot of land has been gardened intensively for over 10 years. As Ron says, this is a gardener’s garden, nothing fancy, just full of food growing including over 30 varieties of garlic, 16 varieties of tomatoes – and the list goes on. Ron will lead this tour of his vegetable plot and share his triumphs and tribulations in the world of growing vegetables.

Thursday, July 20, 10 am – 2 pm Members $75; Nonmembers $85 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org.

Materials fee $10 paid directly to the instructor Join cut-paper artist Pamela Dalton for a fun, handson workshop on the art of Scherenschnitte (cut paper).

Learn simple techniques and practice making small, beautiful images in paper. Students will create multiple Scherenschnitte, executed in the style of the Pennsylvania German tradition and drawing on farming and gardening themes from the 19th century. The instructor will also share paper cutting from a variety of cultures and historic periods. Bring a bag lunch.

Offsite Field Study: Gardeners Who Inspire Wednesday, August 9, 10 am - 2:30 pm (Time on site, Pine Plains & Sand Lake, NY) Directions provided upon registration.

Members $40, Nonmembers $50 This offsite field study features two remarkable gardens in Dutchess County, New York. Our first garden, which was included in Jane Garmey’s book, Private Gardens of the Hudson Valley, features a sophisticated plant palette and a spectacular meadow of Sporobolus heterolepsis (prairie drop seed) framing a sculpture by Vivian Beer. Although this is not a low-maintenance garden, the owners rarely water anything after the second year and fertilize only container plants; elsewhere, compost feeds the soil without making it too rich while suppressing weeds. The collection of plants features more natives every year, including interesting native cultivars like Liquidambar ‘Slender Silhouette.’ The owners, however, still enjoy the thrill of searching out exotic rarities. Our second garden is located on rolling terrain in Sand Lake, NY, and has evolved within a classic nineteenth-century arrangement of house, barn, meadows, and woods. A long peony border leads from the house to a five-acre pond surrounded by native plants. Between the house and barn large deep flower beds are bordered by a pergola on one side and an Italianate upper garden on the other. We will tour both sites with the owners and glean tips and techniques from these remarkable gardeners. Bring a bag lunch to picnic at the first garden.

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Workshop: Basic Drawing: Observing Nature with Graphite Pencil Offsite Field Study: The Garden of Lynden Miller Thursday, July 27, 10:30 am – noon (Time on site, Sharon, CT) Directions provided upon registration.

Members $40; Nonmembers $50 Join Lynden Miller for a private tour of her beautiful Sharon, CT garden. This will be a first-hand look at the garden of a woman who LOVES plants. Her garden is an expression of her artistic background and her passion for plants. She has created a large semi-circular evergreen hedge enclosing mixed borders, a woodland garden, a raised gravel garden, a large cottage garden and a small stream and pond to celebrate many different plants and plant combinations that give pleasure to the eye and the soul.

Monday & Tuesday, August 14 & 15, 10 am – 4 pm Members $225, Nonmembers $250 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org Drawing is a great way to observe nature and have fun recording what you see. However, it may cease to be fun if you aren’t sure about how to begin or can’t achieve the likeness of your subject that you would like. This two-day drawing workshop will give you the basic concepts and skills to get started. Under the guidance of Carol Ann Morley you will learn how to look at the natural world and give shape and definition to your subject. Through graphite shading techniques you will understand how to accurately render some basic shapes that underlie any subject you choose to draw from a plant to landscape, giving depth and meaning to your art. Open to any level student from beginner to those with drawing skills. Bring a bag lunch.

Workshop: Drawing Nature; A Visual Narrative The Garden in Watercolors Session II En Plein Air Watercolor Painting in the Summer Garden Session II: Wednesdays, August 2 - 23, 10 am – 1 pm Members $155; Nonmembers $185 Individual classes $50 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org Seeing and painting the garden en plein air is the subject of this class taught by beloved instructor Ann Kremers.

Students of all levels are welcome in either or both sessions; no experience is necessary. The session will focus on drawing forms, finding compositions and simple, direct color schemes. Composition will be stressed. Each class will begin with an introduction and demonstration by the instructor and then move into the garden to paint, with the instructor circulating among the students to provide input and answer questions. You can attend the whole series or pick and choose individual classes; however, everyone is encouraged to attend the first meeting, when the basics of watercolor, paint, brushes and paper will be explained.

Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, August 16, 17, 18, 10 am – 4 pm Members $290; Nonmembers $315 Materials list at berkshirebotanical.org Led by Carol Ann Morley, participants will createreate a visual story of your favorite subject: a leaf, a flower, a shell, all have their own unique beauty and compelling features to reveal. There are many ways to present an image of nature – how do you achieve an interesting drawing that engages the attention and makes you want to look again to discover more in the drawing? We begin with the subject, framing it in, making multiple compositional sketches to find the best and most unique point of view. Then zero in on the form of the actual subject. Here is where the art of editing plays a significant role. By utilizing drawing techniques to contrast tonal values and depth of form, a balance is maintained between the prominence of the outer form and the surface details that give character, so that together they clarify features and convey the expressive story of the chosen subject. Bring to class several natural subjects to choose from as subject of your drawing. We will work in graphite during all design stages but you may select a color medium of your choice for a final rendering. Open to students of all levels. Bring a bag lunch.

Withdrawals: To withdraw you registration for a class, please contact us as soon as possible so we can make your space available to others. If you give us at least 7 days notice prior to the event, we will refund your fee less a $10 administration charge.

Please note: We cannot offer refunds for withdrawals less than 7 days before a class.

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ROOTED IN PLACE ECOLOGICAL GARDENING SYMPOSIUM

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, November 12

Berkshire School, Sheffield, MA

Offsite Field Study: Digging Dahlias Thursday, August 31, 10 am – noon (Time on site, Cornwall, CT) Directions provided upon registration.

Members $25; Nonmembers $30 Come with us to Something to Crow About, an extraordinary dahlia farm located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, where dahlia grower Amanda Chase will lead our group through her collection of 2500 plants (over 200 cultivars) to see these beauties in full flower. Not only is the end of August peak season for dahlia bloom, it is also the perfect time to learn about cultivating dahlias. Amanda Chase will point out some of the best varieties to grow and provide tips for maintaining these plants from year to year, such as when to plant, when to lift, and how to store during the winter months. Following the tour participants will be able to order tubers, and buy plants or cut flowers – a great way to start a collection, or add to an existing one, of these amazing plants from our neighboring country south of the border.

Mark your calendar for our fall symposium focused on the sustainable landscape. BBG is bringing together James Hitchmough, professor of landscape design at the University of Sheffield, UK, author of Sowing Beauty, Designing Flowering Meadows from Seed (tentative), horticulturist Jessica Walliser, author of Attracting Beneficial Bugs to the Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control, mycologist Trad Cotter and organic landcare specialist Michael Nadeau. Join the staff of BBG for a day of lectures and discussions. This event will give attendees a new, environmentally sensitive, vision for approaching the connection between their home and the surrounding landscape.

Enjoy thE BEnEfits of your mEmBErship whilE Earning gardEn rEwards

Ask In-store for More Information on How to Join

Celebrating

60years

Ward’s Where Gardeners Grow

Ward’s Nursery & Garden Center 600 S. Main Street - Gt. Barrington Open Daily 8 am - 6:00 pm 413-528-0166 www.wardsnursery.com TO R EG IST E R, V IS IT W W W.B E RKS H IRE B OTANICAL.O RG

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Animals in August Eight Great Programs for Families

Friday, August 11, 10 – 11:00 am

Friday, August 18, 10 am – 2 pm

Birds of Prey with Tom Ricardi, Wildlife Rehabilitator

Workshop/demonstration: Spinning Angora Rabbit Wool

Lecture/demonstration for all ages. Tom will share the natural history of birds of prey, demonstrate some of their unique behaviors and inspire children to appreciate, respect and conserve these important members of our wild kingdom.

Meet Dante, BBG’s angora rabbit, learn to harvest his wool (he loves to be groomed), and try spinning it into yarn.

Saturday, August 12, 10 am – 2 pm

Learn about worms and how to make worm composting bins in this journey into the world of underground botany. We’ll take a close look at soil and what it is made up of, including what lives in it.

Workshop/demonstration: Fairy Houses Spend a few minutes or a few hours with your friends and family, working together to make homes for the numerous fairies that roam throughout our Garden.

Thursday, August 17, 10 am – 2 pm

Workshop/demonstration: The Caterpillar Lab Come meet and learn about some little-known native critters! We’ll have a guest educator from The Caterpillar Lab (located in Keene, NH) to explain caterpillar biology and tell incredible but true stories about the creatures’ strange and surprising adaptations.

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The month of August is all about animals in the Garden, with lectures and interactive workshops offered free to Garden members and children under 12, and to non-members with admission to the Garden. Please join us as we explore animals small and large at the Garden! All classes are taught by BBG’s Assistant Camp Director Mackenzie Hitchcock unless otherwise noted.

Saturday, August 19, 10 am – 2 pm

Workshop/demonstration: Worm Houses Friday, August 25, 10 am – 11 am

Lecture/demonstration: The Fabulous Snakes of Berkshire County with Tom Tyning, Professor of Environmental Science at Berkshire Community College.

Thursday, August 24, 10 am – 2 pm

This program is designed for all ages and highlights some of the least known and most fascinating animals of our backyard.

The illustrated talk will include methods of identifying snakes, a bit about their biology, interesting tidbits about their behaviors and the methods that snakes use to protect themselves and reproduce.

Workshop/demonstration: Wet Felting with Sheep Wool

Saturday, August 26. 10 am – 2 pm

Learn about the importance of wool and the animals that wear it! A great workshop for all ages, participants will card sheep wool and create a felted project to take home.

Workshop/demonstration: Bee Houses Learn about honey bees and how they thrive in their homes. There will be an observation box to look up close at what honey bees do inside their hive. In addition, we’ll make small bee condos out of wood for our native bees.

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GARDEN NEWS

Welcome New Trustees We’re delighted to announce the appointments of Adaline Frelinghuysen and Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo to our Board of Trustees for 2017.

Adaline Frelinghuysen is a life-long gardener whose family has had a connection to the Berkshire Botanical Garden since its inception. She divides her time between New York City, Stockbridge, and Maui, and maintains a board position with National Tropical Botanical Garden headquartered on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo of Dallas, Texas, is the President and Director of the Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation, Inc. and serves on the boards of several organizations centered on the contemporary art world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her family has maintained a home in Becket since the beginning of the 20th Century, and Joanne has longstanding ties to the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Always something new to see!

NOW ON VIEW

Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning through May 29 THIS SUMMER

Triple Self Portrait © SEPS 1960, Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.

Inventing America: Rockwell & Warhol

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opens June 10 nrm.org Stockbridge, MA 413.298.4100 open daily

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New Staff Appointments Announced We are pleased to announce the appointments of Julie Schwartz as Director of Development and Robin Parow as Director of Marketing Communications at the Garden.

Julie Schwartz will join the Garden in September. Her career began in the Berkshires while working at the Norman Rockwell Museum in visitor services. Over the past 23 years, her work in development has taken her to New York, Boston, the Galapagos Islands and Nantucket, where she has raised funds for the Boston Symphony and Carnegie Hall, among others.

During her tenure at the Clark Institute, she was directly involved in capital projects involving the opening of new museum buildings. She currently works in the Information Services and Technology department at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Her responsibilities at the Garden will focus on overseeing all aspects of member and donor cultivation and outreach. “My family has a rich history in the Berkshires,” she said. “I am thrilled to be coming home to be close to my roots and am excited to be working at the Garden, which occupies such a special place in the community.”

Robin Parow returns to her post as Director of Marketing Communications at the Garden, bringing more than 30 years of public relations and marketing experience in the non-profit sector. Her career in communications began at the New York Botanical Garden Cary Arboretum (now the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies) where she launched the syndicated gardening column “Down to Earth” published in newspapers throughout New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

She was the Chief Communications and Publicity Officer for the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge and has worked as a communications consultant for Marian Press, Spencertown Academy and Blue Rider Stables. “Returning to the Garden at this important juncture in its history is a unique opportunity to step into a familiar role and take the Garden’s visibility to the next level,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to rejoin the Garden’s staff at such an exciting time.”

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