What Do You Mean You Don’t Grow Herbs!

This lecture demonstration is an examination of plants you shouldn’t be without in your garden. Herbs are easy and wonderful to grow in both the vegetable and flower garden setting. Learn about the familiar and not so familiar herbs and how to cultivate them. This is a hands-on demonstration with live plant material. Following the talk enjoy a tour through the botanical garden’s historic herb garden. The instructors will share their enthusiasm for these humble but essential garden plants

Jack and Kathy Donohue have been gardening together for over 40 years. They have been members of the Herb Society of America for twenty five years and they were inducted into the Rosemary Circle of the society in 2008. They have both been Chairperson of the CT Unit of the Herb Society of America. Both worked at White Flower Farm for 10 years, feeding their addiction for plants: any plants, anywhere at any time!

Pebble Mosaic Workshop

How to Become a Rock Star!

Learn mosaic making in this hands-on workshop. Used thousands of years ago, ancient mosaics still adorn the walls and floors of buildings in Italy, Greece, Turkey and China. This work shop will introduce students to the craft of mosaics as it applies to natural materials. Students will construct a pebble mosaic and learn about materials, construction, techniques, design and care, specific to mosaic art. Take home a pebble mosaic project for the garden and the skills to make more mosaics at home

Deb Aldo is owner of Pietre Dure Design a mosaic and architectural art studio in Sterling, CT. Her indoor and outdoor mosaics are on display in galleries throughout the United States and her popular mosaic workshops are held throughout the northeast.

Vegetables on Parade

How do you avoid flea beetles on your arugula or tomato horn worms on your tomatoes? Wondering when to harvest garlic or how to hard-off winter squash? If these are questions you’re asking then this class is for you. This demonstration will cover how to care for vegetables once the garden is already planted and growing. The focus will be on specific vegetables with detailed information on cultivation, pests problems/control, planting companions, weed control, moisture requirements and how and when to harvest. Take a walk through the vegetable garden for new ideas on what to grow. Tips for preserving the harvest will be included

Pat Parkins owns Gardens of the Goddess, an organic gardening business, focused on enhancing nature's beauty through landscape design, installation and maintenance. She incorporates her interest in ecology into her landscaping practices. She tends a large home vegetable garden in Becket.

Invasive Plant Control for Homeowners

Invasive plants are an increasing threat to the environment as bittersweet, Japanese barberry, garlic mustard, and multiflora rose sweep rampant through the landscape.  This discussion centers on what homeowners can do to eliminate or control these pest plants.  Learn to identify these rogue plants, and the mechanical, chemical, and biological techniques available for controlling and eliminating them.  Consider how to evaluate potential invasive plant problems and how and when to effectively control their spread.

Jack Sprano is a Western Massachusetts Master Gardener and long-time garden enthusiast.  He has cleared a six-acre property full of invasives and has developed multiple strategies for controlling these plants.  He is currently a board member of the Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Bringing Plants Indoors for Winter

What do you do with summer bulbs? Learn how to keep patio plants, summer bulbs and tender perennials happy during the winter months. Discuss the tricks of the trade for bringing plants indoors and encouraging them to thrive for the winter months.  Topics will cover cultivation, fertilization, watering, and healthcare.  Participants will learn basic propagation techniques and take home a variety of cuttings.  These simple, cost saving methods will help homeowners multiply their plant supply for next season’s garden. 

Jenna O’Brien owns Viridissima a garden design and maintenance business.  Her specialties include perennial gardening & design, container culture & design, and indoor gardening/houseplants.   She teaches for area horticultural organizations and has completed the Horticulture Certificate Program at Berkshire Botanical Garden.

Pebble Mosaic Flower Pots

Learn the art and craft of mosaics using natural colored pebbles.  This workshop will cover mosaic techniques on a 3 dimensional object.  Consider materials, including adhesives, grout, mosaic materials and base surface.  Participants will explore various design concepts for producing both abstract and patterned designs.  Following a demonstration, complete a flower pot mosaic using techniques learned.  (Students will let projects set overnight and complete them the following day. For those unable to attend the follow up session, instructions and material will be provided to finish at home.)

Judy Boschetti is an Educator at Berkshire Botanical Garden.  She instructs youth activities at the Garden and is a serious home gardener.  She is experienced in a wide range of garden crafts including mosaic making.

Mushroom Hunting in the Berkshires

Learn all about fungi with a focus on those commonly called mushrooms. This enormous and diverse group of plants is found in the wild during the fall months.  The most common poisonous and edible mushrooms will be illustrated and described.  A variety of fungi will be on display supplemented with slides of other commonly found mushrooms. Participants will explore a nearby wood and hunt for mushrooms.  This class is not sufficient for learning how to identify wild edible mushrooms.

John Wheeler is current president of the Berkshire Mycological Society.  He has taught mycology at Simons Rock College of Bard. He has been an avid amateur for over twenty years.

All About Apples!

Join Phil Forsline, “a modern day Johnny Appleseed”, for a look at where apples come from.   Until recently most apple varieties grown in the United States were derived from seedling stock planted by European settlers in the 17th - 19th century.   Forsline, the former curator of Cornell University’s Agricultural Research Station recounts his expeditions to Kazakhstan in search of wild apple strains to conserve the apples natural genetic diversity.   This talk will focus on how scientists use genetic treasures from the apple's ancestral home to increase disease resistance, improve hardiness, and revolutionize growing apples worldwide.

Phil Forsline is the retired Research Leader for Cornell University Agricultural Research Station’s Plant Genetics Research Unit.  For over twenty five years he has worked to improve hardiness and disease resistance in apples.

Pruning Shrubs and Small Trees

Autumn is a great time to assess your woody plants for shape and structure.  This demonstration/workshop 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 specifically for both evergreen and deciduous hedges will be covered.

Ken Gooch Massachusetts Certified Arborist, is the Department of Environmental Management’s Forest Health Specialist for Berkshire County.  He is an educator and lectures widely on a variety of topics including forest health, pruning, and arboriculture.

Traveling Landscape Design Clinic

This fast-paced, information saturated clinic will be held at the homes of several of the workshop participants.  An active discussion format will focus on common design principles.  Problem solving, conceptualizing a landscape master plan and understanding the design process are among the topics to be explored.  All attendees will participate in the process of observing and designing.  Should time permit, we will visit some of Walter’s projects completed or in-process.  This field trip will be held rain or shine. If you would like your property to be one of the site visits, let us know.  There will be a $40 charge for design visits which may last up to one hour.

Walter Cudnohufsky is owner of Walter Cudnohufsky Associates Landscape Architects, Ashfield, Mass.  He is the founder, and for twenty years the director, of the Conway School of Landscape Design.  Mr. Cudnohufsky received his M.L.A. from Harvard Graduate School of Design and his firm has received numerous awards and Walter has been recognized as an outstanding educator.

Garden Wrap-Up

Assess the year's gardening successes and failures, review the gardening events of the spring and summer and begin planning for next season.   Consider winter interest in the garden and understand when to prune perennials.  Learn how to prepare gardens for the coming winter season including soil amending, mulching, cutting back, and fall division of perennials.  Seed saving for the coming spring, division of plants that require fall planting, and bulb planting techniques will be covered.   Take home a variety of seeds, cuttings and perennials for next season’s garden.

Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been gardening for over twenty years.  She specializes in perennial, vegetable and mixed border gardens.  She will share some favorite perennials from her own garden.

Pond Plant Workshop

with Anthony Archer-Wills

Join Anthony Archer-Wills, water gardening expert, for a workshop on planting formal, and natural ponds and streams. The selection and suitability of plant material for each setting will be discussed.  Examples of water gardens during the process and finish will be illustrated.  Visit the newly planted pond at the botanical garden and make first hand observations of the plants while discussing their habits and merits. The seminar is designed to be a forum for discussion in which all can participate.

 Anthony Archer-Wills has a passion for water gardening and has made it his profession for 40 years.  Born in Great Britain, his formal training and early work led him to develop innovative landscaping techniques now used worldwide.  His water gardens are found around the world and are featured at Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden in Pawling, NY.

Sogetsu Ikebana Workshop

with Kaye Vosburgh

Sogetsu Ikebana is the art of flower arranging in which nature and humanity are brought together.  Using creative expression within certain rules of construction learn how to shape living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms into a simple but elegant floral design.  Learning how to handle, trim and place plant material to its best advantage is a skill that will be useful in all kinds of arranging.  .  This three session workshop will be for beginners, but continuing students are welcome to work independently and receive critiques.

Kaye Vosburgh is an Accredited Master Judge in the National Garden Clubs and a First Grade Ikebana Teacher, Komon, in the Sogetsu School. She has been approved as a Design Instructor for Flower Show Schools in NGC, Inc.  

Stone Walls for the Garden

This hands-on program will cover the basics of wall building, including: planning and layout, learning to look at stone and demonstrations on cutting and fitting.  Various applications for the garden will be considered, with special attention to building a freestanding wall.  Following the demonstration students will build a dry stone wall. Participants should bring: work gloves and safety glasses; dress for outdoor work. 

Mark Mendel is the master mason of Monterey Masonry.  He apprenticed with Maine stonemasons in the 1960’s and taught at the Haystack School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.  He has built scores of walls, arches, terraces and walks in addition to many fireplaces in both brick and stone.  Locally, his work includes the kitchen at Hancock Shaker Village, and Guido’s Marketplace.

Stone Steps, Pathways and Flatwork

Flatwork, paving with stone and brick for terraces, walkways, paths and garden edging will be the focus of this workshop.  Watch a demonstration and participate in construction of a walkway using a variety of materials including stone and brick.  Learn how to evaluate a project and choose the best material.

Participants should bring: work gloves and safety glasses; dress for outdoor work.

Mark Mendel is the master mason of Monterey Masonry.  He apprenticed with Maine stonemasons in the 1960’s and taught at the Haystack School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.  He has built scores of walls, arches, terraces and walks in addition to many fireplaces in both brick and stone.  Locally, his work includes the kitchen at Hancock Shaker Village, and Guido’s Marketplace.

Ornamental Grasses with Robert Herman

The stature, movement and rustling of grasses make them a unique group of plants for the garden.  Join horticulturist and educator Rob Herman to discover the reasons for using grasses, how to place them and how to select the right grasses for any garden.  Explore the beautiful grasses, some known and some relatively unknown, for every habitat from sunny, dry locations to wet shady spots.  This program is designed for both gardeners new to gardening with grass as well as experts in the field.

Robert Herman has over 25 years of experience as a professional horticulturist and educator, including seven years in Europe as “Meister” for Countess von Zepplin Nursery in Germany.  He has worked for the Missouri Botanical Garden and as the Director of Horticulture for White Flower Farm. He was recently awarded the 2010 Teaching Award from the American Horticulture Society.

Energy-wise Landscape Design

with Sue Reed

Learn how to design your landscape so it saves energy and contributes to a healthier environment.  Join Sue Reed, a landscape architect with 23 years of experience in ecological design, for a practical presentation that will help you: lower your home’s heating and cooling costs, minimize fuel used in your landscape construction, and consider maintenance and everyday living products and materials with lower embedded energy costs.  Our landscapes are full of opportunities to reduce our consumption of energy. Most of them involve little or no cost, and some will actually save you money.

Sue Reed is a registered landscape architect who has helped hundreds of homeowners create comfortable, livable and beautiful landscapes that save energy. She has worked in western Massachusetts for nearly 25 years, including twelve years as an instructor at the Conway School of Landscape Design. Her new book, Energy-Wise Landscape Design, was published in April 2010 by New Society Publishers and her recent article, “Sustainable Landscape,” appears in Volume II of the new Encyclopedia of Sustainability from Berkshire Publishing.

Greening with Moss Workshop

Learn all about moss and how to use this wonderful plant in the home setting. Moss has become increasingly popular for use in shady areas of gardens instead of grass or ground cover. It can be used indoors as well; for decoration and as a way to bring the woodland inside for the winter months. Learn how to use this fascinating plant in terrariums, at the base of potted plants, for creating wreaths and even as moss covered garden table. This workshop will cover the collecting, care and conditions of working with moss either dry or wet as well as growing your own moss. Participants will construct a beautiful moss wreath and decorate it with bits of the outdoors.

Marlene Marshall is a painter/collage artist, arts educator, designer, and author of Making Bits and Pieces Mosaics (Storey, 1998), Shell Chic (Storey 2002) and Woodland Style (Storey 2010). She frequently teaches at museums, and art schools along the East Coast. Marshall has appeared on both the Home and Garden and DIY networks. Her work has been exhibited and sold in galleries and museum shops throughout North America. She lives and teaches in Sheffield, MA.

Crazy, Mixed-up Border

with Steve Silk

This kitchen sink approach to garden making welcomes representatives from every realm of the plant kingdom including trees, shrubs, annuals, tropicals, edibles and perennials. No leaf is left unturned in this search for the best and brightest of forms, foliage and flowers, which are then combined to create garden vignettes whose beauty lasts from spring through fall.  The crazy, mixed up border also relies on artful garden framework, inspiration in geometry, contributions of thoughtful hardscape and consideration of a well kept edge. This is a gardening style that celebrates change and experimentation.

Steve Silk is an award-winning photographer and writer.  He has worked for at the Hartford Courant, and Fine Gardening magazine.  His photography has garnered two Garden Writers of America awards for best portfolio. He collaborated with Sydney Eddison on several projects, is past President of the Connecticut Hardy Plant Society and is the President of the Connecticut Horticultural Society.

Sogetsu Ikebana Workshop
with Kaye Vosburgh

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging in which nature and humanity are brought together.  Using creative expression within certain rules of construction learn how to shape living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms into a simple but elegant floral design.  Learning how to handle, trim and place plant material to its best advantage is a skill that will be useful in all kinds of arranging.  .  This three session workshop will be for beginners, but continuing students are welcome to work independently and receive critiques.

Kaye Vosburgh is an Accredited Master Judge in the National Garden Clubs and a First Grade Ikebana Teacher, Komon, in the Sogetsu School. She has been approved as a Design Instructor for Flower Show Schools in NGC, Inc.

Hardwood & Evergreen Propagation

Back by popular demand!  Join Adam Wheeler, woody plant propagation specialist of Broken Arrow Nursery for a workshop focusing on hardwood and evergreen propagation.  This workshop will cover collecting, preparing and propagating evergreens and other woody plants by cuttings.  Set at the best time of the year for collecting, participants will learn techniques needed for insuring successful rooting.  Cultivation requirements, timing and care of easily propagated varieties will alsobe covered.  Take home a selection of “cool” plant material in a simple propagator. 

Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, Ct. a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants, especially kalmias.  He teaches wood plant propagation workshops throughout New England.

Woodland Terrarium Workshop

Create a mini-woodland garden gem to enjoy during the long winter months.  Participants will design construct woodland terrarium using native woodland plants including moss, maiden hair spleenwort ferns (Asplenium trichomanes), downy rattlesnake orchid (Goodyera pubescens) and evergreen ground cover (Gaulteria procumbens, or Mitchella repens). You will come away with an understanding of these native plants, their natural histories, life cycles and cultivation requirements.  Although all these plants can be found in the woods, students will be using plant material that has been grown by a reliable nursery source.

Elisabeth Cary is Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been making terrarium for many years.  She is a home gardener and specializes in woody plants, mixed border and vegetable gardening.  She is a great lover of nature and when she isn’t in her garden she can be found in the surrounding woods.

Wrapping Stones - Japanese Style                                                                   

It is mysterious, but basket makers and gardeners alike love and collect beautiful stones! We keep them in our studios and gardens and touch them often. Now you can learn to "wrap stones" and further that connection between stones and people. Using raffia, waxed line and cane, each participant will weave an open pattern over their stones.  Start collecting! Put them on your windowsills, line your garden paths or give them as gifts.

Nancy Moore Bess is a master basket maker and exhibits her baskets worldwide.  She has championed Japanese basketry in the west and is the author of Bamboo in Japan. Her popular workshops always sell out.

Wreaths from the Wild

Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations.  Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss.  Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath and the skill to create wreaths for holidays to come.

Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years. 

Sogetsu Ikebana Workshop
with Kaye Vosburgh

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arranging in which nature and humanity are brought together.  Using creative expression within certain rules of construction learn how to shape living branches, leaves, grasses, and blossoms into a simple but elegant floral design.  Learning how to handle, trim and place plant material to its best advantage is a skill that will be useful in all kinds of arranging.  .  This three session workshop will be for beginners, but continuing students are welcome to work independently and receive critiques.

Kaye Vosburgh is an Accredited Master Judge in the National Garden Clubs and a First Grade Ikebana Teacher, Komon, in the Sogetsu School. She has been approved as a Design Instructor for Flower Show Schools in NGC, Inc.

Wreaths from the Wild

Create a beautiful evergreen wreath for the holidays, using the bounty of the fields and forests of the Berkshires. Learn about the natural history of common and not-so-common plants that can be used to create interesting holiday decorations.  Consider a wide selection of plant material including: evergreen boughs, berries, seedpods, fern fronds and moss.  Construct and take home a simple evergreen wreath and the skill to create wreaths for holidays to come.

Elisabeth Cary is the Director of Education at the Berkshire Botanical Garden and has been collecting plant materials from the wild and creating wreaths for over fifteen years.