Area Events

EVENTS—LISTED CHRONOLOGICALLY

Please check ahead for all events in case of cancellations.

• Monthly: UMass Landscape Message

• TickTalk is Back!
DATE: the 2nd Wed. of the month @ 12noon
WHERE: Lenox Memorial School, 197 East St, Lenox, MA 01240
COST: FREE
Starting in February, we will hear from Dr. Stephen Rich and the UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ) every month! This FREE series is brought to you by the UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology and UMass Extension. TickTalk in 2020 will also feature exciting guest speakers on tick topics that you told us were important to YOU. The series will include seasonality and life stages of ticks (key to planning intervention and prevention), emerging or invasive tick species, how ticks use vegetation and leaf litter throughout their life cycle, increasing fears of Alpha-gal allergies (allergies to certain meat and animal-related products), dispelling myths of tick control, and many more. Mosquito concerns, including life cycle, behavior, and EEE infection, will also be addressed and Dr. Rich will discuss the tens of thousands of mosquitoes the LMZ tests each year for a range of viruses.

Pre-registration is required for joining this webinar. For more information visit TickReport.

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Upcoming Events

• May 25, 2024 - BBG - Stonemasonry: An Overview
This workshop, led by Sam Mercier, will focus on the steps taken to start new projects and methods for fixing existing problems. The class will begin with a demonstration and Q&A, then participants will take a walk of the grounds, examining masonry and looking at techniques for fixing stone projects that have been worn down over time. After an in-depth look at the basics on the planning board and in the field, the instruction will move to masonry tools, finishes and fabrication. This will cover cutting stone with saws large and small, splitting stone, chiseling, and other finishes necessary in stone projects.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/stonemasonry-overview-0

 

• June 7 & 8, 2024 - GBC - Grandiflora
Grandiflora is a self-guided and self-transported garden tour that runs Friday, June 7th & Saturday, June 8th from 10-4 both days. Your tour booklet serves as your ticket. Each garden may be visited only once and your tour booklet will be punched accordingly. You may split your tour between the two days by visiting some gardens on Friday and others on Saturday. Strollers, dogs and children under 10 are not permitted on the tour for safety reasons. Infants in carriers are permitted. Handicap access is not guaranteed in any garden. We encourage carpooling as parking can be limited. Please be respectful of these gardens as they are private property and open due to the generosity of their owners.
Link to register: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/zhj2EXLj-sNK_Q-QvNyyMA/

 

• June 20, 2024 - CT Hort - Knockout Natives with Sam Hoadley
Join Sam Hoadley, the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center, as he highlights knockout native species and cultivars from their trials. Top performers and favorites of Monarda, Phlox, Helenium, Echinacea, wild hydrangea, Carex, and Vernonia represent some of the best native plants for the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Sam will discuss their horticultural and ecological performance and will share important information on standouts that will make beautiful additions to your garden. This event will take place in Middletown and via Zoom.
Link for info: https://cthort.org/event/knockout-natives-with-sam-hoadley-june-20-2024knockout-natives-with-sam-hoadley-june-20-2024-live-and-on-zoom-elmwood-community-center-1106-new-britain-west-hartford-ct-knockout-natives-joi/

 

• June 8, 2024 - BBG - Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin Yoku, is centered around opening oneself to the healing power of the natural world. Studies have shown that Forest Bathing helps lower stress and anxiety, strengthen immune function, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, and boost overall well-being. On Saturday, June 8, from 2 to 4 p.m., Zach Rissman will guide participants through a two-hour experience where they can slow down and experience deep rest, relaxation, presence, and healing. Come join us to connect more deeply with yourself, other like-minded people, and the natural world!
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/forest-bathing-0

 

• June 11, 2024 - BBG - Robin Hill and Good Dogs
Hop on the BBG bus, or make your own way, down to Norfolk, Conn. on Tuesday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. where you will receive a tour by head gardener James McGrath of the beautiful Robin Hill. Discover the 20-plus acres of Robin Hill's landscape, designed by British landscape designer Dan Pearson. Enjoy the meandering braided paths throughout the garden, surrounded by 6000 acres of nature preserve, as well as a meadow sprinkled with native plants, such as fragrant lavender-hued bergamot and the pale joe-pye weed. Next stop will be the Southfield Store for you to purchase your lunch, and on to Good Dogs Farm in Ashley Falls, Mass. for a tour with the owner, Maria Nation. In contrast to Robin Hill's professionally designed landscape that focuses on naturalistic perennials, Good Dogs Farm is not a "landscape," but a garden that reflects the aesthetic, whims, thoughts (and second thoughts) of its sole gardener and caretaker. With few perennials and no attempt to be "naturalistic," Maria's gardens are mainly clipped boxwood and shrubs with various elements that invite visitors to sit, eat, drink, and enjoy life. The contrast of the two gardens provides an informative yin/yang, demonstrating the wonderful breadth of possibilities inherent in the concept "to garden".
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/robin-hill-and-good-dogs-farm-day-trip

 

• June 15, 2024 - BBG - Plant and Place
Using a selection of potted plants from Berkshire Botanical Garden's greenhouse, Ann Getsinger will demonstrate the act of combining perspectives to create a cohesive connection between near and far, foreground and background, to create engaging compositions. This class, held on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will examine ways to create the appearance of space and relationship using light and dark forms, repeated shapes and colors, shadows, soft and hard edges, and chromatic layering. The emphasis will be on experimentation, imagination and play. A materials list will include colored pencils or a water-based medium of your personal preference (watercolors, acrylics or gouache); a surface to paint on; a palette; a variety of brushes, including a small mop brush; and a fine pointed brush. Bring along any materials that you enjoy working with.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/plant-and-place-integrating-botanical-still-life-foreground-and-background

 

• June 15, 2024 - BBG - Principles and Practices of Biological Farming
Join Dan Kittredge for an overview of the principles and practices of biological farming on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to noon. Build your knowledge and experience to find ways to increase the health of your soil. Participation-based with questions and answers, the workshop is designed for growers and gardeners. Participants will grasp and apply innovative, reliable principles and practices for producing healthier, better-tasting food.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/principles-and-practices-biological-farming

 

• June 19, 2024 - BBG - Cocktails in Great Gardens
BBG's Cocktails in Great Gardens series provides a rare opportunity for guests to savor a drink and a nibble in some of the finest private gardens in the region. Book early, as tickets may be limited, and they always go fast!
Wednesday, June 19, 5 to 7 p.m. is Church House with Page Dickey and Bosco Schell
Join us for a unique opportunity to tour Church House, Page Dickey and Bosco Schell's gardens and surrounding 17 acres of fields and woods located in Falls Village, Conn. Ideally situated with a view of the Berkshire Hills, it is a gardener's classroom with groves of shadblow (Amelanchier), a saltwater pool accented by hydrangeas and flowering shrubs, and a small cottage garden surrounding the house. Meadow paths rich in native flowers lead to a lime rock-strewn woodland and ravine with a vernal pool.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/cocktails-great-gardens-june-19

 

• June 29, 2024 - BBG - Natives Plants with a Twist
Native plants don't have to be boring! On Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to noon, Adam Wheeler, horticulture manager of Broken Arrow Nursery, will explore the unique and exceptional aspects of our native flora. Adam will present his current favorite native trees and shrubs for general garden use, including design considerations, cultural requirements and other critical details, with a special emphasis given to unusual variation and unexpected use. Adam will bring an assortment of fun plants and offer a mini plant sale.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/native-plants-twist-unexpected-excitement-our-native-flora

 

• July 13, 2024 - BBG - Wild Edibles
Join Russ Cohen at River Walk, a project of Great Barrington Land Conservancy, on Saturday, July 13, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. for a walk focusing on edible native plant species, including species that you might like to plant in your yard. Russ will share some samples of foraged treats, made from wild edible plants, to taste at the beginning or end of the walk. River Walk project is a remarkable, community-driven transformation of a rubble and invasive plant-dominated Housatonic riverbank eyesore to the predominantly native-plant showpiece it is today, with an expertly designed and constructed footpath running through it.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/wild-edibles

 

• July 27, 2024 - BBG - Fete de Fleurs
Save the date for BBG's 90th Birthday Celebration, to be held on the evening of July 27, from 6 to 11 p.m. As the sun sets over a summer garden in bloom, we will welcome you and your guests to cocktails around the Center House veranda and fire fountain, followed by a delicious meal under a festive tent, and capped by a glorious night of dancing under the stars to the strains of The Beantown Swing Orchestra. This joyous event will honor our founders and visionaries dating back nine decades, and toast the Garden's exciting plans for the future.
Link for info: https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/fete

 

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Virtual Offerings

• InsectXaminer from UMass Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment

Description: The InsectXaminer short video series hopes to increase the visibility of the beautiful world of insects, even those we consider to be pests in our managed landscapes. InsectXaminer will showcase the complexity of insect life cycles, cataloging as many life stages for each species as possible. The goal of this series is to provide professionals and land managers with footage that is helpful for learning the identification of insects throughout the season, rather than at any single point in their life cycle. Proper identification is key to successful management. If possible and caught on camera, important aspects of their biology and natural enemies will be revealed.

Follow this LINK

 

• BBG Virtual Learning

The Berkshire Botanical Garden offers several virtual learning opportunities for children, families, and beginning gardeners. See their offerings HERE

 

• NYBG At Home

New York Botanical Garden has a wide range of virtual events, plants guides, videos, and online courses. See the full list at NYBG-at-home.

 

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Alphabetical List of Organizations

Visit area organizations for more offerings.

•  ASLA- American Society of Landscape Gardeners - ctasla.org -

•  BBG - Berkshire Botanical Garden - berkshirebotanical.org

• Capital District Garden & Flower Show - https://flowerandgardenexpo.com

•  Cary Institute - Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies - www.caryinstitute.org

• CACIWC - Connecticut Association of Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commissions - www.caciwc.org

•  CIPWG - Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group: www.cipwg.uconn.edu

•  Cornell Cooperative Extension - for information contact 518-272-4210

•  CT NOFA - Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut - ctnofa.org - 203-308-2584

•  GBC - Greenwich Botanical Center - https://greenwichbotanicalcenter.org - 203-869-9242

• Hollister House Garden, 300 Nettleton Hollow Rd., Washington, Ct 06793 - 860-868-2200 - hollisterhousegarden.org

• Mad Gardeners - madgardeners.org

•  Nature’s Voice - White Memorial Conservation Center's outreach show about everything Nature. Every Sunday at 2pm on WAPJ 89.9 & 105.1 FM Torrington Community Radio

•  NCNC - New Canaan Nature Center, 144 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840 - 203-966-9577 - www.NewCanaanNature.org

•  NPT - New England Wild Flower Society - now Native Plant Trust, 351 Longwood Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348 - https://www.publicgardens.org

• NYBG - New York Botanical Garden - nybg.org
    - New Canaan Nature Center Classes
    - Classes at NYBG
    - Certificate Programs & Summer Intensives
    - Lectures & Symposia

• Trade Secrets Rare Plant & Garden Antiques annual event to benefit Women's Support Services - www.tradesecretsct.com

• UConn Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program: www.ipm.uconn.edu

•  UConn College of Agriculture, Health & Natural Resources - www.uconn.edu -

• UMass - University of Massachusetts Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program - French Hall, 230 Stockbridge Rd., Amherst, MA 01003 - 413 - 545-0895 - https://ag.umass.edu/
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