Berkshire Botanic Garden Schedule

The Berkshire Botanical Garden is open for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and hiking through the 15-acre facility daily. Educational programs and special events run continuously through the winter months the corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262. For more infomration call 413 298-3926 or visit berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 3, 10 am ? noon: Growing a Cutting Garden. Bring a cardboard box to transport plantings home. Learn how to make a small, highly productive cutting garden. All aspects of growing cut flowers, selecting varieties that hold up best, sowing times and techniques, planting and transplanting, cultivating and preparing for market will be covered. This is a program for both the home gardener and the nascent market gardener. After the presentation, participants will sow some of the instructor?s favorite seeds and transplant seedlings to grow on at home.
Instructors: Jan Schaffer and Marty Sax
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 10, 1 ? 3 pm
A Nursery Man?s Miscellany: New and Lesser Known, Garden-worthy Plants
Lecture
Cost: Members $22; Nonmembers $27
A talk on the lesser known garden-worthy plants sure to enhance your garden. While the efficacy element of gardening?s success depends on many factors beyond simple plant selection, this lecture covers an eclectic range of choice plants to rejuvenate your perennial plant palette.
Instructor: Ed Bowen
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Mondays, March 12 ? April 2, 6 ? 9 pm
Organic Vegetable Gardening
Lecture/Discussion
Cost: $185 for all levels, Co-enrolled with Horticulture Certificate Program
A class for those starting or caring for a vegetable garden, this is a practical class on growing food. Topics will include site selection, soil and nutrient management, seed selection, design, crop rotation schemes, seeding and planting, pest management and specific plant cultivation, with an emphasis on building a healthy soil and careful management of moisture requirements. Each week, a different vegetable family will be covered: Melon family, Tomato family, Beet family, Cabbage Family, Legume family and the Greens family.
Instructor: John Howe
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 17, 9 am ? 3 pm
Build a Backyard Chicken Coop: Basic Carpentry Skills
Hands-on workshop

Members $50; Nonmembers $60
Tool list available at www.berkshirebotanical.org
Learn basic carpentry skills for building a small backyard chicken coop. Learn basic hand and power tool techniques as well as woodworking and project planning skills. Become familiar with building materials and the simplicity of backyard woodworking projects. The program will focus on the simplicity and satisfaction of proper hand tool use; and the ways power tools expedite the building process.
Instructor: Will Conklin
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 23, 24, 25, 10 am - 4 pm
Botanical Illustration with Graphite Pencil

Workshop
Cost: Members $195; Nonmembers $225
Bring a bag lunch, all levels
Materials list available at www.berkshirebotanical.org
A great class for beginners or more advanced students that will give you the confidence to draw and get you to look at nature more closely. Draw the beauty of nature's dried pods, grasses and flowers from garden and fields. Train the eye through quick sketching, drawing plants in proportion, the essentials of perspective and applying tonal values to give your drawing visual depth.
Instructor: Carol Ann Morley
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 24, 10 am - noon
Chickens in the Backyard
Lecture
Cost: Members $22; Nonmembers $27
Calling all gardeners to join the backyard chicken movement! This workshop will inspire and give you the skills to start your own backyard flock. Topics covered: nutrition, shelter/coops, health, egg production, breeds, predators, regulations, general care, helpful resources and more. Inspect a few hens and admire some freshly laid eggs. All levels; beginners encouraged.
Instructor: Meg Taylor
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 31, 10am - noon
Rejuvenating Shrubs including Lilacs, Weigela, Forsythia and more
Hands-on workshop
Cost: Members $35; Nonmembers $42
Participants should bring hand pruners, work gloves and dress for the weather. This workshop will focus on rejuvenating pruning, including when, why and how to renovate or rejuvenate your woody plants. Learn about tools, timing and specific techniques available to the home gardener. Following a lecture and several pruning demonstrations participants will learn by doing.
Instructor: Ken Gooch
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org

Saturday, March 31, 1 - 3 pm
Cultivating all the Right Moves: Body Mechanics for Gardeners
Discussion/workshop
Cost: Members $22; Nonmembers $27
For home gardeners and professionals. Prepare to garden comfortably, safely, and efficiently this spring. Learn a simple, effective and energizing stretching routine that will help prevent garden-related injuries, muscle strains, aches, and pains. Explore proper movement techniques for bending, lifting, digging and raking. Assess a variety of gardening situations for reducing stress and strain on your joints by choosing the right ergonomic tools and implementing energy conservation strategies that will help you garden with ease all season long.
Instructor: Carrie Whitelaw
Berkshire Botanical Garden, corner of Routes 102 & 183, Stockbridge, MA 01262
413 298-3926 www.berkshirebotanical.org