Berkshire Botanical Garden Signature Pot Unveiled at 32nd Annual Plant Sale

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. - The Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, Massachusetts will hold the 32nd Annual Plant Sale on Friday May 8th from 10am-5pm and Saturday, May 9th from 9am-5pm with early buying Friday May 9th from 8am-10am with a $10 fee and free for members.

Buyers will choose from thousands of plants, including many rare and unusual perennials, trees, and shrubs and featuring tried-and- true classics. In celebration of the Garden's 75th Anniversary Season, a newly designed signature pot will be on sale for the first time. This commemorative flower pot comes in four sizes and has been beautifully embossed with the Garden's own unique logo to mark this special occasion.

Experts from the Garden staff and knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to assist shoppers, answer questions and provide practical gardening advice about growing and caring for plants.“ The tried-and-true classic, great performing plant is the theme of this year’s 75th Anniversary sale,” says Dorthe Hviid, Director of Horticulture at the Garden. “These hard-working plants have stood the test of time and can withstand the often challenging growing conditions found in the Berkshires. These tough workhorses include: Leucanthemum, Agastache, Hydrangea paniculata, Calycanthus, Daylilys, Hosta, Iris, Geranium, Amelanchier, Cotinus, Clematis, and Viburnum. Combined in mixed borders, these tree and shrub shapes not only provide winter interest, they give permanent height, scale, and texture to traditional perennial beds.”

Plant shoppers will again receive free garden designs featuring many of the plants that will be for sale. Designs are created by the Garden’s horticultural staff and intended to inspire gardeners or be used as a blueprint. This year’s free, give-away designs include a shrub border for sun, a mixed border of shrubs and perennials, and a native plant border. Written planting and plant care instructions are also included for all the plants purchased in the sale. “And don’t forget a gift for Mother’s Day,” says Dorthe Hviid. “We’re offering Gardens-in-a-Box, hanging baskets, pre-planted containers for sun and shade perfect for an entrance, patio, or garden room, as well as pre-planted pots of succulents, and mini lettuce and herb planters. These one-of-a-kind gifts are all priced very reasonably.”


Select vendors will sell organically grown herbs and vegetables, native wetland plants, rustic garden furniture, metal garden décor and ornaments, hypertufa troughs and planters, and more. Top-quality compost direct from Holiday Farm (Dalton, MA) will be sold by the bag. Old, new, and gently used gardening books and cookbooks will be available. Don’t forget to stop by the Garden’s Gift Shop for the annual “Spring Cleaning Sale” with 25% to 50% savings on a wide selection of garden-related gifts, gear, and accessories.

Renowned for its inspiring gardens, educational programs and exquisite setting, the Berkshire Botanical Garden is one of New England’s oldest and most treasured public gardens. Established in 1934, its mission was to inspire and educate the community in responsible horticulture and home grown food. Today, with a year-round schedule of gardening classes, prestigious guest lecturers and a horticulture certification program in addition to our special events, we honor these founding values that are timelier than ever. Come roam the Garden’s 15 lush acres where 3,000 regionally appropriate plant species, significant trees, unique shrubs and exotic botanical collections take center stage in an ever-changing theater of the senses.

Admission to the Garden and parking throughout the two-day event are free. Food and r efreshments will be available. Garden members will enjoy a 10% discount on plant purchases; memberships may be purchased or renewed at the sale. For further information please call:413-298-3926 or emailinfo@berkshirebotanical.org/www.berkshirebotanical.org.
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Prospect Meadow Farm Opens New Vocational Barn

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

A charcuterie board at the event displays fare from some of the regional producers.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prospect Meadow Farm last week officially opened a new barn to sell plants and other goods it produces.

Prospect Meadow Farm Berkshires is an expansion of ServiceNet's first farm in Hatfield that has provided meaningful agricultural work, fair wages, and personal and professional growth to hundreds of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities since opening in 2011. 

The Berkshires farm opened on Crane Avenue two years ago and has now introduced a new vocational and unwinding space for the more than 25 farmhands who get paid a minimum wage.

"This is a facility for our folks who work on the farm to learn additional skills and do additional work," said Vice President of Vocational Services Shawn Robinson at the Friday event. "So we have a food packaging space, we've got a walk-in cooler space, we've got a floral design space, we've got a farm store room for staff, lunch room, and then a meditation room that we're standing in now, which is when you're having those hard moments and you need to get away from everything.

"This is going to be a peaceful place you can find and sort of find some comfort, and then hopefully get back to work."

The barn was built by funds from the state Executive Office of Economic Development and the state Department of Agricultural Resources that equated to around $600,000, with ServiceNet contributing around the same amount. The structure took over a year to build.

The state's Department of Developmental Services Commissioner Sarah Peterson spoke on how meaningful this farm and ServiceNet is to her and that this place is important to those who need it.

"Places like this are so crucial because they create opportunities for people living with disabilities that aren't plentiful," she said. "People living with developmental and intellectual disabilities have an unemployment rate over 25 percent five times the rate for people without disabilities, even more jarring is under appointment, which is at 80 percent. That means that four out of every five people with disabilities earn below market rate wages and have limited upward mobility.

"The building itself is really impressive, but what you're really seeing here is the result of vision. It's about opportunity, it's about community, and it's founded in the belief that every person deserves the chance to learn and work and contribute to thrive under the leadership of ServiceNet."

One aspect of the barn will be the market where produce from the farm and other local growers will be sold as well as keeping the tradition of Jodi's Seasonal, which previously occupied the location, alive with plant sales. The market will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"Everything you see in terms of the tomatoes, the fresh produce, that's all done with the hands of our farm hands here, individuals with disabilities who get out every single morning, get in those greenhouses, put their hands in the dirt, and make all of this happen, and this is just the start," said Robinson. "This farm is a little over a year old at this point, but give it another two years, and we hope to be growing enough food to share throughout the Berkshires."

Robinson said the farm is focused on local food security, recently partnering with the Hatfield Council on Aging and planning to work toward making enough food to partner with places in the Berkshires.

He said the barn serves the Hatfield farm and what the employees here needed.

"We've been able to learn the needs of the farm hands who work there and so we have learned that they need a comfortable break space for those times where it's hard to be out in the fields, we've learned that a quiet space for when you're going through something you need to be away from people are key, and then also we have a small farm store in Hatfield, but we've seen increasing interest in retail work from our participants, so we thought it was time for a larger-scale farm store," he said.

Robinson noted that Prospect Meadow Farm has helped the individuals working there feel valued and head.

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