Berkshire Botanical Grow Show Invites Thumbs of All Colors

STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Some gardeners snub their noses at zinnias, marigolds and even day lilies.

These blooms have earned the somewhat dubious distinction of being "commoners" in the plant world, especially in the shadow of bromeliads and gladiolus. But the Berkshire Botanical Garden welcomes all blooms and vegetables with open arms; whether spiky house plant or a big-headed sunflower, there is a place for it at the garden's 42nd annual Grow Show.

On Saturday, Aug. 6 and Sunday, Aug. 7, the garden invites exhibitors big and small, amateur and experienced to show off nature's bounty in the crown event of the Berkshire growing season. According to communications manager Robin Parow, the garden's first priority is to act as an educational institution. This means, she said, reaching out to and engaging even the smallest green thumbs.
  
"One of our main responsibilities is to take the children on a journey," she said in a phone interview. "That's why we offer a free workshop the day before the show so that kids can create an entry arrangement with the help of some of our garden folks. The show is also a way to reach out to the very youngest 5-year-old to the backyard newbie gardener to the diehard grower. It's very motivating for everyone. You don't have to be a horticulture expert to enter."

Parow expects anywhere from 100 to 200 entries for the some 50 divisions for annuals, perennials, veggies, house plants and arrangements (which include categories such as "Bird's Eye View," "Forest Glen" and "Barks and Burls"). There is even a photography category complete with three divisions. Parow said the broad range is to encourage entrants as well as visitors to literally see what's "up" in Berkshire County and to have a positive, professionally judged experience.

Gardeners of all ages are encouraged to show off their talents and their plants for the show.

"It's as user-friendly as possible," she said. "When you bring your little calendula plant here on Saturday morning people will be eager to help you, especially with identification and presentation. Helpers are there specifically for first-timers. We wanted to step away from that image of being exclusive, to the point where we changed the name from 'Flower Show' to 'Grow Show.' Literally, if you can grow it then you can show it."

Make no mistake, however: the Grow Show is a serious event complete with expert judges and faithful entrants.

Barbara May of Richmond has been both an exhibitor and organizer for the show in past years.The Berkshire bounty is spectacular in its own right,she said, perhaps because of its positioning within Zone 5.

"I've seen some beautiful items over the years," she said. "I've also learned what grows well and what new varieties — perennials and annuals — are out there that can thrive in this climate. Of course organic vegetables always show well."

May said she anticipates a banner year for the flowering shrubs category, in which entrants trim one branch from their prized perennial and display it in a glass vase.

"I've seen some absolutely gorgeous flowering shrubs around lately," she said. "Some of the hydrangeas are just spectacular. Last year, I learned of a flowering lilac that blooms in the middle of summer and that there are four or five different colors of coneflower. It's really amazing what people bring in."

Georgeanne Hughes has been "picking stuff" for the show for the last 20 years. A self-proclaimed "dedicated amateur," she comes out for the flowers as much as the camaraderie.

"It's a wonderful atmosphere when everybody is bringing in their blossoms and setting up," she said. "Everyone is so gracious and although it's very friendly, it's still judged by the highest standards. Even the most modest marigold can be considered ribbon-worthy. It doesn't need to be the rarest new oriental lily. In fact, that's the whole concept of the botanical garden to begin with, to see what grows well and beautifully right here."

For more information about the Grow Show, visit the Berkshire Botanical Garden website or call 413-298-3926. Exhibitors receive free admission to the garden.

Prospect Meadow Farm Opens New Vocational Barn

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
05:40AM / Thursday, June 18, 2026

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.