The ground is covered with snow, but we gardeners can feel our hearts beating faster as we sense spring and the special events that will remind us of the delights and work waiting for us. Here are the dates for some enjoyable and instructional special events.
February 17, Wednesday 7 pm – The first event is my own talk on The Making of a New Garden at the Shelburne Grange, Fellowship Hall, 17 Little Mohawk Rd, Shelburne. I’ll be showing photos of the beginnings of my new garden in Greenfield and talk about the decision to leave the house and garden in Heath where we lived for 36 years. The public is welcome and refreshments will be served.
February 20, Saturday 10am – 1 pm – The first spring workshop from Mass Aggie Seminars on Growing and Pruning Grapes, a Hands-on worksop given in Belchertown. Cost $50. Click here for full information about this series of programs.
March 5 – March 20 10am -4 pm – The annual Spring Flower Show at Mount Holyoke College at Talcott Greenhouse has chosen the theme “Emerald Isle.” It is free to the public and wheelchair accessible. Groups welcome with advance notice; call 413-538-2116.
March 5 – March 20 10-4 pm daily – The Annual Smith College Bulb Show. The theme this year is “The Evil Garden” inspired by a book illustrated and written by Massachusetts resident the late Edward Gorey. A donation of $5 is recommended. The free opening lecture at the Campus Center Carroll Room on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 pm will feature a talk by Thomas J. Campanella, PhD, FAAR, author of A Great Green Cloud: The Rise and Fall of the City of Elms.
March 19, Saturday 8:45 am – 2:15 am – The Annual Spring Gardening Symposium at Frontier Regional High school in South Deerfield presented by the Western Mass Master Gardeners Association will feature Keynote Speaker Karen Bussolini talking about Survival in the Darwinian Garden: Planting the Fittest. There will also be 14 different other presentations on topics from compost, soil building, hydrangeas, raised bed and container gardening and much more. $35. This program is the first of three symposia, others follow on April 2 and April 9 in the Lower Valley and then the Berkshires.