Berkshire Botanical Garden Gears Up for Annual Grow Show, Aug. 12-13

By Felix Carroll

Celebrating a 53-year tradition of growing and showing, Berkshire Botanical Garden's annual Grow Show will be held Saturday and Sunday, Aug.12-13.

The event will include a demonstration on Saturday that compares and contrasts Western floral design and the Ikebana Sogetsu School.

On both days, floral designers and backyard gardeners are the celebrities. Beautiful floral arrangements and the peak summer harvest are spotlighted in this upbeat, judged event featuring five floral designs and nearly 80 horticulture classes on display in the Exhibition Hall.

The show times are Saturday, Aug. 12, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anyone can enter. Whether you bring a single bloom or enter every category, there is no charge to participate in the Grow Show. Gardeners of all ages and experience levels are welcome to enter the blue-ribbon event known as the Horticulture Division. Floral Design entries will take delight in the natural world's splendor while recognizing that beauty's intrinsic value is its harmonization of form and purposefulness. Designers focus on guiding people to make more connections between the richness of flora and the critical role it plays in the sustainability and restoration of our environment and the human condition. Designers are asked to use sustainable design practices avoiding Oasis and using materials that can be reused or recycled.

The Grow Show is free with Garden admission.

The demonstration on Saturday, from 1:30-2:30 p.m., will be led by Kaye Vosburgh, who holds the highest rank, Riji, in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana and is an accredited master judge and a flower show school design and procedure instructor for judges in the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Her demonstration will compare and contrast Western floral design and the Ikebana Sogetsu School.

For more information, visit Berkshirebotanical.org or call 413-298-3926.

Photo: Blue Moon Images/Dana Goedewaagen