June 14 Garden Program at Edith Wharton Estate
I am so jazzed up about an incredible gardening program we have put together for Thursday, June 14th from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at The Mount, Edith 
Wharton’s Home in Lenox, MA. The Mount is both an historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Learn more at www.edithwharton.org/.
Wharton’s Home in Lenox, MA. The Mount is both an historic site and a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Learn more at www.edithwharton.org/. Check out or the following program featuring nationally-recognized speakers.
Native Plantings and Great Garden Design. Presented by Naomi Brooks. This inspiring presentation will cover how to lay out your garden utilizing some basic 
design principles that will make a good garden into a great one! Get an armchair tour of some fantastic private residential estates and learn how design decisions created such powerful spaces. Native plants will be included as well as other workhorse material for strong design appeal. Naomi is from Pleasant Valley, NY is the owner of Verdant Landscapes (http://www.verdantlandscapes.com/). She is an incredibly accomplished designer and landscaper specializing in natives. Naomi received certificates in Gardening and Landscape Design from the New York Botanic Garden. She worked in a wholesale nursery and in the New York office of world-renowned landscape architects Oehme, van Sweden and Associates. Upon moving to Dutchess County in 2000, Naomi opened a wholesale nursery specializing in easy-care plant material. She also creates and manages large scale landscapes in the New American Garden style – sweeps of native and introduced plants that make a strong architectural statement while relating to specific house styles and sites.
design principles that will make a good garden into a great one! Get an armchair tour of some fantastic private residential estates and learn how design decisions created such powerful spaces. Native plants will be included as well as other workhorse material for strong design appeal. Naomi is from Pleasant Valley, NY is the owner of Verdant Landscapes (http://www.verdantlandscapes.com/). She is an incredibly accomplished designer and landscaper specializing in natives. Naomi received certificates in Gardening and Landscape Design from the New York Botanic Garden. She worked in a wholesale nursery and in the New York office of world-renowned landscape architects Oehme, van Sweden and Associates. Upon moving to Dutchess County in 2000, Naomi opened a wholesale nursery specializing in easy-care plant material. She also creates and manages large scale landscapes in the New American Garden style – sweeps of native and introduced plants that make a strong architectural statement while relating to specific house styles and sites. Survival in the Darwinian Garden: Planting the Fittest. Presented by Karen Bussolini. Sooner or later most of us gardeners fall in love with a blue poppy that would rather be in the Himalayas or a hybrid tea rose that looks fine at the nursery but develops every disease in the book the instant we plant it. Figuring out how to 
satisfy the needs of these fussy plants can be a rewarding challenge – or an exercise in frustration. Choosing plants that want to grow where we plant them is a good way to have a garden that provides more pleasure and less work. This talk is an exploration of good, tough, well-adapted plants and gardeners’ strategies for encouraging plants to survive beautifully in their gardens. Karen is from Kent, CT and is an award-winning freelance garden photographer, writer and lecturer published in books and magazines throughout the world, a NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and a garden coach. Her former newspaper column, “Good Gardening,” explored the connections between our gardens, our community and the environment.
satisfy the needs of these fussy plants can be a rewarding challenge – or an exercise in frustration. Choosing plants that want to grow where we plant them is a good way to have a garden that provides more pleasure and less work. This talk is an exploration of good, tough, well-adapted plants and gardeners’ strategies for encouraging plants to survive beautifully in their gardens. Karen is from Kent, CT and is an award-winning freelance garden photographer, writer and lecturer published in books and magazines throughout the world, a NOFA-Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and a garden coach. Her former newspaper column, “Good Gardening,” explored the connections between our gardens, our community and the environment.Proven Winner Annuals: Zippy Accessories for Perennial Gardens and Containers. Presented by Heather Poire. Discover new and exceptional plants that beautify landscapes spring through fall. Many of these beauties require no deadheading and are heat and drought tolerant. Heather Poire has worked at 
Pleasant View Gardens, one of the founders of Proven Winners North America, for 8 years and currently works as a Territory Account Manager covering NE & NY selling Proven Winners annuals & perennials. Heather graduated from University of New Hampshire with a degree in Horticulture. She has been an avid gardener since 1997 and visits independent grower retailers/wholesalers in her area throughout the year for guidance, product support & sharing her inspiration for gardening.
Pleasant View Gardens, one of the founders of Proven Winners North America, for 8 years and currently works as a Territory Account Manager covering NE & NY selling Proven Winners annuals & perennials. Heather graduated from University of New Hampshire with a degree in Horticulture. She has been an avid gardener since 1997 and visits independent grower retailers/wholesalers in her area throughout the year for guidance, product support & sharing her inspiration for gardening.Creating Stunning English Gardens with Yankee Practicality. Presented by 
me (Kerry Ann Mendez). Learn great design tips and plant combinations from the gardens of Adrian Bloom, an award-winning garden designer and author from Dis, England. This instructional PowerPoint features a collection of inspiring photographs taken staying at Bressingham Manor, a B & B in the heart of Adrian’s magnificent seven acres of gardens. The lecture focuses on perennials, shrubs, bulbs, grasses, conifers and annuals hardy for the Northeast, as well as design concepts.
me (Kerry Ann Mendez). Learn great design tips and plant combinations from the gardens of Adrian Bloom, an award-winning garden designer and author from Dis, England. This instructional PowerPoint features a collection of inspiring photographs taken staying at Bressingham Manor, a B & B in the heart of Adrian’s magnificent seven acres of gardens. The lecture focuses on perennials, shrubs, bulbs, grasses, conifers and annuals hardy for the Northeast, as well as design concepts. Closing Garden Tea Reception and Tours of the Mansion’s Gardens
Registration is $80 per person and includes four lectures, coffee and tea at registration, lunch, and afternoon reception in the gardens. To register, please click on The Mount’s event page at http://www.edithwharton.org/events-detail.php?record=117. Space is limited. For more information, please call The Mount at 413-551-5111.