Co-sponsored by Broccolo's Garden and Design Center

Karen Bussolini:

Planting the Fittest: Survival in the Darwinian Garden

Saturday, May 11

9:30 am-12 noon, including break with refreshments 

"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.

I prefer my garden to be an escape from the frustrations of life and to be more sustainable.  Choosing plants that want to grow where we plant them makes for more pleasure and less work. Survival in the Darwinian Garden is an exploration of the many adaptations plants have developed to survive various challenges, to out-compete other plants, conserve moisture, and avoid being eaten – and  how to use these principles in landscapes and gardens. We will investigate plants that are widely adaptable as well as those that are adapted to specific, often difficult conditions that can be found in the northeast. Taking a good look at how plants arrange themselves in nature and how we can use those observations, we consider a diverse range of gardeners’ strategies for encouraging plants to survive beautifully in their gardens." This lecture will be illustrated with inspiring slides as well as potted examples of appropriate plants from Broccolo’s Garden and Design Center.

Karen Bussolini is a garden photographer, author, garden coach and lecturer with a long-standing interest in eco-friendly gardening. She was the sole photographer for six books including Elegant Silvers: Striking Plants for Every Garden (Timber Press, 2005), which she co-authored with Jo Ann Gardner. Her latest, The Naturescape Workbook: How to Create a Garden with Nature as Your Guide (Beth O'Donnell Young, Timber Press, 2011), ties in perfectly with this lecture, and Karen will be bringing copies to the Master Class for sales and signing.

Karen’s writing and photographs have been published in Garden Design, House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, This Old House, The American Gardener, Woman’s Day Specials, McCall’s, Native Plants, Threads, Connecticut Home and Garden, Green Scene, Reader’s Digest Books’ Home Improvements Manual and other publications. She has lectured at The New York Botanical Garden, Denver Botanic Gardens, The Berkshire Botanical Garden, the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, the New England Spring Flower Show, and at many other locations throughout the US, including the 2008 RCGC Spring Symposium. She has been featured on radio and television, and won the Garden Writers Association's photography awards in 2001, 2004, and 2007.

Getting to the Castle on Saturday, May 11:

The only access to the Castle that we are sure of is the drive along Mt Hope - there is a stone gatehouse and an unmarked driveway that will definitely be open. This driveway is north of Reservoir Ave, and accesses the houses and the Castle (it is the other end of "Castle Park").

Note: to register for this lecture online, you must check the box below.