The Bartlett Arboretum &
Gardens of Stamford has announced its "Garden Rooms by Design" showcase
now open June 8th – 15th. The week long event welcomes visitors to
experience the top to bottom transformation of the Bartlett's
historical homestead, once the home of the famed Dr. Francis A.
Bartlett at 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford. Tickets to see the "Garden
Rooms by Design" showcase are $20/person. Showcase hours are 10-4
daily and tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information
and a sneak preview of each designer's ideas, visit
www.bartlettarboretum.org events.
Top local designers and artisans have been given the challenge of
bringing the outdoors inside to create the unparalleled "Garden Rooms by
Design". This theme proves to be a fresh take on the Bartlett
Arboretum's purpose: to inspire the community to explore, examine,
understand and appreciate the natural history of the botanical world and
its place in our lives. This inimitable design challenge has requested
some of the area's top interior and landscape designers, artists and
artisans to "think-out-of-the-box" and consider "green" elements in a
not-so-usual sense. This renovation of the
Bartlett homestead will
include rooms, staircases, landings and gardens.
The Designer Showcase
is a new element added to the Bartlett's ever-popular Spring Garden Tour
Event going on concurrently. An added feature to the Designer Showcase is an informative lecture
series featuring experts in hydrangeas, landscape design, design
inspirations, photography, and creative design solutions.
All lectures are free of charge with admission to the Showcase with
the exception of the featured presentation, "Success with Hydrangeas" by
Famed Nantucketer Mal Condon which is $25 per person. The Series
kicks off from 10 a.m. to noon with Mal Condon's presentation on
"Success with Hydrangeas" that will be held in the lecture room of the
new Silver Educational Center on the arboretum's property.
Hydrangeas continue to be a very popular woody ornamental genus.
Widely grown along our New England coastline, they create something
special in so many gardens. This discussion will include the following
topics; climate and plant siting, a major species review, cultural
issues including fertilizing and bloom color control, best pruning
practices, new varieties of merit, and propagation/making more plants. A
lifelong gardener, Mal has always loved the genus hydrangea and began
collecting plants from his extensive travels during his engineering
career. His retirement in 1999 allowed him to pursue hydrangea nurturing
with total commitment. Ever the engineer, he brings a strong technical
and investigative nature to the continuing development of the genus –
searching for new and better plants, evaluating their landscape
performance, and finding superior ways to produce them.
Hydrangea Farm
on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts has become a much visited location
for serious hydrangeaphiles. This lecture is being partially
underwritten by gifts made in memory of Barbara Saverine, lover of
hydrangeas and wife of the Bartlett's executive director. This will
be a digital presentation featuring detailed graphics relevant to all
topics. A Q&A session will follow the lecture. Class Fee $25. Call
203.322.6971 for more information or to reserve your spot.
Following Mal's presentation on Wednesday will be free lectures by
Jan Johnson on Landscape Design at 1 p.m. and Victoria Lyon at 3 p.m.
The Art of Design in Bringing the Outside In. On Thursday, June 14th
the series will feature at 11 a.m. Jamie Gotto of Bungalow 5 and Napa
Home and Garden followed by Michael Yedowitz from Wainscot Solutions and
concluding with Jeremy Keets Saladyga Photography. All free lectures
will be held in the Showcase house.
Finally, the event will conclude on Friday, June 15th with a
Designer Sample Sale of materials and props used in the showcase,
including a variety of lovely potted plants and extra samples that the
designers will bring in just for the sale. Designers will be donating
20% of their sales to benefit the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens. The
showcase admission ticket must be purchased to enter the designer
sample sale.
About the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
The Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens is a non profit 501 (c) (3)
organization that inspires the surrounding community to explore,
examine, understand and appreciate the natural history of the botanical
world through its research, living plant collections, education and
arts and cultural programs. The 91-acre property located at 151
Brookdale Road in Stamford is a living museum of champion majestic
trees, rare plant collections, themed gardens, and natural landscapes
traversed by hiking and walking trails. The historic site is the former
residence, training school, and botanical research grounds of the
renowned arborist, Dr. Francis Bartlett, dating back to 1913. With a
summer concert series featuring both classical and contemporary
selections, and a regular schedule of exhibits by local artists and
photographers, the Bartlett Arboretum plays an ever expanding role in
the regional cultural community. For more information about the
Bartlett Arboretum and the events at the new Silver Educational Center
including children's and adults' nature programs please visit the
website
www.bartlettarboretum.org or call 203-322-6971.
