This, that, and the other thingsOut
GOLD STAR RECOGNITION
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This, that, and the other thingsOut
B y L a u r a M a r s
WINTER BEAUTY
If you think that a hard frost shuts down your garden, think again. Winter conditions make for a beautiful, maintenance-free outdoor landscape. The recently released Plants for the Winter Garden by Warren Leach is all about creating your own winter wonderland. The landscape horticulturist will be at Berkshire Botanical Garden on Sept. 20, 10 a. m. to 12 p. m., to showcase gardens he has designed that celebrate the winter season, as well as planting design ideas for your own garden.( Leach also will be signing books.) As summer gardens begin to recede in vibrancy, here are a few tips to get you thinking about winter: Composting in the colder months improves soil health and structure, and it also can be visually appealing. Spread layers of organic matter like fall’ s oak leaves and Hosta foliage— Leach says bagging them up is a sin!— then topping it with a layer of white pine needles for an attractive look. Think twice about removing remnant perennials like Russian and common sage, whose winter stems turn white and wooly and are a delight to look at. Witch hazel, which starts blooming in November, provides a welcome splash of color and fragrance. Equally charming are winter ephemera like spiky ice particles of hoarfrost on cold mornings. berkshirebotanical. org
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Doug Peltzman Pottery
ON THE POTTERY TRAIL
One of the best ways to experience the range of Berkshire pottery is to talk to ceramicists and tour their studios. The 12th Annual Pottery Tour on Sept. 27 and 28 lets you do just that, when seven studios in six towns are open 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. for a free, self-guided tour. Host and guest potters will chat about their work and demonstrate techniques. The tour includes studios in Richmond, Stockbridge, Housatonic, Great Barrington, Monterey, and West Stockbridge. Start at any point and travel at your own pace. Orange and white Berkshire Pottery Tour road signs direct you. Detailed maps are available at each studio and at berkshirepotterytour. com.
GOLD STAR RECOGNITION
When former State Representative Smitty Pignatelli visited the Gold Star Memorial in Fall River— the only such memorial in the Commonwealth honoring families of those who died while in the military— he knew that Berkshire families deserved the same.“ As the namesake of my father’ s friend who died in the Korean War, this is personal,” says Pignatelli.“ After the funeral of a loved one, families suffer with that loss for many years.” He visited every Berkshire town, discovering 570 such families and spearheaded the effort for the Berkshire Gold Star Memorial. In partnership with the Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, the Gold Star Families Monument project secured funding and a plan to build and install a seven-foot, 25,000-pound, black granite memorial at the town hall in Lenox, Pignatelli’ s hometown. A simple gold star will adorn its face, with the names of those who donated to make this a reality engraved on the back. The unveiling is Sept. 20 at 11 a. m., with U. S. Congressman Richard Neal and— fingers crossed— Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll in attendance. Berkshire trumpeter Jeff Stevens will play the Star Spangled Banner and Taps, and Pittsfield native / Nashville musician Michael Fabrizio will sing.“ My hope is that Berkshire Gold Star families will find this a place of solitude and support,” says Pignatelli. massfallenheroes. org