How to Have a Beautiful, Easy Organic Garden, with Larry Sombke

Co-sponsored by UVM Bennington Master Gardeners

Presented by Larry Sombke

October 16, 2010, 10:00AM till 11:30AM

Larry Sombke is a landscape consultant and garden designer, author of “Beautiful Easy Flower Gardens” and “Beautiful Easy Herbs”, the garden blogger for the Albany Times-Union, columnist for Capital Region Living, and host of his own blog www.beautifuleasygardens.blogspot.com.  Larry will share tips and techniques on plant selection and design, soil building, composting, mulch, herbs, flowers, lawn care, vegetables, critter control and other topics of interest to organic gardeners!

Cost – $24 per registrant, $22 for Friends of NETC or Master Gardener Members

Herbal Medicine – From Garden to Teacup, with Betzy Bancroft

Presented by Betzy Bancroft, RH, Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism

September 25, 2010, 1:00PM till 4:00PM

Betzy Bancroft has been teaching herbal medicine for almost two decades throughout the Northeast.  This is an ideal class for those curious about using herbal home remedies, who aren’t sure how to get started and want to learn more!  We’ll begin with a discussion of safe and effective use of simple herbs, then we’ll take an herb walk in the Greenberg Nature Reserve.  Class will then conclude with a demonstration of herbal tea preparation.  Drying and storing your harvested herbs will also be covered!

Cost – $24 per registrant, $22 for Friends of NETC

Spring Bulb Symposium with Leonard Perry

Co-Sponsored by UVM Bennington Master Gardeners

Presented by Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor, University of Vermont

September 11, 2010, 11AM till 12:30PM

Dr. Leonard Perry, renowned University of Vermont horticulturalist, shares his knowledge, tips and techniques for the care and planting of bulbs in the fall for beautiful spring gardens.  Learn which types of bulbs, planting techniques, and care yield the most beautiful results in the Vermont climate and soils.  Take your knowledge home and plant your bulbs for beautiful spring gardens!

Cost – $24 per registrant, $22 for Friends of NETC and Master Gardener Members

with Project Native, Housatonic MA.

Co-sponsored by the Bennington Garden Club

July 18, 1:00pm – 2:30pm

Project Native began propagating native plants on a half acre of land in 2000. At its start, the organization only grew 25 varieties of plants native to the Berkshires. Today, thanks to support from individuals, the Berkshires Natural Resources Council, The Nature Conservancy and the Massachusetts Environmental Fund, Project Native has its own farm in Housatonic Massachusetts and grows over 170 varieties of native plants. Executive Director, Judith Sullivan, will talk to us about the history and mission of Project Native and teach us what it means to call a plant native. She will discuss the benefits of using native plants in the landscape and share with us some of her favorite native plants and the characteristics she enjoys about these plants including blooms, color, texture and style.

Cost: $15/$13 for Friends of NETC

Please pre-register one week before the program online or by calling 802-447-7419

w/ Sandy Anderson, Millbrook Bonsai, Jericho, VT

July 10, Part 1: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Part 2: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

In Part 1 of the class “An Instructional Overview of Bonsai“, enjoy Sandy’s informative presentation on the history, types of plants, tools and techniques in this “how-to” tutorial of the Art of Bonsai.  Learn the techniques to create and maintain these beautiful miniature                                                                       trees.    This session is a prerequisite to Part 2 of the program.

Cost: $15 / $13 for Friends of NETC

Participants and observers of the afternoon session break for lunch on their own from 12PM till 1PM.

In Part 2 of the class “Creating Your own Bonsai“, with Sandy’s expert guidance, participants will plant, create and learn detailed care and maintenance instructions for their own Bonsai tree from 8-12 year old Chinese Elm stock.  The additional cost for this session is the wholesale cost of materials only, including tree, pot, soil, drainage materials, and Bonsai shears.  While this session is strictly limited to SIX participants, other participants from the morning class are welcome to observe the afternoon workshop at no additional cost.  We suggest you register early for this to create your own Bonsai masterpiece!

Cost: $60, this is the wholesale cost of materials only and therefore we are unable to offer our Friends Discount.

Please pre-register one week before the program online or by calling 802-447-7419

New England Tropical Conservatory announces that Bruce Evey has been named Director of Programs.  In his role, he will expand development activities for the Conservatory, continue to develop education programs for children, classes and lectures for adults utilizing local expertise within the community.  Bruce will also continue the expansion of use of the Norman & Selma Greenberg Conservation Reserve for recreation and education.  He assumed the position on May 3.

Evey joins NETC from a 30 year career in Quality, Manufacturing, and Executive Management.  He is tenured in assignments with US Steel Corporation, General Electric, General Cable, Honeywell and was most recently General Manager of Plasan – North America in Bennington.  He has deep experience in management and administration, leadership of global training and education programs in industry, and a love of and commitment for the Bennington area. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh with an emphasis in Applied Statistics.

“This is a great opportunity to advance the progress of the mission of the New England Tropical Conservatory.  We have been engaged in significant botanical work abroad for more than ten years, seen our local program offerings and partnerships grow in the community,” explained Dr. Mary Fuqua, President of NETC. “Bruce’s involvement with the NETC will allow us to leverage his experience of the corporate world, his training and development knowledge, and his leadership skills to speed the funding and visibility of the Conservatory.  We also hope to greatly expand the offerings and profile of the NETC in the geographic area.”

Bruce enjoys art, community service, music, golf, fishing, reading and networking.  He is a 2010 board member of the Catamount Rotary Club, and has been active in events to better the community.

Co-sponsored by the Bennington Garden Club

Tour the rain gardens at the NETC Education Center. Learn the fundamentals of improving water quality in your region, town, and backyard. Registration fee includes a copy of The Vermont Rain Garden Manual and other helpful handouts.

Cost: $10 per registrant or $9 for Friends of NETC.

Register online and get more information.

Presented by Randy Schmidt, The Vermont Bird Place and Sky Watch

May 1st 8:00am- 10:00am

This class will begin inside the NETC Education Center where participants will learn how to identify migrating birds by call, site and habitat. After the indoor workshop, we will go outdoors to the Greenberg Reserve to exercise our new skills.

Cost: $5 per registrant or $4 for Friends of NETC.

Please pre-register one week prior to the class online or by calling 802-447-7419.

Find information about all our workshops here.

The Conservatory currently conducts on-going botanical research in Indonesia.  Its Greenberg Reserve is open to the public for recreation and is the site of school field trips. The new facility will allow NETC to bring new educational resources to the schools and to the general public.  Initial offerings will include lectures on current environmental issues,   arts and culture of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, and tools and information to help citizens practice conservation and sustainability in their own communities and back yards.  School children will be invited to the Education Center as well as to the Greenberg Reserve for life science activities.

Mary Fuqua, NETC President,  comments “We could not pass up this opportunity. The building is directly across the road from the future site of our Conservatory. The Education Center will make educational programs and resources available to the community immediately.  Our expertise and resources on environmental issues could not be more timely. And when the time comes to open the doors to the Conservatory, an active education program will already be in place.”  She adds that these activities will not only enrich Bennington culturally and educationally, but will attract new visitors to the area.

The building was constructed about 1960 and was utilized as a Howard Johnson’s Restaurant for several years.  The Bennington Club purchased it in 1982 for use as a private club.  It has been well maintained.  NETC plans no major structural changes.

Bennington Club President Millie Pierce stated that the club is indeed fortunate in finding a buyer who will keep the building and grounds to the high standards the club members have set. The club will continue as a corporate entity and will in all probability rent space from other clubs to carry out its functions.  We do not plan on going away. Our sincere congratulations to NETC on acquiring their new home, and we wish them much success.

The purchase has been funded by generous gifts from the Board of Directors and mortgage loans from the Bank of Bennington and the Vermont Small Business Development Corporation.