Events at this location

NOTE: THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!

Join us on a special guided walking tour of Hollister House Garden’s landscape and forest trees. A tree’s physical characteristics are a living record of its responses and adaptations to changes in its environment over time. Using these clues, conservation arborist Chris Roddick will teach you how to piece together a tree’s unique history. Explore the fundamental relationships trees form with fungi, insects, microorganisms, and other trees and plants to stay healthy. Learn how you can more effectively steward the trees and land you care for on this very special Barn Walk. Space is limited. (Note: This is a 90-minute walking tour with additional time for questions and answers. Dress for the weather.)

Christopher Roddick has been caring for trees for over 30 years as an arborist, climber, and consultant. As head arborist at Brooklyn Botanic Garden for over 28 years, he developed the Garden’s tree care program and established the BBG as a leader in Conservation Arboriculture and veteran tree care. He is the author of The Tree Care Primer, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, and on National Public Radio. He works in Litchfield County with his company Sweet Birch Land and Tree.

HHG Members $30 | Non-members $40

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Mother Nature is the greatest architect. Reading the natural landscape offers a planting palette that is both resilient and already adapted to your specific eco-region. Learn how to use native plant communities in your backyard and the surrounding habitats as a mirror for the types of plants that will survive and thrive in the built landscape. Get intimate with our local native flora while learning simple design techniques to create a functioning space that is both beautiful and supportive to wildlife. Join field botanist and environmental designer Heather Liljengren as she explains the importance of the botanical blueprint and how it can help you make smarter, more climate conscious design choices.

Heather Liljengren has been professionally botanizing in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region since 2008. For 15 years she actively managed the seed collection and banking program for the NYC Parks Greenbelt Native Plant Center. She served 10 years as an advisor to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Seed Bank (MARS-B), a cooperative conservation effort to collect seed from targeted native plant species across every eco-region in the Mid-Atlantic. Her intimate knowledge of native habitats and ecosystems highlights the necessity and potential of locally-sourced native plants in every reach of restoration and landscape design. She recently moved to Northwest Connecticut and founded LocalLands Consulting.

HHG Members $30 | Non-Members $40

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Learn the basic techniques of sumi-e, Japanese black ink painting. Because the process of sumi-e painting is immediate, we will have time to learn to load our brushes, practice different brush strokes and get comfortable using ink on paper before starting on our final paintings. Using the blossoming magnolias of Hollister House Garden as our inspiration, each participant will create original sumi-e ink paintings. While we will be using black ink, colors will be available to those who want to branch out. This class is suitable for all levels.

Materials will be provided by the instructor.

Joanne Wasti has worked as a museum educator at the Guggenheim Museum and as a teaching artist for various arts organizations in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Litchfield County. Painting and collage are her main media, but her passion is teaching people of all ages to let go of their fear of art making. She encourages students to make their own choices and break rules and is always pleasantly surprised by what is produced in her classes. Joanne a founding board member of the Kent Curiosity Lab, promoting access to the arts for all children.

HHG Members $90 | Non-Members $120

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Dig deep into the fundamentals of gardening in this weekend-long, intensive workshop. Whether you are new to gardening or have a few seasons under your belt, this comprehensive course will develop and refine your skills. A lively combination of classroom instruction and hands-on activities will teach you the optimal way to plant, mulch, water, feed and weed. Build confidence as you learn how plants live and grow and begin to understand why gardeners do what we do. Whether you dream of cultivating a lush, ornamental landscape or growing organic food to feed your family, this is the class you need to grow a beautiful, bountiful garden.

3 Sessions:
Friday May 17 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday May 18 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday May 19 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Please bring a bag lunch to class on Saturday and Sunday. Water, soft drinks, and snacks provided.

Daryl Beyers is the author of The New Gardener’s Handbook. He is coordinator for the New York Botanical Garden’s gardening certificate program, where he helps shape curriculum and teaches his popular Fundamentals of Gardening course. He is a staff writer for Fine Gardening Magazine and a contributing garden editor for Martha Stewart Living. Daryl is a warm and engaging teacher who believes that while we are not born gardeners, we were all born to garden!

HHG Members $450 | Non-members $500 | Text $24.95 (Required)

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Your body is your best gardening tool! Learn how to work stronger and longer with Madeline Hooper, creator and host of the hit National Public Television series, GardenFit. After a behind the scenes look at the show’s creation, Madeline will demonstrate key body movement awareness strategies. Audience members will be encouraged to join in at whatever level they feel comfortable. By applying the basic principles of balance, form and habit to your garden chores you can take care of your body while taking care of your garden. Let Madeline show you that the ultimate reward of being GardenFit is longevity in the garden.

Madeline de Vries Hooper has been immersed in the world of gardening for many years. She was invited to become a trustee of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and then of the Berkshire Botanical Garden, where she has been Vice Chair for the past 10 years. She is the creator, executive producer and host of the hit PBS television series GardenFit, which she developed after seeking the help of a fitness trainer to address the aches and pains of gardening. She now travels with her show and workshops, visiting the country’s most beautiful gardens teaching what it means to be GardenFit.

HHG Members $30 | Non-Members $40

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Get color to work for you. Create beautiful effects and avoid the trap of allowing misplaced colors to disrupt the harmony of your garden. Do you love pink and hate yellow? Or vice versa? Is blue your favorite color? Whatever your likes and dislikes may be, it is the way in which your colors are combined and contrasted that will ultimately spell success or failure.

George Schoellkopf is the creator, founder and President of Hollister House Garden. He was educated at Yale University and also holds a master’s degree in Art History from Columbia University. For many years he ran a gallery specializing in 18th and 19th century American antiques and folk art in New York City. His articles on gardening have appeared in Town & Country, House & Garden, House Beautiful, Fine Gardening and Rosemary Verey’s The American Man’s Garden among others.

HHG Members $30 | Non-Members $40

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Create your own original botanical print using hand-carved linoleum blocks. Learn to work with positive and negative space as you plan out and draw your design. Then, after instruction in basic linoleum cutting techniques, you will carefully carve your design into a block. Learn printmaking skills such as proper inking and registration as you print your botanical design onto paper or note cards. Along with your prints, the block is yours to take home and re-use. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the unique visual qualities of linocut prints. All levels are welcome.

Materials Fee: $20.00 (included in your course fee)

Joanne Wasti has been an art educator for over twenty years. She encourages students to make their own choices and break rules and is always pleasantly surprised by what’s produced in her classes. She’s worked as a museum educator at the Guggenheim Museum and as a teaching artist for various arts organizations in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and Litchfield County. Painting and collage are her main media, but her passion is teaching people of all ages to let go of their fear of art making.

HHG Members $110 | Non-Members $140

Register here

Beginning Wednesday, June 5 and continuing through August 28, Hollister House Garden welcomes artists and photographers to come and be inspired by the beauty of the garden in the morning light. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Admission $10 per person.

Learn more

Craft a vision for your garden and learn to draw your own detailed planting plan. Come and explore the core principles of garden design in this hands-on, weekend studio workshop. Suitable for all levels, you will learn comprehensive design techniques for the home gardener, from site survey and concept design to plant and material selection. Examine design strategies for different site conditions and develop a go-to plant list for your home landscape. Workshop time will allow students to develop and draw a basic design plan for their own garden, while benefiting from real-time feedback from the instructor and fellow students. This is the toolbox you need to design the garden of your dreams.

(Image is an actual class drawing by former student Anne Slotwiner.)
3 Sessions:

Friday, June 7 from 4 to 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 9 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Please bring a bag lunch to class on Saturday and Sunday. Water, soft drinks, and snacks provided.

Daryl Beyers, author of The New Gardener’s Handbook, is coordinator for the New York Botanical Garden’s gardening certificate program. He has over twenty-five years of professional landscaping experience, specializing in residential garden design and development. He is a staff writer, photographer and editor for Fine Gardening Magazine, where he authored two special issues on garden design. His many articles on gardening and garden design have appeared in Martha Stewart Living. Horticulture and HGTV Magazine.

HHG Members $450 | Non-Members $500

Register here

Beginning Wednesday, June 5 and continuing through August 28, Hollister House Garden welcomes artists and photographers to come and be inspired by the beauty of the garden in the morning light. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Admission $10 per person.

Learn more

Hydrangeas are among the most impressive shrubs available for adding late season color and flair to the garden. In recent years the development of new forms has exploded, showcasing new colors, extended bloom periods and variegated foliage. There are now countless unique and exciting varieties available. Join Broken Arrow Nursery’s horticulture and plant development manager, Adam Wheeler, for an informative lecture that demystifies this complex group of plants and showcases some of the very best new selections. As an added bonus, Adam will bring a selection of his fabulous plants for attendees to purchase for their own gardens.

Adam Wheeler joined Broken Arrow Nursery in 2004 after completing his BS degree in Urban Forestry and Landscape Horticulture at the University of Vermont. At the nursery, Adam manages plant propagation, container production, mail order and the acquisition and development of new plants. He loves to share his passion for plants through photography and educational outreach. As a result he lectures widely on a variety of subjects and is also an adjunct lecturer at Naugatuck Valley Community College.

HHG Members $30 | Non-Members $40

Register here

Beginning Wednesday, June 5 and continuing through August 28, Hollister House Garden welcomes artists and photographers to come and be inspired by the beauty of the garden in the morning light. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Admission $10 per person.

Learn more

Beginning Wednesday, June 5 and continuing through August 28, Hollister House Garden welcomes artists and photographers to come and be inspired by the beauty of the garden in the morning light. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Admission $10 per person.

Learn more

Join us as we use our garden journals to create several watercolor vignettes celebrating the glorious summer garden. With Hollister House and its picturesque pathways and garden rooms as inspiration, learn how to capture multi-element, garden scenes and vistas. Class demonstrations and a step-by-step approach will provide plenty of drawing and watercolor tips, both inside the barn and outside in this beautiful garden setting. All levels welcome.

Required Materials: Journal and pen, $25, is required for all new garden journaling students. If you participated in a Hollister House Garden journaling workshop previously and wish to use the journal and pen you have already purchased, then please be sure to bring them to class.

Betsy Rogers-Knox is an award-winning watercolor artist enchanted by the full lifecycle of plants and their habitats. She holds a certificate in botanical illustration from the New York Botanical Garden. Her work has been widely exhibited and is held in the permanent collection at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library in London and at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.

HHG Members $90 | Non-Members $120

Register here