Inside/Out: Van Berkum Nursery

We are thrilled to invite you to the sixth year of "Inside/Out" -- landscape architecture site tours across our region. Prioritizing issues of climate and health, equity and resilience, each tour discusses ideas and implementation as we explore landscapes together.

.

.

Our 2025 series continues at Van Berkum Nursery...

This nursery tour is one of a few Inside/Out tours organized by the BSLA Plant Sourcing Task Force and focused on meeting plants where they are.

Van Berkum's innovative and eco-conscious staff have been working hard to develop new growing methods that increase availability while not compromising the plant’s root quality or stressing the nursery’s ecological footprint.

Van Berkum writes, "While we love ornamental perennials and continue to grow them responsibly, we recognize that now more than ever is the right time to increase our Local Ecotype line-up. Grown here at the nursery from seed collected around New England, where genetic diversity and adaptability potential are preserved, we are grateful to get these critical plants onto the market. We have been busy collecting seed these last few years, and we are lucky to have a network of partnerships that contribute to our Local Ecotype seed portfolio."

"We strongly believe in the importance of native plants and their vital ecological role in our landscapes and are of the opinion that stewardship and gardening are not mutually exclusive. We are still gardeners who appreciate the color and textures that the perennial palette brings to the garden and enjoy offering our customers a choice of well-grown options to augment the landscape as we all strive to incorporate more natives."

This tour will be led by

John Gedraitis, Owner, Van Berkum Nursery

Roanne Robbins, Outreach & Education Director, Van Berkum Nursery

What will this tour discuss?

• Overview of Van Berkum’s plant palette
• Gain understanding of timelines to market for various plant types
• Develop our visual understanding of spec + actual plant sizes

What should you bring?

• Good shoes, water bottle, sun protection
• Questions about groundcover
• Tools for documenting what you learn in the field

.

.

Members and non-members too. Tickets are FREE, tour size limited, registration appreciated. Please come dressed for the weather, prepared to walk outside.

We aim to go in most weather. We will email all ticket holders and post any changes here.

Want to offer a ride from Boston, Portland, Portsmouth, or elsewhere to others?

Rideshare signup here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wYj48zwQK_d2zpsvWFaj38XPF30R74jA55LbLrkcW3g/edit?usp=sharing

We look forward to exploring with you!

DIG DEEPER

Particiate in the !

The BSLA Plant Sourcing Task Force is focused on improving the feedback loop between plant growers, procurers, and specifiers for a nursery supply that works for all. We are a mix of landscape architects and professional landscape designers and are talking about topics related to plant sourcing, design, and maintenance. We hope to facilitate professional learning opportunities related to the planting process through knowledge sharing and meeting plants where they are at nurseries and built projects. We meet once a month on Zoom where we discuss our shared passion for plants and work together to plan and complete tasks of shared interest.

.

The BSLA Plant Sourcing Task Force meets monthly online. ALL ARE WELCOME. Their next conversation is Tuesday, June 24 at 8:30am on Zoom. The link to this and all things BSLA are on the calendar: BSLAnow.org/events

.

.

Photo credits: top and bottom, Van Berkum Nursery. Directly above: Van Berkum plants at BSLA Fieldday.

Organized by the Boston Society of Landscape Architects, "Inside/Out" is an ongoing series of small group, outdoor, on-site walking tours of landscape architecture throughout our region. Prioritizing issues of climate and health, equity and resilience, tour discusses ideas and implementation as we explore these landscapes together.

View a short video of Inside/Out highlights.

Is there a landscape you'd like to visit -- or one you'd like to share? Let us know!

Also check out other Meetups in Deerfield, Health & Wellness events in Deerfield, Arts events in Deerfield.