Workshops & Events
Starting September 16!
2023-24 Saturday Speaker Series
Year after year, expert speakers in our popular Saturday Series draw an audience from far and near. Participants leave with knowledge they can use in their own gardens, yards, and homes. Some events include demonstrations. The Hamilton College campus is an accredited arboretum; please consider time to explore if you attend one of our events.
September 16, 2023
“Growing Cut-Flowers” with Nell Gardner
Horticulturist Nell Gardner will lead you through how to grow, harvest, and arrange many cut-flower varieties, including Dahlias. Nell Gardner grew up in Vermont and on a hardscrabble farm on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. She has worked in agriculture and horticulture since graduating from Cornell. She has grown specialty cut flowers since 1992 on her farm “Flower Fields.” Through her experience with flowers and her agronomic background, she has developed methods of growing to produce armloads of high-quality flowers for sale at shops, farm markets, and florists. Her unconventional
background gives her a fresh, down-to-earth perspective, and you will be inspired to start your own cutting garden or incorporate cut-flower varieties into your landscape.
Coming Up!
October 7, 2023 SPECIAL TIME! SPECIAL TIME! SPECIAL TIME! 2:00 PM
“Hamilton Landscape Masterplan” with Glen Valentine
Join landscape architect Glen Valentine, Principal in the Cambridge studio of STIMSON Associates, as
he gives an overview of Hamilton's landscape masterplan. You will learn a little about the history of Hamilton's campus, how the space has evolved through the decades, the principles used to develop recommendations, and where we go from here. Glen is a landscape architect with more than 30 years of experience in the field. He started his career in Annapolis, Maryland, designing public spaces celebrating the history and ecology of the Chesapeake Bay region. He is particularly interested in exploring the expressive and sculptural potential of landform as it relates to unique programs and environmental conditions. His work includes award-winning campus and institutional master plans, public parks, and private residences. Glen received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College, where he studied urban planning, art history, and sculpture, and earned his master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Virginia.
November 11, 2023
Robert Fry - The Art of Upcycling
Robert Fry will talk about reclaiming wood salvaged from storm-damaged or diseased trees, saving it from the landfill, as well as other recycled materials used in his
sculpture making. He will show images and discuss his artwork and process. In his work, he says, “I try to get to fundamental elements; to communicate with an efficiency of form, and to be as direct as possible. The sculptural forms I create are simple, with elements added to create contrast and complexity, texture, color, and line, exploring the differences and similarities of materials.” Robert studied art with a focus on sculpture at Northern Kentucky University in the 1980s. Since then, he has been a self-employed artist and fabricator, working on museum installations and private commissions. Known for a reductive but sensually executed aesthetic, his sculpture has been featured in numerous group and solo exhibitions and sculpture publications.
February 17, 2024
Mohawk Valley Wild Ones - Native Plant Garden Design
March 16, 2024
Brian Hansen - Hamilton College Sustainability Efforts
April 13, 2024
Ernest Williams - Adirondack Area Flora and Fauna
Contact
Arboretum
