In the Shed: Berkshire Botanical Garden Reception
Sarah Todd reports from Stockbridge.
Avid gardeners are constantly thinking of ways to up their backyard's "wow" potential, from heirloom rose bushes to koi ponds. But although the humble potting shed is as much a part of the landscape as any trellis or azalea shrub, it often gets overlooked. That oversight was handily remedied at the Berkshire Botanical Garden's opening reception for "Down to Earth" on Saturday, May 4. On display were six state-of-the-art potting sheds donated to the Garden by local architects, each built with an eye to aesthetics and the environment. Highlights included John Carchedi's elegant wood-slatted shed, which drew inspiration from Hawaiian surf shacks and Japanese cha-shitsus; Clark and Green's interactive shed with sliding walls; and Aaron Dunn's DIY structure, which children would help build the next day using cob — a mixture made from mud, straw, and stone. Board Chairman Matt Larkin (left, with landscape designer Jonathan Keep, Coast of Maine's Sue Lavallee, and Andrea Austin) welcomed guests to an evening that had all the ingredients of a great outdoor party: magnolia trees in bloom, modern design galore, and a wheelbarrow filled with chilled white wine and cocktail mixers, which followed guests down idyllic dirt paths.
Medical illustrator Catherine Delphia and Grant Larkin's Aaron Dunn; lawyer Beau Buffier with Garden trustees Ian Hooper and Michael Beck.
UMass Architecture and Design students Della Donahue and Jess Caruso; Clark and Green's Scott Henderson with Allegrone Construction's Joe Lewis.
Walter Maxwell, Lisa Maras, Silo Bed and Breakfast's Tom Murphy and Marion Jansen, and Jackie Maxwell.
JK Custom Furniture and Design's Josh and Kristen Kanter; medical student Abigail Shrang and Steven Rufo.
Gary and Beverly Igleburg with architect John Carchedi; magnolias frame a sumptuous spread.
Rebecca Turner and Darrell Turner with Clark and Green's Glenn Goble and his daughter Kate Goble.
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