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• Creating a garden community Full Disclosure Creating a garden community Meet the Berkshire Botanical Garden's John Parker John Parker has been the executive director at the Berkshire Botanical Garden for the past six and a half years. In a recent interview at the Garden, Parker talked about how he came to the Berkshires. Parker's family is originally from the Philadelphia area, but he grew up in a number of places, including Reading, Penn. and, for a while, Richmond, Va., "Where I picked up y’all -- it’s very useful." Parker said he went to Pennsylvania State University -- twice. He got his bachelor's degree in secondary education, and then went back for his master’s in recreation and parks, specializing in interpretive services. "I started out wanting to be a wildlife biologist, but I ran into calculus," Parker said. He wanted to stick with biology, but thought his future would be in teaching. "I still took all the biology I could fit in.” After getting his bachelor's degree, Parker began teaching, but "I realized that I didn’t want to be in the classroom. I met a friend who working was in interpretation, and I didn’t know what that was. I discovered that it has to do with informal education in the outdoors. Some people think of it as environmental education. So I went back for my master’s to make my career in that field." Professionally, Parker started out in the state park system in Pennsylvania as a naturalist, and did the same in Massachusetts. He was director of the Pember Museum of Natural History in Granville, N.Y., on the Vermont border and the director of a new Connecticut Audubon Nature Center in Glastonbury. He went out to the Pacific Northwest and did graduate work in botany, while working for the national park service. Most recently, he served as executive director of the Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, Vermont, before coming to the Berkshires. "I've been around," Parker said. "Six and a half years is a delightful change from my previous experience. I feel very settled now. I’m a homeowner. I’m married. Dog and cat. "I was single when I came here. I met my wife, Lisa, here, at the Garden. She stopped by to inquire about classes in the gift shop, and talked to one of the volunteers who knew me. The volunteer set out to be matchmaker, and we eventually got together. We were married here in the garden. My wife is a professional gardener -- she has her own business as a garden designer and garden maintainer. She's a Berkshire native, from Tyringham. "We live in West Stockbridge. No kids, but we have a golden retriever named Sunshine, and a calico cat named Tasha." Parker didn't start out as a gardener. "I always thought of myself as having a pair of brown thumbs, from my early experiences with houseplants, and I still haven’t quite gotten the hang of them. But I am a gardener now. We have some property and we’re actively landscaping and gardening. The expertise comes from my wife. I do what I’m told. We planted half a dozen or so trees this year and they all seem to be thriving. Trees are an investment in the future." Parker then talked about the mission of the Garden. "We have two major audiences that are quite different. The tourist audience is usually a one-time visit -- they might be gardeners or not. They're drawn to the Berkshires, and maybe we’re a break in between performances. It’s the folks who live here, either part or full-time, who keep us going. They become members and volunteers, attend the programs and events. They’re interested in being actively involved. We depend on them for ongoing support." Parker continues, "One thing that makes us different from other botanical gardens is that we're small. We have a regional emphasis. We’re really designed with the homeowner in mind. The scale of the buildings and gardens is one that a homeowner can aspire to and can relate to. They can get practical ideas that can be applied at home. That’s what we do for people -- the reason people find us a valuable resource. It’s a good place to come and get ideas for trees, perennials and annuals." Parker says the BBG offers an excellent educational program at a variety of different levels, with classes for the beginner, the intermediate level and for those with some expertise. "We're right at the end of a long series of major improvements. We’re just starting to think about what the next step will be. We did the parking lot, the renovation of several of our buildings, the renovation of the greenhouses -- all three of them and the new pathway system which is handicapped accessible. We put in several major new gardens including the Frelinghuysen shade perennial garden. We put in a native border and the native wetland garden, which was a work of necessity. Regulations require a provision for storm runoff, so we converted that necessity into an asset for the garden by using wetland plantings." Asked how the BBG fits in with the other local cultural venues, Parker replied, "I think we're an interesting link, because gardening combines both art and science. When people think of the Berkshires they think of the arts, and in a way, gardening is also a performance. Dramatics are a part of it. It’s also something you recreate every year. That’s one of the things that draw people to gardening -- every year you have the opportunity to create something new. "I think we bridge the sciences with the arts, and that gives us some unique opportunities. A couple of weekends ago we did a poetry reading which brought together women poets from the Berkshires, who read from their own works out in the garden. They ranged widely in style and subject, but the setting brought it together for people. "I think that kind of thing is what we want to do more of. That's the kind of programming that I think will be uniquely fruitful for us. Because of the resources that are available, the interest that visitors and residents have and their sensitivity to cultural matters will make it work. Poetry, writing, dance and music, we’ve had all those thing here." The BBG is open to the public May to October, but is very active all year round. Parker says the best time for programs is in the off-season. "People are planning their landscaping for the next year or looking to expand their horizons a bit, and they have more time for that during the fall. So that's kind of nice. It keeps us hopping year round and keeps us providing a service to the public, although the garden changes its character somewhat from one part of the year to another." Parker was eager to correct a common assumption. "I'm not a horticulturist," he said. "My background is in teaching and natural history and in biology. I took a couple of years of graduate study in botany, but never in horticulture. I do have family members who are really into gardening. This job is an opportunity to learn something new -- when you’re in a position where you can use the skills you have, and at the same time enter into a whole new application for those skills, it’s very exciting professionally and personally. Plus I have a lot of help. There’s an excellent horticultural staff." Asked how many gardeners he has on his staff, Parker replied, "Dozens and dozens, really. We have a relatively small staff. We have a director of horticulture, two permanent senior gardeners, and we hire seasonal help -- usually two or three full time staff for the summer, augmented by interns. And then on top of all those folks, they are helped by a number of volunteers. Half a dozen or so who are regular, here every week. They greatly extend our reach. And there are many other volunteers who help on special projects. It's a cast of thousands, but we’re pretty small on permanent staff." "There are some key things for people to know about us. We're a regional garden. We’re small and at a residential scale that people can relate to. Our mission is to show people how they can garden here in the Berkshires, and all the kinds of plants that will grow here. "If you bought a new home and want to do something with the landscape, or you're a gardener looking for advice, or new ideas, or if you’re thinking about getting into gardening, or would like to have a more in-depth experience in some aspect of gardening -- this is the place where you can find out something new that you can use. Parker feels that sharing information is an important role for the BBG. "When you call yourself a botanical garden, you connect yourself to an educational mission, and it also gives you, and I think this is good for an organization, it gives you something to aspire to, to live up to the name. We're a regional botanical garden, and that’s fine. "We're a membership organization and we survive because there are people in this area who want to be a part of our community. Whether that’s coming to the Harvest Festival or volunteering or writing a check -- that’s what makes it worth being involved with." |
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