The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World

Join the Bidwell House Museum on April 8 for a Zoom lecture with Garden historian John Forti. In this program, he will talk about his upcoming book The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World. Richly illustrated with period images and contemporary woodcuts, his presentation is inspired by the long New England history of heirloom preservation, garden craft, and homestead lifeways. In recent years, artisanal lifestyles have helped to rebuild vibrant local agricultural economies and we now celebrate sustainable cottage industries that are contributing to a new, homegrown American arts and crafts movement… at a time when we could all use a little good news.

John Forti is a garden historian, horticulturist, and ethnobotanist who has directed gardens for Plimoth Plantation Museum, Strawberry Banke Museum, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and Bedrock Gardens. He also serves as a regional Slow Food Governor and biodiversity specialist for Slow Food USA. He has won numerous awards for historic garden preservation and children’s garden design, and he received the 2020 Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs, the largest nonprofit volunteer gardening organization in the world. John has served as board chair for the New England Unit of the Herb Society of America, and he received the Nancy Putnam Howard Award for Excellence in Horticulture from the HSA. He lectures nationally, and he reaches millions globally from his Facebook page, The Heirloom Gardener – John Forti. Follow him at www.jforti.com.

You can pre-order John’s book HERE

The lecture will be held via Zoom. Registration is required and the Zoom details for the event will be sent to you via email a few days in advance.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Tyringham Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency