Saturday, October 4, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Presented by Kathleen Kryspin
Spend an afternoon immersed in the Poetry of one of our greatest literary and visionary geniuses, Emily Dickinson. Dickson’s highly inventive verse widens the borders of consciousness and expands what is possible. In her own words, “My business is Circumference.”
During this session, Teacher/scholar, Kathleen Kryspin will take you on a tour through some of the great poems of Emily Dickinson. More than just a reading, this tour de force will open up possibilities of a higher level creative and mystical life.
COST | $25
Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center
229 E Litchfield Rd
Litchfield, CT 06759
https://www.wisdomhouse.org/program-calendar/afternoon-with-emily
2:00 PM-3:30 PM
Saturday, September 6
Presented by Chef Margaret Jacobs
Time to warm up with some great stock we can turn into soup.
We can talk about traditional favorites, hearty chowder, and creamy soups, and protein packed vegetable soups. Many soups can be made in advance and frozen for future use. See you soon!
COST | $30
Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center
229 E Litchfield Rd.
Litchfield, CT 06759
https://www.wisdomhouse.org/program-calendar/soup
Presented by Sandy Carlson and Sam Gluck
Learn meditative practices to open yourself to nature, connect with nature poetry, and then immerse yourself in the natural beauty at Wisdom House in this day-long poetry workshop.
Through centering, relaxation, guided meditations, visualizations, and yogic deep breathing techniques, you will get in touch with your nature and your creative process. Veteran yoga instructor Sam Gluck of Woodbury will lead the group in these practices. A yoga mat or thick towel or blanket is recommended for these exercises, which involve lying and sitting on the floor.
Following the meditative practices, you will consider some nature poetry from various times and places and engage in writing activities to be in conversation with your inner nature poet. Then, you’ll place yourself in the natural beauty enveloping Wisdom House to write your own poems. Sandy Carlson, who is Woodbury’s poet laureate emerita and lives in Southbury, will lead the poetry workshop. Poetry experience is not necessary.
COST | $75, lunch is included
Saturday, July 12, 9:30 AM-3:00 PM
Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center
229 E Litchfield Rd.
Litchfield, CT 06759
https://www.wisdomhouse.org/program-calendar/creative-nature
10:00 AM-2:00 PM
Wednesday, August 6
Presented by Eric Frenette
Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected? This insightful presentation offers practical tools to help you reconnect with your inner purpose and move forward with clarity. Drawing from mindfulness practices, cognitive reframing techniques, and core principles of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), we’ll explore how to navigate life’s challenges with greater intention. Whether you’re coping with anxiety, depression, grief, or simply adjusting to a new season of life, this session offers guidance for rediscovering purpose—both from a spiritual perspective and a grounded, everyday one.
COST | $50, lunch is included
Wisdom House Retreat and Conference Center
229 E Litchfield Rd
Litchfield, CT 06759
https://www.wisdomhouse.org/program-calendar/mindful-purpose
The Tour is a non-competitive 12, 30, 50, 75 and 100 mile bike ride through the scenic Litchfield Hills for riders of all ability levels. For walkers, the Tour also offers 2, 4 and 6 mile walking routes through downtown Torrington. The registration fee to participate is $50 until July 18 at midnight, then it increases to $55. The Tour of the Litchfield Hills has grown annually which supports us in our mission to benefit The Cancer Care Fund of the Litchfield Hills and we’re proud to note that the Tour has become the biggest benefactor of the Fund! The Fund supports cancer patients with care, treatment, education, and prevention programs. It also awards financial assistance to patients for emergencies such as food, rent, transportation, utilities, and medications not covered by insurance, or other critical needs as determined by clinicians or case managers.
Event Location
All routes begin and end at Coe Memorial Park in Downtown Torrington.
Home
Jazz in the Garden returns to the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, Saturday, July 19th at 6pm with a performance by the Peter McEachern Quintet!
The Peter McEachern Quintet features a new line up of jazz musicians playing original music from McEachern’s soon-to-be released CD, ‘Streamin’. In addition to McEachern, the Peter McEachern Quintet will feature noted musicians Noah Preminger (saxophone), Zwelakhe-Duma Belle Le Pere (bass), Michael Sarin (percussion) and Andrew Wilcox (piano). The group will perform original compositions with music drawing from the jazz tradition as well as personal influences.
Torrington Historical Society
192 Main Street
Torrington, CT 06790
Friday, September 12th 10am-3:30pm
September at Hollister House Garden is glorious and the pollinators are busy at work! Venture with us into the garden to observe plants and their pollinators, followed by a fun watercolor lesson in the barn. Watercolorist Betsy Rogers-Knox with show you how to capture the rich colors of purple echinacea paired with its pollinator, the swallowtail butterfly. Students may use a traceable template or create their own sketch using a provided photograph. You will learn to layer washes of color with step-by-step demos and personalized instruction. All skill levels welcome. Class size limited to 12.
Bring a bag lunch. Water and snacks provided.
Betsy Rogers-Knox is an award-winning watercolor artist enchanted by the full lifecycle of plants and their habitats. She holds a certificate in botanical illustration from the New York Botanical Garden. Her work has been widely exhibited and is held in the permanent collection at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Library in London and at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
HHG Members $90
Non-members $120
Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Rd
Washington, CT 06793
Watercolor Workshop: Pollinators
Editing the Garden- Advice from the High Line
Saturday, September 13th 10am-11:30am
Presented by: Yuki Kaneko
A naturalistic garden may appear effortless, but its beauty is the result of careful planning and thoughtful editing. For this special lecture, HHG welcomes Yuki Kaneko, senior horticulturist at New York City’s iconic High Line. Drawing from her work maintaining one of the world’s most influential naturalistic gardens, Yuki will share strategies for managing dynamic plant communities while preserving clarity and design intent. Get expert advice on plant selection to enhance beauty, support biodiversity, and create structure and texture that will last throughout the year. Come learn how to cultivate a ravishing, four-season garden that flourishes and evolves through intentional care and curation.
Yuki Kaneko is the Senior Horticulture Manager at the High Line in New York City, overseeing a naturalistic landscape designed by Piet Oudolf. Yuki holds an MFA from Tara Art University in Japan where she was born, and was awarded the Blanchette H. Rockefeller Fellowship to study in the United States. Yuki studied horticulture and botany through New York Botanical Garden’s certificate program and further trained as a horticulturist through a John Nally Internship at Wave Hill. She is an author and has also translated a number of nature themed Japanese children’s books into English.
HHG Members $30
Non-members $40 (includes admission to the garden)
Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Rd
Washington, CT 06793
Editing the Garden- Advice from the High Line
Saturday, September 27th 10am-11:30am
Barn Talk: Essential Tree Care for Homeowners
Presented by: Christopher Roddick
Beech leaf disease, Oak wilt, Emerald Ash Borer- it seems like every tree in our area has at least one major problem. These challenges make it even more important to keep our trees as healthy as possible, but how? Many of the common practices and products sold as “plant health care” in the Green Industry can actually be counterproductive to a tree’s well-being. Even pruning, unless done properly, can cause long-term damage to your trees.
Learning how to care for your trees begins with a shift of perspective. Rather than viewing trees as ornamental objects, trees should be seen as individual parts of a tree-based ecological system. We will start with a look at basic tree biology. We will discuss how trees adapt, react, and respond to their environment and what we can do to keep them healthy. We will look at how to build soils, how to shop for and plant new trees, and what proper pruning really looks like for young, mature, and veteran trees.
Christopher Roddick is an arborist who practices Conservation Arboriculture. This holistic approach to tree and land care uses a modern understanding of tree and soil biology, ecology, and organic practices as a base for maintenance and cultivation decisions. For over 28 years he was the head arborist and foreman of grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He is the author of The Tree Care Primer, a guide to the care of young, mature, and veteran trees. He is the owner of Sweet Birch Land and Tree, a Litchfield County based company offering arboriculture consultancy and ecological land care services.
HHG Members $30
Non-members $40 (includes admission to the garden)
Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Rd
Washington, CT 06793
Essential Tree Care for Homeowners
Hollister House Garden – Garden Party
Saturday, September 6th 4 – 7 pm
Gather with friends and neighbors to support Hollister House Garden
As day fades into evening, enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music by the John Mastroianni and Friends, an extraordinary silent auction and spectacular plants from Broken Arrow Nursery and Cricket Hill Garden.
All proceeds from this evening provide critical funding for educational programming and community engagement…
Enjoy the music of John Mastroianni and Friends as they play your favorites from the Great American Songbook.
Be tempted by a selection of fabulous plants suitable for fall planting from two of New England’s premier nurseries while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres: Broken Arrow Nursery and Cricket Hill Garden.
Place your bids at an extraordinary silent auction under the tent. Gardeners and garden lovers will find one-of-a-kind experiences, garden visits, special plants and other treasures under the tent.
RESERVATIONS
HHG Members $125
Non-members $150
All proceeds from this evening provide critical funding for educational programming and community engagement.
Thank you to our generous event sponsor, Litchfield Magazine.
Hollister House Garden
300 Nettleton Hollow Rd.
Washington, Ct 06793
The Garden Party
