Horticultural Alliance Of The Hamptons Hosts Ken Druse Lecture On Sunday For Shade Seminar

While some folks think of spring when they think of plants and gardens, September is a bountiful month for the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons.

The nonprofit organization, dedicated to providing both members and the public with information and knowledge about gardening on the East End, hosts a robust schedule of events this month culminating on Sunday, September 24, with the Karish Seminar, named for founding member and generous donor Paul Karish. One of two major annual fundraisers the 30-year-old organization holds, it’s a great day to get to know HAH. Whatever one’s level of gardening—amateur, professional or admirer—guests are sure to learn something from the Karish Seminar as well as enjoy the lush landscape of the East End.

The day begins with a self-guided tour of three gardens, all echoing the theme of the day: Shade Gardening in the Age of Climate Change. Afterward, the Karish Seminar will be conducted by natural gardener Ken Druse, a celebrated lecturer and award-winning author and photographer, who will shed light on ways to beautify a shade garden, as well as speak on the importance of having one.

The Smithsonian recently accepted “The Ken Druse Collection of Garden Photography,” and The New York Times dubbed Mr. Druse the “guru of natural gardening,” following the release of his first book.

“My first large format illustrated book was called ‘The Natural Garden.’ I was presenting a relaxed, naturalistic style that was not a descendant of formal European garden design,” said Mr. Druse from his home in New Jersey. “It took our North American climates into consideration—especially our hot summers. ‘The Natural Shade Garden’ and ‘The Natural Habitat Garden’ followed that book.”

Gardener, writer, photographer: Mr. Druse chuckles at the description of Renaissance man being applied to him.

“Well, I’ve been sculpting and painting, too,” he said with a laugh. “I’m flattered and happily accept the description. I think that these days we need a bit of a Renaissance, a rebirth in America. Perhaps we all should do as many good things as we can and in as many ways.”

Alicia Whitaker, a board member of HAH since the early 1990s, is responsible for booking the Karish speakers.

“I’m a home gardener, self-taught, but fairly knowledgeable, as are many of our members,” she said. “We look for speakers and topics that we know will be highly attractive to our members that are, in some way, special”

You could say Mr. Druse was a “natural” choice.

“I suppose I have always been interested in this type of gardening—learning from plants and the environment, planting in partnership with nature,” he said. “I suppose it began when I was a kid playing in the dirt with my toy trucks in the backyard, seeing seedlings, birds, butterflies and the creatures in the soil. But, I think it all began with the plants.”

Ms. Whitaker is thrilled to have him.

“Ken Druse is a well-recognized gardening expert who also has the gift of taking wonderful photographs and writing beautiful and useful books. He’s also unafraid to tackle topics such as climate change—those of us who are gardeners can see that things are different in our lifetime,” she said.

Mr. Druse concurred. “We’re facing some extreme challenges these days, and we want to adjust our garden practices. We want to find cool shelter—either discover these places or create them,” he said. “My talk will be ‘The New Shade Garden: Creating a Lush Oasis in the Age of Climate Change.’ Even on Long Island’s East End, summers are getting hotter. We need to conserve water and our precious soil. We have to be stewards of the land as well as gardeners.”

Ms. Whitaker said, “Ken’s most recent book is about shade gardening at a time of climate change, and the topic has resonated with our members. Many of us start a garden that is more or less in full sun and then things grow—especially shrubs and trees—turning our formerly sunny patch into one with significant shade. The plants that do well in shade are different from those that do well with a lot of sun, and the challenge is to find a way to use foliage colors and textures as well as flowers to make a shade garden beautiful.”

In terms of challenges with shade gardens, Mr. Druse looks at it this way:

“I think that in many ways gardening in the shade is easier than gardening in the bright open sunlight, and unless you are growing flowers for cutting or edibles, cool sheltered gardens could be a relaxing passion,” he said. “Since shade gardens are not subjected to hot sunlight, watering needs are greatly reduced. We want to plant self-sufficient ground covers instead of wood mulch and always choose the most sustainable methods to reduce stress on the environment. We’re all told to stay out of the sun as much as possible, and that’s another reason to retreat to the shade.”

The gardens chosen for the event were selected for their shade.

“We found the gardens by networking with some of our members, which is the way we typically find gardens for our tours,” Ms. Whitaker explained. “We typically like to have a mix of professionally designed and owner-designed gardens and look for ones that are maintained to a high standard.”

Mr. Druse looks forward to imparting his advice to amateur and professional gardeners and those who just want to have a lovely day.

“We all want to do what we can to help our planet and leave the earth as good if not better than we found it,” he said.

The event will continue with a reception, book signing and a plant sale featuring curated shade plants from Glover Grown Perennials, with selections guided by Mr. Druse’s list of recommended shade plants.

Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 24, at the HAH Library, in the lower level of the Bridgehampton Community House, and the self-guided shade garden tour runs from 10 a.m. to noon. The Ken Druse lecture is at 2 p.m. at the Bridgehampton Community House auditorium, followed by the reception and plant sale from 3 to 4 p.m. Admission is $125 per attendee. More details and the schedule of events can be found at hahgarden.org. Pre-registration is required.