It’s time to get growing. The publication of The East Hampton Star’s annual East End Garden and Home supplement means the 2025 gardening season is officially under way. With this comes a lively calendar of spring and summer events, including garden workshops, educational lectures, art activities, and benefit parties, just a few of which are detailed here. Additional events may be added as the season progresses, so readers should check with their favorite organizations and garden clubs for more information.
Sam Hoadley: ‘Knockout Natives’
Sunday, April 13, 2 p.m.
Bridgehampton Community House, 2357 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton
Free for H.A.H. members, $10 for all others
Sam Hoadley is a native plant expert whose passion for plants stems from youthful years spent gardening with his mother at home in East Granby, Conn. Now the manager of horticultural research at the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Del., Mr. Hoadley will speak about native plants for the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons.
Pressed Flower and Watercolor
Bookmarks (for Teens)
Thursday, April 17, drop-in between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street, East Hampton
It’s spring break week for students. Teens are invited to the library for a correspondingly cheerful art project: bookmarks crafted with pressed flowers and watercolors. Sign-up is via the library’s online event calendar.
Spring Colors Walk:
Bulbs and Beyond
Saturday, April 19, 2 to 3 p.m.
LongHouse Reserve, 133 Hand’s Creek Road, East Hampton
Admission: $20
Geoffrey Blatt, a LongHouse docent, will lead a garden walk to observe and appreciate the late-winter and early-spring delights at the 16-acre nature center and sculpture garden. Registration is via the LongHouse calendar at longhouse.org.
Earth Day Pinecone
Bird Feeders (for Teens)
Tuesday, April 22, 4 to 5 p.m.
East Hampton Library
For environmentally minded teens looking to help Mother Nature, the East Hampton Library will host a pine cone bird feeder workshop. (It also counts as community service for those fulfilling a school graduation requirement.) All materials are provided; sign-up is online at the library’s website.
Garden Talk: Spring Chores
Sunday, April 27, 10 to 11 a.m.
Marders, 120 Snake Hollow Road, Bridgehampton
Exactly when is it time to do the weeding, pruning, dividing, and transplanting? A Marders expert will lead a garden talk to answer those questions and more. All Marders workshops are free and open to the public on a first-come-first-served basis.
Telling Stories With Trees
Saturday, May 3, 3 to 5 p.m.
LongHouse Reserve
Admission: $25-$35
Kevin Wiecks, director of the Bayard Cutting Arboretum in the UpIsland community of Great River, as well as a longtime horticulturist in the public garden sphere, will address “the importance of informed plant selection” in landscapes, focusing on trees. Tickets are online at longhouse.org.
Wake Up the Garden
Sunday, May 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at James Lane bioswale
Wednesday, May 14, 1 to 4 p.m. at Methodist Lane bioswale
The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens committee is seeking volunteers to help “wake up” the East Hampton Village Green and Methodist Lane bioswale rain gardens. These special gardens are designed to capture and filter rainwater and road runoff before it reaches groundwater bodies like Hook Pond. Those with questions can send an email to [email protected] for more information.
Beronda L. Montgomery:
‘Lessons From Plants’
Sunday, May 4, 2 p.m.
Bridgehampton Community House
Free for H.A.H. members, $10 for all others
Ms. Montgomery, a science writer, professor, and researcher at Grinnell College in Iowa, is the author of the 2021 book “Lessons From Plants.” She will bring her wisdom to the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons on May 14 for a talk connecting the plant world to human culture.
National Public Gardens Day
Friday, May 9, various times and locations
National Public Gardens Day is a great occasion to visit one of the region’s vibrant public gardens, such as Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack and LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, as well as lush installations like the rose garden at Southampton’s Rogers Memorial Library.
Keeping Your
Mother’s Day Orchid Happy
Sunday, May 11, 10 to 11 a.m.
Marders
Ahh, orchids — fragile and fickle floral friends, a gift oft given to legions of mothers and grandmothers every spring. For those on the receiving end, Marders offers one of its free Sunday morning lectures just in time for the Mother’s Day flower-giving season.
Indigenous Plant Medicines
of the East End
Monday, May 12, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
The Church, 48 Madison Street, Sag Harbor
Admission: Free with reservation for members, $10 for all others
Chenae Bullock, an Indigenopathic practitioner from the Shinnecock Indian Nation, will lead a hands-on workshop about plant medicine with a focus on native species. From cedar to pine to sassafras and sweetgrass, participants will “learn about their uses and get a chance to prepare them, learning how to utilize these plant medicines in a meaningful way.” Registration is online at thechurchsagharbor.org.
Ticks and Tick-Borne Disease:
What You Need to Know
Thursday, May 15, noon to 1 p.m.
On Zoom via the East Hampton Library
With ticks and the diseases they carry an ever-present concern on the East End, the noted physician assistant Gerald Simons — a local expert affiliated with Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s regional tick center — will present an in-depth look at this issue and how people who love the outdoors can protect themselves. Worth spending a springtime hour indoors on the computer. Registration can be done via the library’s event calendar.
Horticultural Alliance
Garden Fair
Friday, May 16, 5 to 7 p.m. (with 4 p.m. preview)
Saturday, May 17, fair, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bridgehampton Community House
Admission: $50 and up for preview
“Our expert buyers have already started locating the best of the best in annuals, perennials, natives, roses, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and herbs,” says the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons on its website, hahgarden.org, in enticing guests to attend its annual garden fair and auction. The preview starts at 4 p.m., with admission via a $150-and-up donor-level ticket. General admission starts at 5, and costs $50 in advance or $60 at the door. There is no cost to shop at the fair on May 17. Proceeds benefit the organization’s ongoing educational offerings.
Red Garden Walk
Saturday, May 17, 2 to 3 p.m.
LongHouse Reserve
Admission: $20
The Red Garden at LongHouse Reserve was the first installation planned by Jack Lenor Larsen, where art, design, and nature intersect. It’s tough to say it better than the organization does on its website: “Encounter this area of the garden at its peak and engage all your senses, thrilling at the lush saturation and combination of hues and textures, while learning more of the history of LongHouse.” Sign-up is at longhouse.org.
Organic Rose Care
Sunday, May 18, 10 to 11 a.m.
Marders
Paige Patterson, a noted rose grower and official plant ambassador for Marders, will give a talk on organic rose care. Topics of discussion include how to choose, plant, feed, prune, and enjoy big, beautiful rose blossoms all season long. This one’s sure to be popular, so get there early for a good seat. Admission is free.
ReWild Native Garden
Planting Day
Wednesday, May 21, various times and locations
ReWild Long Island, a nonprofit environmental advocacy and gardening group, is donating 20 new native plant gardens to community spaces from Queens to Southold, including the three in East Hampton Town. ReWild seeks volunteers to plant a pollinator garden on May 21 from noon to 2 p.m. at Windmill Village I, 219 Accabonac Road in East Hampton, at the entrance to the apartment complex. Volunteers are also sought on the same day from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Matthew Lester Memorial Garden at the East Hampton Farm Museum, 131 North Main Street. Volunteers should take their own trowel and gloves.
Annual Garden Party and Plant Sale
Friday, May 23, 6 to 8 p.m.,benefit party
Saturday, May 24, 9 a.m. to noon, plant sale
Mulford Farm, 10 James Lane, East Hampton
Admission: $75 and up to Friday night party; Saturday admission: free
The Garden Club of East Hampton will hold its annual garden party and plant sale during Memorial Day weekend, featuring a wide variety of items for sale as well as a silent auction, all to benefit the club and its work in the community. The Saturday plant sale is free to attend. Tickets to the Friday evening party can be bought at the door or online at gceasthampton.org.
Planting for Our Future
Sunday, June 1, 10 to 11 a.m.
Marders
“Biodiversity” is a botanical buzzword these days, but what exactly does it mean? An expert will give a talk for Marders about native plants versus non-native varieties, and the importance of achieving balance in the garden. Admission is free.
Noel Kingsbury:
‘Wild Style’ Gardening
Sunday, June 8, 2 p.m.
Bridgehampton Community House
Free for H.A.H. members, $10 for all others
Mr. Kingsbury’s nature writing has been described as “among the best you will find in the English language.” His upcoming talk for the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons is titled “Planting Wild Style Gardens — What We Need to Know,” in which he’ll draw from his years of garden design, research, and consulting work around the world.
Much Ado About Madoo
Saturday, June 14, time T.B.A.
Madoo Conservancy, 618 Sagg Main Street, Sagaponack
Ticket information T.B.A.
Save the date – Much Ado About Madoo is a vendor market by day, cocktail party by night. “We like to think of it as the most beautiful party of the summer,” said its director, Alejandro Saralegui. Full event details can be found online at madoo.org.
Cottages and Cuttings — What’s Your Style?
Sunday, June 29, from 10 to 11 a.m.
Marders
Whether you’re a cottage gardener with artfully irregular appeal, or a cut-flower gardener maximizing the growing season, this session may be exactly what you need to find and cultivate your floral identity. Marders workshops are free and open to the public.
East Hampton Antiques and Design Show and Benefit
Friday, July 11, 6 to 8:30 p.m. preview party
Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, July 13, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mulford Farm, 10 James Lane, East Hampton
Benefit tickets $275 and up; Show tickets $18-$20
Now in its 19th year, the popular East Hampton Antiques and Design Show serves as a benefit for the East Hampton Historical Society. It’s a who’s-who event that draws a crowd of regulars and friendly new faces as well, all in the name of cutting-edge trappings, time-honored antiques, and
other fine goods for the home and garden. Tickets can be bought at easthamptonhistory.org.
LongHouse Reserve Luminosity Summer Benefit
Saturday, July 12, 6 to 11 p.m.
LongHouse Reserve
Admission: $200-$50,000, depending on ticket options
One of the hottest garden parties of the summer is always at LongHouse, which relies on community support and donations to maintain its stunning sculpture gardens and landscapes. The theme is Luminosity, with catering by Hamptons Aristocrat and Carissa’s The Bakery, an art auction, and live music and dancing. LongHouse.org has all the details.
Garden Club of East Hampton Flower Show
Wednesday, July 23, 3 to 5 p.m.
Thursday, July 24, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
East Hampton Library
Another popular event hosted annually by the Garden Club of East Hampton, the flower show draws designers and viewers from all over in appreciation of all things floral. Admission to this event is free.