Now you can gain gardening expertise whenever and wherever you want with Classes On Demand! Featuring several of Mt. Cuba Center’s most popular courses, each class lasts about 90 minutes. Once purchased, students are able to watch the pre-recorded videos more than once, or stop at any point and re-start it again later within 30 days of the purchase date. Please call if this is a gift that will need a specific start date.

On-demand classes are intended for independent learning by one student. They do not offer teacher interaction and are available for a limited time only. Visit https://mtcubacenter.org/programs/classes-on-demand/ for details, and registration. $19.00.

Amsonia, or bluestars, are a rugged, versatile, and endlessly garden-worthy genus that deserve a place in any home garden. Without exception, bluestars are long-lived and provide multiple seasons of interest from their blue flowers in April and May, to their beautiful foliar textures in the summer, and striking golden color in the autumn. In addition to being exemplary garden plants, Amsonia support a variety of early season pollinators, including bumble bees and hummingbirds, and are even host plants for several butterflies and moths. Sam Hoadley, Mt. Cuba’s manager of horticultural research, will be your guide through the trials, sharing how Amsonia was evaluated to determine horticultural value and performance, disease resistance, and pollinator preference.

About the Instructor
Sam Hoadley is the Manager of Horticultural Research at Mt. Cuba Center where he evaluates native plant species, old and new cultivars, and hybrids in the Trial Garden. Prior to working at Mt. Cuba, he was the lead horticulturist for Longwood Gardens’ Hillside Garden. He earned his degree in Sustainable Landscape Horticulture from the University of Vermont.