The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts will hold its Gardening Study School, Course II, Series 9, on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, Massachusetts. The exam will be given Saturday, April 9, from 8:45 am – 12 noon. Subjects covered will include Container Gardening, Growing Vegetables, Understanding Plant Diseases and Garden Pests, Tough Plants for Tough Places, How New Plants are Developed and Evaluated, and Techniques for Growing Lawns and/or Lawn Alternatives. Required text is Living with Plants by Donna Schumann, 2nd edition. You must have a subscription to the National Gardener to register. Contact Lillian Cohen at 781-721-2888, or email her at lilandbud@verizon.net, if you need to subscribe – the subscription cost is only $18 for 3 years. For further information about the course, contact Caroline Nijenberg at 781-862-4465 or email carolinen@rcn.com. Course fees are $110 for Federated Garden Club members, $100 for refresher course, and $140 for non-member of Federated Garden Club. Deadline for registration is March 31.
Tag: Container Gardening
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Saturday, June 12, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Growing Vegetables in Containers
City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Mattapan, is the location of a second class on Saturday, June 12, from 1 – 2:30, this time dealing with the subject of container gardens, which offer many benefits to the urban gardener in terms of beauty, practicality, and most importantly, produce close at hand. Jo Ann Whitehead, BNAN Garden Educator, will cover the techniques used to design, create, and maintain successful container vegetable gardens. Reservations required. Call BNAN at 617-542-7696, or email info@bostonnatural.org.
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Saturday, June 5, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Container Gardening for the Urban Dweller
Want to grow flowers, veggies, herbs, even shrubs, but you have no yard or garden space? Don’t despair! If you have a patio, a porch, a few feet of dirt or cement where you can place a couple pots–even your windowsill!-you can experience the pleasures of gardening. If you already have a garden but want to expand your options or move things around without digging, this class is also for you. In this Boston Center for Adult Education class, to be held Saturday, June 5, from 10 – 2 at 122 Arlington Street in Boston, you’ll learn where and how to grow the plants you’ve wanted and get ideas for new and exciting plants. Instructor Iris Weaver will cover containers, soil, feeding and disease control, varieties of plants, growing conditions, and more.
Iris Weaver is an herbalist and educator with over 30 years experience. She has an herbal business in Quincy, making and selling herbal products locally, as well as teaching classes and doing consultations. Iris is also an avid gardener, and grows many of the herbs she works with and uses in her classes. You’ll come away from this class with the basics to start your own container garden and create a little oasis in the city. $45 (BCAE members $39), plus $5 materials cost. To register, log on to www.bcae.org.
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Saturday, June 12, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Container Gardening With Native Plants
Forget the petunias and potato vines; create container plantings using native perennials adapted to our New England winters. Container plantings add accents to your outdoor spaces whether large or small. Learn which natives are ideal for containers and how to combine them effectively. First, explore design elements, container and plant selection, lighting requirements, temperature, growing media, irrigation, fertilization, over-wintering, and long-term maintenance. Then assemble and plant your own container under the instructor’s guidance.  BYOC–bring your own container. The class fee includes potting mix, fertilizer and mulch for your container. Plants will be available for sale at a discount to class participants that day. The workshop will be held simultaneously in two locations. Kate Pawling leads this New England Wild Flower Society hands on workshop at Nasami Farm in Whately, and Terry Morrow is in charge of the workshop at Garden in the Woods in Framingham, both on Saturday, June 12 from 10 – noon. The cost per person is $25 for NEWFS members and $30 for nonmembers. To register, log on to www.newfs.org.
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Wednesday, July 15, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. – Container Gardening
Visit the gardens of Heritage Museums & Gardens in Sandwich, Massachusetts, in the morning and experience one of the most enjoyable times of the day. The Horticulture staff invites members and friends to an informal gardening lecture. Bring questions and take part in the discussion. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be canceled. Meet at Ticket Office. FREE with Museum Admission. For more information and directions, log on to www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org
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Monday, April 27, 10:30 – 2:00 – Metro East/Metro West Joint Annual District Meeting and Luncheon at Elm Bank
Come to Elm Bank for the Annual Metro East/Metro West District Meeting. Roxanne Randall and Joan Kiley will present “Less is More: Container Gardening. These two talented ladies from Needham will demonstrate how to create beautiful, unusual container arrangements with an emphasis on economy. They will offer plenty of container gardening information and advice, interesting container ideas, and suggestions for using containers, with Yankee frugality thrown in. This program will appeal to any gardener who wants to plant a small space, hide those places where nothing seems to grow, or just spruce up the front steps. Their lively banter and humor will make for a delightful program. Registration starts at 10:30. Coffee, fruit and cheese during registration. Luncheon with a selection of sandwiches, salad, and assorted desserts will follow. There will be a raffle and the presentation of Unsung Heroes Awards. Reservations due by April 20. Send $25 check made payable to GCFM to Wilma Wetterstrom, 9 Glenley Terrace, Brighton, MA 02135. For more information call Wilma at 617-787-9844, or email wetterst@fas.harvard.edu.
