Discover how to reproduce the plants you love. The New York Botanic Garden will hold an online session February 4 at 6 pm with Jennifer Cappello-Ruggiero. Learn the best ways to create cuttings and make divisions for propagating different species. We’ll discuss what rooting material to use and how to care for your new plants as they grow. Practice repotting and take home a freshly planted cutting or two. NYBG members $55, nonmembers $59. Register at www.nybg.org.
Learn the art and science of plant propagation with a focus on the basic botany needed to understand and successfully propagate plants. Sexual and asexual propagation methods including sowing seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, and division will be covered. This two day Berkshire Botanical Garden course will take place January 11 and 12 from 9 – 4 at Berkshire Botanical Garden, 5 West Stockbridge Road in Stockbridge, and is $180 for BBG members, $195 for non-members. Please bring a bag lunch. Register by calling 413-298-3926 or online at http://berkshirebotanical.org/
Tour the Arnold Arboretum’s Dana Greenhouses with Plant Propagator Sean Halloran on Sunday, May 27 from 10 – 11. The focus will be on the Campaign for the Living Collections, seed (and plant) collecting in the field, accessioning and record keeping, seed stratification, and germination. Also learn about growing plants on in the Shade House and Nurseries and re-propagation of important lineages. The tour will end with time for questions and then back at the display pavilion to view our dwarfed potted plant collection. Meet at the Larz Anderson Bonsai and Penjing Pavilion. In case of inclement weather, please call 617 384-5209. Free, registration is limited and requested at http://my.arboretum.harvard.edu
A wealth of woody plants from Abelia to Zenobia can be propagated effectively and economically by softwood cuttings. Join Polly Hill Arboretum Plant Propagator Brian McGowan on Saturday, June 17 at the Arboretum, 809 State Road in West Tisbury, to learn the basic science and techniques behind this seemingly magical way of producing woody plants. Following a brief lecture, participants will collect cuttings on the Arboretum grounds, and then return to the greenhouse to begin propagating. Each person will leave with a plastic propagation box filled with cuttings and the knowledge to propagate plants aplenty! Please bring a pair of sharp hand pruners; an apron would be a welcome accessory. Class meets at the Arboretum’s Far Barn. $45 for non-members, $40 for PHA members. Please call to register, space is limited: 508-693-9426.
The world renowned Cornell University Department of Horticulture offers hands-on, online courses for gardeners and professionals. All courses feature practical activities because the faculty believes learning by doing is key to any successful online horticulture course.
Web based instruction is a great way to learn about horticulture, but it is no substitute for acquiring skills by doing. Dr. Ken Mudge began developing online courses more than 10 years ago for the Department of Horticulture. You won’t just read about grafting, cutting and related propagation strategies. Online lectures, virtual field trips, discussions and quizzes are among the activities that will engage you in the history, botanical principles, and horticultural applications. Class size is limited. To facilitate online discussion, a different topic is each week’s focus, but you can log on at your convenience anytime during the week. The only prerequisites are a computer with an Internet connection and a willingness to learn. Many online students have never taken an online course before. Cornell provides a tutorial to familiarize you with the instructional web site, and is happy to help you through any technology problems you may encounter. These courses do not carry academic credit, but upon completion, students receive a Certificate of Completion and qualify for Continuing Education Credit.
A new session begins January 25 and runs through March 15. Two of the announced courses, Botanical Illustration I: Basic Drawing Techniques, and Botanical Illustration II: Working with Watercolor, each cost $500, and questions on the course may be sent to me14@cornell.edu. Other proposed courses are Plant Propagation and Organic Gardening, tentatively scheduled for late winter. To be notified about these two courses, email mw38@cornell.edu. For complete information on Cornell’s online program, log on to www.cals.cornell.edu/cals/hort/teaching/distance-learning/.
Back at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts by popular demand! Join woody plant specialist Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery on Saturday, November 14, from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm, for a workshop focused on hardwood and evergreen propagation. This workshop will cover how to collect, prepare and propagate evergreens and other woody plants by cuttings. Set at the best time of the year for collecting, participants will learn techniques needed for insuring successful rooting. Cultivation requirements, timing and care of easily propagated varieties will be covered. Take home a selection of unusual deciduous and evergreen plant material in a simple propagator to grow on. Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, Ct. a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants. He teaches wood plant propagation workshops throughout New England. This workshop is limited to 20 participants, and costs $40 for BBG members and $45 for non-members. To register, log on to www.berkshirebotanical.org.
Visit two of the area’s finest fall gardens in their autumn glory. The Dover garden sits on an acre of land, not far from the Charles River, with rich alluvial soil and plenty of moisture and light. With these ingredients, Carrie Waterman has created an outstanding naturalistic garden, which has evolved to accommodate the owner’s passions for plant propagation, native plants and color. Plants with long bloom times and handsome foliage fill the mixed borders which peak in fall splendor. In nearby Needham, discover a fall garden that glows in the autumn light, highlighting a collection of brilliant maples, golden birches and deciduous confers, beech, bamboos and grasses of every type. Using variation in foliage size, color, and texture, Ellen Lathi has achieved a bold and colorful effect for four-season interest. Natural stone, a bog filled with large-leafed plants, and a stream add to the fall scene. Both gardeners are fans of serendipity and love to see the native plants, with the help of the birds, spread themselves around and get comfortable! Many Garden Club of the Back Bay members may remember seeing Ellen Lahti’s slide presentation at The Country Club last year, sponsored by The Boston Committee. This tour is presented by The New England Wild Flower Society, and will cost $30 if a NEWFS member, $36 if a non member. To register, log on to www.newfs.org, or call 508-877-7630.
