Natural Gardening Series
This series is offered for those interested in the natural approach to gardening and will take the home gardener through every season of the year. Winter is the ideal time to learn, plan, and prune; spring is the time to prepare, propagate, and cultivate; summer is the time to manage garden stresses and pests yet also relax and enjoy your garden; and fall is the time for more planting as well as putting your garden to sleep.Attend three workshops in this series and attend the fourth one free. Pre-registration is not required.
Natural Lawn Care
Saturday, March 6, noon
Fee: $10; $5 members
The strategies for renewing your lawn in spring are vastly different from those used in autumn. Join director of education Patty Kleinberg and learn the secrets to a beautiful green lawn without the stressful use of chemicals.
Late Winter Pruning
Sunday, March 7, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
Join QBG horticulturist Cynthia Reed and learn when it’s the best time to prune your trees and shrubs. Proper pruning methods that ensure the health of your valuable landscaping plants as well as the aesthetics of your garden will be demonstrated.
Preparing Your Garden for Spring Planting
Sunday, March 14, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
Get your perennial garden ready with plant division, soil conditioning, new spring plantings, and mulching. QBG’s Cynthia Reed will also provide tips on how to shop for healthy plants.
Starting Vegetables and Flowers from Seeds
Sunday, March 21, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
Discover the economical and fun way to grow your garden from seeds. Join QBG horticulturist Zofia Pienkos for a tour of the greenhouse and a hands-on demonstration on starting annual, vegetable, and perennial seeds indoors. Planting mixes, proper watering and light requirements will be discussed.
Backyard Composting
Saturday, April 17, 12 noon
Fee: $10; $5 members
No natural gardening program is complete without composting. Nature renews the soil and its nutrients by recycling plant material back into the soil as humus or compost. Join QBG’s director of education Patty Kleinberg and learn how to take your kitchen or garden leftovers and turn them into black gold.
Plant Propagation
Sunday, May 2, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
As the weather warms up its time to move outdoors and learn different techniques of plant propagation such as cuttings, division, layering, and direct sowing of seeds. QBG horticulturist Zofia Pienkos provides examples of plants, soil mixtures, and containers and further instructions on caring for plants both indoors and out.
Integrated Pest Management
Three Parts
Sunday, May 16, 23, and 30, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members(each session)
Learn how to enlist the help of beneficial insects and properly amend garden soil for a healthy and beautiful garden without the harmful use of fungicides and pesticides. QBG’s Cynthia Reed takes you through this three-part series that focuses on plant health, proper use of fertilizers and soil amendments as well as how to attract “free labor” from helpful insects.
Spring 2004 Herb Series
Pre-registration not required.
Herbs in Myth and Magic I & II
Saturday, March 20 and Sunday, March 28, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members (each session)
Plants have been an integral part of human society from the beginning of our history. What is the truth behind the myth? What make plants “magical?” QBG’s Cynthia Reed explores these “magical” plants — how they’ve been used in history and how they can be used today in a modern herb garden.
Medicinal Herbs I & II
Two parts
Sunday, April 18 and Gardening Day, Sunday April 25, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members on April 18 and free on Gardening Day
Join QBG horticulturist Cynthia Reed and explore the medicinal uses of non-exotic herbs. Learn how to identify, grow, harvest, prepare, and use herbs to treat acute and chronic health problems. The focus during this two-part program is on common, readily available herbs that can be safely used by everyone.
Useful Weeds
Saturday, May 8, 1 pm
Fee: $10; $5 members
Take a walk on the grounds with QBG’s Cynthia Reed and learn to identify the most common medicinal weeds. Many plants that are considered weeds are beneficial to us as well as the plant and animal
communities. Explore the medicinal and culinary uses of these plants as well as when, where, and how to harvest, and how to preserve these useful weeds. Class runs rain or shine so dress for the weather.
Herb Focus Series
Join QBG horticulturist Cynthia Reed as she explores popular herbs in depth covering topics such as the plant’s physiology, the latest research results, cultural requirements, and history of use.
Herb Focus: Rosemary
Sunday, June 13, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
Rosemary, a commonly used herb, has many non-common uses. Learn the history of rosemary and its uses in landscaping, cooking, and medicine. Explore the “inner workings” of rosemary and learn why it is one of the most famous of the European herbs.
Herb Focus: Lemon Balm
Sunday, June 27, 1 p.m.
Fee: $10; $5 members
Lemon Balm is familiar to all who enjoy herbal tea blends but this plant is much more that just a pleasant lemon-tasting herb. Learn about the historical uses of Melissa officinalis and the results of the latest research into its powerful medicinal properties.
