CLASS: HPSO Get Growing - Spring 2008

I get really excited about this multi-session series called Get Growing! that I offer in partnership with the HPSO Garden School. We have a great time and learn a lot – perhaps you’d like to join us this spring?

Even though the series is especially suited for the beginning gardener, long-time gardeners have found benefit in the class as well. I especially enjoy running into past class participants at local horticultural events and hearing from them how much value they’ve gotten out of the class.

We’ll cover basic garden design principles – providing an introduction to the garden planning process, as well as lots of food for thought and some tools for improving your plant combinations. And I’ll share my techniques for creating plantings with strong visual interest and seasonal flow. Classes are held at my home garden & studio in NE Portland, and there will be a field trip on the final Saturday of the series

Here’s what Elizabeth, who took the class spring 2007, wrote to me afterwards:

“The topics and readings and your wonderful insights all helped some things ‘gel’ for me in a way they hadn't before. I feel like I now have a firmer grip on design principles and starting points for thinking about the garden--many wonderful insights on a garden design ‘vocabulary,’ seeing plants in combinations, the attributes of a garden-worthy plant, the wonders of foliage vs. flowers, and many other things. Thanks so much, it was awesome.”

Topics include:

• An introduction to the garden planning process
• Tips for applying basic design principles to perk up your garden scenes
• Guidelines for creating plantings with all-season appeal
• Successful plant selection -- how to choose the best plants for your garden (right plant, right place)
• Tips for creating water-wise plantings and ideas for using water resourcefully in your garden
• Advice on spring gardening activities (examples include: improving your soil, using summer bulbs effectively, seasonally-appropriate garden care & maintenance)
• Themes of sustainability and use of organic methods will run throughout
• Natural gardening techniques and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) principles will be emphasized
• The field trip on the final Saturday will reinforce topics covered

The Spring Get Growing! series is scheduled for Wednesdays, March 26, April 2, 9, and 16 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, and Saturday, April 19th from 9 am till 2 pm.

Get Growing! costs $150 for HPSO members for the series ($165 for non-HPSO members), payable in full prior to the class. Act quickly! Class size is limited to 13.

You may register via the Hardy Plant Society web page or phone the Hardy Plant Society at 503-224-5718.