GARDENING CLASSES

For a complete list of classes and workshops, visit the websites of these Garden Centers & Nurseries:

Al’s Garden Center (Gresham, Sherwood, Woodburn)
Ashland Greenhouses (Ashland)
Bauman Farm & Garden (Gervais)
Boring Square Garden Center (Boring)
Dennis’ 7 Dees (Cedar Hills, Lake Oswego, Portland, Seaside)
Dancing Oaks (Monmouth)
Egan Gardens (Salem)
Farmington Gardens (Beaverton)
French Prairie Gardens (St. Paul)
Garden Fever! (Portland)
Garland Nursery (Corvallis)
Hughes Water Gardens (Wilsonville)
Joy Creek Nursery (Scappoose)
Landsystems Nursery (Bend)
Oregon Garden, The (Silverton)
Portland Nursery (Portland)
Red Ridge Farms (Dayton)
Rogerson Clematis Collection (Lake Oswego)
Shonnard’s Nursery/Florist/Landscape (Corvallis)
Smith Berry Barn (Hillsboro)
Terra Gardens Nursery & Bark (Salem)
Tsugawa Nursery (Woodland, Wash.)

August 10, 10am-noon – Garden to Table: Melons & Stone Fruits, Farmington Gardens (Beaverton)—Take home easy recipes you've seen prepared at this cooking demonstration that makes the most of your stone fruit harvest (peaches, nectarines and plums). Class is free, but registration is required by calling 503.649.4568 or emailing events@farmingtongardens.com.

Saturday, August 10, 10am (Woodburn), 1pm (Sherwood and Gresham) – Hydrangeas, Al's Garden Center—The flowers can be magnificent! However, their beauty may depend on when and how you prune them. We all want to produce the most and best blooms possible. This class will teach you how to grow, prune and fertilize these outstanding plants.

August 10, 10am (Cedar Hills), 12:30pm (Lake Oswego) & 2:30 (SE Powell location) – Fall/Winter Vegetable Gardening, Dennis' 7 Dees—Pick a home-grown salad for your Thanksgiving meal, harvest leeks and parsnips fresh for a winter soup or stew. These are the rewards waiting for the fall/winter gardener. Discover what you can grow during this cooler season. Learn about planting times, useful tools and equipment and tips to keep your vegetable garden growing year-round. Register here.

August 10 & September 15, 10am – Concrete Cast Leaf Class, Dancing Oaks Nursery (Monmouth)—Join Diana Goings in creating fantastic concrete leaves that you can use in your garden or give away as gifts. She will also give instructions on painting techniques that you can have fun with after your leaf cures. All materials are provided; please wear clothes to get messy in. Feel free to bring a sack lunch to enjoy in the garden. Cost: $35.00 Please call 503.838.6058 to reserve space; limited to 12.

August 10, 10:30am-12:30pm – The Modern Garden, Garden Fever! (Portland)—What is the modern garden all about? Lauren Hall-Behrens, Lilyvilla Gardens, discusses her design process and opens her own private garden for you to see how the process translates into the real thing: the modern garden. After the lecture, there will be a tour of Lauren's garden, a mile from Garden Fever! Reservations are required by calling 503.287.3200.

August 10, 11am – Little Sprouts: Fairy Gardens, Garland Nursery (Corvallis)—Mysterious things have been happening at Garland Nursery. Tools have been moved, fountains turn one and the dogs have been barking, seemingly at nothing. The fairies are back and young gardeners are invited to entice them out of hiding. Build a miniature garden where the fairies can rest their wings and play hide-and-seek behind small plants. Cost: $10 per child. Registration is required by calling 541.753.6601.

August 10, 11am – Coffee and Koi, Tsugawa Nursery (Woodland, Wash.)—Learn how to be a hands-on koi keeper. You provide the curiosity and the questions; they'll provide the coffee and the knowledge. Space is limited; please register online or call 360.225.8750.

August 11, 10am – Carnivorous Plants, Portland Nursery (Division Street location)—Learn how to successfully grow carnivorous plants. Click here to register for this class.

August 11, 10-11:30am – Kids: Insect Habitats, Bauman Farms (Gervais)—Learn about the wonderful world of Lady Bugs and build your very own lady bug habitat to take home. Cost: $5 per child. Ages 5 and older.

August 11, 1pm – When Deer Present a Gardening Challenge, Joy Creek Nursery (Scappoose)—Even in the gentlest of wars, the number one rule is: Understand your opponent. Some gardeners just want to co-exist with nature and some folks are ready to declare all out war. Either way, understanding the whys of deer behavior can help. Explore design tricks and plant suggestions for gardening in the presence of deer.

August 11, 1pm – Creative Eating from Your Garden, Portland Nursery (Stark Street location)—Time to eat your way through the summer bounty in your beggie garden and make room for the winter crops! Willi Galloway, Author of Grow Cook Eat, is full of creative and tasty ideas for using your garden veggies, including parts of the plants you may never have thought of eating! Click here to register for this class.

August 11, 2pm – Leaf Casting Part 1, Egan Gardens (Salem)

August 15 & September 19, 5:30pm – Grilling in the Garden Dinners, French Prairie Gardens (St. Paul)—Delight in the bounty of seasonal flavors highlighted within the farm-inspired menu. Three courses and an experience you'll never forget! Cost: $30 per person; beer and wine sold separately and gratuity is not included.

August 17, 10:30am-noon – Garden to Table: A Garden Explosion of Beans Squash, Carrots and Peppers, Farmington Gardens (Beaverton)—Take home easy recipes you've seen prepared at this cooking demonstration. Make the most of your harvest! Class is free, but registration is required by calling 503.649.4568 or emailing events@farmingtongardens.com.

August 17, 10:30am-12:30pm – Pruning & Training Raspberries & Cane Berries, Garden Fever! (Portland)—The art and technique of pruning cane berries is different than other fruiting shrubs. At this lecture and garden tour, Glen Andresen will discuss the what, when and where of pruning and demonstrate how to prune and train your cane berries for optimal plant health and harvest. After the lecture there will be a tour of Glen's garden, 1.5 miles from Garden Fever. Reservations are required by calling 503.287.3200.

August 17, 11am-1pm – Summertime Bonsai Maintenance for Beginners, Tsugawa Nursery (Woodland, Wash.)—This seminar reviews the importance of summertime maintenance for your bonsai. Space is limited, Please register ahead online of call 360.225.8750.

August 17, 11:30am – Getting into Beekeeping, Shonnard's (Corvallis)—Interested in keeping bees but unsure how to get started? Jen Larsen of Nectar Bee Supply will provide you an understanding of the financial and time requirements associated with beekeeping, basic tools and equipment, the style of hive that is right for you, and frequently asked questions about bees and their care. But most importantly, it will stoke y our passion for keeping these amazing creatures in your own backyard! Cost: $10.

August 18, 1pm – Basics of Bamboo in the Garden, Portland Nursery (Stark Street location)—there's nothing like bamboo for grace and poetry year-round, but it can also be a point of contention with the neighbors if you don't control it appropriately. Ian Connor, Connor Bamboo, is a true expert and will share his knowledge of and enthusiasm for these mammoth grasses. This class is a must if you want to plant bamboo or just want to learn more about its diversity and habits. Click here to register for this class.

August 18, 2pm – Leaf Casting, Part 2, Egan Gardens (Salem)

August 18, 2pm (Lake Oswego), Aug. 21, 4pm (SE Portland) and Aug. 28, 4pm (Cedar Hills) – Kid's Club Shade Trees, Dennis' 7 Dees (Portland)—Trees provide many benefits to us and the environment. Learn the many ways that trees contribute to better quality of life. The group will collect tree leaf samples from a walk through the nursery, identify which trees the leaves came from and laminate a leaf collage to take home. Click here to register.

August 24, 10am (Cedar Hills), 12:30pm (Lake Oswego) and 2:30pm (SE Portland) – Ornamental Grasses & Late Blooming Perennials, Dennis' 7 Dees (Portland)—Grasses can provide color, texture, structure and movement in your landscape with minimal maintenance. Discover the best ornamental grasses to grow, what perennials and shrubs compliment them, and their basic care and maintenance. Click here to register.

August 24, 1-3pm – Summer's Floral Attraction: A workshop with Ladell McIlnay, The Oregon Garden (Silverton)—With flowers at their blooming peak, let's bring them indoors to brighten our lives. Ladell McIlnay, of Salem's own Anderson-McIlnay Florist, will guide you in this hands-on workshop, with innovative and unexpected floral arrangements guaranteed to catch the eye. Learn how to cut flowers from the garden, care for them after cutting and arrange a beautiful bouquet. Pre-registration is required by contacting the Visitor Center at 503.874.8259. Cost: $12 (garden members) or $20 (non-members); garden admission included. Workshop price includes all plant materials, but please bring your own vase.

August 24, 2pm – Dealing with Deer, Egan Gardens (Salem)

August 25, 1pm – Fern Tables & Tine Shade Gardens, Joy Creek Nursery (Scappoose)—Join Richie Steffen, Curator for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, as he demonstrates the principles and techniques for creating unique displays of shade-loving plants on table tops and in unusual containers. Richie's naturalistic style uses plants, moss and weathered wood to form miniature woodland gardens that are perfect for the patio.

August 25, 6-9pm – Summer vineyard Walking Tour & Luncheon, Red Ridge Farms (Dayton)—Join owner Paul Durant for a walking tour through the picturesque setting of Red Ridge Farms and a behind-the-scenes look at the family's extensive vineyards, one of the regions few olive groves, their stunning nursery and the Northwest's largest commercial, state-of-the-art olive mill. Learn about the family's sustainable farming practices while exploring the journey from grape to glass. Enjoy a gourmet lunch showcasing the farm's own olive oils and wines. Cost: $45 per person. Reservations required by calling 503.864.8502 or emailing info@redridgefarms.com. Space is limited to 20. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing.

September 1, 1pm – Berries & Thorns, Joy Creek Nursery (Scappoose)—Create excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife by planting with berries and thorns.

September 7, 10am (Woodburn, Sherwood & Gresham) – What to do in September: Fall is for Planting!, Al's Garden Center—Find out what you need to be doing in your yard in September and learn why autumn is a great time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials and even some of the hardier annuals!