Here at Sunnyside Nursery, we have been teaching classes for years. This is not unique to our garden center. No matter where you live in the Puget Sound region, you should be able to find a garden center nearby that offers gardening classes, many of them for free or at the most a modest fee of $5.00. Over the past two years with the pandemic, everyone had to shift to an online format such as Zoom, and while this worked well under the circumstances, it just wasn’t quite the same as sitting in a classroom with other gardeners and sharing in the discussion. Thankfully, most garden centers have now returned to an in-house venue, which I have to say I am excited about and looking forward to. (If you are still not comfortable being in a communal setting, rest assured that most classes will be recorded and available at a later time for online viewing).
The month of January, when the gardening chores are minimal, is a great time to avail ourselves with whatever educational opportunities we can connect with. For me that means subscribing to an assortment of blogs from several of our suppliers, such as Monrovia Nursery, Proven Winners and magazines such as Horticulture, Garden Design, Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, and Garden Gate. All of these sources have great information on gardening techniques and trends, as well as all the new introductions that we simply cannot live without.
The internet as a whole is, of course, awash with endless YouTube videos on how to plant a rose, prune a cherry tree, start a compost pile, build a rain garden, create a meadow, or whatever it might be that you are wanting to educate yourself about. When watching videos on gardening, make a note as to where they are being produced from. There seems to be a lot of information coming out of the Midwest, the Northeast, and even the southern states that may not always be appropriate for us Northwesterners. Stick to local sources whenever you can, they will be much more reliable.
WSU Extension, specifically the Master Gardener Foundation, is a super dependable place to go for what works in our area. One of my favorite events is their Winter Speaker Series that runs January 13th through March 31st in the Everett Historic Theater. These presentations usually book up fast, so you will need to register immediately if you want to partake in any of them this year.
One of the very best websites for more technical information also comes out of Washington State University and can be found at www.hortsense.wsu.edu. It is great for looking up bugs and diseases of ornamentals, fruits and vegetables. Also, most of our counties and cities have online resources. Snohomish County Solid Waste division has a ton of information available on lawn care and sustainable gardening.
Getting back to classes however, this time of year you can find classes on pruning, growing fruit trees, succeeding with berries and grapes, controlling insects and diseases, planting a lawn, managing weeds, organic gardening, Japanese maples, new introductions, etc. In fact, you can find our lineup of classes for the entire year on our website, as I am sure is the case with other garden centers in our area. And best of all, these classes are back in-house so you can immerse yourself in the full “garden center experience”.
Take advantage of this slow time and increase your gardening knowledge with one or more of the aforementioned opportunities. You will be glad you did!
