Seminars on Sunday, February 19, 2012

What's a gardener to do when they have too many plants and not enough space? Lucy Hardiman shares strategies for making the most of the garden. Reducing lawn, rethinking the role of traditional foundation plantings and connecting the horizontal and the vertical planes are just a few of the ways to rework the garden creating more space for artful and sustainable plant combinations.

Bring a bit of the outside in by enhancing your space with living walls, terrariums, fairy gardens and more!

A colorful and inspiring presentation to get us revved up for spring and primed to buy plants from the YGP Green Market. How to choose the right container, irrigation and maintenance, and plants that make a statement.

A panel discussion from three of the top edible gardeners, educators and retailers in the Portland area. These veg experts share information on some of their favorite things to plant – and eat, and everything else about the wonderful world of growing your own edibles. Topics covered are choosing the right seed or plant, location, location, location, and how to care for the "crop" to get the best yields.

Native Plantings don't have to look like we're punishing ourselves. More and more great plants native to our part of the world are available, whether for wildlife, bio-swales, or pure ambience and design. A discussion of native plants from the best to the new favs.

Inspirational, lively, and sometimes quirky profiles of "hands-on" gardeners and the personality-infused gardens they create. This is passionate gardening as a form of artistic and personal expression. Say goodbye to yard work and hello to outdoor play.

Lessons learned from a lifetime of succumbing to plant lust. Ciscoe shares his secrets about growing a wide-range of plants. Laugh with him as he discusses what worked and want didn't.

Understand the importance of mason bees in the garden and see how to build your own mason bee house using simple materials and techniques. Several methods are covered, from rolling your own mason bee straws to building a reusable wooden tray system. We'll also cover placement of your mason bee house, as well as simple management techniques.

Even small vegetable gardens can produce a remarkable amount and variety of food. All it takes is a little planning! Planting food in intervals throughout the season – a practice known as succession planting – allows you to keep your garden full and productive from spring through fall (and even into winter). This talk covers basic succession planting strategies, walks you through a three-season succession planting plan, and gives you ideas for simplifying and streamlining the process. Also includes how to use and make season extension devices, such as DIY cloches, a hoop house, and a tomato tent and shares a list of plant varieties that do well in Northwest seasons.

Although flowers are sexy, it's the clothes (the foliage) that make the garden. Foliage plays a vital role in providing the elements of color, texture and form that bring the garden to life. With careful planning, seasonal change is an opportunity for foliage to add drama and sharpen pleasing contrasts.

If you knew more about clematis than anyone else in North America, what clematis would you select for your garden? In the Rogerson Clematis Collection's Founder's Garden, we can tour the world, tour the seasons, and tour the array of flower forms that make up the genus clematis.

A demonstration on "everything" containers….from choosing the container, tips on planting and maintenance, and the plants and accessories that make a container cool and noteworthy.

A look at the famed Butchart Gardens (Victoria, British Columbia) through the eyes of Carlos Moniz, Butchart's horticultural manager. A special peek at the spring display and a behind the scenes look at setting up the Spring Prelude indoor display.

The unexplained die-off of honey bees continues, but there are ways you can help. This presentation focuses on two of them: 1) keeping a hive of honey bees yourself and 2) planting nectar and pollen-rich flowering plants that honey bees can't stay away from!