Saturday, January 03, 2009
Sow the seeds of knowledge
Libba Wolfe
Libba Wolfe's column appears twice monthly in Extra.
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Holiday decorations already packed away in the attic? Thank you notes written? Started on the ambitious 2009 diet and exercise program? Yeah, well, me neither.
I love winter in December but by Jan. 3, I’m ready for spring, and seed catalogs can take you only so far. This is the perfect time of year for garden classes.
The folks in the Virginia Tech Horticulture Department know we’ll be too busy come May to even think about a class. They’ve put together a top notch lineup for their Winter Garden seminars and workshops. You won’t want to miss a single one.
“Enhancing Your Digital Photos in PhotoShop: An Introduction” by Robert McDuffie, professor of landscape design and photographer
If you got a new camera for Christmas and you’re trying to figure out how to use PhotoShop, this would be the class for you. It’s a follow-up to the fall seminar about taking great pictures, but you don’t have to have taken that class. You don’t even have to be interested in garden photography. All you need to know is how to download the pictures from your camera.
It’s a hands-on computer class. You’ll learn how to manipulate the images you’ve shot. It’s amazing what you can accomplish once your photo is on a computer screen and you’ve learned a few tricks; adjust the color and exposure, sharpen the image, remove ugly distractions in the background. Really, half the fun of digital photography is mastering PhotoShop.
When: Thursday, Jan. 15, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Computer lab, 101 Saunders Hall.
Cost: Pre-payment required. $15, Friends of the Garden; $20, general public.
Note: The class is limited to 20, so don’t wait to sign up.
“A Rosa by Any Other Name … De-Mystifying Plant Nomenclature” with Dr. Holly Scoggins, associate professor and director, Hahn Horticulture Garden
If anyone can make botanical Latin funny, it would be Holly Scoggins. My strong North Carolina accent gets in the way of those Latin names rolling off my tongue. But Holly’s Georgia accent is just as pronounced as mine and she does it. She teaches this class to Tech students and says she has a few tricks for pronunciation and for actually remembering them. Botanical names are full of clues on a plant’s growing habits, color, leaf shape and kinship. As we become more comfortable with the nomenclature system and discover our “inner Roman,” she’ll slip in some info on early plant explorers.
When: Thursday, Jan. 22, 6-7:30 p.m.
Where: Fralin Auditorium.
Cost: Free for Friends of the Garden; $20, general public.
“Great Woody Plants for the Blue Ridge: New Favorites and Old Friends” with Dr. Richard Olsen, research geneticist, U.S. National Arboretum
Whether it’s a new species or a new cultivar of an old-fashioned plant, Olsen is on the cutting edge. A modern plant explorer in the U.S., Europe and Japan, Olsen directs the urban tree breeding program at the National Arboretum. If you’re a gardener who likes to have the newest, most spectacular plants in the ’hood, don’t miss this one. And many of us who have problems with older varieties of woody plants can ask about new varieties that combine what we love about the old with pest resistance and hyped-up vigor.
When: Thursday, Feb. 12, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Fralin Auditorium. Cost: $15, Friends of the Garden; $20, general public
“The Forgotten Annuals … What Happened to Growing Plants from Seed?” featuring Janet Draper, horticulturist, Smithsonian Institute
One of my favorite public gardens anywhere is around the main building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. It’s an intimate space full of winding paths and raised beds. I always take pictures and make notes on the plants. It’s a garden that sparks ideas that you can actually use in your back yard. And, oh my gosh, Janet Draper is responsible for it. She is fearless in her combinations of old and new and color of annuals, perennials and shrubs. She gives a nuts and bolts seminar and packs the house at national meetings of professionals. An added bonus is her entertaining style. This will be a how-to on growing from seed and we’ll get tips on her seed sources. Yes!
When: Thursday, Feb. 26, 6-7:30 p.m.
Where: Fralin Auditorium.
Cost: $15, Friends of the Garden; $20, general public.
“Organic Vegetable Gardening at Home” with Dennis Dove and Tenley Weaver of Good Food/ Good People
Dove and Weaver live “off the grid” in Floyd County, but you don’t have to go quite that far to learn plenty from them about organic gardening. Their Full Circle Certified Organic Farm supplies local restaurants, Community Shared Agriculture programs and health food stores with fresh produce. They’ll bring early spring vegetable transplants to sell and show us how to produce farmers-market quality in our own back yards.
When: Tuesday, April 7, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion.
Cost: $15, Friends of the Garden; $20, general public.
Note: Space is limited to 40 participants.
All of these classes are on the Virginia Tech campus. To register and find maps and directions, go to www.hort.vt.edu/hhg or call 231-5970. You’ll also find information on how to change your status from “general public” to “Friends of the Garden” and save some bucks on the seminars.
The Winter Garden Series is an outstanding opportunity to hear from some of the leaders in the horticultural world. And it will tide us over till it’s light after supper and warm enough to dig till dark.
