gardening classes

Fall Fresh Container

With Susan Dixon

Usher in the cool days and vibrant colors of fall with an informal, natural-looking arrangement this season. Combine autumn flowering, sunloving perennials with richly textured foliage plants to create a warm and welcoming mood to your porch, walkway, or front door.

Friday 9/8, 10 am – 12 pm | $84 (Plants and container included)

How to Purchase High-Quality Trees

With Kevin Zuidervliet

How do you know if the tree you’re about to purchase is going to thrive in the landscape? Learn the traits to look for in a superior tree and the common pitfalls to avoid, such as improper pruning and buried collars. Kevin will teach you how to navigate the nursery with confidence.

Saturday 9/9, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Vernonia for Every Garden

With Sam Hoadley

The genus Vernonia, commonly known as ironweed, is an often-overlooked aster relative that has tremendous horticultural potential. Vernonia ranges from compact and tidy plants to towering behemoths topping out at over 13 feet in height. Sam Hoadley, manager of horticultural research, will be your guide through Mt Cuba’s Vernonia trials, sharing how plants are evaluated to determine horticultural value and performance, disease resistance, and pollinator preference. A tour of the trial garden completes the class.

Section A: Thursday 8/31, 10am to 12 pm | $29

Section B: Saturday 9/16, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Carex for Every Garden

With Sam Hoadley

Carex are a diverse and versatile, yet underutilized genus of native plants that are overflowing with garden merit. They can fill various niches in landscapes as groundcovers and living mulch, while some can even be used on their own as specimen plants. Traditionally thought of as shade perennials, some Carex species exhibit remarkable tolerances to full sun as well, making them a viable and worthy addition to the garden. Sam Hoadley, manager of horticultural research, shares the top-performing Carex from Mt. Cuba Center’s Trial Garden and will discuss strategies and examples of how to successfully incorporate Carex in your home garden. A tour of the trial garden completes the class.

Saturday 9/16, 1 – 3 pm | $29

Water-wise Gardening

With Liz Allen

Explore water-wise gardening through several ecological practices - rain gardens, rain barrels, riparian buffers, and xeriscaping. Leave with a plant list of water-wise native plant species to add to your garden that will not only reduce water usage but provide aesthetic and wildlife value as well.

Saturday 9/23, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Succession Planting

With Leah Blanton

Even in small spaces, we can boost diversity and interest through the seasons with succession planting. Learn the growth habits, preferences, and physical characteristics of native plants that can be combined to create layered and ecologically beneficial planting designs.

Saturday 9/23, 1 – 3 pm | $29

Workshop: Propagating

Native Ferns

With Steve Pyne

Discover how simple it is to grow ferns from spores. Steve Pyne, Mt. Cuba’s greenhouse assistant and skilled fern propagator, reviews the life cycle of these ancient plants, how to properly collect and dry fertile fronds, and the basic steps for successfully propagating ferns. In this hands-on workshop, you will clean and sow spores into a simple growing system to take home.

Saturday 9/23, 1 – 3 pm | $49

(Materials included)

Gardening in Cooperation with Nature (and Neighbors)

With Kathleen Elliot

Address neighborhood expectations about tidiness, property values, and aesthetics without giving up the goal of gardening with nature in mind. Devise a plan for planting and maintaining the most visible or prominent areas of your yard. Kathy Elliot will discuss “cues for care” that just may convince the whole neighborhood you are on to something. A tour of the gardens with Kathy will reinforce ideas from the class.

Section A: Wednesday 9/27, 1 – 3 pm | $29

Section B: Saturday 9/30, 1 – 3 pm | $29

Weeds 101: Fall Section

With Lucy Dinsmore

Think of what gardening would be like without the world of weeds. Learn how to identify the most common annual and perennial lawn and garden weeds using leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. The fall section covers species that should be removed before winter, making next year’s garden more maintenance free. Ecologically friendly methods of managing weed infestations are discussed.

Friday 10/6, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Best Woody Plants for Wildlife

With Leah Brooks and Nicole DeLizzio

Fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs! From willow and viburnum, to hawthorn and more, discover beautiful woody plants that give the most bang for your buck in terms of wildlife value! A garden walk to view the plants is included.

Saturday, 10/7, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Seed Collecting

With Claire Zuidervliet

Harvesting seeds is a cost-efficient and exciting way to increase the number of plants in your garden. Learn the best techniques for collecting and storing seeds produced by our native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Following a brief lecture, participants will head out to the gardens for some hands-on seed collecting. Take home a diverse array of samples from Mt. Cuba’s gardens.

Tuesday 10/10, 9 am – 11 am | $49

(Rain Date: Tuesday 10/17)

Lawn-less Yards

With Lucy Dinsmore

Reducing the American lawn is good for everyone. We can add more native plants, reduce flooding in our watersheds, attract pollinators, and bring balance to our ecosystems.

Dive into some example projects where lawns have been replaced by native plant solutions. With a focus on a variety of site conditions such as sunny slopes, low wet spots, and wooded areas, view before/during/after images and learn the plant lists that made them successful. Taking this fall course will hopefully inspire you to spend the winter planning your spring projects!

Saturday 10/14, 10 am - 12 pm | $29

Autumn Groundcovers

With Duncan Himmelman, PhD

Switch from wood chip mulch to “green mulch” using native groundcovers! In addition to providing a visually appealing tapestry of textures and colors, native plants support moths, butterflies, and beneficial insects throughout the year. Learn a variety of attractive, tough, and versatile species that look great in the fall and help knit your landscape together. Gardeners of all levels will benefit from this class.

Friday 10/20, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Workshop: Tree ID from the Trail

With Mt. Cuba Certified Arborists

Take a hike through the woods with the Mt. Cuba Arboriculture Team and learn to recognize common native trees. Tree identification becomes quick and rewarding when using easy and practical identification tricks such as leaf shape, bark texture, silhouettes, and fruit and nuts found on the ground. Class will be held entirely outdoors, so dress for the weather and be prepared to hike on steep paths and uneven terrain.

Saturday 10/21, 10 am – 12 pm | $35

(Rain Date: Saturday, 10/28)

Building Drystack Walls

With Charlie Reidinger

Are you interested in building stone walls in your garden? This one-day workshop introduces you to basic mortar-free masonry techniques. Start with a classroom introduction to the fundamental steps involved in stacked-stone wall construction, then get some hands-on instruction in setting stones on site. Bring work gloves, safety glasses, a water bottle, and lunch.

Saturday 10/28, 10 am – 2:30 pm | $59

(Rain Date: Saturday, 11/4)

Compact Composting

With Eileen Boyle

Turn your trash to treasure with home-scale composting. Transform everyday kitchen scraps into nutrient-rich treasure (compost) that makes plants flourish. Learn the key elements of creating compost at home, what materials can be safely composted, and how to keep the compost bin from smelling. Storage bin options will be discussed and demonstrated.

Saturday 11/4, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Perennials for Late-Season Interest

With Leah Brooks

Join Leah Brooks as she highlights a variety of native perennials that offer late season color, texture, and visual interest. From asters to ferns to sedges, you will be inspired to create your own beautiful and ecologically vibrant fall garden. This class is rain or shine. Dress for the weather.

Saturday 11/18, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Workshop: Tool-Sharpening Techniques

With Charlie Reidinger

Sharp, well-maintained gardening tools help you get more work done in less time and with less effort. Charlie Reidinger, a Mt. Cuba

Grounds Maintenance Technician, discusses and demonstrates professional-grade techniques for cleaning and safely sharpening pruning shears, loppers, shovels, spades, and trowels. Get a jump-start on spring now! Bring a pair of hand pruners in need of sharpening and a pair of work gloves.

Section A: Wednesday, February 2/1

9 am – 12 pm | $49

(Snow Date: Wednesday, February 21)

Section B: Saturday, February 2/1

9 am – 12 pm | $49

(Snow Date: Saturday, February 24)

Workshop: Pruning for Homeowners

With Lucy Dinsmore

Keep your trees and shrubs healthy, attractive, and long-lived using expert pruning techniques. In this hands-on workshop, learn basic pruning principles including how to make the correct cuts, the best times of year to prune various plants, and how to select and use the right tools. Gain the confidence to prune your plants in a more naturalistic, appealing, and professional way. Bring work gloves and hand pruners.

Section A: Wednesday, February 2/14

1 – 4 pm | $49

(Snow Date: Wednesday, February 21)

Section B: Saturday, February 2/17

1 – 4 pm | $49

(Snow Date: Saturday, February 24)

Residential Landscape Design Workshop

With Lee Armillei, APLD

Good garden design isn’t easy; but success awaits for anyone with a passion for plants, a little imagination, and proper guidance. Lee Armillei, a professional landscape designer, shows how to analyze a site, draw a basic plan, and use design principles for laying out paths, planting beds, and other garden features. Through lectures and drawing exercises, students explore design options, assess landscape materials, and employ a process that results in a practical planning document for their individual landscape project. Please bring your lunch.

A detailed list of required materials is available with the online class description.

Section A: Two Fridays: 2/16 and 2/23

10 am – 3:30 pm | $165

(Snow Date: Friday, 3/1)

Section B: Two Saturdays: 2/17 and 2/24

10 am – 3:30 pm | $165

(Snow Date: Saturday, March 2)

Introduction to Bonsai Using Native Trees

With Brian Tuel

The art of Bonsai has a long and rich history in Japan and other Eastern Asian countries – one that can translate easily to our region using native trees and proper techniques. Join members of the Pennsylvania Bonsai Association to explore the history and fundamental elements and styles of this ancient art. Students will learn how to choose, plant, train, and provide long-term care to a young specimen tree. Go home with a new Bonsai tree of your own. Please bring sharp pruners/scissors, gardening gloves, and a flat box to transport your tree home.

Saturday 4/13, 10 am – 1 pm | $85

(Materials included)

Naturalistic Planting Design

With Leah Blanton

Whether you’re designing a whole garden from scratch or looking to create new planting areas, it can be daunting to know where to start. In this crash course to naturalistic planting design, you’ll learn the importance of working with your site conditions, naturalistic design techniques, sustainable maintenance practices, and what plants to use – everything you need to design your own native garden with confidence.

Saturday 4/13, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Terrific Trillium

With Amy Highland

Mt. Cuba’s premier collection of native trilliums provides a spectacular floral display each spring. Amy Highland, director of collections, presents an informative overview of our efforts to protect and conserve this iconic genus and discusses their culture and care as garden plants. A tour of our woodland gardens to see these jewels of the forest floor completes the day.

Section A: Saturday 4/13, 10 am – 12 pm | $29

Section B: Thursday 4/18, 1 – 3 pm | $29

Workshop: Introduction to Moss Gardening

With Beth Castelletti and Emily Tinalli

To showcase Mt. Cuba’s moss bank – a luxurious carpet of soft green moss and unique plant community, Beth Castelletti, horticulturist, presents the structure and life cycle of mosses and discusses the many benefits of having a moss garden. Emily Tinalli, horticulturist for the Brandywine

River Museum of Art, introduces you to a few common moss species and demonstrates how to manage moss you may find in your home landscape. Learn how to plant and maintain a moss garden and leave with a sample to start your own emerald carpet at home.

Friday 5/17, 10 am – 12 pm | $44

Bog Container

With Susan Dixon

Construct your own colorful and captivating bog garden in a container. Learn how to create the conditions necessary for growing these exceptional sun-loving plants and proper long-term maintenance techniques. All supplies are provided but please bring hand pruners and a medium to large box to transport your finished arrangement home.

Sunday 5/19, 1 – 3 pm $79

(Plants and container included)