Classes
Looking for a program?
I teach several 2-hour classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden, The Morton Arboretum and elsewhere, and 1-hour programs, including:
* American Home Garden Design 1830-Present: Draw inspiration for your own home, no matter what age or style, as you look at garden design evolution in the Midwest. Learn about design trends, the rise of the suburban lawn, foundation plantings, cottage gardens, moon gardens, and heirloom plants.
* Painting Your Garden with Plants: Shade: A garden shaded by trees or buildings is often a challenge for the gardener who is faced with low light levels, tree roots, and soil that is often dry. Discover solutions and ideas for artful plantings that can help you create effective combinations with optimal color, texture, and form.
* Designing the Sunny Border Garden: The well-designed border wears a combination of perennials, annuals, and shrubs that provide three seasons of color and winter interest. Learn how to artfully combine plants with an emphasis on the use of color, texture, and form. Whether you are a new gardener or have an established border that could use updating, this class is for you.
* Growing, Harvesting, Using and Storing Herbs: It's not difficult to grow a variety of herbs in a sunny place in the ground, on a patio, or on a deck. Discover what's needed to grow healthy plants, how and when to harvest them, how to store them, and how to use them. Rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, basil, and oregano are staple herbs for cooks, and there are many more that are just as easy to grow. In summer, herbs attract pollinators and add fragrance to the garden, and in winter, they can brighten a kitchen counter or windowsill.
* Gardens of the 1920s: Home gardens in the 1920s celebrated and welcomed nature. Birdhouses, bird baths, fish ponds, and rock gardens were all the rage. Cottage garden perennials, such as Canterbury bells, irises, foxglove, phlox, pyrethrum, coreopsis, hollyhocks, roses, columbine, and poppies were just some of the flowers that adorned the front and back gardens.
* Cottage Gardens: Past & Present: Cottage gardens are known for their informal, colorful jumble of flowers, foliage, herbs, and edible plants. We will cover design elements for lower-maintenance, exuberant plantings that can be used in gardens of any size.
* Bungalow Gardens: Bungalows and Arts and Crafts-inspired houses are typically charming smaller homes found in cities and suburbs across the country. These popular style homes are appealing because they were often designed to be in harmony with nature and outdoor living. Discover how plants, hardscape, and other elements can enhance your own bungalow garden.
* Gardens for Mid-Century Modern Homes: A well-designed midcentury house is a thing of beauty. Open floor plans, large window walls, exposed beams, and projecting eaves are just some of the defining architectural features. Well-defined outdoor space, floor-level patios, abstract geometric lawns, and restrained plantings are characteristic of midcentury landcapes. The overall intent is a flowing relationship between indoor and outdoor space. This program looks at hardscape elements, garden elements, lighting, site furnishings and plants appropriate for the Midwestern midcentury modern-styed landscape.
* Growing and Using Herbs for Cocktails and Tea
* Native Perennials and Cultivars for the Shade Garden
* Native Perennials and Cultivars for the Sunny Garden
* The Gardener as Artist: Thinking outside the Phlox, coloring outside the lines. Yes, you ARE an artist in your garden. This program looks at public and private gardens—from quirky and magical to the elegant and innovative (and their creators)—and the plants and garden art within them. If you need inspiration, this is for you.
* Victory Gardens: Then & Now: This class looks at the history of war gardens and victory gardens and discusses new and heirloom vegetables as well as planting techniques to help you create your own victory garden. * Victorian Theme Gardens: From cottage gardens and moon gardens to cut-flower borders and carpet beds. Discover the ways Victorian gardeners used plants and accessories to make their home landscape unique. * Grow a Cut-Flower Garden: Discover new ideas about what to plant and how to harvest and care for cut flowers. You'll learn simple techniques for creating beautiful arrangements. * The Gardener as Artist: Every gardener is an artist whether you can draw or not. You work in three dimensions with colors, textures and forms and your canvas is ever-changing. Come see how you can express your artistic talents in even more artistic fashion with a bevy of design ideas. * Grow a Cook's Garden: If you have a spot in your garden, balcony, or deck that receives more than six hours of direct sunlight, you can grow herbs and vegetables. Discover how to grow tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, garlic, and leafy greens. Learn plant selection, soil preparation, potting methods, pest protection, extending crops into fall, and food preparation. * The Elegant Edible Garden: A potager is an elegant, productive kitchen garden—large or small—that provides seasonal vegetables, berries, and cutting flowers. Discover the elements that make attractive, functional layouts for your home, provide a wonderful harvest, and attract pollinators. * Totally Tomatoes: It’s not summer without a bounty of juicy tomatoes. Discover how to select, grow, harvest, store, and prepare these nutritious fruits as well as onions, peppers, shallots, basil, and cilantro. Everything you need for a basic salsa and sauce can come straight from your garden. Discover different varieties--from determinate to indeterminate tomatoes to heirlooms and All- America Selection winners; prepare the soil, train the plants, harvest and use your bounty of these delicious fruits. * Indoor Plants: Choosing, Growing and Displaying * Prairie Flowers and Grasses for the Home Landscape * Earth-friendly Gardens: Sustainable Practices for Making Your Garden Greener * Growing Cool-season Edibles: Make the Most of Your Spring Veggie Garden * From Pen to Print: Local Gardens in the Press * Native Midwestern Perennials for Sun and Shade * Autumn Planning for Next Year's Veggie Garden: Fall is a great time to start planning next year’s vegetable and herb gardens. Learn about soil preparation and tests, vegetable garden layouts, heirloom and modern cultivars, and when and how to plant for a continued, flavorful harvest. * Grow This, Not That--Alternatives to Invasive and Aggressive Plants * The Summer Vegetable Garden: Growing Warm-season Edibles * The Edible Patio: Herbs & Veggies for Containers * Gardening for Birds, Butterflies, Bees: The plight of pollinators and nectar-feeding insects is well known. Honeybees, native bees, monarch butterflies, moths, and many lesser-known insects rely mainly on native plants for survival and reproduction. Explore recommended pollinator-attracting plants for Midwest gardens including native and nonnative cultivars, and nectar-rich varieties. * Attracting Hummigbirds to the Garden * Gardens of the Pros * Grow a Salsa Garden: Learn how to grow the ingredients for your own fresh salsa. * The Victorian Moon Garden: Compositions in White & Silver * Tantalizing Tablescapes: Clever Ideas for Making Containers and Floral Arrangements * Container Gardening: Pots with Panache: Adding containers helps to create a dazzling display. This one- or two-hour program explores pots, mpotting mixes, planting techniques, ,aintenane, and a varity of plant to create four-season interest. * Fallscaping: Great Shrubs and Perennials for Fall Color Also check out the Chicago Botanic Garden's Class Schedule for my upcoming classes.
* Victory Gardens: Then & Now: This class looks at the history of war gardens and victory gardens and discusses new and heirloom vegetables as well as planting techniques to help you create your own victory garden. * Victorian Theme Gardens: From cottage gardens and moon gardens to cut-flower borders and carpet beds. Discover the ways Victorian gardeners used plants and accessories to make their home landscape unique. * Grow a Cut-Flower Garden: Discover new ideas about what to plant and how to harvest and care for cut flowers. You'll learn simple techniques for creating beautiful arrangements. * The Gardener as Artist: Every gardener is an artist whether you can draw or not. You work in three dimensions with colors, textures and forms and your canvas is ever-changing. Come see how you can express your artistic talents in even more artistic fashion with a bevy of design ideas. * Grow a Cook's Garden: If you have a spot in your garden, balcony, or deck that receives more than six hours of direct sunlight, you can grow herbs and vegetables. Discover how to grow tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, garlic, and leafy greens. Learn plant selection, soil preparation, potting methods, pest protection, extending crops into fall, and food preparation. * The Elegant Edible Garden: A potager is an elegant, productive kitchen garden—large or small—that provides seasonal vegetables, berries, and cutting flowers. Discover the elements that make attractive, functional layouts for your home, provide a wonderful harvest, and attract pollinators. * Totally Tomatoes: It’s not summer without a bounty of juicy tomatoes. Discover how to select, grow, harvest, store, and prepare these nutritious fruits as well as onions, peppers, shallots, basil, and cilantro. Everything you need for a basic salsa and sauce can come straight from your garden. Discover different varieties--from determinate to indeterminate tomatoes to heirlooms and All- America Selection winners; prepare the soil, train the plants, harvest and use your bounty of these delicious fruits. * Indoor Plants: Choosing, Growing and Displaying * Prairie Flowers and Grasses for the Home Landscape * Earth-friendly Gardens: Sustainable Practices for Making Your Garden Greener * Growing Cool-season Edibles: Make the Most of Your Spring Veggie Garden * From Pen to Print: Local Gardens in the Press * Native Midwestern Perennials for Sun and Shade * Autumn Planning for Next Year's Veggie Garden: Fall is a great time to start planning next year’s vegetable and herb gardens. Learn about soil preparation and tests, vegetable garden layouts, heirloom and modern cultivars, and when and how to plant for a continued, flavorful harvest. * Grow This, Not That--Alternatives to Invasive and Aggressive Plants * The Summer Vegetable Garden: Growing Warm-season Edibles * The Edible Patio: Herbs & Veggies for Containers * Gardening for Birds, Butterflies, Bees: The plight of pollinators and nectar-feeding insects is well known. Honeybees, native bees, monarch butterflies, moths, and many lesser-known insects rely mainly on native plants for survival and reproduction. Explore recommended pollinator-attracting plants for Midwest gardens including native and nonnative cultivars, and nectar-rich varieties. * Attracting Hummigbirds to the Garden * Gardens of the Pros * Grow a Salsa Garden: Learn how to grow the ingredients for your own fresh salsa. * The Victorian Moon Garden: Compositions in White & Silver * Tantalizing Tablescapes: Clever Ideas for Making Containers and Floral Arrangements * Container Gardening: Pots with Panache: Adding containers helps to create a dazzling display. This one- or two-hour program explores pots, mpotting mixes, planting techniques, ,aintenane, and a varity of plant to create four-season interest. * Fallscaping: Great Shrubs and Perennials for Fall Color Also check out the Chicago Botanic Garden's Class Schedule for my upcoming classes.
Questions? Reach me at n.koziol@att.net or 708-217-9357