Gardening

Many experienced gardeners spend very little money on plants – they have mastered the techniques of seed collection, plant division, plant swaps, and other frugal methods to create a diverse and vital garden without constant trips to the nursery or garden center. Learn how to divide and propagate your most prolific perennials to grow your garden year-after year. Explore a variety of easy-to-grow native trees and shrubs that will enhance your landscape. This program takes place in-person (at Mt. Cuba Center) Saturday, October 1 About the Instructor: Leah Brooks is Mt Cuba’s Public Programs Assistant. She is a University of

Join ecological landscape designer Jeff Lorenz of Bala Cynwyd-based Refugia Design/Build for expert tips and insight on creating a native habitat that is immersive, functional, and resilient. In an effort to reimagine their landscapes, homeowners often seek plants that manage stormwater runoff. How can we get creative with design and materials to create a beautiful and multi-tasking outdoor space? Reducing lawn, establishing deep-rooted plantings and integrating permeable hardscaping is key to reducing neighborhood erosion, filtering pollutants, and absorbing dirty water before it enters our precious waterways. This program takes place online Saturday, January 21, 2023 About the Instructor: Jeff Lorenz

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 tolerance 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’s Trial Garden and discusses strategies and examples of how to successfully incorporate Carex in home gardens. This program takes

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Friday, April 14, 2023 About the Instructor: Lucy Dinsmore is a horticulturist and certified arborist who loves learning and teaching about all things growing. She worked in public gardens for

Whether scrambling over a split rail fence or cascading from a rustic arbor, vines give height, structure, and visual interest to the landscape while enhancing the ecological value of a garden. Learn how to use and grow native vines that have colorful flowers and provide shelter, food, and nectar to resident and visiting wildlife. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Friday, May 5, 2023. About the Instructor: Duncan Himmelman, PhD, is the former Education Manager at Mt. Cuba Center. He earned his doctorate in Ornamental Horticulture at Cornell University, taught college for 24 years, and

Use bold foliage as the focal point for a summer container that steals the show. Interweave softer, finer-textured plants and add some brightly colored flowers partial to shade conditions to create an imaginative and eye-catching addition to your deck or patio. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center Friday, June 2, 2023. About the Instructor: Susan Dixon is the perennial plant buyer and department manager at Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin, DE. She has attended classes ornamental horticulture at New York Botanical Garden and is currently earning her certificate of merit at Longwood. She has a passion

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center Friday, June 16, 2023. About the Instructor: Susan Dixon is the perennial plant buyer and department manager at Gateway Garden Center in Hockessin, DE. She has attended classes ornamental horticulture at New York Botanical Garden and is currently earning her certificate of merit at Longwood. She has a passion for wildlife and the native plants that support them. Register Now Member

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 hiking on steep paths and uneven terrain. This program takes place in person in Mt. Cuba Center natural lands on Saturday, June 17, 2023. (Rain Date: Saturday, June 24) About the Instructors: Nicole DeLizzio is the Arborist Assistant at the Mt.

Native bees need our help! We cannot afford to lose our native bees, as they are integral to ecosystems and pollinate a significant portion of our crops. Join Leah Brooks as she discusses how we can extend a lifeline to our struggling pollinators by planting certain shrubs and wildflowers and managing our home habitats with bees in mind. A garden walk to view the plants is included. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Saturday, June 24, 2023. About the Instructor: Leah Brooks is Mt. Cuba’s Public Programs Assistant. She graduated from the University of Delaware

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Wednesday, September 27, 2023. About the Instructor: Kathy Elliot works as an Educator at Mt. Cuba Center. She has bachelor’s degrees

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Friday, October 6, 2023. About the Instructor: Lucy Dinsmore is a horticulturist and certified arborist who loves learning and teaching about all things growing. She worked in public gardens for

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center on Saturday, October 7, 2023. About the Instructors: Leah Brooks is Mt. Cuba’s Public Programs Coordinator. She graduated from the University of Delaware with dual bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and Wildlife Ecology. She’s an avid contributor to the Delaware Native Plant Identification and Exchange group

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. This program takes place in person at Mt. Cuba Center Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 (Rain Date: Tuesday, October 17th). About the Instructor: Claire Zuidervliet is the Conservation Propagator at Mt. Cuba Center, where she propagates a large variety of

Reducing the American lawn is beneficial 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! This program takes place in-person at Mt. Cuba Center Saturday, October 14,

Learn to identify the most common annual and perennial lawn and garden weeds using leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. In person at Mt. Cuba