I have been teaching classes here at Sunnyside Nursery for many years. This is not limited to our garden. No matter where you live in the Puget Sound area, you should be able to find a garden center near you that offers gardening classes. Many of them are free, costing no more than $5.
In the last two years of the pandemic, everyone had to move to online formats like Zoom. While this worked well under the circumstances, it wasn’t exactly like sitting in a classroom and sharing with other gardeners. discussion. Thankfully, most garden centers are now back in their in-house venues, and I’m looking forward to that. , don’t worry, you’ll be able to watch it online later).
With gardening chores at a minimum, January is a great time to take advantage of any educational opportunities you can connect with. For me that means subscribing to various blogs from several suppliers such as Monrovia Nursery, Proven Winners, Horticulture, Garden Design, Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, Garden Gate and other magazines. All of these sources not only contain excellent information on gardening techniques and trends, but also all the new introductions you can’t live without.
Of course, the entire internet has endless YouTube videos on how to plant roses, prune cherry trees, make compost piles, make rain gardens, make pastures, or whatever you want. It’s full of videos. Educate yourself about When watching videos about gardening, make a note of where they are produced. The Midwest, Northeast, and South states seem to emanate a lot of information that isn’t always relevant to us Northwesters. Stick to local sources as much as possible. . much more reliable.
The WSU Extension, specifically the Master Gardener Foundation, is a very reliable place to look for things that work in our area. One of my favorite events is at the Historic Everett Theater from January 13 The Winter Speaker Series will be held until March 31st. These presentations usually fill up quickly, so if you want to attend this year, you should register now.
One of the best websites for more technical information is also from Washington State University and can be found at www.hortsense.wsu.edu. It is ideal for examining insects and diseases in foliage plants and fruits and vegetables. Also, most counties and cities have online resources. The Snohomish County Solid Waste Department has a wealth of information on lawn care and sustainable gardening.
Back in class, this year you’ll find classes on pruning, growing fruit trees, berry and grape success, insect and disease control, lawn planting, weed management, organic gardening, Japanese maple, new introductions, and more. In fact, you can find our year-round line-up of classes on our website, as we do at other garden centers in our area. , so you can immerse yourself in the complete ‘Garden Center Experience’.
Take advantage of this late hour to increase your gardening knowledge on one or more of the aforementioned opportunities. you are glad you did!
Steve Smith represents Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com.
free class
Pruning for Fruit Production is scheduled for January 14th at 10am and January 15th at 10am at Sunnyside Nursery, 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., Marysville. For more information, please visit www.sunnysidenursery.net.