Classes  

There are a variety of classes held year-round at Boerner Botanical Gardens. Classes are open to both Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens members and non-members.

For further information or to register: 414-525-5659

 

Tender Perennials– the Other Annuals

Paul Drobot, Perennial Landscapes

Thursday, May 1

6:30 to 8 pm • $25/$20 members

In case you’re not sure, a tender perennial is a plant that is hardy in a warmer climate than what you’re gardening in. Many of the plants purchased in Wisconsin and used as annuals are really tender perennials. Such plants include: fuchsia, lantana, Swedish Ivy, sedge, flowering

maple, marguerite daisy and the licorice plant. See how this

particular plant material can be used in the garden or in containers to add a little variety to your pallet.

 

Get in Gear - Tool Time with Jerry

Saturday, May 3

9 to 10:30 am • $15/$10 members

Meet Jerry Seroka, a retired Boerner

Horticulturist who knows plenty of time-tested tips and tricks to make even the toughest gardening job easy. A gardener needs the right equipment, and knowing how to care for it is the key. Jerry will demonstrate how to prepare your lawn mower for the season. Bring your hand pruners, flat spade, and sharpening stone to class to learn

and practice techniques.

 

Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden

Maria Karpfinger, Paradigm Shift

Thursday, May 8

6:30 – 8 pm • $15/$10 members

This is the class that will show you how to make your garden come alive by attracting butterflies. Learn how to recognize the four stages of several butterflies and ways to attract them. As an Environmental Educator, Maria Karpfinger has found that the butterfly is a wonderful way to learn about native plants.

 

Le Petit Potager Workshop

Trish Haudricourt, Executive Director Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens

Saturday, May 10

9 to 10:30 am • $65/$60 members

Potager is French for ornamental kitchen garden. Flowers (edible and non-edible) and herbs are planted along with the vegetables to enhance the beauty with the goal to make it look as nice as it tastes. Trish Haudricourt, an urban gardener, will show how she designs her small garden to blur the line between flowers and vegetables. To make it fun

you will make your own portable Potager!

 

From “Board” to “Bed”– Designing your Garden

Jim Drzewiecki – Ginkgo Leaf Studio, LLC

Thurs, May 15 and Sat, May 17

Thurs. 6:30 to 8 pm

Sat. 9 to 10:30 am

$25/$20 members

The most important step in creating an inspired outdoor landscape is to begin with a thoughtful, cohesive design. Let landscape designer Jim Drzewiecki show you how to create that vision by incorporating color, texture, form and other basic design principles. Then learn how to transform the paper design into your new outdoor oasis including

how to select the best plants for your location. Installation tips and how to develop a maintenance plan for your landscape are also covered.

 

Those Hot Patio Tropicals

Heidi Hornung, Shady Lane Greenhouses

Thursday, May 22

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

Colorful tropical plants add an exotic touch to your home. Which plants will give the fewest maintenance headaches? Learn how to gauge growth sizes and care for your tropical plants over winter. Bring all your tropical questions to Heidi.

 

Berries and Brambles for the Beginner

Dr. Patti Nagai, Racine County UW-Extension

Thursday, May 29

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

Rich, red ripe raspberries and fresh, juicy strawberries can be just out your back door with a little know how. Already have a raspberry or blackberry patch, but you want to keep it in berry, berry good shape? Dr. Patti Nagai will bring you the basics on growing and caring for your berry garden.

 

The Secret of the Bloom Master

Rob Green, Stano Landscaping, Inc.

Saturday, May 31

9 to 10:30 am • $65/$60 members

Why waste the sides of your container? Or, even the space

below? The Bloom Master Hanging Basket™ provides more flowers using the same amount of soil as used in conventional hanging baskets. Short on space? The Bloom Master Hanging Basket™ takes gardening to a new level. Rob Green will let you in on the professional’s secret…see how easy it is to achieve more volume using this “holey”

planter. Bloom Master Basket and plants provided.

 

Watergardening 101

Drew Nelson, Reinders Inc.

Thursday, June 5

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

Adding water to outside spaces enhances the atmosphere and also adds character to the landscape. This can be done as simply as adding an overflowing urn or vessel to building an elaborate pond complete with fish, plantings, and outdoor lights. This class covers the basic principles of designing and constructing small decorative water features, pondless

waterfalls, and ponds.

 

Everyday Fabulous Flowers & Foliages

Michael Gaffney, Milwaukee School of Flower Design

Saturday, June 7

9 to 10:30 am • $65/$60 members

Learn how to arrange fabulous flowers and flamboyant foliage in a fun and informative atmosphere.  This floral design class taught by seasoned designer Michael Gaffney will have you transforming any flower into a work of art. Amazing results will come from understanding design principles using different flower varieties. Michael Gaffney has recently designed for companies such as Lalique and Waterford at stores such as Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue in Chicago. Materials provided.

 

An Introduction to Bee Keeping and Helping Our Pollinators

Harris Byers, UWEX Milwaukee

County Urban Agriculture Program

Linda Reynolds, UWEX Milwaukee

County Urban Agriculture Program

Thursday, June 12

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

Beekeeping is a fantastic hobby.

The rewards are delicious! A piece of dripping, fresh honeycomb may be the best natural candy ever! This class is intended to give you some basic understanding of what is involved in keeping bees. Beekeeping is important as approximately 80% of all pollination is accomplished by

honey bees. How we can help our native pollinators?

 

Book Release and Signing Event

Roy Diblik

Know Maintenance™ Gardening

Tuesday, June 17- 6:30 pm

$35 (book included)

For reservations call 414-525-5675.

Diblik is co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm in Lake

Geneva and has propagated prairie plants and completed

full scale prairie restorations since the late 1970s.

The Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens are privilegedto host this book release event for our friend and plants

man extraordinaire, Roy Diblik, and appreciate Roy’s

continued support of our mission.

 

Roy Diblik’s concept of Know Maintenance Gardening was developedin response to what he calls “hope-to-God gardening”: Throw a plant in the ground and hope to God it grows. And because there’s no such thing as a “no-maintenance” garden, Roy set out to design a way to combine sustainability, beauty and practicality — with proven results. Through years of study, experimentation, observation and hands-on knowledge, Roy has

invented an easy-to-follow, fool-proof approach to creating beautiful, healthy, low-maintenance gardens that will be the pride of any neighborhood.  Illustrations by Elizabeth Dunham, a watercolor artist and senior technician

at Knight Hollow Nursery in Middleton, WI.

 

Garden Accoutrements- Leaf Casting

Lynn Laufenberg, Idle Hours Floral and Interior Design

Saturday, June 21

9 to 11 am • $45/$40 members

Working in concrete to produce unique garden art creations isn’thard at all. There is no need to be hesitant about trying this increasingly popular project.  Participants will learn how to produce different size and style casting using rhubarb and hosta leaves. It is a great way to show off the leaf’s beautiful shape. Materials provided.

 

Plein Air Painting- Watercolors

Nancy Newcomb, TREES Studio

Saturdays: July 12, 19, 26 and

August 2 (series)

9 am to Noon • $150/$140 members

From the French word plein —open air — this style of painting is produced outdoors in natural light. Lake Geneva artist Nancy Newcomb will provide lecture and technique demonstrations for plein air painting.Each session (weather permitting) will take place in the tranquil and majestic setting of Boerner Botanical Gardens.  A supply list will be sent upon

enrollment for the program. Supplies are not included.

 

Care and Maintenance of the Perennial Garden

Nancy Benninghouse, Firefly Garden Design, LLC

Thursday, July 17

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

There are many spectacular flowering performers for the sultry summer season. Learn how to use these and many other perennials in your landscape through basic design concepts and plant selection. The program will inform you about monthly blooming schedules and growing requirements to make this year’s garden your best ever. Be sure

to ask Nancy, a veteran landscape architect, all your questions.

 

Photography Workshop - Summer Blooms

Creative Images Photo Club

Saturday, July 19

8 to 9:30 am • $20/$15 members

This workshop will offer tips on taking better pictures of flowers and explore the techniques of macro photography. Then, the workshop heads out into the Gardens so that participants can practice what theyhave learned. Come join the photo club members who are familiar withtaking pictures in the Trial, Rose, Perennial, Herb, Shade and Annual

Gardens. All participants are invited to the Photo Club meeting after the class.

 

Garden Accoutrements- Hypertufa Containers

Lynn Laufenberg, Idle Hours Floral and Interior Designs

Saturday, July 26

9 to 11 am • $65/$60 members

Hypertufa planters are a wonderful way to bring the look of stone into your garden, without the weight. These molded planters look likestone troughs. Hypertufa is also easy to make; although it can be messy, it’s also a lot of fun! This workshop will cover making naturalistic containers from a mixture of vermiculite, peat, and Portland cement. You will create a 10” x 18” x 9” rectangular container in the

English trough style for use in your garden.

 

Vinyasa Yoga in the Gardens

Barbara Mesropian, PUSH Functional Fitness Studio

Saturday, August 2, 9, 16, 23

9 to 10 am • $45/$40 members

Join us in the Gardens for a relaxing, natural experience. This

flowing yoga style adapts to each students’ individual needs. Each class opens with breath work, warming poses and includes balancing, strengthening and core postures. Attention is focused on form and hands-on modifications are offered. Previous yoga experience is not required.

 

Not the Same Old Same Old – New, Better Trees

and Shrubs for the Residential Garden

Dave Wanninger, Beaver Creek Nursery

Saturday, September 6

10 to 11:30 am • $25/$20 members

Sometimes it seems that every landscape has the same old shrubs and ornamental trees. This Fall, plant shrubs and trees that have colorful leaves, long lasting fall color, and colorful fruit. You may be surprised at some of the improved varieties of plants that you already use. Dave will also cover proper plant siting and cultural considerations.

 

Illuminating Your  Landscape

Daniel Norris, Stano Landscaping, Inc.

Thursday, September 11

6:30 to 8 pm • $15/$10 members

Lighting plays an important role in creating an outdoor environment. The trend towards creating beautiful, functional outdoor living spaces means finding lighting options that are both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Fortunately, homeowners have more choices for outdoor

lighting than ever before. Daniel will explain the various options of light fixtures and applications. He will also cue you in on the lingo of outdoor lighting.

 

Stop and Smell the Herbs and Roses!

Saturday, September 13

10 am to 4 pm • FREE with Admission

At this special event attend a talk on fragrant herbs for cosmetics, perfumes and potpourris. Learn about general rose care and organic rose growing. Taste and learn about edible flowers. See demonstrations on rose and herb drying. Create floral arrangements with herbs and roses.

 

Fall Containers

Lynn Goldstein, Creative Landscape Design

Thursday, September 18

6:30 to 8 pm • $65/$60 members

Does your porch need more colorful and long-lasting plants? Let Lynn Goldstein teach you how to choose best plants for our changeable weather. You will create spectacular displays that will last throughout the Fall. All materials provided.

 

 

 

 


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IKEBANA Floral Design



Plant a Summertime Container
with Heidi Hornung, Shady Lane Greenhouses

 

One-Stroke Painting with Trina Eve, certified
One-Stroke instructor

 

 

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