Garden Classes in Chicago, IL

Do you think you lack a green thumb? Do you have trouble keeping plants alive? Explore the captivating world of succulents. We will discuss needs and care techniques of common succulents and cactus, what succulence in plants really means, and other examples of low-maintenance arid plants. This class will be taught online via Zoom. All registrations...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. This two-day course covers proper pruning techniques for maintaining shrubs, evergreens, hedges and trees. Recommended tool choices and their maintenance will be discussed. Shrub pruning demonstration included.

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Explore the basic principles underlying successful, environmentally friendly gardening, including the structure and physiological processes of plants and their relationships to the settings in which they grow. Students learn not only what to do, but why. Topics...

This session will cover dormant season pruning and transplanting for specific plant types, winter weeding and garden care, best tools and practices, and planning ahead for the new growing season. Though it seems there isn't much to do in the garden over winter, dormant season tasks can set the stage for a good gardening year.  When weather...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Explore how to grow plants without soil using hydroponics, which promotes fast growth and requires less water and space than conventional gardens. You'll learn what systems work best, which plants to choose, and how to make sure they get proper nutrition. While...

Discover the basics of sensible organic gardening. Find out how to build good soil, what you need to know about amendments and fertilizers, and tricks and tips for beautiful gardens, even in containers and tiny spaces. Learn about water-saving irrigation, how to start seeds and nurse them into healthy seedlings, and how to pick the best transplants...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Discover how to reproduce the plants you love! Learn the best ways to create cuttings and make divisions for propagating different species. We'll discuss what rooting material to use and how to care for your new plants as they grow.

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Garden lovers revel in being in outdoor spaces where the feeling of well being descends. So how can you transform your ho-hum backyard into a "gardentopia"? Jan Johnsen shares intriguing design ideas based on 45 years in the landscape design/build profession...

This class will cover pruning Japanese upright maples (fan pruning), Japanese laceleaf maples (shell pruning), pruning pines (cloud pruning) and shearing masses of lower story plants. This lecture series is designed for those who work in landscape maintenance. Each lecture provides information on tools and techniques for quality pruning with better...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Container gardening know-how is in high demand. Learn how to create a container garden for your patio, terrace, or entryway that is at once functional and gorgeous—and discover techniques for ensuring that your plants thrive in all four seasons. 

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Raised beds make gardening easier. They allow you to successfully grow vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals in problem soils, gardens with limited space, or on rooftops and terraces. Raised beds are ideal in many therapeutic settings because they elevate the plants,...

This two hour slideshow covers the three main forms of mal-pruning: tree topping, inappropriate shearing of trees and shrubs, and over-thinning. Then we compare and contrast mal-pruning with bona-fide examples of pruning art: pollarding, cloud pruning, topiary, pleaching, and coppicing. The class ends on a humorous note as slides are shown of "The...

Learn tips and techniques used by professional gardeners through a combination of lecture and hands-on activities. Acquire solid gardening skills, learn a variety of techniques, and determine best management practices in the field of horticulture.  Gain applicable skills in plant selection, spring assessment and planning, spring perennials and...

Your trees health starts below the pot line. Take an in-depth look at a multitude of soil components, organic versus chemical fertilizers, mycorrhiza, and root health. Maximizing growth and maintaining tree health is key to creating quality bonsai. This class will be taught online via Zoom. Registered students will receive login instructions one...

This slideshow describes the three most common forms of mal-pruning (tree topping, over-thinning of trees and shrubs, and inappropriate shearing) and how to fix trees and shrubs which have been mal-pruned. This is an advanced course and those attending should already be familiar with principles of selective pruning. Included is discussion of water-sprouts,...