Exploring Landscape through Encaustic Painting
Monday and Tuesday, June 20 and 21 | In this hands-on workshop, develop sketches, photographs, or landscape visions into encaustic paintings by exploring a rich variety of marks, transfer, and stencil techniques. Class time will be divided between demonstration, individual work time, and discussion about Maine art and its contemporary and historical connection to landscape. We’ll chat about proper studio ventilation, wax safety, and how to “finish” artworks in terms of framing and care. Students will leave with multiple finished pieces and an understanding of proper studio set-up.
Planting a container garden is enormous fun. Loaded with creative possibility, it’s a perfect activity for gardeners of every age and ability, no matter if your containers are destined for your front stoop, patio, balcony, or planned as a focal feature in a perennial bed. In this hands-on workshop, Jen Dunlap, horticulturist and container garden designer, will guide you through the process of selecting, planting, and caring for whatever annuals you choose—sun- or shade-loving and with a myriad of flower and foliage options. All supplies provided.
Whether you live in an apartment building, on a suburban lot, or a rural property, this class will get everyone composting! Food waste makes up 1/3 of the trash produced in the average American home, and yet there's so much we can do to prevent this from happening. From indoor vermiculture to outdoor compost bins, you can collect and convert waste into plant-growth gold. Join Don Morrison, Master Gardener and compost aficionado, to learn about the different methods, containers, and materials needed to successfully compost food waste and garden debris. Believe us—there’s a method for every lifestyle!
Put on your Sunday best, folks, because these plants are dressed to impress! They might be hard to find, hard to grow, or hard to afford, but these? You’ve gotta have ’em—CHOICE perennials that will make you the envy of your local garden club! Come join horticulturist and plant breeder Dan Robarts and explore these maddeningly limited plants—the native, exotic, wild, or advanced hybrids that will dress your gardens to the nines! Sun, shade, wet, or dry, Dan will have his thinking cap (complete with feather) on, espousing the greatness of so many wonderful horticultural selections, you’ll beg him to put a sock in it. They may be elusive, but don’t get a bee in your bonnet. Dr. Robarts will score a true hat trick, with propagation, acquisition, and cultivation tips to make these plants a reality for your gardening endeavors.
Unique, exceptional and magical are just some of the adjectives used to describe kokedama, the Japanese art of growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil, 6-8 inches in diameter. They can be displayed on a decorative surface of your choice, hung from a tree branch, pergola ceiling, arbor, or bracket. In this class for all ages, horticulturist Jen Dunlap will guide you in creating three kokedama projects for your home garden. These verdant, living globes add whimsy, mystery, and vertical interest to your outdoor living space. All supplies provided.
Interested in learning about the benefits of incorporating native deciduous shrubs into your garden? Or maybe you already have shrubs in your landscape and want to expand your knowledge. Either way, join Emily Baisden, entomology and native shrub aficionado, to learn about the extensive selection of native deciduous shrubs available for your garden. We’ll cover the ecosystem services provided by native shrubs, from pollinator hosts to erosion control, as well as how to select the right species for your space, taking into consideration environmental characteristics and seasonal qualities.
In this workshop and field-study class, herbalism practitioner and staff horticulturalist Lesley Paxson will review 10 specific plants used for their medicinal applications. Lesley will take students around the Gardens, examining the morphology (form and structure) of each plant, describing key chemical constituents, and sharing details about what and when to harvest, plant folklore, and history. Students will forage from the select plants, sample recipes derived from traditional methods, and learn how to process their collected materials, once home. Come with an airtight bag or jar in which to preserve your collections.
