Part of that thought process is education. You can never know it all. I have been gardening for 40 years, and I still make plans to educate myself. Reading books during the cold restful winter is one way to accomplish this. Catch up on all the reading you have meant to do, and get some new ideas from other gardens you may read about.
Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club will hold its annual 13-week Community Gardener 101 course beginning Jan. 21. Classes are held every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will be located at the new SCC Evans building located in downtown Spartanburg. Gardener Joe Maple says, “We are thrilled to be invited to teach our class from this new facility. It is spectacular, and we are looking forward to a filled-up class.”
Subjects that will be taught in this course are annuals and perennials, container gardening, irrigation, basic seed starting, vegetable gardening, ornamental plants, native plants, and culture of trees. Linda McHam will teach the Art of Landscaping, and Tim Hemphill will teach 3D Landscaping. There are two new teachers this year. Robert Powell, better known as “Botany Bob,” who recently retired from teaching at Converse College, will teach basic botany. In addition, plant guru and local veterinarian Ed Davidson will teach indoor plants and herbs.
Plant propagation also will be taught on the main campus of SCC in the greenhouses by SCC instructor, Kevin Parris. Ted Petoskey from Sod Fathers will teach all there is to know about soils.
“The area in which we live is very challenging weather wise,” Maple said. “Taking this course helps you brush up on your skills to keep your plants healthy and pest free.”
The cost of this course is $175, and includes the textbook and a one-year’s membership in the Spartanburg Men’s Garden Club, which is a community garden club and meets once a month at the SCC main campus. Availability is limited and are urged to sign up as soon as possible by calling 592-4900 or toll free at 877-592-4406. You can register online at www.GoneToClass.com
Figuring out whether or not you have the time to take this class is a personal decision, but rest assured, it will be the greatest use of your time to improve yourself. After all, isn’t that what January is for? The benefit of learning the information is one thing, but hanging out with other gardeners and learning great things is the real gift. This makes a great Christmas present for someone.
While you are settling in for the cold weather, I will assume that you have forced some amaryllis bulbs and some narcissus to help get you through the winter months. This is always the perfect time to pick up some of the latest gardening books and read up. In addition, the techno savvy gardener can load up some of the Apps available at the App store like Dirr’s Trees and shrub App and also Armitage’s Greatest Perennials and Annuals. Both are available for a fair priced and they are invaluable.
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