San Diego Botanic Garden Classes For Winter, 2011: From Hummingbirds to Cooking to Art...
From Hummingbirds and Sustainable Landscaping to Garden Photography, Art and Cooking, There’s Something for Everyone...
Tamale Making 101
Saturday, January 15
1:00 – 4:30 pm
Explore the Latin American tradition of making tamales! You will learn a brief history of the tamale, then dive right into preparing masa, corn husks, and fillings to create two types of tamales, one with and one without meat. You will also learn to make a delicious Hibiscus iced tea. Each student will eat in class, and take home recipes and 1 dozen tamales to steam at home. Ingredients in this class include meat broths and a variety of herbs and spices. Class size is limited, so please sign up early.
Members $55, non-members $65.
Please register by January 12.
Harvesting Rainwater for Your Garden
Saturday, January 22
10:00 am – 12 noon
Learn how to save water and money by harvesting and using rainwater in your garden. Find out about simple earthworks to store rainwater for trees and larger shrubs, and how to include graywater in your irrigation plan. System design based on roof area and plant material will be discussed, with example projects to illustrate the possibilities. Taught by Rosalind Haselbeck and Rich Alianelli of Building Green Futures, a local company specializing in the design and installation of rainwater harvesting systems, vegetated (green) roofs, and graywater recycling.
Members $25, non-members $30.
Please register by January 19.
Free Composting Workshop
Saturday, January 22
10:00 am – 12 noon
Learn how to compost your food scraps and yard trimmings. Workshop also covers vermicomposting (worms). Compost bins and worm bins for sale afterward. Taught by Solana Center Master Composters. Meet at the Compost Demonstration Site by the Seeds of Wonder Children’s Garden. To register contact the Solana Center at www.solanacenter.org or 760/ 436-7986.
What’s Wrong with My Plant?
Saturday, January 29, 2011
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Dealing with a sick plant is one of the most frustrating situations a gardener or houseplant owner can face. Fortunately, help is at hand. This class enables you to recognize what’s plaguing your plant and then implement an appropriate cure—without resorting to toxic chemicals. Based on the book of the same name, students use a unique, illustrated diagnostic system to discover the cause of any plant problem. You will learn solutions and non-toxic remedies that will fix the problem and you don’t even need to know the plant’s name. This popular class is extremely useful for anyone who diagnoses plant problems, including Master Gardeners and Garden personnel. Taught by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth.
Members $10, non-members $12.
Pre-registration required by January 26, 2011.
Now That’s Italian
Saturday, January 29
1:30 – 4:00 pm
Learn how to prepare Tuscan Stuffed Chicken Breast, Arugula and Pear Salad, and Manicotti in tomato wine sauce from scratch. Easy and delicious! Recipes and tastings offered of each dish. Taught by Chef Elizabeth, the Opera Singing Chef.
Members $25, non-members $30.
Register by January 26.
Botanical Watercolor Monotype Pastel Combo Helen Shafer Garcia with Helen Shafer Garcia
Sunday, January 30
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Discover innovative techniques to build micro view botanical compositions uniting watercolor monotype and pastel. Monotype is an expressive printing method which creates intriguing textured color shapes. Spend the day printing and painting in watercolor exploring wet into wet approaches. We will add pastel layers to exaggerate color intensity and build luminous layers to create a unified and harmonious affect. This workshop is for all skill levels.
Members $65, non-members $75.
Pre-registration required by January 26.
Desert to Rainforest Garden Photography Workshop
Saturday, February 12
8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Acclaimed Flower and Garden photographer Bob Bretell will take you on a photo nature safari that will explore two amazing yet very different worlds within the garden. We begin our adventure in the New World desert where Bob will show how to creatively modify sunlight by using mirrors, reflectors and filters. From there we venture into the rainforest where Bob demonstrates his new “Wall of Light” technique. Learn how to simplify your composition for maximum impact, how to use fill flash in a new creative way—even how to enhance your composition in the garden using an ordinary flash light! This workshop is for all levels regardless of whether you are using a point and shoot, or an expensive single lens reflex. Photos will be projected and critiqued by the group and the instructor. Students must bring a digital camera and may want to bring a bag lunch.
Members $75, non-members $85.
Please register by February 9.
Jewels of Nature: Hummingbirds in Your Garden
Saturday, February 26
10:00 – 11:00 am
Monique Rea will introduce you to a variety of ways to attract hummingbirds to your garden. Having worked with and rehabilitated these wonders of nature for the past 14 years, she will also share tips on what to do when you find a lost hummingbird. There will be plant lists, book and DVD recommendations, samples of their nests, a hummingbird legend, and much more.
Members $10, non-members $12.
Please register by February 23.
From Terra’s Table Cooking Demo and Book Signing
Saturday, February 26
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Jeff Rossman, author of the much acclaimed From Terra’s Table, will do a cooking demo and book signing. Jeff will show you how to make pumpkin bisque and caramelized fennel salad, recipes from his new book. Through his Terra Restaurant in Hillcrest, Jeff has built long-standing relationships with area farmers and purveyors and is dedicated to featuring the best local, organic produce that these farms can provide. His commitment to the community is extensive and includes the Farm to School pilot program.
Members $10, non-members $12.
Please register by February 23.
Photo Botanics: Botanical Photography Then and Now
February 26, 2:30 pm at Oceanside Museum of Art
February 27, 12:30 pm at San Diego Botanic Garden
Explore the history, trends, and techniques of botanical photography at a special two-part program presented by Canon USA and Oceanside Photo and Telescope (OPT), and hosted by Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) and San Diego Botanic Garden. On Saturday, February 26, visit OMA for a lecture by Michel Tcherevkoff, Canon Explorer of Light, on conceptual and macro photography techniques (free to the public), followed by a special private tour of the exhibition, Botanicals: The Photography of Imogen Cunningham. On Sunday, February 27, visit San Diego Botanic Garden for a special hands-on opportunity to try out Canon’s renowned cameras and lenses to create your own botanical photography masterpieces. Canon and OPT specialists will be on hand to guide and assist participants.
$50 (Fee for exhibition tour and photography workshop).
To register contact Lacey Linek at OPT, cameras@optcorp.com or 800/ 483–6287.
Tired of Corn Beef and Cabbage? Learn to Make Mulligatawny Stew Instead
Saturday, March 5
1:30 – 4:00 pm
Try this wonderful Indian inspired, but Irish in origin, Mulligatawny Stew for a change in your St. Patrick’s Day menu. Learn the tradition behind Colcannon and Irish Farmer’s Bread “Barm Brack.” Recipes and tastings offered of each dish. Taught by Chef Elizabeth, the Opera Singing Chef.
Members $25, non-members $30.
Register by March 2.
Sustainable Landscaping
A Free Class for San Diego Botanic Garden Members Only – Join Today and You Can Take It, Too!
Thursday, March 10
10:00 am – 12 noon
Styles are always changing. From fashion to hairstyles to music and food choices nothing stays the same. Landscaping is no different. What works in one part of the country is not always the best choice for Southern California. As part of a statewide effort by the Master Gardener Association, the San Diego Chapter has put together a comprehensive presentation focusing on sustainable practices for the Southern California garden. Topics will include water management, soil improvement, plant selection and maintenance, pest control, saving energy, and encouraging beneficial wildlife. The beauty of the Mediterranean and its adaptability to our climate will be featured.
Free for Members Only. Join Today and You Can Take It, Too!
Please register by March 7.
E-mail info@SDBGarden.org or call 760/ 436-3036 x206
Waterwise Gardening From the Ground Up: Soils, Plants, Design, Irrigation and Mulches
Saturday, March 12
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Learn to create a waterwise garden from the ground up using an integrated approach: soil organics, appropriate plants, water harvesting, garden design, efficient irrigation, and mulch. This workshop includes:
- The use of compost and soil microbes to capture, store, and transport water through the soil to plant roots
- Ways to harvest gray water and rainwater to use in the garden
- Highlights of our enormous waterwise plant palette, including low water edibles
- The basics of waterwise garden design for year-round color and interest
- An inspiring walking tour of the waterwise gardens at San Diego Botanic Garden
- An update on low water irrigation technologies including the basics to retrofit existing irrigation, install new irrigation, and manage irrigation in a waterwise garden
- Mulches that hold water in the ground while feeding the soil and the plants
Instructors: Sharon May, Director of Sales and Marketing at Agri-Service and designer, and Nan Sterman, botanist, garden designer, low water plant expert and author of the books California Gardener’s Guide VII and Water-Wise Plants for the Southwest.
Members $80, non-members $100 (includes lunch).
Pre-registration required by March 8.
Build Your Own Hydroponic Spring Garden
Saturday, March 26
9:00 am – 12 noon
During this dynamic hands-on workshop, you will learn the principles of the hydroponic wick method--a fun and easy sustainable gardening technique. You will then build your own sustainable garden to take home, filled with spring veggies. Produced by Ag Pals. Fee includes materials.
Members $70, non-members $90.
Register by March 23.
Make Your Own Succulent Container Arrangement
Saturday, April 2
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Containers add color and interest to our gardens, decks, balconies, pool areas, and patios. Unfortunately, most plants in containers need frequent watering. A popular alternative is to use succulents. Besides needing very little water, succulents can add color, texture, and architectural interest to a great variety of containers. Design your own unique succulent garden with docent Bette Childs. Bette will demonstrate how to use succulents in containers and help students design and plant an arrangement. Succulent propagator John Becker will discuss varieties of succulents available to students. Fee includes all materials.
Members $55, non-members $65
Please register by March 30.
Ecovation: Plants for Southern California
April 9, 2011
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Learn about Ecovation, a new line of plants that combines the notions of environmental ethics with water wise gardening. These “plants that drink responsibly” were developed by EuroAmerican Propagators, a leader in the industry and creator of the Proven Winners line. Rich Ouellet, director of sales and marketing, will show you some examples in the Ecovation line, which continues to expand with plants from regions around the world that have similar climates to San Diego. An avid gardener and horticulturist, Rich tests the plants in his own garden several years before adding them to the line. Plants will be available for purchase after the presentation.
Members $10, non-members $12.
Pre-registration required by April 6.
Gourd & Basket Weekend In the Garden
April 30 & May 1, 2011
Throughout the weekend, over 30 basket and gourd art workshops taught by well-known artists from across the nation, artists exhibits, supply vendor booths, a teachers’ market and self-guided basket-makers’ tour. Take this unique opportunity to learn contemporary and traditional basketry techniques as well as gourd art. Class offerings include combining natural materials and gourds, furniture caning, gourd carving, as well as a wide variety of basketry techniques including coiling, twining and twilling using both traditional and modern materials. Examples of some of the classes being offered: willow basket, pine needles on gourds, woven beads and brooches, wire mesh jewelry, beading on gourds, mini wire basket, and a variety of sculptural pieces.
View the catalog of class descriptions and availability and print out a registration form from www.baskets-gourds.com. Although pre-registration is highly recommended, walk-in registrations will be welcome for unfilled classes between 8:00a.m. and 8:45a.m. on both days.
