Winter Gardening Series

The 2011 gardening season was a brutal one and homeowners are going to be facing a lot of damage to lawns and landscape plants this spring.  This series will visit basic skills that always contribute to successful plant care, but will also address remedial and rescue techniques for helping our trees, shrubs, and turfgrass lawns recover from the extreme weather events of last summer and fall.

All sessions run from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and are held at the Berks County Agricultural Center.

Registration form may be obtained by calling Dawn at 610-378-1327; email dzk2@psu.edu

FEBRUARY 13
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR TREES AND SHRUBS (including assessment and remediation of storm and drought damage)

Rich Hawk, nurseryman and landscape designer, will address routine care of woody ornamentals as well as ways to aid recovery from storm damage and other trauma.

FEBRUARY 20
LAWN RESCUES and BACKYARD COMPOSTING

Master Gardener Bill Finlay will offer tips for restoring and improving drought- and flood-damaged lawns, and will teach simple home composting, which can be a valuable adjunct to good lawn management.  Compost bins are not provided, but may be ordered for $36 at this session.

MARCH 5
SEED-STARTING AT HOME and PLANNING YOUR VEGETABLE GARDEN

Master Gardener Peg Huffert will show you how to save money and explore more and better varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers by growing from seed.  If you're a vegetable grower, or want to be, let Master Gardener Sandy Wood help you plan for a best-ever season.