Compulsive Gardeners

Compulsive Gardeners, a self-directed gardening class, meets at the Arboretum on Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon for three 8-week sessions yearly with a cost of $50 per session. Classes run from mid-September to mid-November and from January through April each year.

We are beginner, intermediate and experienced home gardeners. Many of us are also active in local garden clubs in our communities and serve as volunteers for the Arboretum, the Huntington and Descanso Gardens. If you are interested in long-term garden and plant education and look forward to learning from other gardeners, this is the class for you.

Being self-directed means that every class member participates in some way. The class registration fee goes to the Arboretum for facility and administration costs. We plan, book and pay for our own speakers, programs and field trips. We raise funds by holding an annual Plant Opportunity Drawing and Auction, and by donations. Class members volunteer to book speakers, give programs, facilitate classes, bring refreshments, serve on committees, etc.

Here is a peek at what you will be learning this fall session:

Sep. 19 – Parker Davis, “Native Plants for Better Backyard Birding”
Sep. 26 – Rebecca Latta – “Q and A on Trees”
Oct. 03 – Shelley Sparks “Feng Shui in the Garden”
Oct. 10 – Leigh Adams – “Art in the Garden”
Oct. 17 – Kris Bonner – “The Gardens of Australia & New Zealand”
Oct. 24 – Steve Gerischer – “South African Plants: Where they Grow in Nature, and How to Use Them in Gardens”
Oct. 31 – Sandy Masuo – “Rooted in History: The Evolution of Gardens Throughout the World”
Nov. 07 – Jill Morganelli – “Garden Rejuvenation: The Golden 100 Days”

For more information and registration, contact Rachel Masters at The Arboretum Education Department at 626-566-3706 or email her at rachel.masters@arboretum.org.