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Nuts and Bolts: Conservatory offers a refuge for flowers and gardeners

Published 12:01 am Thursday, November 12, 2009

Though the recession is depressing and your garden is looking less than lush, here’s something: The Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood may lift your spirits.

Throughout November, gardeners can visit stunning displays of chrysanthemums. Right now the flowers, including huge, plate-sized blooms, are at their peak.

Admission to the 1912 conservatory is free, though donations are encouraged. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Visit the information center and gift shop 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Find the conservatory at 1400 E. Galer St., Seattle. See www.volunteerpark conservatory.org or call 206-322-4112 with questions.

Skip the volunteering: Home gardeners and horticulture professionals can now train alongside master gardeners without having to provide volunteer hours in return.

Instead they pay up front for the training and receive a Hort Pro Certificate from Washington State University Snohomish County Extension upon completion.

Registrations for the 2010 course are now being accepted through Nov. 30.

WSU faculty and specialists provide training in best local gardening practices including insect and disease identification, botany, soils, pruning, composting, fruits and vegetables, perennials, trees, shrubs and pest control.

Participants learn how to identify and troubleshoot today’s garden challenges using environmentally responsible options.

This course, which is open to all experience levels, runs January through mid-March from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Thursday, plus one Saturday. The $500 Hort Pro registration fee covers training materials, testing and the Hort Pro Certificate.

See snohomish.wsu.edu/garden/workshops/HortProApplication10.pdf to register or apply in person at the extension office at McCollum Park, 600 128th St. SE, Everett, or by mail by sending a self-addressed, stamped, legal-size envelope with 78 cents postage to the address above. Call 425-338-2400 with questions.

Learn at lectures: The Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation is continuing to accept registrations for its Sustainable Gardening 2010 lecture series, set for a new, larger location this winter.

Sessions will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every other Friday, starting Jan. 8 in the social hall of Mukilteo Presbyterian Church, 4515 84th St. SW, Mukilteo.

  • Jan. 8: Ed Hume, “Vegetables: Start to Finish.”
  • Jan. 22: Russell Link, “Gardening on the Wing: Bats, Bees, Birds and Butterflies.”
  • Feb. 5: Pat Carey, “Green Roof: Beyond Storm Water.”
  • Feb. 19: Carrie Becker, “Perennials: Gardening in Four-Layer Combinations: How to Put It All Together.”
  • March 5: Greg Butler, “Landscape Renovation: The Green Side Goes Up.”
  • March 19: Ciscoe Morris, “Ciscoe: In the Garden.”
  • April 2: Dan Hinkley, “The Dry Lush: Gardening Dry and Exuberantly in the Pacific Northwest.”
  • April 16: Marianne Binetti, “Global Gardening: The Best Ideas From Around the World to Save Water, Time and Money in the Garden.”

    Gardeners are encouraged to attend the entire series, which costs $85. Reservations for individual sessions will not be accepted. If there is still space available, admission will be $20 at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Send a check payable to SCMGF with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to SCMGF, P.O. Box 5309, Lynnwood, WA 98046.

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