For the City Times

The Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers once again invite the public to a day of gardening workshops on Saturday, January 9, 2016, at the Lettie W. Jensen Community Center in Amherst.

Learn gardening strategies from three experts on building and maintaining a garden pond, attracting pollinators to your garden, caring for houseplants, and picking the best shrubs. The program is from 7:30 AM to 2:45 PM. Cost is $30.00 and includes a catered hot lunch. 

The first session is Creating a Pollinator’s Paradise. Mark Dwyer, director of horticulture at Rotary Gardens, an award-winning, 20-acre non-profit botanic garden in Janesville, will provide a list of plants and techniques for attracting pollinators. Dwyer will show how a garden can be transformed into a safe haven for attracting such beneficial pollinators as butterflies, hummingbirds and bees.

The second workshop is Indoor Gardening and Houseplants with Diana Alfuth, UW-Extension Horticulture Educator in Pierce, Polk and St. Croix Counties in western Wisconsin. Alfuth is a columnist for Wisconsin Gardening magazine and a guest on Larry Meillor’s Garden Talk on WPR. Learn how to give indoor plants what they need to survive, revive and thrive. Topics covered include fertilizing, watering, light requirements, various growing methods and potential pests—everything you need to know.  

Before lunch, Dwyer returns to talk about Sensational Shrubbery. Dwyer will explain how landscapes benefit from the addition of appropriate shrubs that add scale, texture, form and color. He will show that plant durability should also coincide with high impact features such as colorful foliage, showy blooms, wildlife potential, fragrance and other ornamental features of interest.

Pond Magic is the afternoon topic presented by Ray Campbell of Campbell’s Signature Landscapes, Clearwater, Minn. Campbell is a nationally recognized and multiple award-winning water feature expert. He will explain how ponds and water features can be created in a variety of shapes and sizes, and how plants, rocks, and bacteria are all necessary components. He will give a designer’s perspective on the pros and cons of owning a water feature, including step-by-step installation and many helpful tips.

Doors open at 7:30 AM for registration. Coffee and other hot beverages are available along with light refreshments. Registration deadline is Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

The Lettie W. Jensen Community Center is located at 487 North Main Street in Amherst.

For more information email [email protected] or call or text (715) 340-8378.