The Literary Gardener – October 2015

“Half the interest of the garden is the constant exercise of the imagination.” –Mrs. C.W. Earle, Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden, 1898

During summertime, when I’m working hard in the garden to get ahead of the insects and weeds, I don’t often feel particularly imaginative. It’s mostly during the relatively “off season” of winter that I have time to envision what could be, rather than attending to matters as they are. That’s probably why former Horticulture magazine editor Thomas Cooper wrote, “A garden is never so good as it will be next year.”

For me, there is nothing that taps creative juices more than discussing gardening with other gardeners. That’s why I look forward every year to the Jackson County Master Gardener™ Association’s Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens Symposium, which offers a full day of classes on a wide range of gardening topics. This year, the symposium will take place from 9:00am to 4:30pm on Saturday, November 7 at the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center in downtown Medford. New in 2015 are classes geared for gardeners at four skill levels—beginning, intermediate, advanced, and professional—as well as a garden book store and a seed exchange.

Cost of the event is $40, including a free brown bag lunch, for those registering before October 23; $50 until November 6; and $60 for walk-in registrations. The cost for full-time students is $20. For more information, including class descriptions, presenter bios, and online registration, check out the JCMGA website at: www.jacksoncountymga.org.

There are several program choices for beginning gardeners and those new to Southern Oregon. Here’s a sampling:

  • New to Veggie Gardening
  • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Month-to-Month with the Garden Guide
  • New to the Rogue Valley

Gardeners with more experience may enjoy classes such as these:

  • Seed Saving: Why and How
  • ACCESS Organic Gardening
  • Paint Your Garden with Flowers
  • Eat the Weeds

Advanced gardening classes include:

  • Soil Alchemy
  • Seriously Cool Plants for Serious Gardeners
  • Beyond Basic Composting
  • (Botanical) Sex in the Garden

Professionals can earn Continuing Education Hours from the Landscape Contractors’ Licensing Board for many classes, including the following:

  • Fire-wise Landscaping
  • Landscape Design Issues
  • 10 Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid
  • Gardening in Times of Drought

Mrs. C.W. Earle also wrote Gardening for the Ignorant (1912) in which she argued, “I think the real gardening spirit is shown by a wish to give away a part of what one values…” I agree with Mrs. Earle. I also think sharing valuable gardening knowledge and experience is precisely what the spirit of the Winter Dreams/Summer Gardens Symposium is all about. I hope you’ll join me there!