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Central Park provides a great window into the world of wild foods of mid-spring. It's the peak of the season for wild salad greens, and we'll be finding great quantities of renewable ingredients: Spicy mustard greens, such as garlicky garlic mustard, hot hedge mustard, and even hotter poor man's pepper, will abound on lawns or under trees anywhere,...

Spring cleaning in the garden can be fun. Get shrub and herbaceous borders spruced up and looking good! Review a checklist of tasks to be performed during spring maintenance, ranging from raking off winter mulch to looking for signs of winter injury and noting where gaps in the garden can be filled. All of this gives your garden a head start on a...

Take all your garden ideas and start putting them into place with this practical overview of garden design principles that ensure the best layout plan and circulation patterns. Learn how to analyze the space and create the perfect proportions that complement both home and garden, resulting in a coherent landscape design.

Good garden design isn't easy, but for anyone with a passion for plants, a little imagination, and proper guidance, it is possible to succeed. Learn the basics of garden design, review examples that work for different architectural styles and site conditions, and develop a go-to plant list for your home landscape. In the second session, you will develop...

Learn how to effectively use color in plant combinations. Study the properties of value, hue, and intensity as they relate to choosing specific garden plants. Visual presentations and discussions are used to analyze various color schemes including analogous, sequential, complementary, and monochromatic.  Please bring lunch.

Rock pimples, fog fingers, old man's beard— their common names are amusing, but lichens are among Earth's most amazing and oldest living things, and display incredibly beautiful colors and shapes. They grow on bark, rock, and barren soil, and thrive in rain forests, deserts, the arctic—even environments simulating Mars!  Lichens are sensitive...

A great abundance of edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms makes this park a great place for edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms in late summer. Burdock, an expensive detoxifying herb sold in health food stores, abounds in cultivated areas throughout the park. You can also use this invasive species as a superb root vegetable, or even...

Even after many plants have begun their long winter's sleep, fungi are still very active. For some species like Velvet Foot and Turkey Tail, winter is high time! Enoki and Oyster Mushrooms can be found in our forests and parks. We'll explore these table favorites in the classroom and in their habitats.

Create a tropical jungle with orchids in an open-style terrarium. Learn technical details, such as layering materials and proper orchid display. Maria Colletti, author of Terrariums: Gardens under Glass, will provide instruction as you create your own design.

Rich, nutritious soil makes for large, healthy plants and reduces the need for regular fertilization. Learn the difference between soil structure and texture; how these differences affect plant growth; and how you can modify your soil to improve its qualities. Give your garden a solid foundation, and you'll reap the benefits for years to come.

Gain an introduction to the terminology, concepts, and basic principles of landscape design through lectures and simple two-dimensional exercises.  This course is recommended for students with little or no background in design who want to design for their own home or who are considering a Certificate.

Learn how to design, install, and maintain conventional, specialty drip, and micro-drip irrigation systems. Drip systems are useful for rooftop and terrace gardens, planters, raised beds, and many landscape and nursery production systems.  We will cover basic hydraulics and review the best irrigation products. Learn to troubleshoot, practice...

Jump start your vegetable garden with varieties that will give you a delicious harvest in a matter of weeks! In this workshop we will explore vegetable varieties that can be planted in the early spring and practice transplanting and direct seeding spring crops in the Children's Garden. Participants will take home seeds and transplants ideal for a...

This one-day course covers the basics of pruning evergreens, deciduous trees, and shrubs, as well as how to maintain the woody plants in your garden.  Bring your pruners! We will discuss tool selection and maintenance, while we practice techniques using potted plants. Class is held rain or shine. Please dress for the weather and bring lunch....

When the sun goes down, the art of landscape lighting can bring a painterly or even sculptural transformation to your deign. This course explores the art of landscape lighting from selection and placement to color and composition. Learn the technical aspects of LED, low voltage, and HID lights, and how to create a professional-quality lighting plan....