HOW DO SOME 90-minute distractions from dreary headlines sound right about now, with each session offering an updated, ecologically smarter look at an essential garden subject?
For nearly four years, my Virtual Garden Club has operated on a subscription model, where members purchased access to a whole semester of classes at a time. This spring I have something new in mind:
I’ll be hosting monthly 90-minute workshops you can buy individually (or sign up for all three at a 14 percent discount!). Attend your choice(s) live, or watch the recorded version for a month afterward, at your leisure.
I’m calling this spring series “Garden 2.0” because each expert teacher will take a fresh look at a familiar topic, from spring cleanup with ecology in mind, to using shrubs and trees in exciting new ways to create biodiverse thickets and pocket forests, to gardening in the shade in the age of climate change.
My Virtual Garden Club cohost Ken Druse will be teaching that last one—a subject he is well known for.
Tickets for these standalone webinars are just $29, or $75 for the series, in hopes that they will be a bright spot.
The lineup to choose from:
March 27, 2025, 12-1:30 PM Eastern
Or enjoy the recorded version afterward at your leisure
‘Spring 2.0: Eco-Cleanup & Beyond,” with Rebecca McMackin’
WANT TO COMMIT to managing your garden more ecologically without sacrificing beauty, but not sure how? Start the season off confidently with a 101 on smarter spring cleanup and beyond with Rebecca McMackin, a leader in the ecological landscape movement. Learn answers to questions like:
- What to do with all those leaves we left in place in fall (move them, shred them, let them lie)?
- Which kinds of plants can take a leaf layer and which cannot, and need relief?
- What perennials to cut back how far—and when (and what plants to simply leave standing).
- The “chop and drop” technique (no, don’t cart every last cut-off part to the compost!).
- Strategically planting just the right species beneath trees to insure a “soft landing” for overwintering beneficials.
- And what about other tasks like weeding, or caring for our remaining lawns—how do those work in ecological horticulture
Come with your questions to ask live in class or submit in advance (with a photo attached for design and plant ID help, for instance).
About Rebecca: Rebecca McMackin spent a decade as director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, managing 85 acres of diverse parkland organically and with an eye to the park’s overall ecology. The biodiversity that resulted from those ethical management strategies has influenced thousands of people and other urban parks to adopt similar approaches. Rebecca, a recent a Loeb Fellow at Harvard, gave a TED Talk on ecological horticulture in 2024 that has been viewed more than 1 million times. She recently installed an 8,000-square-foot native wildflower garden for the entrance to the Brooklyn Museum.
April 24, 2025, 1-2:30 PM Eastern
or enjoy the recorded version afterward at your leisure
‘Trees & Shrubs 2.0: Hedgerows and Pocket Forests, With Basil Camu’
WE’VE HEARD about meadow-making with herbaceous plants to support pollinators and birds, but it’s time to rethink the way we use woody plants, too, with an eye to increased diversity—and also to make for easier garden management. Say hello to thickets (a.k.a. hedgerows), which make great, resilient privacy screens, and to diverse groves called pocket forests.
Typical privacy rows often consist of a single row of one tree or shrub species. But what if a new pest emerges that loves it? Alternatively a thicket consists of many different species, which provides greater resilience, and if we use native species, we can provide more food and homes for a greater abundance of creatures. This approach also results in healthier soil, which means we hold more rainwater and CO2 in place.
Learn the step-by-step of planning, planting, and maintaining a native thicket, plus some fun ideas, like including food-bearing species that you and your neighbors can enjoy together.
We’ll also apply this same methodology to creating a pocket forest or Miyawaki forest—a fast-growing grove of native trees and an alternative to planting a single tree in a planting bed. We’ll learn the how-to, starting with saplings.
Come with your questions to ask live in class or submit in advance (with a photo attached for design and plant ID help, for instance).
About Basil: Basil is co-founder of Leaf & Limb tree-care company in Raleigh, N.C., a very different kind of service that doesn’t do take-downs, and instead focuses on tree care through all a tree’s life phases. He also runs a nonprofit called Project Pando that advocated for the planting of young trees. He is the author of the book, “From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape.”
May 15, 2025, 1-2:30 PM Eastern
or enjoy the recorded version afterward at your leisure
‘Shade 2.0: The New Shade Garden in the Age of Climate Change, With Ken Druse’
GOT SHADE? One of the most common themes gardeners ask about is grappling with shady conditions, and it’s a topic Ken Druse—who gardens mostly in the shade in New Jersey—has written two books on.
In the more recent one, “The New Shade Garden,” Ken actually advocated for intentionally make more shade in this age of a changing climate. Shade is a refuge and delight for people, plants and animals—not a gardener’s obstacle.
Ken offers advice for common problems facing today’s gardeners, and in this webinar—a lavishly illustrated talk, followed by question-and-answer session—he’ll detail:
- Designing your shade garden, as well as reasons to make more shade
- The vast array of flowering and foliage plants that grow best with less than six hours of direct sunlight.
- Which shade-adapted species stand up to deer pressure.
- Soil preparation, and ways to plant without disturbing tree roots.
- Watering plants without stressing limited resources.
Come with your questions to ask live in class or submit in advance (with a photo attached for design and plant ID help, for instance).
Ken Druse is the author of 20 garden books, and co-host with Margaret Roach of the popular Virtual Garden Club. His depth of expertise extends from pruning to propagation, and native plants to houseplants, and he has a special passion for woodland ephemerals. His books have won many awards, including a gold medal for his 2016 book “The New Shade Garden: Creating a Lush Oasis in the Age of Climate Change” from the Garden Writers Association.
