CALENDAR OF EVENTS

These seminars are free and require no pre-registration unless otherwise noted.

Fruit Tree Pruning & Care
Charlie Shull
Saturday, February 6, 11 A.M.
Your winter fruit tree care determines how abundantly your trees will bear this summer. Are you interested in apples, pears, and cherries, or more exotic fruit like quince and persimmons? Charlie will cover pruning to maximize plant health and fruit production, dormant spraying to control insects and diseases, and pollination requirements.

Fruit Tree Pruning & Care
Dan Vorhis
Sunday, February 14, 1 P.M.
Repeat of 2/6 seminar.

PRUNE-A-THON (and plan-a-thon), a PlantAmnesty benefit at Sky Nursery*
Saturday, February 20, 9 A.M. – 4 P.M.
Enjoy a full day of free pruning (and garden planning) demonstrations, talks and slideshows. Topics include: Pruning Fruit Trees, Roses, Japanese Laceleaf Maples, My Rhodie’s Too Big!, How to Prune and Renovate the Overgrown Garden, and more. Author and PlantAmnesty founder Cass Turnbull and a host of other gardening experts will be presenting. For more details on seminars, call Plant Amnesty, 206-783-9813.

Professional Designers - PlantAmnesty-approved designers will be on hand to provide 15 minute free 'design solution' consultations for your garden area. You bring photos, estimated square footage, soil type (sand, clay or in-between), light and direction of exposure (eg. full sun, south-facing or part shade, north-facing).

Representatives from various plant societies will be there to answer your questions: Master Gardeners, International Society of Arboriculture, Seattle Tree Fruit Society, PlantAmnesty, Seattle Tilth (organic vegetables) and the Seattle Rose Society.

Father Weedo Sarducci will be here with his confessional. He will hear your gardening sins and, when appropriate, dispense forgiveness. Also Lawenda, the beautiful and intriguing plant-channeler, will be there to read your horticultural fortune.

*Sky Nursery will donate a portion of the day's sales to PlantAmnesty, which is a non-profit organization promoting better pruning.

Pruning Japanese Maples
Brian Mumm
Sunday, February 21, 1 P.M.
Don’t be intimidated by a little—or a little too big—Japanese maple! Pruning now allows you to see and bring out the underlying structure of your plant. Brian will show you how to turn an overgrown mop into a cascade of beauty.

Rose Selection & Care
‘Debo’ Boyer
Saturday, February 27, 11 A.M.
Join Sky’s rose buyer to learn her personal favorites and best tips on growing these fragrant and lovely garden favorites. Debo will demonstrate every aspect of preparing both new and established roses for a full season of gorgeous bloom: how & when to prune, fertilize, control pests, mulch, and more.

Fruits and Berries for the Northwest Backyard
Dan Vorhis
Saturday, March 6, 11 A.M.
We in the Pacific Northwest are privileged to be able to grow a huge range of temperate fruits, berries, and nuts, from apples to goji berries to olives. Many can be grown in containers on patios or decks; many are beautiful as well as productive and can grace any ornamental planting. Join Dan to learn more about selecting, planting, and caring for your own mini orchard.

Worm Composting Made Easy
Emily Wilkins
Saturday, March 13, 11 A.M.
Turn food waste into one of the most nutrient-rich composts available—worm castings! It’s easy once you learn a few basic rules to keep your worms happy. Emily will help you learn how to turn food scraps into garden treasure.

Seattle Orchid Society Show and Sale
Saturday & Sunday, April 10 & 11, 9 A.M. – 5 P.M.
Sky is pleased to welcome back the Seattle Orchid Society. Join these amateur and professional growers for a judged show, displays, sales of unique varieties, and answers to all your orchid questions. Only one warning: it’s a well-known fact that these plants are highly addictive, so come at your own risk.

Effective Gardening Techniques for Saving Water
Seattle Tilth
Saturday April 17, Time To Be Determined
Small details of plant selection and spacing, proper soil management, mulching, and watering techniques can translate into big savings of water (and money!) in your garden. Seattle Tilth, the local organic gardening gurus, come to Sky to give you the latest insights on saving water in your garden.

Around the Sound:

Seattle Tree Fruit Society’s Spring Fruit & Grafting Show
Sunday, March 14, 10 A.M. – 3 P.M.
Center for Urban Horticulture, 501 NE 41st St, Seattle
Free Admission! Scion cuttings and grafting; orchard supplies for sale; lectures on choosing, growing, and using fruit in the urban setting. Download the show flyer now (PDF).