From Twig Furniture to Herb Gardening:
Stretch Your Mind & Feast Your Senses at the Arboretum

Chaska, Minn. (May 21) – The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum gardens are blooming in an artist’s palette of colors, the birds are singing and the air is laden with the delicious scents of summer herbs.

What a delightful classroom! You can fill your senses and open your mind by signing up for one of many cooking, gardening and floral-arranging classes currently offered at the Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Midwest, conveniently located 9 miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chaska. Here’s a sampling of current offerings. Call 952-443-1422 to register.

Gardening with Herbs. June 2; 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Herbs have been used for centuries in many cultures for fragrance, medicine, flavoring food, and garden designs. Learn which annual and perennial herbs are suitable for Minnesota, how to grow them in your garden, sources for purchase, and more. Instructor Shirley Mah Kooyman is a botanist and teacher. Fee: $30 member / $40 nonmember. Snyder Auditorium.

Pruning Evergreens Workshop. June 2; 1:30-3:30 p.m. Learn proper techniques and tools for trimming your evergreens. Bring pruning shears to class. Jeffrey L. Johnson is a horticulturist in charge of maintaining the woody tree and shrub collections at the Arboretum. Fee: $35 member, $45 nonmember. Snyder Classroom 2.

Growing Orchids. June 3; 1-3 p.m. Find out which orchids do well in Minnesota homes. Topics include identification, care, repotting, insects, and diseases. Each participant receives an orchid plant. Instructor: Bob Bulthuis, president of the Orchid Society of Minnesota. Fee: $30 member / $40 nonmember. Azalea Classroom.

Annuals for Minnesota Gardens. June 5; 10 a.m.-12 noon. Annual flower gardens aren’t only marigolds and petunias. They can easily have the same informal flowing appearance as a perennial garden, but with the advantage of blooming all season. Class includes hands-on planting in the teaching garden. Instructor: Duane Otto, landscape gardener. Fee: $20 member, $30 nonmember. Bring a trowel. Azalea Classroom.

Rustic Twig Furniture: Bench or Chair – June 7; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Make a whimsical twig chair or slab garden bench. No special skills needed. Bring pencil, tape measure, utility knife and a power drill if you
have one. Instructor: Bob McNeely, owner of From the Forest Twig Furniture in Apple Valley. Fee: $150 member, $175 nonmember. Includes all materials. Snyder Auditorium.

Edible Landscaping: Combining Flowers with Vegetables – June 16; 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Learn how to use common and uncommon vegetables with flowering annuals and perennials to create interesting combinations. Instructor: botanist Shirley Mah Kooyman of Arboretum staff. Fee: $30 member/ $40 nonmember. Snyder Building Auditorium.

Lilies: The Genus Lilium – June 23; 10 a.m -12:30 p.m. Learn about lily history, culture, care, propagation techniques, sources and which lilies do well in Minnesota. Instructor Dennis Drews is owner of Oak Valley Farms in Elk River. Fee: $30 member / $40 nonmember. Azalea Classroom.

Creating a Native American Medicine Garden – June 16; 1:30-3:30 p.m. Gain an understanding of the Native American medicine wheel, what plants to grow, and how to use the plants for medicine. Yako Tahnahga is a Native American herbalist, traditional storyteller and owner of In the Hands of the Ancestors in Minneapolis. Fee: $25 member, $35 nonmember. Snyder Classroom 2.

Intro to Digital Image Management– June 9; 9 a.m.-1 p.m.. Mark Niznik provides an indepth presentation on how to save and process images for the short and long term; how to select the best hardware and format; traditional lab processing versus desktop printing; and other topics. Breakfast provided. Fee: $40 members, $45 non-members. Azalea Classroom.

Andean Cuisine – June 14. 6:30-9:00 p.m. Take a culinary, cultural trip to the Andes and learn about the traditional ingredients, typical herbs and spices, and cooking techniques. Instructor is Chef Amalia Damgaard. Meet in the Harvest Kitchen at the Marion Andrus Learning Center. Class fee: $50 per class for members, $60 per class for non-members.

Skincare Creams and Lotions – June 10. 1-4 p.m. Learn to create handmade creams and lotions. Take home samples and recipes. Instructor is Deb Delmore, owner of Sunrise River Collection in Woodbury. Fee is $40 for members, $50 for non-members. Snyder Classroom 2.

Flower Arranging: Weaving Techniques – June 18. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Come discover a new wave in flower arranging. A design can be created with climbers and fibers to appear suspended in thin air. Instructor is Helen Waldron, floral designer. Free with paid gate admission. Snyder Classroom 2.

Floral Design: Pave’ Demonstration – June 18. 1:30-2:30 p.m. Pave’ is a floral design method of organizing material as close together as possible with a cobblestone effect. Instructor is floral designer Mary Raymond. Free with paid gate admission. Snyder Classroom 2.

Admission to the Arboretum is $7 for adults, ages 15 and under, free, and members free. Visit www.arboretum.umn.edu [1] or call 952-443-1400. To register for a class, call 952-443-1422.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest and a premier northern arboretum, is part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and developed as a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research, and public education. It is located nine miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chaska. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator. The Arboretum is disability accessible; the buildings and terraces are smoke free. -30-