Before COVID-19, every month I would list local gardening events in the Washington DC metro area on my website. These were in-person lectures, workshops, and garden tours. Now of course, I am not able to list in-person events but there is still plenty happening virtually. During the Gardens ‘n Plants podcast show, I highlight several events in the upcoming 2 weeks (the podcast is biweekly).
There are many virtual gardening events, some on Zoom and some on Facebook. When I learn of these events, I share them on my pegplant Facebook page and I also mention them on the podcast. Teri Speight, my co-host, and I just mentioned these on our May 11 episode (Episode 9). This is not everything of course but just new items for the upcoming weeks. Tune into Gardens ‘n Plants to hear these events – our next broadcast is Monday, May 25.
♦ The big news is that the Chelsea Flower Show in England will be virtual this year which makes it possible for me to “attend” for the first time. During the week of May 18, gardeners on this side of the pond will be able to see well-known garden designers, florists, and gardening personalities give tours of their private gardens; daily videos from well-known gardening presenters and experts; an interactive lunch Q&A session with Royal Horticultural Society advisors and special guests, behind-the-scenes tours from nurseries; and a daily School Gardening Club with activities for families to grow plants and connect with nature. This is hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society so visit their site to learn more and don’t forget about the time difference.
♦ The Ecological Landscape Alliance has webinars related to the environment and gardening, some of which are free. I used to list them on my monthly list of events because they are a great resource for online learning. Personally, I am looking forward to Tenacious Plants for Tough Places on May 13.
♦ Using Zoom, Eco-action Arlington will give an online presentation called “Nature in Our Community–Why Biophilia Matters” on Wednesday, May 13, 7:00-8:30 pm.
♦ The Herb Society of America has webinars that are free for members and nonmembers pay a nominal fee. On Thursday, May 21, Susan Belsinger, a well-known herbalist in Maryland, will present on the herb of the year, Rubus.
♦ Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland, has started to provide online presentations. Register now for Perfect Plant Marriages for Spring and Summer on Saturday, May 16, and Stormwater Solutions and Rain Gardens on Saturday, May 23.
♦ There are two hydrangea presentations by C.L. Fornari, an author, speaker, and podcaster who has grown all types of hydrangeas for 30 years in Cape Cod. She is the administrator of the hydrangea happiness Facebook group and she initiated the Cape Cod Hydrangea Festival. There will be one presentation on mopheads and lacecaps on Thursday, May 14, and one on panicle and smooth hydrangeas on Thursday, May 21. These webinars are free for Gardencomm members and $15 each or 2 for $25 for non-members. Visit Gardencomm.org and click on “events.”
♦ The Horticulture magazine and Garden Gate magazine teamed up to present the 2020 Grow Better Garden Summit, which is a bundle of free gardening videos. See gardengatemagazine.com for more information.
♦ The American Horticultural Society has an annual symposium on children’s gardening in different cities every year and this year they will make this event virtual. The National Children and Youth Gardening Symposium will be a virtual event in July. Check out their website for more information and for registration fees. This is for both AHS members as well as nonmembers.
♦ Currently, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania is offering two free online classes: “Everything About Aquatics” and “Everything about Orchids.”
♦ Petra Page-Mann, owner of Fruition Seeds, often has free webinars but now has made her Fruition Seed Starting Academy free. Usually the Academy is almost one hundred dollars so this is quite a deal because it is about 7 hours of seed starting tutorials as well as general vegetable, herb, and flower growing information. It is helpful to sign up for her e-mails because they are jammed pack full of useful gardening information. Although she lives in a colder zone in New York, the information is quite useful for us here in the Washington DC metro area.
