Gear Up for Spring With Local Gardening Classes

The bad news: It's still pretty cold outside.

The good news: Spring is (technically) one week away. And in Birmingham, residents can dust off their gardening gloves and start getting ready for warmer weather with a line-up of local gardening classes.

So, get those green thumbs at the ready and start signing up for:

Secrets to Growing Great Gardens with Nancy Szerlag

• When: 11 a.m. Saturday
• Where: Baldwin Public Library
• Cost: Free
• Why Go: Master gardener and Detroit News columnist Nancy Szerlag will give a hands-on gardening program featuring new garden products and growing techniques. The class is perfect for both beginner and avid gardeners.
  
  "One of my favorite Detroit News homestyle columnists, Nancy Szerlag, has informed and entertained readers for years with her gardening advice," said Barby Nixon, an adult services librarian at Baldwin. "Nancy will bring the same humor and knowledge she demonstrates in her writing to make her presentation special for gardeners of all levels."

• When: 7 p.m. Monday, March 18
• Where: The Community House
• Cost: $5 donation
• Why Go: Gary Eichen, plant health care and bio-turf lawn manager for Mike's Tree Surgeons, will talk early next week specifically about trees and shrubs and what homeowners can do this spring to keep them looking healthy and cut down on invasive insects and diseases.
  
  Eichen is a certified arborist with more than 25 years experience in plant and lawn care. He speaks for the Technical Advisory Committee for the Health Lawn Care Program for Watershed Protection and has visited Oakland University, University of Michigan, the MSU Extension program, and the Morton Arboretum in Illinois.

The Art of Bonsai

• When: 3-5 p.m. March 15
• Where: The Community House
• Cost: $25
• Why Go: Learn the history and background of the ancient art of training miniature trees into works of living art. Receive instruction, a nursery specime, pot, use of tools, soils and all necessary materials. A $45 materials fee is payable to the instructor, Vance Hanna, two-time president of Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan.

What other gardening classes are there lined up for this spring in Birmingham? Leave a comment and make sure you add them to our Events Calendar!