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Garden Classes Chicago

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Learn how to grow your own vegetables and maintain a beautiful garden in the city of Chicago with classes on urban gardening, container gardening, and sustainable gardening practices.

26 classes have spots left

Pollinator Container Workshop

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Discover the art of creating vibrant, pollinator-friendly containers with a variety of beautiful annuals at the prestigious Chicago Botanic Garden. Enhance your home's landscape and invitingly welcome pollinators with colorful blooms all season long. Don't forget your gloves!

(122) All levels 18 and older

Salsa Container Garden Workshop

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Why buy jarred salsa when you can grow and make your own? Plant a container of miniature tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, and onions and give “made from scratch” a whole new meaning. It doesn’t take much space to grow fresh ingredients for a spicy and tasty salsa.  All materials included.

(122) All levels 18 and older

Elements of the Garden: Patios

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Transform your outdoor space into a sanctuary with our exploration of patio design essentials. Dive into the intricacies of style, size, and material selection, from classic brick to versatile concrete pavers. Learn to create a welcoming retreat that harmonizes with your home's architecture and enhances the beauty of your garden.

(122) All levels 18 and older
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Hands-on Gardening: Mulching and Edging

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Improper mulching can do far more harm to plants than not mulching at all. Learn how much mulch is enough, where to spread it, and the best material to use, as well as how to edge your garden for a professional look.  Please dress for the weather.

(122) All levels 18 and older

The Elegant Edible Garden

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL

Uncover the art of blending functionality with elegance in your vegetable garden design. Explore innovative techniques for integrating vegetables and herbs into ornamental landscapes. Join us for a stroll through the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden to gather further inspiration.

(122) All levels 18 and older

Bring Your Own Tree Bonsai Workshop

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL

Do you have a bonsai tree you’re just not sure what to do with? Bring your tree of any species for consultation with the Garden’s bonsai curator and learn new techniques for style and design in this studio-style workshop.

(122) All levels 18 and older
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Terrarium Maker's Workshop

Evanston Art Center @ 1717 Central St, Evanston, IL

Do you love terrariums? Are you curious about growing things, and want to start small (really small)? Are you already making terrariums, but want to find new techniques and inspiration? This workshop is for you! We will be making terrariums inside glass vessels of your choosing, using beach rocks, sand, soil, even crushed ceramic pieces and dryer lint. In this workshop, you will create beautiful miniature gardens you can take home and watch...

(83) All levels 9 and older
No upcoming schedules

Annuals and Biennials

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Annuals and biennials have a rich tradition and exciting future. During this course, focus on the most popular cool- and warm-season species along with a selection of the new cultivars and unusual plants, all of which are well-suited to container and in-ground gardening in the Midwest.  Learn plant identification and cultural information and see examples of refined plant combinations and intriguing planting styles.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$400

13 sessions

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Hardy Bulbs

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Discover the secrets to creating stunning gardens with an array of vibrant and resilient bulbs. Master the art of identifying over 60 hardy bulbs, corms, and tubers, and gain valuable insights into their blooming patterns and cultural needs. Elevate your gardening expertise and bring your clients' gardens to life with this comprehensive course.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$499

7 sessions

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Growing Ornamental Plant Materials

Chicago Botanic Garden

Learn the basic techniques and some special tips needed for establishing and maintaining a healthy garden in the Midwest. Some of the many topics to be covered include planting, pruning, water and turf management, weed and pest control, maintenance of new landscapes, and specific methods for growing herbaceous and woody plant groups such as bulbs, ericaceous plants, container plants, and others. Gain hands-on experience in the Garden.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Gardening Techniques

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road Glencoe, Chicago, IL

Students will be introduced to professional gardening through a combination of lecture and hands-on activities. Focus is on acquiring solid gardening skills, learning about a variety of techniques, and developing the ability to determine best practices.  Topics range from plant selection to the identification and control of weeds and other horticultural practices.  Prerequisite:  Botany 1 Note: PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$312

6 sessions

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More Flowering Shrubs

Chicago Botanic Garden

Beyond the 65 shrubs in the Deciduous Flowering Shrubs course, there are many other hardy shrubs suitable for our landscape. Discover more than 35 new shrubs, less common shrubs, and new varieties of existing shrubs.  This class will be taught online via Zoom. Registered students will receive login instructions one day in advance.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Gardening Techniques: Session D

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Learn tips and techniques used by professional gardeners through a combination of lecture and hands-on activities. Acquire solid gardening skills, learn a variety of techniques, and determine best management practices in the field of horticulture. Gain applicable skills in plant selection, perennial and annual care and maintenance, pruning techniques, tool maintenance, and identification and control of common weeds. Dress for the weather. A supply...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$374

6 sessions

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Ground Covers and Vines

Chicago Botanic Garden

Learn more about the fascinating world of climbers, trailers, and spreaders. You will learn identification techniques, ornamental qualities, and cultural traits of nearly 60 ground covers and vines. Plants studied will include the common English ivy and vinca as well as lesser-known cultivars of clematis and coral-bells. OPC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement Also includes Garden Walks Meet at Visitor Center 6 Saturdays, July 23 – August 27, 2022,...

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Let’s Walk + Learn Foraging

The Resiliency Institute

Enjoy a foraging walk led by knowledgable guide, Dave Odd, to discover the abundance of edible plants growing within our communities.  During these walks you will be introduced to 4-7 edible plants that grow in our area. You will learn how to identify the plant, when to harvest, what part to harvest, tips on preparation, and how to ethically wildcraft. Recommended text for the series is The Forager’s Harvest by Samuel...

(2) All levels 16 and older
No upcoming schedules
$300
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Edible Landscapes Featuring Containers

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 3555 Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL

Transform a small space into a beautiful and functional garden. This class will show you the best practices for keeping edible and ornamental plants happy and healthy in your container garden. It includes hands-on work and an informative lecture with plenty of time for questions.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Seed Saving

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 3555 Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL

Learn the how and why of saving seeds for thrifty gardening and farming, biodiversity preservation, and food sovereignty. In this course, you will receive open-pollinated seeds to take home with you as well as information to help you feel confident saving seeds for future farm and garden seasons.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Weekend Designer Series

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

In this five-class series created for novice designers, you will learn basic design theories, site-planning techniques, and how to implement a design plan for your outdoor spaces.  Register for all five sessions at once and receive a ten percent discount. Series refund policy applies.

(122) Beginner 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
$180

5 sessions

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Chronicle of a Vegetable Garden

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Experience a full season of a Chicago vegetable garden with the focus on what to do, why, and when. During the session, you will follow a successful home vegetable gardener from plant selection all the way through harvest (and everything in between). Join us for a great opportunity to sharpen existing gardening skills and, perhaps, learn some new ones.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules

Fungal Diversity in Illinois

Chicago Botanic Garden @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Chicago, IL

Showcased in this course are the wild mushrooms of Northern Illinois, specifically those of Lake, Cook, DuPage, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside counties as they appear throughout the seasons. Learn defining characteristics, edibility, and idiosyncrasies of native fungi.

(122) All levels 18 and older
No upcoming schedules
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