Upcoming Educational Programs at Brookside Gardens - March 17, 2011

[Howard Hartman]

Spring has finally sprung and the gardens are bursting with activity! After a long, cold winter, we here at Brookside Gardens are thrilled to be out helping the gardens wake up.   Stop by the gardens for a visit and see our Witchhazels in their early season glory, marvel at the later winter color of our Hellebores or just enjoy a stroll outdoors in the mid-70's predicted this Friday.   Because this is such a busy time for us, we thought we'd send two newsletters this month. This one is focused on some of the outstanding educational programs coming up this spring; later this month, look for another message focused on the gardens and general news and information updates about your local public garden. Rosalind Creasy, edible landscaping pioneer and prolific author of edible gardening books.   An Evening with Rosalind Creasy  We're feverishly preparing for Rosalind Creasy's visit to Brookside Gardens this spring. Ms. Creasy, an internationally recognized garden and food writer, photographer and landscape designer, will give two presentations in late April. First, on April 28, from 6:30-9:00pm, join us for an event to benefit Brookside Gardens and Montgomery Parks Community Gardens.   During her mouth-watering presentation, Edible Landscaping - The New American Garden, Rosalind will cover an A to Z list of her recommended beautiful edible plants for home gardens and present principles of landscape design particular to edibles. The revised edition of her book, Edible Landscaping: Now You Can Have Your Gorgeous Garden and Eat It Too! will be for sale in the gift shop. Join Rosalind after her lecture for a book signing and a reception featuring locally produced refreshments.   But wait, there's more...the Montgomery Parks Community Gardens program will offer an enticing array of edible plants for sale that evening, including unusual and hard-to-find vegetables and those that are particularly ornamental in a landscape setting.    Register online for course #132906. Fee: $35 or $30 for  Friends of Brookside Gardens (FOBG) members. Garden Writing & Poetry Workshops Gardens and the arts naturally complement each other. Gardens inspire us and we seek ways to reflect how they make us feel through painting, photography, music or the written word. This spring, we're proud to offer two writing workshops to our repertoire of educational programs.   First, join Pam Baggett, freelance garden writer and photographer for an all-day Garden and Nature Writing Workshop on Friday, March 25 from 9:00am-4:00pm. Learn to make your writing more powerful and to capture the intricate detail inherent in plants and gardens. Register online through ParkPASS for course #132950 or call 301.962.1451. Fee: $97 or $89 for FOBG members.   If poetry is more appealing, then join local poet and writing instructor Yvette Neisser Moreno for Inspired by Spring: Poetry in the Garden, a seven-week poetry workshop starting on Tuesday, April 5 and culminating in an optional poetry reading in the gardens on Sunday, June 5. Register online through  ParkPASS for course #132999. Fee: $135 or $122 for FOBG members. Pam Baggett, author of Tropicalisimo! and frequent contributor to national gardening magazines like Fine Gardening and Horticulture. Children's Cooking Program Looking for something to do with your 7-12 year old this Saturday morning? Why not enroll them in a cooking program with Danielle Navidi, one of the world famous Cook Sisters? Your kids will enjoy the tangy flavor of citrus fruits and learn how to use them in a variety of ways. Register online through   ParkPASS for course #135249. Fee: $20 or $18 for FOBG members. Floral Design Programs We offer a great line-up of floral design programs for adults throughout the year. Next week, join local artist Jane Pettit to create a one-of-a-kind vase with a mix of spring's brightest flowers. Register online through ParkPASS for course #134901. Fee: $44 or $40 for FOBG members.   Also this spring, don't miss AIFD-certified floral designer Karen Nelson Kent's 3-part series entitled Simply Chic. Create contemporary floral designs at home after you learn the basics of flower arranging and create three beautiful pieces under Karen's expert tutelage. Register online through ParkPASS for course #133150. Fee: $139 or $125 for FOBG members.     Help Brookside Gardens collect food for the Capital Area Food Bank through our Spring Food Drive. Donating is Easy! Bring your nonperishable food items to our Visitors Center between the hours of 9am and 5pm.   Brookside Gardens 1800 Glenallan Ave. | Wheaton MD 20902 mark.richardson@montgomeryparks.org | 301.962.1400