March 19 is the First Day of Spring and if you’d like to step into the new season by brushing up on your gardening skills, Portland Nursery has an exciting assortment of free classes at their SE Division St. shop all month. Classes will be held in Hoop House 1 (the greenhouse behind the store). While it is a covered area with heaters, remember to dress for the weather of the day.
Weeds, we all have them, but can you identify them? Learn how to identify the most common garden and landscape weeds, along with some of the other invasive species of the region Sunday, March 10, 10 am from the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District. The class will walk through how these fast-growing plants can take over an area and provide some simple, yet effective, tips that will help you get the upper hand without turning to synthetic herbicides.
The following Saturday, March 16, 10 am, Nick Canino of Rhythm Seed Farm leads Mushrooms in the Garden: Symbiotically Integrating Edible & Medicinal Fungi Into Your Landscape. The class will cover the most common species of mushrooms that grow well in Pacific Northwest gardens, inoculation, site preparation and ways to interplant mushrooms with vegetables for a truly symbiotic garden ecosystem.
Saturday, March 23, 10 am the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District will lead a class through the benefits of gardening with native plants. It will cover common native plant communities in Portland, provide examples of species that do well in similar growing conditions, share successful planting tips to help them thrive and more. Walk away with loads of information so you can decide which native plants will work well in your yard.
Got slug woes? With their ability to lay up to 500 eggs each season, it’s no wonder. Portland Nursery’s Claudia Groth leads Slug Hunting: Know Your Enemy Saturday, March 30, 10 am. Don’t let slugs and snails get the best of your garden by learning about the behavior and biology of these fascinating, though pesky creatures during the fun and fascinating presentation. Then you can go home and use what you’ve learned to protect your garden.
The month finishes out Sunday, March 31, 10 am with a class on rain gardens. Learn from the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District how to assess your site to determine the best location and size, calculate impervious surfaces, determine soil suitability, choose appropriate plants and how to maintain your new rain garden.
Visit portlandnursery.com/events/current-classes to register. Classes are held at 9000 SE Division St.