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Session One

Four-Season Gardening in the Hudson Valley

Victoria Coyne, Garden Designer

Is a true four-season garden in the Hudson Valley possible—even through icy winters and unpredictable springs? Absolutely. In this inspiring class, Vickie shows home gardener show to design landscapes that evolve beautifully year-round.Through vivid examples, smart plant combinations, and striking vignettes, you’ll learn to layer structure, foliage, and seasonal stars for lasting beauty in every season.

Making a Meadow: A Work in Progress

Sarah Holsted and Courtney Churchill, MGVs

Creating a thriving meadow may look effortless in pictures, but behind every stretch of waving grasses and pollinator-friendly blooms lies a story. We’ll take you inside the continuing journey of two meadow projects, sharing the adventures and the misadventures that shaped them along the way. We’ll also talk about design and plant choices that could supplement or stand in for a meadow

Creating a Backyard Pond:Things I Wish I Would’ve Known Sooner

Michael Piedmonte, MGV

A pond in the backyard brings an interesting dynamic to the garden. With a little bit of planning, energy and grit, adding a pond will bring a new level of excitement to your gardening experience.

Down the Garden Path

David Thiergartner, MGV

Join us as we explore some of the world’s most influential and beautiful gardens. The journey down the path will delve into10 gardens from California to Europe. Each garden will be examined for the contributions it has made influencing garden design, sustainability, bio-diversity, as well as mental and physical health. And of course—the beauty they share with all of us.

Session Two

Borders for the Edges of your Property

Cecily Frazier, MGV

This class focuses on practical borders for real-world needs—not flower beds. Whether you want privacy, noise reduction,food, wildlife control, or to screen a view, we’ll cover mixedand single-species options, plant choice, size, and sun orshade needs. We’ll also address soil, water, growth time,maintenance, cost, and regulations to help you design a border that works.

The Evolving Garden

Marge Bonner and Ellen DeLong, MGVs

Learn how the Cornell Demonstration Garden, located at SUNY Ulster, began and evolved over the past 25 years. You’ll find out how a simple nine bed garden, focusing on xeriscape principals evolved into our present demo garden with a rain garden and pollinator meadow. See how the garden progressed, how practices changed over the years and how we are still learning.

Dormant to Dazzling: The Seasonal Journey of Flower Bulbs

Dottie DeMarco, MGV

This class explores bulbs beyond spring, revealing their fourseason potential indoors and out. Learn what true bulbs are,how they grow, and what they need to thrive. We’ll share design ideas for year-round color and interest, plus tips for care, pests, and common problems.

Fundamentals of Garden Design

Barbara Londa and Barbara Troan, MGVs

In this class participants will learn about the basic elements and principles of garden design. Understanding your site, choosing the style of your garden, creating a focal point, using pathways to lead the eye and adding structure to the design are all components that will be covered. Principles, such as unity, balance, and contrast influence the overall design but using elements, like color, form, and texture, can make an ordinary garden into an extraordinary one.