Garden Day, an annual day of gardening classes presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County, will return Saturday, April 11, at SUNY Ulster in Stone Ridge, with several instructors from Saugerties, West Hurley, and nearby communities helping lead the program.
This year’s theme is “Create and Cultivate.” The keynote speaker, Kim Eierman, will present “Beyond Sustainability: Using Our Landscapes as a Source of Environmental Change” at 9 a.m.
The event will feature four class sessions from 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m., with offerings for beginner and experienced gardeners alike. Topics will include backyard ponds, garden design, soil health, shade gardens, vegetable growing, ornamental grasses, and creating meadows.
Among the local ties, Saugerties gardeners and master gardener volunteers are set to lead or co-lead classes on backyard ponds, soil health, and ornamental grasses, while David Thiergartner of West Hurley will teach a class on how notable gardens have shaped design, biodiversity, and well-being.
Among the 16 classes are:
“Creating a Backyard Pond: Things I Wish I Would’ve Known Sooner,” taught by Michael Piedmonte, a Master Gardener volunteer and retired teacher who started his backyard pond in Saugerties 30 years ago; and
“Down the Garden Path,” taught by Thiergartner, a Master Gardener volunteer, avid gardener, and award-winning interior designer, who will discuss the influence of 10 gardens, from California to Europe, on garden design, sustainability, biodiversity, and mental and physical health.
“We try not to repeat a topic two years in a row,” said Courtney Churchill, the Master Gardener volunteer overseeing Garden Day. “Many of this year’s classes,” she said, “will address garden design and plant selections.”
An Ask a Master Gardener table will also be available for attendees with gardening questions.
Master Gardeners are trained volunteers certified through university-affiliated Cooperative Extension programs who provide research-based horticultural information to the public.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County has presented Garden Day for roughly 30 years, aside from a three-year pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. Churchill said some of the most frequently requested classes focus on landscape design and ornamental plantings. More recently, she said, classes about creating meadows have grown in popularity. Churchill will co-teach the “Making a Meadow” class this year.
The training program for Master Gardener volunteers includes 120 hours of research-based instruction, supplemented with ongoing training and workshops. Within the first two years after qualifying, each Master Gardener completes 100 hours of volunteer work, which can include answering gardening questions by phone, letter, and email; identifying plants and insects; organizing plant sales; and helping raise awareness of environmental issues and garden-related public events such as Garden Day.
Walk-in registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Vanderlyn Hall cafeteria entrance at SUNY Ulster, 491 Cottekill Road, Stone Ridge. The registration fee is $65, and cash or checks will be accepted. Parking will be available in lots C and E.
Margaret Tomlinson is a contributing writer. You can send her an email at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.
