Art of Gardening
Offered through EICC's Office of Continuing Education, Art of Gardening is one of
our most popular seminars. Hundreds of gardeners and plant enthusiasts flock to the
college each year for the event. Its mission is "to educate and inspire others to
seek enjoyment and fulfillment through a variety of home gardening-related topics
and activities." No matter if you're a seasoned gardener or just starting your journey, we invite individuals of all skill
levels to participate.
Immerse yourself in a variety of engaging topics and activities centered around gardening. Learn from Master Gardeners as they share their knowledge and insights, providing valuable tips and techniques to enhance your gardening skills. From cultivating vibrant flowers to growing your own delicious produce, explore the artistry of gardening and unlock your green thumb potential.
This year’s seminar will be held:
Saturday, March 15, 2025
8 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Muscatine Community College
Cost: $55, includes lunch. Note that some sessions have additional workshop costs.
Keynote Speaker Anne Ventullo
Nurtured by Nature: Understanding the Science Behind Plants as Medicine and Well-Being
Explore the healing power of nature in our workshop, "Nurtured by Nature." This immersive experience emphasizes the role of plants and time in nature as vital sources of wellness, highlighting their potential to restore balance and promote holistic health. Participants will leave with a deeper appreciation for nature as a source of healing, practical skills for using plant as medicine, and a renewed sense of connection to the natural world.
Schedule
- Registration: 8 - 8:30 a.m.
- Session 1: 8:30 - 9:20 a.m.
- Session 2: 9:30 - 10:20 a.m.
- Vendor and Coffee Break: 10: 25 - 10:55 a.m.
- Session 3: 11 - 11:50 a.m.
- Lunch and Keynote Speaker: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
- Session 4: 1:40 - 2:30 p.m.
- Session 5: 2:40 - 3:30 p.m.
Session Opportunities
- Small Deck Decorating!
Deborah Walser
These decks are often overlooked, whether you rent an apartment or own your condo. Join me as we dive into making a place that you can truly enjoy outdoors! We'll explore coverings for the floors that you can easily take with you when you move. Even if you have a very small deck, we can use small chairs and hanging plants to create a cozy oasis. And let's not forget about blocking your neighbor's view of your small deck. Get ready for some exciting ideas! Bird Friendly Gardens and Landscaping! Deb Walser LCMG-Choose wisely on planting new landscapes. Whether it is one tree or a dozen we can plant for the birds. We will start with native trees and how important the insects and caterpillars to the birds. Then move on to native fruit trees and on to other trees that hold the berries for a winter snack. A little bit of feeder information to keep the birds visiting all winter. Including beautiful pictures of the winter birds - Raised Bed Gardening: Thinking Outside the Box
Laura McGinnis and Maria McCalley
Got an above ground space, even a large space? Learn how to utilize those spots in new and different ways from these Greenhouse Experts! - Understanding Food Recovery Programs to Provide Healthy Food for All
Nora Dwyer
Presentation will underscore how food recovery programs can assist in promoting and providing healthier food options for clients of food pantries and supplemental nutrition programs to enhance their ability to consume healthier foods. In addition, to describing how LEAP, an initiative to promote physical activity and increase consumption of healthier foods aligns with the objectives of Master Gardeners and others interested in growing consumable foods for themselves and their communities. - Earth Friendly Lawn Care
Phil Pfister
You CAN have a great-looking, neighbor-pleasing lawn and still be earth-friendly. Join Phil as he explores the various techniques used to maintain a safe and healthy lawn, including organic options and the responsible use of chemicals. - Growing Alliums of All Sorts
Ray Wolf
Learn about growing edible onions and their ornamental relatives. The presentation will include details about culture, varieties and their use, and share examples of the wide variety of allium choices that are available to gardeners. - Insects in Your Garden: The Good (pollinators and predators), the Bad (pests) and
the Commensals
Paul Mayes
Plants and insects interact continuously in the yard and garden. This presentation will provide information on beneficial insects, insects that can be detrimental to your plants, and those that may have little effect, but are present. Detailed explanation about destructive and recent invasive insects will be shared.
- Garden and Life Transitions: Aging in Place with your Garden
Brandy Olson
Adapting your garden to fit your changing lifestyle, making gardening upkeep easier as you age. - Beyond Stella and the Ditch
Heather Harroun
A venture into the surprising world of hybrid daylilies . Discover exciting new developments in daylily breeding and see how they can enhance your flower garden. - Messing with Macro Photography
Kari Pohl
You love your garden and talk about it all the time with your friends and neighbors. Have you ever wished that you could show them instead? This class will give you tips and tricks to get the best small scale photographs to encapsulate the beauty and wonder your garden has to offer. There will be a particular focus on bug photography and ID as well. - Growing Together: Engaging Young Minds in the Wonders of Gardening
Kristin Schaapveld
Getting kids involved in the garden can be a rewarding and educational experience. We'll explore new ideas and benefits of getting into the garden together. - 2025 New Annuals and Perennials
Laura McGinnis and Maria McCalley
Curious about the newest plants hitting the market but hesitant to try them? Fear not! In this workshop, we’ll introduce you to the fresh faces of the 2025 growing season—new perennials designed to thrive in your garden. We’ll explore how these “newbies” blend with your tried-and-true favorites, ensuring a harmonious garden that balances the new with the familiar. - Laura Musser McColm's Japanese Garden
Melanie Alexander
In fall 2023, the Muscatine Art Center completed the rehabilitation of Laura Musser McColm's Japanese Garden. Recent research has shaped the stories told about the garden and our understanding of some of the reasons why Laura had a Japanese-style garden installed on her property in 1930.
- Bird-Friendly Garden and Landscape
Deborah Walser
Choose wisely on planting new landscapes. Whether it is one tree or a dozen we can plant for the birds. We will start with native trees and how important the insects and caterpillars to the birds. Then move on to native fruit trees and on to other trees that hold the berries for a winter snack. A little bit of feeder information to keep the birds visiting all winter. Including beautiful pictures of the winter birds - Spring Training for the Master Gardener
Gretchen Schroer, PT, DPT, CEEAA, CEAS I
Come ready to move for this session and discover strategies to avoid injuries getting in the way of your gardening plans this spring! Learn exercises to keep your body strong, flexible and balanced from a physical therapist and master gardener. We will also discuss strategies and special equipment for increasing enjoyment and safety with gardening. - Moonlight Gardening
Heather Robertson
Join us as we explore Moonlight Gardening and learn how you can create an evening garden oasis. In this class, we will cover what a moon garden is, the history of moon gardens, how to design one and plants to consider. - Organic Vegetable Gardening
Phil Pfister
With all the pressure on the environment and health, growing vegetables organically is all the more important. Linn County Master Gardener, Phil Pfister, will provide techniques to help you maximize the production of your garden, including insect control, without using harmful chemicals. This class is recommended for gardeners of all levels of experience who want to enjoy the healthful benefits of organic gardening. - Citizen Science Opportunities for Gardeners
Ray Wolf
There are many garden-related Citizen Science opportunities available to the interested gardener to enhance your gardening experience and contribute to improving the environment. Each of these opportunities will be explained including requirements for participation and the benefits of each. - It’s the Bees, the Flowers, and then it’s Mead!
Scot Schaar
Learn the ins and outs of Mead making. It’s all about the bees, the flowers , honey and then it’s Mead to drink and share. Join the fun in making homebrew!
- Healing Landscapes: Trauma-Informed Landscaping and Nature Therapy
Anne Ventullo
This workshop explores the intersection of trauma-informed practices, landscaping, and nature therapy. Participants will explore a case study which explores how one Iowa nonprofit supports their clientele through nature therapy. Folks will also leave with ideas about how to create healing environments that foster resilience and well-being in their own lives. - Gardening For Good Health
Diane Wiesenfeld
The benefits of gardening extend far beyond growing beautiful flowers and fresh vegetables. Gardening also keeps us active and in tune with our natural surroundings. Join Diane Wiesenfeld, LCMG, RN, to discover the many ways gardening improves both physical and mental health among people of all ages. - Move Over Grass, We Now Have Flowers to Plan!
Jon Koch
How to convert lawns to biodiversity powerhouses. Grass is fine for borders and where you want to walk, but the potential to help your natural habitat and those animals that live in it is immense with little effort. Become a part of the natural environment and enjoy the diversity it invites! - Small Garden, Big Yield: Steps to Becoming a Self-Sufficient Vegetable Gardener
Kari Pohl
Whether you are just beginning, or a seasoned vegetable gardener, we can all use some new knowledge about how to get the most out of our gardens. By using a technique called interplanting, and strategically placing certain vegetables next to each other based on space needed, you can grow hundreds of pounds of produce in one season. Whether you are working with 10 square feet, or 10,000 square feet, this class can help you bring your vegetable garden to the next level. - Low Maintenance in the Perennial Landscape
Mary Danner
Weeding and deadheading stressing you out due to lack of time or mobility? Learn tips to reduce your workload and select easy care perennials in your garden. - Rain Gardens--a Community Approach
S. Keyron McDermott
How to pick a site, plan, design, install, work with volunteers and maintain a rain garden with and in your community. Illustrations, generalizations and lessons from the spring '24 planning and installation of a rain garden on city property adjacent to the Legion Park in Cascade, Iowa.
- Hands On: Thinking Outside the Window Box: Crafted Flowers for All Season Enjoyment
Belinda Brain
Bring the beauty of gardening into every season and space by learning how to create realistic flowers through common crafting materials. This hands-on presentation will cover techniques and allow participants to leave with their very own crafted flower. Hands-On Session Fee: $10 - Hands On: Kokedama
Brandy Olson
Kokedama is a ball of soil covered with moss on which a houseplant is grown. It can be wrapped in twine, monofilament, wire or other decorative material. It is a "no pot" method of displaying houseplants. It is a lower cost hands on activity. Materials needed include soil mix ingredients, sheet moss, rooted cuttings, twine/wire or other wrappings, beads for decorating the twine/wire, gloves, a bin, paper towels, etc.This is accessible for all ages and enriches the indoor environment with plants. Hands-On Session Fee: $25 - Hands On: Spring Wreath Design and Take
Charles Brooke
Make a spring wreath for your door, wall, or a special wreath to lay at the cemetery. Silk flowers and greens will be utilized. $25 - 5 Gifts from Nature to You
Diane Wiesenfeld
Discover the hidden gifts of nature that can benefit your sense of health and well-being. You will have the opportunity to 1) Engage the five senses, 2) Build a cairn, 3) Practice the art of Earthing, 4) Explore the process of Attention Restoration and 5) Embrace the essence of impermanence. Depending on weather and group preferences, we may be outdoors, so please dress accordingly. - Enabling Lifelong Gardening!
Heather Robertson
Gardening is a healthy activity that you can enjoy your entire life. If you know a gardener who is elderly, disabled, or arthritic, help them enjoy gardening by learning how to modify common tools and get tips to enable lifelong gardening. - Donation Gardening: What it is and why it's important on so many fronts
Terri Hanson, Lynn Pruitt, Bonnie Reeb
Learn why Master Gardeners are using their expertise to meet food-insecurity in their communities; how the Growing Together Iowa grant program is relieving the financial burden while stimulating MG volunteers toward outreach; how various community organizations are pooling resources to solve serious health and welfare issues that exist around us; and how to grow fantastic vegetables in “mass” quantities.
Muscatine Community College
Campus Address & Directions
152 Colorado St., Muscatine, IA 52761
Campus Map
Questions?
We're here to help, call us at 563-288-6161 or 1-800-351-4669 with any questions about the event.