Valley View Farms has scheduled seminars to be helpful and fun for our community. In addition to our classes, we have many informative handouts, plant diagnostic services, water testing for ponds, and extraordinary signage on all of our plants. Most important, we have friendly, knowledgeable personnel to assist in any way we can.* This year we will be donating $5.00 for every project created in our workshops to the WBAL Kids Campaign.
What, when, and how to grow seeds is the subject of today’s seminar. Learn to start seeds for tomato transplants, peppers, basil, and other plants so that they are ready for the garden this spring. Liz will be demonstrating various techniques for starting seeds indoors, including how to make a seed tape.
Today will be filled with all sorts of events. Our early morning workshops will lead into our almost-famous Hip-Houseplant Revue! A plant clinic station, where we can analyze your plant, will be available all day. Buy your pot and plant from us, and we will pot it up at no cost, or coach you as you learn to repot. Join us for our last hurrah before flowering and vegetable plants take over the greenhouse in spring.
Styling bonsai to grow over a rock emphasizes the root system. Martha will demonstrate the technique during today’s class. Our Plants of the Month are Elms and Maples.
Participants will choose a staghorn fern, and a square wooden or cork plaque. Graham will guide participants on how to attach the fern, creating a living piece of wall art. She will discuss other ferns that might be planted the same way. Cost: $26.00 (Limited to 30 participants)
The Japanese Kokedama translates to "moss ball". We will provide today’s instruction as we transplant plants into muck, then wrap the roots in moss. String design will finish off the project. Kokedama balls can be displayed on a shelf or hung from the ceiling. Average cost of project $30.
Houseplants take the runway today. Our own greenhouse and garden center staff will help model the plants. Our Revue host, Cindi, will pair pots with our many plants. Eric will provide tips on the care of each plant. Garden shop personnel will join the fun, highlighting soils, fertilizers and other houseplant helpers. We’d love some of you to walk the runway with plants too.
Learn about houseplants that grow in little light for those areas in the home that are not near a light-filling window. We will discuss watering and other care tips for these Low-Light Legends.
Bring in your ailing houseplant for diagnosis and treatment by a member of our staff. Free
New to gardening? Learn about what plants need to grow, growing seeds vs. transplants, how to read seed packets and fertilizer labels, gardening zones and best planting dates, sustainable and organic gardening practices, dealingwith weeds, insects, diseases, when to harvest, planting in the ground or in containers, soil amendments, pH, and
other gardening practices. Carrie will lead today’s class and discussion.
Ginny Rosencranz joins us from University of Maryland Extension, Eastern Shore, for a look at early spring
ephemerals. These perennials and bulbs announce the arrival of the season with their beautiful blooms. Not long lasting, the plants go dormant soon after. Learn to grow, appreciate and cultivate the spring ephemerals for your own garden.
Learn the basics of vegetable and herb gardening using our handouts as tools to get started. We will discuss when and where to plant gardens, which herbs and vegetables are perennial, how to grow tomatoes and peppers, among many other things. Participants will then be instructed on how to grow a windowsill herb garden. Plants, pot and soil cost $30.
Learn about our incredible selection of herbs, locally grown, and including many hard-to-find varieties. Those interested may plant a 5- plant windowsill herb garden to be grown indoors until spring outdoor temperatures rise.
Cost: 5 plants, potting soil and planter $30.
Presented by Caitlyn and Greenhouse Staff
Lexie Lesser, Home and Garden Educator and Master Gardener Coordinator for University of Maryland Extension, joins us. The Bay-Wise Living Landscapes Program is a science-based, peer education program conducted by University of Maryland Extension that teaches Marylanders sustainable landscape and garden practices that promote clean water, healthy soil, native biodiversity, and climate-resilient communities. Lexie will give us growing tips and provide us with information to get our gardens Bay-Wise certified.
Time to break out the filters, check on the plants and fish and get the ponds going!
Our water garden manager, Tim, has all the information pond enthusiasts need to start things up for spring.
Join our own experts for information to get your lawn green and growing. We’ll discuss the best seed, fertilizer, crabgrass and weed controls and other amendments to use to make your lawn the envy of your neighborhood.
Speaker: Lawn and Garden Specialist John James