WHO SHOULD ATTEND: The Know-How Series is designed for home gardeners of all levels of experience. Lecturers are senior Massachusetts Master Gardeners. Handouts are provided for most sessions, and there will be plenty of time for live Q&A with the speakers.

TOPICS: 

At the MMGA, we love to talk about gardening and horticulture. But we also like to listen.  We’ve selected four timely late summer/ early fall  topics based on countless discussions with home gardeners to create our four-week Fall Gardening Know-How Series.

• Growing and Forcing Spring Bulbs:  For a vibrant garden next spring, learn how to choose and plant bulbs. And for a glorious winter display, learn the trick to forcing bulbs indoors.

• Caring for Your Garden in Fall and Winter: Learn the newest science on putting your garden to bed for the winter, including what can be divided, pruned, cut down and mulched, as well as how to care for your soil (the foundation for next year’s garden).

• Overwintering Tender Treasures: Give your tender plants a winter staycation. Learn which plants you can overwinter indoors as well as how to care for them, including storing bulbs and rhizomes.

• Growing Lawns and Lawn Alternatives: Hear from an expert on how to establish a new lawn or rejuvenate an existing one, including proper fertilization, mowing and pest treatment. Or consider replacing it with alternatives that might need less care and resources.

FALL KNOW-HOW SERIES PRESENTERS are senior Massachusetts Master Gardeners (MGs) who are passionate subject matter experts and trained speakers. 

• Gretel Anspach – A Master Gardener since 1998, Gretel is a retired engineer with a passion for both  the art and the science of gardening. A sought-after MMGA Speakers Bureau presenter, her  repertoire includes a wide range of practical topics. She is also the volunteer manager of a food  pantry garden in Marlborough. 

• Tony Bonanno has been a Massachusetts Master Gardener since 2007. He designed, built, and  oversees the Victory Gardens at the Veterans Community Health Care Center, Lowell, and is the  horticulture leader for the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Concord’s outreach program.  Tony also chairs the Topsfield Fair Home Garden Committee.

•  Kathi Gariepy is a Lifetime Massachusetts Master Gardener and a former special needs preschool and kindergarten teacher.  Kathi has worked as lead teacher for the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, education coordinator for MassAudubon and studied landscape design at Rhode Island School of Design. She is also the recipient of the MMGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award (the Golden Trowel) and the MHS Silver Medal. Kathi is currently the chair of the Attleboro Conservation Commission.  

To ensure everyone has a great educational experience, space is limited. Registration closes once we are full or 5:00 PM, Saturday, August 5, 2023. Refunds for series cancellations must be requested by Saturday, August 5, 2023. Refunds not available for individual missed classes.