Community Invited to 11th Annual Twilight Garden Series

Beginning gardeners and local green thumbs can learn about the best landscaping management practices, landscape structures and herb gardening at the annual Twilight Garden Series, beginning in June. The series is sponsored by Colorado State University’s Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State Cooperative Extension and the city of Fort Collins.

Twilight Garden Series workshops will focus on teaching beginning gardeners and local green thumbs about the best landscaping management practices, landscape structures and herb gardening. The series, consisting of three, two-hour workshops, will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on June 8, June 29 and July 13 at Colorado State University Plant Environmental Research Center, or PERC, at 630 W. Lake St. at the southwest corner of campus.

The first workshop on June 8, Garden Structures: The Outside Bones, will feature highlighting lighting, walls and walkways. Scott Johnson, a Colorado State landscape design student, will discuss landscape lighting. Joe McGrane, Colorado State Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture faculty member, will present a talk on walls and the use of stone in gardens. Dan McGuire of Earthpower Landscaping will speak on materials and methods used to construct walkways and paths in gardens.

Herb Gardening, held on June 29, will include care and selection, growing herbs and cooking with herbs. Mary Monroe, Colorado Master Gardener, will discuss care and selection of herbs. Sally Nelson of Windswept Farm will discuss growing, harvesting and preserving herbs. Chet Anderson with Fresh Herb Company will present cooking with herbs.

The final workshop, Managing Your Garden Wisely on July 13, will focus on water requirements during drought as well as maintaining trees and shrubs. The workshop will feature a presentation by Yvette Henson, Colorado State Landscape Horticulture graduate student, on her research on water requirements of annual flowers. Tony Koski, Colorado State Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture professor and Cooperative Extension specialist, will provide information on best management practices for turf management. Roberta Tolan, Colorado State Cooperative Extension specialist, will speak on best management practices relating to woody trees and shrubs.

Admission to the entire series or an individual workshop is $5 and refreshments and door prizes will be given. Workshops are held outdoors, rain or shine, so participants are asked to dress appropriately for the weather. No pre-registration is required. For more information, call (970) 491-7019 or (970) 491-7684.

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