Class Calendar
Planning a Four-Season Veggie Garden
Friday, May 4
6 – 7:30 pm
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Using floating row covers, timely planting, and an appreciation of our maritime Northwest climate, Guest Speaker Peter Heffelfinger will help you get a good start on summer crops and get you thinking about the long-season crops for winter harvest (ex. kales, leeks, root crops, and brassicas). With later sowings for fall and winter greens, your garden will become a year-round outdoor ‘store’ offering just what you like to eat, fresh-picked from your own garden. A long-time Master Gardener, Peter Heffelfinger is involved with the ‘Eat Your Yard’ group in Anacortes and has maintained a large four-season garden near Campbell Lake on Fidalgo Island for over 25 years.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Designing Baskets for Sun and Shade
Friday, May 18
6 – 7:30 pm
reservations required but class is complimentary (class limit: 12)
Learn how to create sun or shade baskets using just the right combination of colors, textures, and shapes in this hanging basket design class. Our guest speakers, Kathy Hirdler, of Floribunda Designs, and Lily Hirdler, from Christianson’s Nursery, will help you design and create a memorable planting to last through the season. You can purchase a basket or container at the nursery or bring your own. Soil and fertilizer are provided but remember to bring your gloves.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Creating ‘Kitchen Garden’ Containers
Friday, May 25
6 – 7:30 pm
reservations required but class is complimentary (class limit: 12)
Growing edible plantings is fun and rewarding, and this class will help you create a ‘kitchen garden’ in a container (a great option if a full veggie garden isn’t practical). Christianson’s carries many varieties of edible flowers, fruits, vegetables and herbs that can be grown successfully in containers, together or alone. In this fun new class, Kathy Hirdler of Floribunda Designs, and Christianson’s Lily Hirdler will show you what edibles do well in containers and how to best combine them for both food and summer display. You can purchase a basket or container at the nursery or bring your own. Soil and fertilizer are provided but remember to bring your gloves.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Nursery Walk with Ani Gurnee
Saturday, June 2
1 – 2 pm
reservations required but tour is complimentary
Ani Gurnee from Aulos Design will lead you on a tour of our grounds and greenhouses, pointing out the hottest new arrivals and the plants that she has seen perform the best as time-tested winners. Bring your questions and be prepared to be informed and inspired for new ideas in the garden.
For tour reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Great Garden Gatherings
Sunday, June 3
1 – 2 pm
reservations required but class is complimentary
Perk up your patio and backyard with instant- impact plants and lots of little touches to dress up your summertime soirees. Our entertaining Christianson’s Nursery’s team of Cheryl Bonsen and Andrew Pickens will get you thinking outside the box for outdoor entertaining: scented geraniums wafting in the air … mini-topiaries on the picnic table … bold color combos to surprise and delight.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
June Bloom Walk with John Christianson
Saturday, June 9
1 pm
reservations requested but tour is complimentary
Join us in the garden as John Christianson shows us the flowering trees, late-season rhododendrons and early roses at the 11-acre English Garden of La Conner Flats, adjacent to our Nursery. The walk begins in our Schoolhouse Garden; from there you will stroll with John to discover the highlights of the season.
For tour reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Kiwis and Figs for Western Washington
Sunday, June 10
1 – 3 pm
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Add to your homegrown harvest with kiwis and figs that do well in the maritime Northwest. Growing tips and help on choosing varieties will be discussed by “Kiwibob” Bob Glanzman, owner of .The Puget Sound Kiwi Co., and Hildegard Hendrickson, charter member of the Seattle chapter of the Western Cascade Fruit Society. How soon can you expect to pick fruit from a new plant? Which varieties need help with microclimate protection? And what’s with some of the bizarre botany (hint: males and females and wasps)?
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
11 am – noon
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Expert in Japanese maples and passionate collector Charlie Morgan is ready to help you choose and care for this spectacular group of trees. “Bring your questions!” he urges, and promises straight answers about the pros and cons of different selections, with an emphasis on how to keep your maples healthy. Charlie is owner of Amazing Maples of Mukilteo. And as a bonus, Christianson’s has its huge assortment of Japanese maples on sale through Father’s Day weekend!
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Tough Little Jewels: The Hardy Fuchsias
Saturday, June 30
11 am – noon
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Your perennial garden can sparkle with sprays of hot pinks, cool blues and romantic pastels from May or June until frost with hardy fuchsias. Just familiar with the “fuchsia basket fuchsia” that appreciates a spot in the shade? Give your hardy fuchsia its glory in the sun! Fuchsia specialist Kevin Jones, owner of Jordan Nursery Greenhouses in Stanwood, will dazzle you with a slide show of varieties (there are more than 300 hardy in the Northwest) and information on growing these hummingbird magnets with ease.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Hypertufa
Saturday, July 14
10 am – 12:30 pm
reservations required ($35 class fee)
Local landscape designer and garden artist Kathy Hirdler of Floribunda Designs returns to Christianson’s to share her knowledge of making hypertufa containers and garden ornamentation. Make a hypertufa trough to take home for planting with alpine plants or sedums, while learning about hypertufa and other cement-based materials. Planters, water basins, stepping stones, leaves and sculptural pieces can be made using the techniques Kathy presents. All materials and supplies are provided, and students should wear gardening/work clothes or a sturdy apron and bring a trowel.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Chilled Soups for Summer
Saturday, July 21
11 am – 12:30 pm
reservations required ($10 class fee)
Warm summer days and the appearance of tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden bring to mind gazpacho and alfresco dining. Join chef Carol Roberge as she shares new twists on a classic summer soup. Think strawberries and fennel paired with yellow heirloom tomatoes for a taste as lovely as its apricot hue. How about Cucumber and Mint Gazpacho with Preserved Lemon Cashew Sour Cream? As for the star summer fruit, watermelon, you’ll learn to make an amazing chilled soup using some rather unlikely pairings. Carol, a graduate of Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, enjoys demonstrating that you need not sacrifice taste in the name of nutrition.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Better Blueberries!
Saturday, July 28
11 am – noon
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Keeping 350 acres of blueberry shrubs healthy and fruitful is the job of Skagit Valley’s Charlie Anderson, organic farm manager for Sakuma Brothers Farms. With the voice of experience (he also has grown organic pinot noir grapes in Oregon), Charlie has plenty of organic strategies and home remedies for getting a big harvest from this nutritionally loaded fruit. Also find out which varieties are best for home gardens in the Northwest.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Bountiful Bouquets, Safe to Sniff
Saturday, August 4
11 am – noon
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Learn the secrets of a beautiful, organic cutting garden – with both perennials and annuals – from Diane Szukovathy of Mount Vernon flower growers Jello Mold Farm. The farm embraces sustainable practices to grow more than 150 varieties of cut flowers, while nourishing a robust community of insects and wildlife that keeps the land in healthy balance.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Nursery Walk with Ani Gurnee
Saturday, August 4
1 – 2 pm
reservations required but tour is complimentary
New summer stunners and fall-planting must-haves are arriving at the Nursery all the time, and Ani Gurnee from Aulos Design reprises her popular tour of our grounds and greenhouses to acquaint you with the great options.
For tour reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Standout Pots and Stunning Plants
Sunday, August 12
1 – 2 pm
reservations required but class is complimentary
While our outdoor containers are on sale for 20 percent off, get help from Christianson’s Nursery’s Andrew Pickens to find the right pot among our huge selection: frost proof, glazed, terra cotta and more. Learn what shape and size will work best for you, and explore the dramatic effects you can get with year-round plantings.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
Desserts with an Herbal Inspiration
Saturday, August 18
11 am – 12:30 pm
reservations required ($10 class fee)
Chef Suzanne Butler will tempt your sweet tooth with treats enhanced by herb-garden snippets: anise hyssop ice cream … orange and rosemary bread pudding … mint chocolate mousse. Suzanne, a culinary arts instructor at Skagit Valley College, was Graham Kerr’s cooking assistant for many years and manager of the Mount Vernon Farmers Market. You’ll get fresh ideas for enjoying summer’s fragrant herbs.
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
A Way with Weeds!
Saturday, August 25
11 am – noon
reservations required ($5 class fee)
Eradicating weeds may be impossible, but you can find a new way of dealing with them in Ani Gurnee’s insightful look at how weeds work and what we can do to minimize their aggravation. Ani, of Aulos Design, will help you devise a weed-management strategy for different garden situations: Which are the worst of the worst? How do they get so out-of-control? Will composting kill weed seeds? And even, could weeds have beauty or value?
For class reservations, please call us at 1-800-585-8200 or 360-466-3821
