Upcoming Classes

Drawing plants isn’t always easy, especially when you’re faced with foreshortened petals, tricky tonal values, or overlapping shapes. In this four-session class, Carol Ann Morley will explore numerous ways to approach these visual problems and how to solve them with confidence. Learn how to build spatial depth and show space using techniques like atmospheric perspective.  With step-by-step guidance, you’ll gain skills to simplify what you see and conquer the curves of a curled leaf, the surface pattern of a gourd, or the layered shapes of a flower..

Length: 4 days
Dates:  January 5, 7, 9, & 12,  2026
Time: 10 am - 4 pm ET 

Learn when and how to collect seeds from native perennials, identify reputable seed sources, and understand the best methods for sowing seeds at the right time. Kim will also cover nurturing seedlings to ensure healthy growth and techniques for properly storing seeds for future planting.  Just in time to start your plans for the coming spring!

Length: 1 day
Dates:  January 12, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET 

In this class with Tara Connaughton, we’ll take the artistic opportunity to study the beautiful and unique succulents and/or cacti available in our local greenhouses. Students will be guided through creating a botanical illustration of their chosen plant, with lessons focused on observation, drawing, painting process, and capturing unique characteristics these plants have - such as powdery bloom and silvery greens. We’ll learn methods for accurate color mixing, how to layer watercolor to build value, and detail in our illustrations.

Length: 3 days
Dates:  Wednesdays,  January 14, 21, & 28, 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm ET 

Join us on site at The Kampong, a National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Florida, for five immersive days of botanical art. Home to an extraordinary garden, where the warm, coastal climate supports an astonishing range of tropical species. Working from an open-air classroom, you’ll explore foundational drawing techniques using live plant material. Starting with simple field sketches in graphite you'll study form, structure, and growth stages. Many specimens may be flowering or fruiting—and some may display multiple stages of development at once. Using watercolor you'll bring your studies to life!

All art abilities are welcome

Length: 5 days
Dates: January 26-30, 2026

This class is our introduction series for botanical art beginners. 

In this six-week class, Sarah Roche introduces you to the traditional art and science of botanical drawing and painting. Focus includes observational skills, drawing, composition, design, and watercolor techniques. Sarah provides plenty of demonstrations, individual attention, and detailed feedback to make this a perfect beginner class.

Winter Topic: Nuts. Use the forms and textures of nuts in their shells to explore the potential of a limited palette and dry brush detail.

Length: 6 Days
Dates: Varied, starting on February 2, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET 

In this six-week class, refine your drawing and watercolor techniques with Sarah Roche as you focus on achieving the accurate representation of botanical subjects. 

Winter topic: Winter twigs with lichen and mosses..

Prerequisite: Artists enrolling in this class should have successfully completed at least two Foundations courses and have the permission of the instructor.

Length: 6 Days
Dates: Tuesdays, February 3, 10, 17, 24 & March 3, 10, 2026 
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET 

Raise the bar for creating nonstop, color-rich gardens while dramatically reducing maintenance. Join Kerry Ann Mendez for an inspiring presentation focused on foliage-forward plant selections. Discover smart design strategies that deliver year-round interest in both sun and shade, and learn how to craft visually captivating—yet surprisingly low-effort—gardens. This lecture is ideal for gardeners in Hardiness Zones 3–8.

Length: 1 day
Dates:  February 7, 2026
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET 

This lecture focuses on how to select perennials and flowering shrubs that reliably perform in real-world gardens, including those with challenging growing conditions. Drawing on more than 30 years of personal plant trialing, along with results from reputable trial gardens around the country, Kerry highlights resilient and high-impact plants that have consistently shown strong results. This lecture is ideal for gardeners in Hardiness Zones 3–8 and includes exceptional natives and nativars.

Length: 1 day
Dates:  February 21, 2026
Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET 

This lecture explores the concept of cues to care—the design strategies that signal purpose, stewardship, and thoughtfulness in naturalistic gardens. The idea was popularized in the 1990s by landscape architect Joan Nassauer, who studied how people perceive ecological landscapes. We will examine how small interventions, such as defined edges, plant layering, and well-placed focal points, can transform a native garden from appearing “wild” to being read as intentional and artful.

Length: 1 day
Dates:  February 25, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET 

This five-part pruning workshop series is designed to build confidence and skill by teaching what to prune, when to prune, and why timing matters throughout the garden year. Participants will explore the seasonal growth cycles of trees and shrubs and learn how pruning decisions impact plant health, structure, flowering, fruiting, and long-term performance.  Each workshop focuses on a distinct pruning window, from late winter through dormancy, and highlights the plants best suited for pruning during that season.

Length: 5 Days
Dates:  February 28, April 11, May 30, July 19, and November 14,  2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET 

Late winter is a critical time for setting plants up for success. Using this season to plan ahead for summer and fall-flowering shrubs/trees, this session will cover pruning strategies that encourage strong growth, flowering, and fruiting.  Topics include managing winter damage, renovating overgrown plants, and preparing evergreens for the growing season ahead. Participants will walk the garden with the instructor and use real plant examples to observe structure, identify pruning opportunities, and discuss appropriate techniques for this important seasonal window.

Date:  February 28, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET 

In this three-session class with Sarah Roche, learn the dry brush techniques used to paint on the archival surface of calfskin vellum. Plenty of demonstrations and tutorial time will make this class an ideal introduction to this archival art form. Aromatic spices – cinnamon, cloves and star anise – share a subtle palette as well as an evocative aroma and are perfect to capture in a watercolor study on vellum.

Length: 3 days
Dates: March 6, 11, &  13, 2026
Time: 9:30 am - 1:30 pm ET 

Learn best practices and proper timing for essential early-season garden work that lays the foundation for a healthy, resilient landscape. This class looks at the what, when, and why behind key spring gardening tasks, helping participants make informed decisions as the growing season begins. Touching on topics like soil testing and amending, fertilization, pollinator and insect protection, transplanting and division, weed management, mulching, and irrigation. 

Length: 1.5 hrs.
Date:  March 14,  2026
Time: 10-11:30 am ET 

Get color confidence. Susan T. Fisher teaches you a system for combining colors consistently so you won't have to settle for the ones you end up with through trial and error. Lots of exercises, discussions, individual attention, and demonstrations will show you how to achieve the broadest possible spectrum. You'll get answers to many of your questions as we discuss the various properties of paint. Familiarize yourself with the codes to quality paint and choose pigments that will endure. 

Length: 5 days
Dates: Daily, March 16 –20, 2026
Time: 10 am - 1 pm ET 

Meadowscapes mimic natural grassland systems and provide a dynamic, low-maintenance alternative that supports biodiversity and ecosystem health. Explore the ecological functions of meadows, including their role in improving soil health, supporting pollinators and beneficial insects, and providing food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. You’ll gain an understanding of plant community dynamics, seasonal succession, and how different species interact to create a resilient, self-sustaining system.

Length: 1 day
Dates:  April 13, 2026
Time: 6 pm - 8 pm ET 

Focusing on early spring–flowering shrubs that have just bloomed on old wood. This brief but powerful pruning window is when plants respond most vigorously, making timing and restraint especially important. Participants will learn how to manage winter damage, renovate plants thoughtfully, and—just as importantly—identify what not to prune during this explosive growth period. Attendees will discuss pruning decisions that balance plant health, bloom preservation, and long-term structure.

Date:  April 11, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET 

Addressing the majority of spring-flowering shrubs and trees that have recently finished flowering. This session explores how timing affects both structural integrity and aesthetic form. Participants will learn how to shape plants after flowering, correct structural issues, and make pruning choices that support long-term health and visual balance. Instruction takes place in the garden, using seasonal plant examples to demonstrate pruning techniques and decision-making in context.

Date:  May 30, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET 

 By mid-summer, most spring growth has finished, making this an ideal time for certain types of maintenance pruning—especially for evergreens, which can be pruned now with minimal growth response. This session will cover how summer pruning differs from earlier seasonal approaches, what plants benefit most during this window, and how to maintain plant form and health without overstimulating growth. Participants will tour the garden and examine plants to better understand summer-appropriate pruning strategies.

Date:  July 19, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET 

 focuses on dormant pruning for deciduous trees and shrubs. With leaves gone and plant structure fully visible, this is a critical time for addressing long-term structural issues, reducing risk of winter damage, and performing pruning tasks that should not be done during active growth.
Plants may include ornamental trees and late-flowering shrubs. Participants will learn why plants do not respond to pruning during dormancy—and why that lack of response is essential for certain types of corrective and preventative work. 

Date:  November 14, 2026
Time: 10-11:30 am OR 12-1:30 pm ET