2008 Spring Adult Classes

Urban Forestry for the Homeowner
2 Saturdays: April 12 and 19 9 a.m. – noon
Instructor: Henry Hughes, BBG Director of Education
$40 Members / $80 non-members for both Saturday sessions
Class Limit: 20

Birmingham’s built environment is woven into a patchwork of trees. Large patches of native forests on Red and Shades Mountain are self-sustaining. Small patches, however, may be declining due to their high exposure to environmental stresses. The most challenged urban forests are those comprised of single trees spaced far apart – the way most trees are planted. Urban forestry connotes the management of stands of trees in towns and cities. Arboriculture, included within urban forestry, is the care of individual trees. This class will cover the elements of arboriculture and urban forestry relating to residential landscapes. Whether you have one tree in your yard or ten forested acres, this course is for you!

The field trip and the workshop at The Gardens may be switched, depending on the weather.

Part I – April 12:
We will take a field trip to observe individual trees and urban forests that have received outstanding care and those that are compromised by improper care or neglect. Emphasis will be placed on concepts of preventative maintenance and remedial plant health care that encourage sustainability of trees and urban forests.

Part II – April 19:
A lecture and hands-on workshop at the gardens will focus on the principles of tree care and the management of urban forests. We will cover the proper techniques for tree selection, planting, establishment, fertilizing, watering, pruning and removal. Planting site analysis, hazard tree analysis and proper methods of urban forest establishment and maintenance will be discussed. Best management practices for building and development in forests and around specimen trees will be included.

Using Google Earth to Integrate History and Geography:
“The Durban to Johannesburg Corridor”
Salon Talk with Wine and Hors d’oeuvres
Thursday, April 17, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. James Brown, Professor of History, Samford University
$15 Members / $30 non-members

Somebody once said that the best education in comparative cultures was to “read, travel, read, travel.” Dr. Brown will demonstrate how you can create “virtual travel” with your computer using a live connection to Google Earth and Panoramio. He will incorporate descriptive prose, embedded photos, image overlays, historical maps and web-based images and videos, to demonstrate movements of people across landscapes and specific historic events. The example of virtual travel will be the Durban to Johannesburg and Pretoria transportation corridor, a chapter in his new textbook on modern world history.

Beginning Floral Design
Tuesday, April 22 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Instructor: Evie Vare, Garden Club of America and Team Members
Workshop limited to 18
*Not available for a free member class
$45 Members / $90 Non-Members

Acquire the skills to design original, creative floral arrangements with other “budding” designers. Learn basic floral design techniques, container selections, and flower preparation secrets to help arrangements last longer. Materials provided include oasis, tape, o-bowl, and several flowers. Please bring clippers and a small selection of greenery which may include elaeagnus, fern, Lenten rose leaves, leucothoe, ivy, or aspidistra.

Papermaking By Hand
Saturday, April 26 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Instructor: Ella Robinson, The Paper Lady
Class Limited to 20
$15 Members / $30 Non-Members

Recycle your junk mail, and turn cabbage leaves into gift cards. During this fun-filled workshop, we’ll make decorative paper for Mother’s Day cards, shower invitations, thank you notes, and even a pretty paper brooch. Wear comfy shoes, and bring pressed flowers and leaves if you would like. All materials including leaves and petals will be provided.

Family Class
Orienteering with Families
Sunday, April 27 2 – 4 p.m.
(Rain date Sunday, May 4 2 – 4 p.m.)
Instructor: Taylor Steele, Naturalist
Meet on The Gardens’ Plaza
Families with children 9+
Class limited to 20
$10 Adult Members, $5 Child Members
$20 Adult Non-Members, $10 Child Non-Members

Never get lost in the woods again! Explore areas within The Gardens and, with excellent instruction from a naturalist, learn how to use a compass and map to find a site or your own location. Orienteering compasses, maps, and clipboards are provided---just bring your sense of adventure!

Old Stone Troughs: Hypertufa
Saturday, May 3 9 – 11 a.m.
Instructor: Fred Wilhelm, Master Gardener
Class Limited to 12
Location: The Gardens’ Potting Shed
*Not available for a free member class.
$50 Members / $100 Non-Members (materials and prep fee included)

Hypertufa is the art of duplicating the look of old stone troughs using an easy to prepare, concrete-based formula. Experience the excitement of making your own troughs to take home and enjoy in your garden, patio, or deck. Make both a round antique planter and a smaller bowl-shape planter suitable for a container garden of succulents or other small to medium plants of your choice. Planting advice will be given along with instructions for encouraging moss to grow on planters in a shady area, and for making birdbaths, and garden art using a variety of molding methods. Bring rubber gloves, garden trowel or small mason’s trowel and lots of enthusiasm!

The Miracle of Bird Migration
Sunday, May 4, 2 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Greg Harber, Audubon Society
Class Limit: 15, ages 12 and up
$40 Members / $80 non-members for both Saturday sessions

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is an ideal location to witness the miracle of bird migration firsthand. The variety of habitats within the gardens offers a veritable smorgasbord for Neotropical migrants returning to their breeding territories further north. This one-day class will entail a brief discussion on the basics of bird migration, instruction on bird-watching skills, followed by a migration survey in the gardens. Participants will have the opportunity at the conclusion of the survey to report their data on-line at the eBird.org/GCBO web site, where Greg regularly reports his sightings at The Gardens.

Pine Needle Basketry
Saturday, May 10 9a.m. – 2p.m.
Instructor: Ethel Owen, Designer/Craftsman
Class limited to 10
*Not available for a free member class.
$50 Members/$100 Non-Members

Thousands of people each year admire the Ethel Owen gourd baskets and pine needle baskets on display at events such as The Gardens’ Alabama Designer Craftsman Show and Bluff Park Art Show. Back by popular demand, award winning basket maker Ethel Owen will teach a lucky few this handsome craft. Pine needle basketry is a coiling technique using long leaf pine needles of America and raffia from palm trees of Madagascar. Ethel Owen will teach you the technique and get you started on a basket that you can finish at home. All materials will be furnished, but you need to bring the patience that is necessary for this almost forgotten craft. If you would like to bring your own long leaf pine needles (minimum 8 – 10 inches,) please feel free to do so. Bring a sack lunch.

Register Online!

Drawing and Prayer
2 Saturdays, May 17 and 31, 9–11 a.m.
Instructor: Dr. Craig Gallaway, artist
Class Limit: 15
$40 Members / $80 non-members for two Saturday sessions

Drawing simple objects in nature can be a pathway to what has long been known as contemplative prayer. Such drawing involves, for many of us, rediscovering the “right side” of our brains, and learning to draw what we see, not so much what we think. This way of tuning into creation can also open us to a kind of childlike fascination with the mystery of our world and our own lives. Emphasis will be placed on drawing first and then reflecting on the qualities of our own spiritual practice and prayer life. No prior training in drawing or religious instruction is required. Time for discussion included.

Materials needed: One 11” x 14” drawing tablet (such as a Strathmore drawing tablet) and two or three pencils of varying softness/hardness (2B, H, 4H).

Family Class
Mother Nature’s Family Projects
Sunday, May 18 2 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Taylor Steele, Naturalist
Children ages 6 - 11
Class limited to 20
$10 Adult Members, $5 Child Members
$20 Adult Non-Members, $10 Child Non-Members

“Mom/Dad, I’m bored and have nothing to do.” Ever hear those words? Find out how your child/children will never say those words again, and all you have to do is look in your backyard. Join Taylor Steele, Naturalist, for lessons on making baskets from cattails, dolls from grass, birdfeeders from tree limbs, toys from pine cones, and other natural keepsakes. All materials will be provided. Rain or shine.