KINGSTON, R.I. – May 15, 2006 — Amateur gardeners interested in learning more about their hobby are invited to participate in the third Summer Gardening School sponsored by the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension. This informal series of eight bi-weekly sessions, including tours of the URI Botanical Garden, will be held on Tuesday evenings from May 30 to Sept. 5.
“This year’s school is designed to provide gardeners with useful gardening tips and a thorough understanding of a wide range of gardening topics – from perennials to composting — so that both new and experienced gardeners can get more out of their time in the garden,” explained Rosanne Sherry, coordinator of the URI Master Gardener program.
In addition to sessions on perennial garden management and composting basics, participants in the Summer Gardening School may attend sessions covering wildflower gardening, vegetable garden basics, roses, organic pest controls rain garden design, and lawn care management.
“These are very informal sessions,” Sherry said. “They are not so much classes as evening strolls through URI’s gardens, lead by an expert in the field. Participants may attend as many sessions as they wish; it is not necessary to take the entire series.”
The sessions will be taught by a variety of URI Master Gardeners, Cooperative Extension staff and other experts. Most sessions will be held in the URI Botanical Gardens, located at 3 East Alumni Avenue, on the Kingston Campus. Some sessions will be held at URI’s East Farm, located on Route 108, about one mile south of Route 138. All sessions will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The fee is $15 for each lecture. No university academic credits are earned through this series.
For more information or to register for these events, call the Cooperative Extension Education Hotline at 800-448-1011. To download a registration form, visit www.urimga.org and click on the Summer Gardening School link on the left.