Visitors of all ages are invited to our 17,000 sq. ft. garden transformed from a former gravel parking lot to a
beautiful garden. Enjoy our ‘Garden Classrooms’ with Fragrance Garden, Insect and Pollinator Habitat, Waterwise Garden, Hellstrip Garden, the Community Garden with a collection of small Conifers and Companion Plants and our newest addition, a Pacific Northwest Native Pollinator Hedgerow. Numerous educational displays are spread throughout our garden, including nesting stations for our friendly and hard-working Mason Bees. Enjoy garden tours, free educational materials, Master Gardeners on hand to answer your questions, and self-guided displays. Fun hands-on activities for all ages!

Pre-registration is required for attendance.

A garden can be a place to enhance the senses through visual interest and alluring scents. It is a place to touch flowers, explore leaves, and listen to the sounds of nature. Gardens can include edible plants, and may provide cognitive stimulation. Learn about using gardens as a sensory experience. We will start in Building 4 and then take a short (5 min.) walk to the WCMGA Education Garden. Attendees are invited to bring a piece of interesting plant material to use in the class.

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We are already seeing impacts on Oregon’s urban and natural forests from climate change. What do those impacts look like? With forecasts for continued global warming, which trees might be the most resilient as we ponder future climate scenarios?

Pre-registration is required for attendance.

Learn about techniques to care for your garden soil by understanding key characteristics of soil, the importance of soil pH, ways to avoid soil compaction, creating your own garden mulch, using arbor chips to cover the soil, ordering a soil test and more. The in-class portion will be followed by a short 5-minute walk to the WCMGA Education Garden where some soil management techniques, and a hands-on demonstration of taking soil samples in order to test your soil are demonstrated.

* Class Approved for 1 hour of MG Education Credit

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Biological diversity is at the core of a resilient Earth. In this presentation Dr. Kaye will discuss the importance of biological diversity for ecosystems and human health using examples from the scientific literature. How we measure and restore diversity on the landscape, the ways in which biodiversity improves ecological functions, as well as the various means by which human health is affected by this diversity will be the central themes of this discussion.

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News outlets continue to carry stories about butterfly declines and bee losses. These essential insects are clearly facing challenges. The good news is that there are things we can all do to make our gardens, parks, and neighborhoods better for bees – and if we all do something, together we can have a big impact. Matthew Shepherd will discuss a variety of ways in which you can get involved with making your community pollinator friendly, from creating garden habitats to participating in community science to advocating for action at city hall. Matthew will also introduce you to the work of the Xerces Society and the many resources that are available to support your efforts.

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Did you know that Oregon has about 600 species of bees? This talk will describe some of the strange and weird bees that call Oregon home and the journey of discovery by the state’s volunteer Master Melittologists. We will also cover how to answer common questions from the public on wild bees.