News Article
Have you heard of the Vermont Community Botanic Garden (VCBG)?
Well, at the moment, it's still a plan on paper, but in a few years the first phase--an expanded community garden, kids' garden, demonstration flower garden, and ethnic heritage garden--should all be completed and open for visitors. In the latter, Native Americans, Southeast Asian refugees, and other ethnic groups will demonstrate how to grow food and flowers from their culture.
The botanical garden will be located on 20 acres of land owned by the City of South Burlington at the corner of Dorset and Swift Streets. The National Gardening Association's education department also will be housed here and will work with the botanical garden to oversee the demonstration gardens and help teach educational workshops offered through VCBG.
For $15 individual/$25 family, you will receive a year's subscription to the newsletter, which includes gardening information, garden updates, and listings of workshops and events. You'll also receive discounts on workshops and gift items and invitations to special events.
The $50 Garden Friend membership entitles you to all of the above plus a free year's subscription to National Gardening Magazine. For a $100+ Business/Organization membership, you receive all the benefits of the Garden Friend level and special mention at all the events and in the publications. A $500 contribution gives you all of these benefits plus a free one-hour consultation with a botanic garden horticulturist, or a free gardening workshop for your members or employees.
Five names will be drawn from the first 1,000 people to send in their membership fee. These winners will receive a lifetime family membership. Please send your check, payable to Vermont Community Botanic Garden, to VCBG, 1100 Dorset St., S. Burlington, Vt. 05403. Include your name, mailing address, phone, and e-mail address.
So what's on the drawing board for VCBG?
The 2000 workshop series will be held at the VCBG site. The fee is $5 for members, $10 for non-members, with all proceeds going towards the establishment of the VCBG. Preregistration is encouraged as space is limited in some of the workshops. Call (802) 863-1308 to register or for more information.
Please clip and save the following schedule of classes:
March 25--9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Designing Your Flower Garden. This hands-on class, taught by landscape designer Jessie Bradley of Charlotte Flower Farm, will show you all you need to know to design your own perennial or annual flower garden. Bring paper and pencils, so you can design your own garden in class. A follow-up session will be held in May (date to be determined) to install one of the designs on site.
April 15--10 to 11 a.m. Wildflowers in Your Garden. Art Gilman, a Marshfield naturalist, will discuss great native and non-native wildflowers you can grow in your garden, and offer tips for growing them successfully.
May 6--10 to 11 a.m. Landscaping for Wildlife. Steve Parren, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, will recommend trees, shrubs, and flowers to create a garden habitat that will attract birds while keeping unwanted wildlife away.
June 5--6 to 7 p.m. What is the Vermont Community Botanical Garden? This free workshop, led by landscape designer Jane Sorenson, will introduce VCBG to the public. Participants will walk the future site to learn about the types of gardens planned, including the children's garden and butterfly garden.
June 14 and 28--6:30 to 8 p.m. Got a Garden Problem? Charlie Nardozzi, senior horticulturist at National Gardening Association, will look at common insect, disease, and weather-related problems in the garden, and their cures. This workshop is free to all community gardeners.
Sept. 9--10 to 11 a.m. Growing Medicinal Herbs. Learn how to create your own home pharmacy of easy-to-grow medicinal herbs with Barbara Nardozzi of Bramblewood Gardens.
Sept. 9--10 to 11 a.m. Garden Crafts with Kids. This workshop will be held at the same time as Growing Medicinal Herbs for parents who want to leave their kids here while they take that class. Other children also are welcome. Participants will create seasonal gardening crafts in the botanical garden with the help of Sabrina Milbury, a local garden educator.