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This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Growing plants without soil using hydroponics promotes rapid growth and requires less water and space than conventional gardens. Learn what systems work best, which plants to choose, and how to ensure they get proper nutrition. While our focus is on home-scale...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Explore the basic principles underlying successful, environmentally friendly gardening, including the structure and physiological processes of plants and their relationships to the settings in which they grow. Students learn not only what to do, but why. Topics...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Design, plant, and harvest a cutting garden that's productive throughout the seasons. You'll get hands-on practice starting seeds to ensure you always have something fresh to cut. We'll cover traditional and unexpected annual and perennial cut flower species and...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Discover how to reproduce the plants you love! Learn the best ways to create cuttings and make divisions for propagating different species. We'll discuss what rooting material to use and how to care for your new plants as they grow. Practice repotting and take...

Explore the foundational tools needed to grow greens indoors. We will discuss materials needed (and alternatives) as well as ideal crop varieties, the benefits and drawbacks of direct sowing versus transplanting, and optimal conditions for successfully growing greens indoors. This class will be taught online via Zoom. Registered students will receive...

Winter may seem like the slow season for gardening, but there are plenty of things you can do to set yourself up for success for the rest of the year!  This session will cover dormant season pruning and transplanting for specific plant types, winter weeding and garden care, best tools and practices, and planning ahead for the new growing season....

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Whether in a shady corner or a sunny border, selecting the right plant combinations makes the difference between a ho-hum garden and one that gets rave reviews. Concentrating on perennials, learn to use color, texture, height, and bloom when combining plants to...

Both beautiful and durable, hostas are an ideal component in your shade and part-shade garden. Their variable sizes, colors, and textures pair well with a variety of other plants as part of your garden’s border.  Learn how to select companion plants to grow alongside your hostas that will contribute interest throughout the growing season. This...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Study the entire cannabis growing cycle, including best practices for critical harvest and post-harvest procedures, and how artificial lighting and carbon dioxide enrichment can help maximize production. We'll discuss the pros and cons of different grow sites and...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Discover the power, the allure, and the science of psychedelic mushrooms. Food journalist and former president of the New York Mycological Society, Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia, will discuss the biology of these potent fungi, their cultural history, and contemporary...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Raised beds make gardening easier. They allow you to successfully grow vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals in problem soils, gardens with limited space, or on rooftops and terraces. Raised beds are ideal in many therapeutic settings because they elevate the plants,...

Create your own kitchen garden designed around the food you love to eat - be it outside your back door or on your windowsill. You'll design a planting plan using historic examples and modern best practices and walk away with the techniques to maximize health and harvest, such as companion planting and succession sowing.

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s online garden design class is a virtual experience you can take anywhere!  Whether old or new, many homes have plantings that need to be refreshed or replaced. Learn the principles of good planting design and view a selection of plants, from shade trees to perennials, that work well, reduce maintenance, and provide...

This class will take place online. Registered students will receive login instructions. Put all your garden ideas into practice with this practical overview of the best layout plans and circulation patterns. Learn how to analyze space and proportions to create a coherent landscape design that complements both home and garden.

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s online garden design class is a virtual experience you can take anywhere!  How do you take your plans from the drawing board to creating the garden without being overwhelmed by the amount of work? Learn how to develop a shopping list and timeline to phase the work over several seasons. You’ll receive some useful...