The new year will bring several opportunities to learn about gardening, both in person and online.

ISU Master Gardeners Home Gardening Webinar Series

The ISU Master Gardener program is hosting a series of free webinars in January, February, and March. All ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend but participation is limited to the first 500 attendees. Visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/webinar-series to see more details and register for individual webinars (also find links to recordings of previous webinars). Free.The Winter Gardening Fair 2023 is a day-long event with more than 70 gardening classes and hands-on workshops. Tuition covers your choice of five sessions, horticultural-related society displays and vendors, a lunch, and complimentary beverages. 

Tuesdays in January (7 p.m.)

• January 3: Growing Crops in the Cold with Dan Fillius (ISU Extension & Outreach)
• January 10: Microgreens with Esther McGinnis (NDSU)
• January 17: Harvesting and Preserving Herbs with Bruce Black (U of I)
• January 24: Edible Landscaping with Cindy Haynes (ISU Extension & Outreach)

Thursdays in February (7 p.m.)

• February 2: Shade Tree Pruning – Make it a Habit with Jeff Iles (ISU Extension & Outreach) and Conifer Care for Iowa’s Landscapes & Windbreaks with Billy Beck (ISU Extension & Outreach)
• February 9: How to Tame Your Unruly Apple Tree with Winter Pruning with Suzanne Slack (ISU Extension & Outreach)
• February 16: Pruning Brambles with Gail Nonnecke
• February 23: Pruning Shrubs & Vines with Aaron Steil (ISU Extension & Outreach)

Wednesdays in March (6 p.m.)

• March 1: Cassian Schmidt Style Gravel Gardens – A New Effort in Sustainable Gardening with Ed Lyon (Reiman Gardens)
• March 8: Rain Gardens & Rain Barrels with Jennifer Welch (PCSWCD) and Cassie Druhl (PCPW)

Linn County Master Gardeners Winter Gardening Fair

The Winter Gardening Fair 2023 is a day-long event with more than 70 gardening classes and hands-on workshops. Tuition covers your choice of five sessions, horticultural-related society displays and vendors, a lunch, and complimentary beverages. 

It takes place in-person at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center in Hiawatha on Saturday, February 18. Registration is $59 for adults and $30 for students. View the sessions and descriptions and register at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/winter-gardening-fair.

Johnson County Master Gardener Continuing Education Program

JCMG is pleased to announce GreenState Foundation is the presenting sponsor of our 2023 continuing education hybrid program and we have a great lineup of speakers who will present on Sunday, March 5.

The three presentations will cover prairies, gardening and trees:

• 1 p.m., Native Plants, Kristine Nemec, Iowa Tallgrass Prairie Center
• 2:15 p.m., Community Gardening, Aaron Steil, ISU, Consumer Horticulture Extension Specialist
• 3:30 p.m., Planting Trees for Tomorrow, Nick McGrath, Trees Forever. 

Register to attend in-person at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ejg8grfa076ab83c&llr=gbsvfo5ab. The event will also be streamed via City Channel 4 and the JCMG Facebook page.

Second SUnday Winter Garden Forums

Presented by Project GREEN and the Iowa City Public Library

These informative free events are held at the Iowa City Public Library at 2 p.m. No registration required.

• Sunday, January 8: What’s New in the Garden with Dawn Bouslog, owner of Dawn’s Pleasant Valley Greenhouses.
• Sunday, February 12: Naturalizing Roadsides: Making a More Beautiful Iowa with Chris Henze, Johnson County Roadside Vegetation Manager.
• Sunday, March 12: Opportunities & Options for GREENER Tomorrow with Jane Wilch, Iowa City Recycling Coordinator.