Garden Bees

If you've ever looked at your yard and thought,  “I know it could be something more, I just don't know how to get it there,” then Garden Bees was designed for you. Borrowed from the concept of “quilting bees,” a colonial American tradition to help your neighbor, build community, learn new skills, and sew your own quilts, this Garden Bees Course will help you build community, learn new ecolandscaping concepts, and install your own native plant garden by working together.

Over five Tuesday evenings starting Sep 23, you will learn how to think about your garden the way an ecological designer does. You'll learn everything from what your soil is saying to how to layer plants and build plant communities. Most importantly, you will have the opportunity to bring the vision in your head to life on paper and in your own yard with native perennials provided by IMAGINE Native Plant Farm. Fall is an optimal time for planting perennials!

In the end, you will have a personalized landscape design, a new community of native plant-loving friends, and a whole new level of knowledge about how to design and install native plant gardens now and in the future. Form your own small garden bee group of 1 - 3 others for a discounted price!

Program Details

Dates: Tuesday evening classroom instruction & garden design time: Sep 23 + 30, Oct 7, 14 + 21

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Location: First United Methodist Church, 428 Kenwood Ave, Delmar. Location of gardening: at your home and that of others in your garden bee group! (**See more below.)

Note: Additional time to be scheduled any time October through mid-November with your small garden bee group to install a garden at both your home and at theirs.

Participants will learn:

• Native plants that are suitable for our area and their ideal growing conditions, including and understanding of:

• ecotypes and ecoregions,

• the importance and function of native plants, and

• how to stretch your landscaping budget

• How to design a native garden that is both ecologically productive as well as aesthetically pleasing, including:

• site analysis

• matrixing

• layering

• seasonality

• plant communities

• transition and evolution - building dynamic spaces

• How to install a native plant garden, including:

• soil preparation

• plant installation best practices

• early care, and

• ongoing care and maintenance

Participants will:

• Attend 5 two-hour hands-on classroom sessions on native landscape design and how plants function in relation to each other and to the surrounding ecosystem

• Design a native garden for their own yard (up to 40’ square feet)

• Select plants from IMAGINE Native Plant Farm (based on class price below)

• Work with a garden bee group of 1 to 2 other participants to collaboratively prepare and install gardens in each other’s yards 

Cost: Pick your price level!

• $249 - 10 hours of classroom instruction (no plants provided)

• $487 - 10 hours of class with $300 worth of plants

• $749 - 10 hours of class with $600 worth of plants

**Interested in pulling together your own garden bee group? Bring 1 or 2 others with you and receive a 10% discount!

Frequently Asked Questions:

• I will have to miss one of the classes - will it be recorded and can I watch it afterwards? Yes, we will record sessions if there are absent participants.

• Can I wait to install some or all of my garden until spring? Yes, we just cannot ensure that class members will be available to help you beyond this fall season.

• Can I use my plant allowance to select plants from IMAGINE Native Plant Farm next spring? Yes, you may hold off and select plants in the spring, though we cannot guarantee the exact species we will have available. We highly recommend you plant most or all of your native perennials this fall while your ideas are fresh in your mind and the plants are focused on sending energy to their roots.

• What should I bring with me to class? A notebook and pen is all you will need. All other supplies will be included.

To enroll, click here! Call Pam with questions at 518-577-6068.

Accepting enrollment applications through September 21, 2025