Garden Club will tackle shady subject at seminar

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Committee members of the Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown are planning the annual Winter Seminar, which will take place Feb. 18 at Fellows Riverside Gardens. Members are, from left, Keith Kaiser, Bob Fink, Bill MacPherson, John Kolar and Larry Tooker.

YOUNGSTOWN

One of the most challenging feats of gardeners, yet also the most rewarding, will be the topic at The Men’s Garden Club of Youngstown’s annual Winter Seminar.

“Gardening on the Shady Side” will address the subject from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 18 at Fellows Riverside Gardens, 123 McKinley Ave., in Mill Creek Park.

Among the topics will be how to design and add color to the shady area, what plants are good for dry shade, and what’s new for the shade garden in 2012. Four garden experts will share their expertise. A registration fee of $40 ($50 after Feb. 11) includes a continental breakfast, lunch and door prizes.

The seminar will take place on opening day of the annual Twice-loved Book Sale at Fellows.

Mill Creek MetroParks co-sponsors the event. For more information visit the website mgcy.org/WinterSeminar.aspx or call John Kolar at 330-545-2266.

Among the garden experts are Danny Gouge, who has more than 30 years’ experience in landscaping/nursery. He is with Willoway Nurseries, one of the largest wholesalers in the Midwest.

He is a member of the Garden Writers of America and Speakers Bureau and is a popular speaker for garden clubs and master gardeners.

Dennis James has owned DJ’s Greenhouse for 29 years and knows hostas. He grows more than 200 varieties but specializes in a large selection of perennials for the shade.

He is a member of the hosta, daylily, iris, daffodil, rock garden and conifer societies.

Bobbie Schwartz owns Bobbie’s Green Thumb in Shaker Heights. She’s been an obsessed gardener for 45 years.

As a landscape consultant and designer, her signature is the use of perennials, flowering shrubs and ornamental grasses to boost color and interest all year.

She has won several awards for designs. She lectures nationally and is a regular contributor to publications on perennials and landscaping.

Joe Twardzik is a manager with Wolf Creek Co. in Oakwood Village, Ohio. The company specializes in irrigation, lighting, water features, pond aeration and fountains, fog systems and drainage.

His company serves Ohio, western Pennsylvania and eastern Kentucky.

WINTER SEMINAR

8:15 to 9:15 a.m.

Registration: Continental breakfast; book sale and signing by author Bobbie Schwartz; raffle tickets sold.

9:15 to 10:30 a.m.

Designing for dry shade: Often considered impossible, but there is hope. Plants that thrive in dry shade will be shown. By Bobbie Schwartz.

10:30 to 11 a.m.

Break: The annual book sale. Books to be sold and signed by author Bobbie Schwartz. Raffle ticket sale.

11 a.m. to noon

Shade gardening — beyond hostas!: There are many underused plants for the shade garden. Dennis James will introduce some foliage and plants to brighten up your garden.

Noon to 1 p.m.

Lunch: Drawing for door prizes, raffle tickets on sale, drawing for raffle winners 1.

1 to 2 p.m.

Color in the shade with herbaceous plants — perennials, vines and ornamental grasses: Learn about the nature of color, the best colors to use, emphasizing foliage as much as flowers and effective ways to combine plants for impact. By Bobbie Schwartz.

2 to 2:45 p.m.

Drip irrigation 101 — conserving water the easy way: Develop a home irrigation system and incorporate rainwater. By Joe Twardzik.

2:45 to 3 p.m.

Break: Raffle tickets on sale, drawing for raffle winners 2.

3 to 3:45 p.m.

New Year: New ‘Plants That Work’: What’s new in plants, trees and shrubs by Danny Gouge.

3:45 to 4 p.m.

Closing Remarks: Drawing for raffle winners 3.