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Fall 2010 Adult Classes
Fall/Winter Vegetable Gardening with C.J. Lawing
Tuesday, September 14th 9:30 am Cost: $5 (non-members: $10) Discover your green thumb—we all truly have one—and step fearlessly into the world of cool season vegetable gardening. Let C.J. simplify fall and winter gardening and leave you feeling empowered to create your own backyard vegetable garden. The class will cover the following topics: seed buying, seed resourcing, ideal vegetable varietal choices for the South, optimum garden sizes, planting techniques, basic soil amendment principles and organic fertilizers. She will also demystify materials for use in building easy structures for protecting your crops and extending vegetable production deep into the winter. At the end of the hour you will feel confident about taking it from seed to table.
C.J. Lawing has been keenly observing plants for over 10 years. As a garden designer— with perennial gardens as her big passion—she felt that something was missing. Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle changed her life and provided the missing puzzle piece. In October of 2008, she and her husband bought 3 acres on the outskirts of Charlotte, and C.J. began to reinvent herself as an urban farmer. The birth and evolution of Barefoot Farms is the realization of a life dream. C.J.’s belief is that the infinite wisdom of nature is a gift available when we step into relationship with the four seasons and truly listen and observe. On a daily basis the farm provides her with an amazing opportunity to continue her education as a student of the natural world.
The Eight Little Treasures Qigong with Robert Bruce at the Lawrence House
Eight Tuesdays: September 14th to November 2nd from 10 to 11:30 am Cost: $96 for the series $15 per
class/drop-in The 8 Treasures are a group of gentle, non-impact exercises that facilitate energy flow and strengthen vitality through a combination of stretching, toning and strengthening movements. Qigong practices activate and guide the smooth flow of energy through the body by use of breath, simple movement, posture and mental imagery. Related to, but older than Tai Chi, Qigong is generally simpler to learn because the movement sequences are shorter and more repetitious than those in Tai Chi.
The 8 Treasures is suitable for people at any level of fitness. Those with health problems can benefit from practicing the breathing techniques and placing less emphasis on the movements. As health improves, the more physical aspect of the exercises can be emphasized. Those already in excellent physical condition can benefit by developing a strong energetic core and a more harmonious flow of energy.
Rob first began his study of chi practices in
1996 with classes in basic qi gong exercises and the comprehensive Eight
Treasures qi gong practice introduced to the west by Master Hua-Ching Ni. He
received his certification as a Golden Flower Instructor in March 2004 and has
taught classes in the Golden Flower tai chi form at various locations in the
Charlotte area since the fall of 2004.
Exploring Watercolor in the Lawrence Garden with Janis Schneider at the Lawrence House
Eight Tuesdays: September 14th to November 2nd from 1:30 to 4:30 pm Cost: $240 (non-members $250) Using the garden in bloom as inspiration, explore color, paint, brushes and paper in an expressive and experimental way to gain confidence and knowledge of the medium. This course is intended to be “looser” than traditional botanical painting yet based on floral subject matter. Students can work in any way they desire, from tight to loose and from realistic to abstract.
Janis has been drawing and painting ever since she could hold a pencil and brush. She has studied at Bennington College, received a B.A. in Fine Art from Queens College (CUNY), Botanical Painting at the Horticultural Society in NYC and privately with the past president of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA). Like many botanical artists, she has been a textile designer for many years and has worked as a designer for various apparel and home furnishings companies. Her designs have sold nationally in major department stores and upscale catalogues. She has exhibited at the National Academy of Design in NYC and currently teaches Illustration and Botanical Illustration at CPCC in Charlotte and at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC.
Skulls, Scats, Antlers and Tracks a participatory workshop for children & adults with Naturalist Christopher Baldwin
Saturday, September 18th 10:30 am No charge--but, please register in advance. Have you ever come across an animal skull or mandibles while hiking and wished that you could identify your find? Join Christopher Baldwin for an informative workshop and learn how to read the clues to determine which animal belongs to your skull. By the end of the morning, you’ll have the skills to identify many animal skulls. In fact, you’ll even have the opportunity to use your new knowledge to identify an actual skull.
Christopher Baldwin’s passion has always been nature and the outdoors. He has personally logged over 500 miles hiking—including hiking up Mt Whitney and completing a 110 mile trek across the Swiss Alps. He has recently gained certification as a Master Naturalist and is part of a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of our natural resources.
Yoga at the Lawrence House with Isabel Shankle
Eight Mondays, September 27th – November 15th 10 - 11:30 am Cost: $120 for the eight sessions $18 per class/drop-in Enjoy the benefits of a mindful yoga practice surrounded by the serenity of the Elizabeth Lawrence Garden. Perfect for gardeners and non-gardeners alike, this yoga practice will be tailored to the individual student’s needs to establish a physical/mental balance. Using the tools of pranayama (breathing techniques), asana (physical yoga postures) and meditation, Isabel will guide the class towards awareness, intention, commitment and peace. (Please bring your own mat. We do have extras if you don’t own one.)
After teaching dance in Europe and the United States for 25 years, Isabel found yoga to be a natural transition. She has practiced yoga for 12 years and has been fortunate to study with Rod Snyder, Donna Farhi and Richard Freeman. She also teaches out of her private studio.
Birding 101 with Mary Currie
Tuesday, September 28th 9:30 am Cost: $5 (non-members: $10) Join Mary Currie for a morning with the birds and get to know your feathered neighbors. Mary will begin by sharing tips to identify birds by their field marks, songs, and habits and provide an overview of many of the bird species that enjoy our backyards throughout the year. She will also discuss maintaining a successful and bird-friendly feeding station. The program will conclude with a walk in the garden to try out our bird identification skills.
Wing Haven's Mary Currie is an avid birder who enjoys sharing her passion for birds with children and adults.
Piedmont Rockery Bowl Workshop with James Burghardt
Thursday, October 14th or Saturday, October 16th 9:30 am Cost: $45 (non-members: $50). Workshop fee includes all materials for a 25-pound container. Create an 18-inch bowl of succulent plants, bulbs and pebbles to decorate your patio or front steps across the fall and winter months. We'll pack the container with two species of crocuses as well as miniature irises to provide late winter flower color, too. Don't worry, come the spring and next summer, your container will excel as the creeping stonecrops and hens-and-chicks grow, mocking the summer heat and forgotten waterings. This "Piedmont Rockery Bowl" will blend the flora of European mountain slopes with a hint of the American Southwest while prospering in Charlotte's climate.
Jamie Burghardt studied horticulture in Australia and contributed to committees at Longwood Gardens before professional gardening, designing and guest leacturing in South Florida. He is a horticultural editor with Learn2Grow.com, freelance garden writer living in Lake Wylie, and occasionally makes Friday gardening segments appearances on NBC Channel 36's "Charlotte Today." He has a BA in biology and MS in public horticulture.
The Evening Garden: Fragrance & Flower from Dusk till Dawn with Peter Loewer
Tuesday, October 19th 9:30 am Cost: $10 (non-members: $15) Join Peter Loewer for a look at those night-blooming and night-fragrant plants featured in his book, The Evening Garden (Timber Press). Today most people have forgotten that the human eye has limited night vision or never realize there is no visible color under the light of the moon (the recent Wall Street Journal article on moon gardening got that wrong). These fascinating topics plus dozens of plants—ranging from the night-blooming cereus to the tropical water lilies—are featured. Copies of The Evening Garden will be available at the lecture.
Peter Loewer is a well-known writer and botanical artist, graduating from the Albright Art School of the University of Buffalo with a degree in graphics and a minor in art history. Upon graduation he was awarded the Max Beckmann Fellowship to the Brooklyn Museum Art.
In 1973 he wrote the first book on ornamental grasses, Growing and Decorating with Ornamental Grasses, then 1994 he published the first book on nocturnal flowers for bloom and fragrance, called The Evening Garden. His book, The Wild Gardener, was named one of the best 75 garden books of the 20th Century by the American Horticultural Society. Dealing with a few of the nation’s horticultural greats, he also wrote and illustrated Thoreau’s Garden and Jefferson’s Garden. He has a monthly call-in garden show on Public Radio in Asheville and is on-air with morning host Ken Adams the first and third Thursday of the month, talking about unusual plants and hort-lore. He is also the Contributing Editor for Carolina Gardener magazine.
Today, Mr. Loewer teaches art at the North Carolina Arboretum, Montreat Elderhostel, AB-Tech, and every three years at Penland School in Spruce Pine. He also practices printmaking, and works on pen and colored-pencil renderings of native plants and their pollinating insects.
Spring Flowering Bulbs with Frankie Fanelli
Wednesday, October 20th 7:30 pm Cost: $10 (non-members: $15) Spring flowering bulbs can provide the piedmont gardener with color and fragrance from late January through April. Join Frankie Fanelli for a look at bulb planting techniques from their many uses in the landscape to forcing for enjoyment indoors. Frankie will also cover propagation of various types of bulbs. The lecture will include slides, a demonstration and great handouts.
Frankie Fanelli teaches the Horticulture Production curriculum at Central Piedmont Community College. She received both her BS and MS in Horticulture from NC State University where she worked closely with Dr. August DeHertogh, a world authority on flowering bulbs. Frankie also finds the time to serve on the Lawrence House & Garden Advisory Committee.
The Blueberry Years with Jim Minick
Saturday, October 30th 10:30 am Free with Garden Admission (Please register in advance!) The Blueberry Years captures Jim Minick’s experience creating, operating, and eventually selling one of the mid-Atlantic’s first certified-organic, pick-your-own blueberry farms. For a decade, Jim and Sarah, his wife, planted, pruned, and picked while also opening the field to hundreds of people who came to harvest berries. These pickers shared blueberry-flavored moonshine and sober religion, warm hugs and cool hats, and always bushels of stories. Jim includes brief chapters on national issues such as organic foods and new farmers as well as short interludes on all things blueberry. Ultimately, this book tells the story of a young couple pursuing their blueberry dream.
In addition to the memoir, The Blueberry Years, Jim Minick is the author of two books of poetry, Her Secret Song and Burning Heaven, winner of the Book of the Year Award from The Virginia College Bookstores Association. Also he has written a collection of essays, Finding a Clear Path, and edited All There Is to Keep by Rita Riddle. Minick teaches writing and literature at Radford University, and his work has appeared in many publications including Shenandoah, Orion, San Francisco Chronicle, Encyclopedia of Appalachia, The Sun, Appalachian Journal, Bay Journal, Wind, and The Roanoke Times. He lives in the mountains of Virginia with his wife and four dogs.
Bizarre Botanicals with Larry Mellichamp
Monday, November 8th 7:30 pm Cost: $5 (non-members: $10) Gardeners love tulips, lilies, and pansies -- the common, but beautiful plants found in the average garden. But there are realms in the plant world far beyond these familiar favorites. Join Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross on a curious botanical journey of weirdly wonderful plants that can be grown at home. Copies of Bizarre Botanicals, just released by Timber Press, will be available for purchase.
Larry Mellichamp is a professor of botany and horticulture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also director of the University's Botanical Gardens. He has written many technical and popular artiacles on plants and gardening and has co-authored three books.
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