Garden workshop: proliferate and prosper

Learn how to reproduce and grow plants in your home garden at an Introduction to Plant Propagation workshop on Saturday, July 14, at Sonoma Garden Park.

Michelle Vesser from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) will lead the 10 a.m. to noon session.

The interactive workshop will cover methods of asexual (vegetative) propagation, including cutting, dividing, and layering, as well as several different seeding techniques. Participants will be propagating many perennial flowers during the workshop, including lavenders and salvias, as well as discussing the timing and soil mediums. After practicing some of these techniques during the workshop, participants will have their own plant materials to take home.

Vesser, OAEC’s assistant gardener and production manager, has been gardening at the OAEC since 1986. Over the years, she has been dedicated to passing on the knowledge of hand-tilled agriculture through extension and apprenticeship in the U.S., Philippines, Nepal, and Mexico.

The workshop is suitable for all levels of experience, and costs $10 for Sonoma Ecology Center members and $15 for non-members. Participants should bring gloves, pruners, and wear clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. All proceeds benefit Sonoma Garden Park, a working farm and model of sustainable agriculture, managed by Sonoma Ecology Center.

Sonoma Garden Park is located at 19996 Seventh St. E.,  between MacArthur and Denmark Streets. For more information, or to register for the workshop online, contact 996.9744 or Sonomecologycenter.org.