Actea pachypoda berries

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CLASS IS FULL. WE HOPE YOU’LL FIND MANY MORE PROGRAMS ON OUR CALENDAR THAT APPEAL TO YOUR INTERESTS.

When wild seeds are ripe and the time for sowing draws nigh, join Bill Cullina for an intensive workshop to learn to grow wildflowers.  This Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens class will begin with an overview of seed development, seed collection, cleaning and storage to encourage participants to begin collecting and processing their own seeds. A morning walk will reinforce the morning’s concepts. After a lunch break, the afternoon lecture focuses on seed dormancy and germination, especially the unique strategies and obstacles necessary to germinate difficulty genera such as trillium. The lecture is followed by a hands-on demonstration of seed cleaning and sowing techniques. Students will then practice these techniques themselves and go home with a collection of seeds. 

William Cullina is Executive Director of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.  Previously Director of Horticulture and Plant Curator for the Gardens, Cullina has also worked for many years as the native plant Nursery Director for the New England Wild Flower Society.  He was recently awarded the Scott Medal for lifetime achievement in horticulture.  The 2010 winner of the American Horticultural Society’s Communication Award, he is also the winner of numerous American Horticultural Society Book Awards.  A well-known author, photographer, and recognized authority on North American native plants, Cullina lectures on a variety of subjects to garden and professional groups and writes for popular and technical journals. His books include Wildflowers, Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Understanding Orchids, Native Ferns, Mosses, and Grasses, and most recently, Understanding Perennials, published in 2009. He is co-author of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens: A People’s Garden.

Where:        Bosarge Family Education Center
Price:           $60 members, $80 nonmembers (preregistration required)