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Successful gardeners know that beautiful and bountiful gardens require knowledge and planning. Fall is the perfect time to start thinking about the what, when, where, why and how of our gardens!

This year, the popular and informative San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners Annual Gardening Workshop Series will again take place via Zoom.

Eight live one-hour webinars will be held on Tuesday and Thursdays afternoons from October 15-24. All those registered will be able to view (or review) recordings of all the presentations at their leisure for a full month.

Registration for the entire series of presentations is $35 and will close Wednesday, October 9. You can read more about all eight delightful, educational and inspiring presentations the link below.

Speakers include university professors, county extension educators and accomplished amateur and professional Master Gardeners who will share their knowledge and experience and provide additional time to answer participants' questions.

This year's keynote speaker is Frederique Lavoipierre, author of "Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds & Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving". Her column "Voices of the West: New Science on Life in the Garden" currently appears in Pacific Horticulture. Frederique will explore how to maintain an ecological balance while creating beautiful landscapes with this food web approach to gardening. The emphasis is on the interdependence of all life in the garden and how the lives ofinsects, birds, other animals, and soil organisms are inextricably interwoven. Her presentation will begin with a brief introduction to conservation biological control in gardens and delve into why this approach is ideally suited to landscape settings.

There will be 7 additional presentations to follow on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons:

Biologist and co-owner of Satinflower Nurseries Kristen Miskelly will enlighten participants on topics such as using native plants in home gardens and as an alternative to lawns.

Chanda Bartholomew will discuss the variety of bee communities in Washington state.

Dr. Jesse Miller, Lead State Botanist, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, will present information on plant and- lichen- communities and diversity in the PNW.

Anne Schuster, MS, Education Specialist Washington State Noxious Weed Board will talk about the identification and eradication of noxious weeds and the negative impacts of noxious weeds on biodiversity, native species, and other creatures.

Conservation Biologist, Matt Fairbarns, MS, of the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team, will provide insight into ecosystem restoration work on Trial Island including work to control Scotch Broom, English Ivy and invasive grasses.

Skagit WSU Master Gardener, Marlene Finley, MS, will focus on planning and landscape practices for creating a fire resilient home landscape.

Diana Wisen, Skagit WSU Master Gardener and former Shaw Island farmer, will recommend fragrant shrubs that do well in our area.

The WSU Master Gardener Foundation's mission is to engage university-trained volunteers to empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship education.

For more information and to register for the 2024 San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners Gardening Workshop Series before the October 9 deadline, go to garden workshop link:

Garden Workshop Information and Registration